Matrix 4 Coming Soon

[Gotham Knight]

I saw about 17 minutes of it before work. The humor is new, but I've followed Lana through Sense8 so I'm red pill on this. Not sure if I'll wait until tomorrow (my last work day this week) or not. I like having a weekend for a new movie.

[The Joker]

Literally sounds like a Victoria Alonso quote, but I appreciate the chuckle. I mean, wasn't it Total Recall that originated taking the red pill in the first place? 

I'll probably read and watch some review videos on this before checking it out. At the very least, it would be pleasantly amusing to find out that all this talk of Matrix Resurrections being a big trans allegory, comparable to "The Last Jedi", and now this 'reclaiming of the red pill' nonsense, is just that, nonsense. Stirred up to get controversy for some unknown reason (cause this tactic works so well in the past, right?).

[thecolorsblend]

Twenty minutes in. No spoilers for now. Not from me anyway.

But the first scene with Thomas and the boss guy. It's not even a metaphor, yeesh.

[thecolorsblend]

There's a post-credit scene. It's not much. But it's something. More than nothing. And this is an ACTUAL post-credit scene. Not something randomly dropped into the middle of the credits. It's actually after the credits. Watch it. In its own way, it's actually a pretty good summary of what Resurrections is up to as a film.

spoilers

The movie itself. I enjoyed it. It's a lot more jokey than the original trilogy. Or at least more than the sequels. Reloaded and Revolutions were dealing with very high stakes subject matter. Link was the only attempt at comic relief in those films. How successful he was as a character is in the eye of the beholder.

In Resurrections, there's more of an overall lighter tone. I can't prove it but I think Wachowski was determined to create a sequel that more or less fulfilled audience expectations in an unexpected, out of left field kind of way. Whereas Neo in the original trilogy was a self-doubting reluctant hero, here (after a fashion) he's pretty freewheeling and lighthearted in the final scene with Trinity and The Analyst.

As is typical with The Matrix, there are layers of meaning and complication to all this. But as I said above, I don't see very much subtext in Neo's first meeting with Smith. Smith's dialogue related to Warner Bros. is pretty gd on the nose. The Wachowskis were told that a Matrix sequel was happening with or without them. But without them, they'd be done at WB. Which appears to be more or less what happened. The names aren't even changed to protect the guilty. I'm amazed that WB let this fly.

Finally, I wrote a wall text post a couple weeks ago that explained in almost excruciating detail why I thought certain things would happen in the movie. I deleted it because my wall text posts tend not to get many replies. But I think my deleted post was fairly close to the mark. Basically, Trinity now shares some of Neo's The One code due to a series of weird circumstances that the machines were unable to control because of the strange and off-script path that Neo took in the original trilogy.

/spoilers

All in all, I enjoyed the movie on the first viewing with some reluctances. I'll get more into that in the future tho. For now, bedtime.

[thecolorsblend]

If Wikipedia is to be believed (too lazy to check Box Office Mojo), Resurrections isn't faring too well at the box office. I'm guessing No Way Home is hogging all the attention at the moment.

At this point, I'm pretty much convinced that the Wachowskis never wanted a fourth movie and Resurrections only exists to pacify somebody from the studio. Assuming I'm right, Resurrections tanking at the box office might be for the best. The movie gives Neo and Trinity a happy ending but faring poorly at the box office might eliminate the possibility of further movies. So, this might be the best possible outcome, depending on how you look at it.

I guess we'll see.

[Gotham Knight]

What's interesting about the first act is that you're very likely getting something very close to the truth. I know for a fact that WB held up the Wachowskis and told them that either they would come in and do this or WB would proceed without them. I know because a while ago (not sure how long) an anonymous source came out on reddit and proved themselves to be the WB's 'plan b' if the answer was no. As it stands, MR seems to not give a darn if you like it or not. I expected nothing less. I loved it and I hope there is more, but I don't think there will be. Nobody outside of the die hards are into this film. Most reviews are angry because the movie feels more like the expectation subverting sequels that a pander fest. Way too many butt hurt fanboys in the 'I only ever liked the first one' crowd.

[thecolorsblend]

What's interesting about the first act is that you're very likely getting something very close to the truth. I know for a fact that WB held up the Wachowskis and told them that either they would come in and do this or WB would proceed without them. I know because a while ago (not sure how long) an anonymous source came out on reddit and proved themselves to be the WB's 'plan b' if the answer was no. As it stands, MR seems to not give a darn if you like it or not. I expected nothing less. I loved it and I hope there is more, but I don't think there will be. Nobody outside of the die hards are into this film. Most reviews are angry because the movie feels more like the expectation subverting sequels that a pander fest. Way too many butt hurt fanboys in the 'I only ever liked the first one' crowd.

This has all come as a bit of a surprise, at least to me. That first teaser won so much good will that I'm a little shocked that the movie is faring as poorly as it is. People were pumping their fists all over the place seeing Neo back in action in the teaser but that well of good will appears to have dried up.

It's still early days. But I think history will look back kindly on what Resurrections attempted to do considering the lines that Wachowski had to color inside of.

[The Dark Knight]

I loved it and I hope there is more, but I don't think there will be. Nobody outside of the die hards are into this film. Most reviews are angry because the movie feels more like the expectation subverting sequels that a pander fest. Way too many butt hurt fanboys in the 'I only ever liked the first one' crowd.

Exactly this.

Resurrections is an extended epilogue to Revolutions, which explains so much of the critical savaging. The film doesn't just mirror the original, but references the sequels quite liberally. Therefore lot of people literally don't know what is going on and don't care to find out. I can understand people not being bowled over by the action, but in terms of pure lore I can't see it being anything other than a gift to the fans. The Matrix is a big franchise but it's never been a mainstream accepted franchise like Star Wars.

I have to give my respect to the story team in fleshing out the world post Revolutions. To me it made all the sense in the world. There was a truce, but not all Machines were on board with that. Some helped out humanity, some didn't. Which reflects our own reality. It's never going to be perfect peace bathed in golden light. Which also allows tension and conflict to remain for the freed humans living on the scorched Earth.

Therefore it makes logical sense for humanity to flee Zion and seek somewhere more secure and secluded rather than risk another Doomsday scenario. That's what they do with IO. And the place looks fantastic. A huge upgrade over Zion, not just in terms of visuals but technology. Loved seeing the APU cameos in the distance too, bridging the gap between the two locations. The fate of the original Morpheus is totally in character. After Reloaded he had his faith shaken due to the prophecy lie. After Neo's sacrifice it's believable he'd fully embrace his faith and again have total conviction, believing the truce would be eternally upheld. A sad but fitting end. I also dig how Niobe became like Lock over time, and Bugs resembles Niobe's younger self.

I absolutely believe that people don't have the right perspective with the movie. The fact the Morpheus echo is played by another actor, and differently, is not a negative. In this context it's a benefit. It creates a distinction between the real deal, as played by Fishburne. The echo shows a lot of time has passed, things have changed and there have been consequences. Having Fishburne appear as the echo would've undermined that. And I stand by that comment.

Swarm mode felt like a natural extension of the Matrix being a system of control. Using and abusing those within to serve their agenda. If they can hijack people to become Agents, it makes sense they'd also create zombie hordes if the situation warranted it. The flashbacks weren't an issue for me, in the context of Neo questioning his own memories versus what he thinks could just be a game. That aspect I found to be clever, not insulting, regardless of any real life digs that may be made against the studio. The flashbacks also served to make Resurrections feel like a coda to the trilogy, reminding fans of what came before.

I also like how Neo and Trinity were given roles that should have been appealing to them, but deep down they weren't wholly satisfied. They knew something was missing. Neo started out in the original as a shadowy hacker. Here, he's a world famous game developer. Trinity has a husband and children, which should make her happy. But it seems more like an obligation and she hates the name she's given: Tiffany. Once she meets Neo, she can't stop thinking about him. Which confirms that life is about energy and trusting what you feel.

If this is the end of the line, I'm satisfied. It leaves Neo and Trinity in a good place. The world progressed in a logical manner. I'm hoping there's other franchise media like games, another Animatrix series or comics. Even if Lana had her arm twisted to make the movie, I still see it being made out of love. Love for the characters she helped create. The end credits even mention the importance of love with the end statement. That's what I have to say for now - I'm satisfied.

[The Laughing Fish]

I'm not gonna pretend I'm interested in The Matrix Resurrections, and for all I know, the footage of Wachowski could be edited out of context. But I enjoy the way this video is edited.

I saw a scene where they took a jab at the studio and showed it to a friend who is a die-hard Matrix fan, he told me his enthusiasm for Resurrections took a nosedive. I guess this tongue-in-cheek meta comedy isn't appreciated among most fans of the franchise.

Honestly, I think a fourth Matrix movie should've come out a decade ago, at the very latest.

[thecolorsblend]

The uncut interview isn't a drastic improvement.

One way of looking at it is the Wachowskis are notoriously gunshy when it comes to doing press. Famously, they didn't do press themselves for the Matrix sequels. Producers and cast members did tons of press. But not the Wachowskis. This interview could be a good example of why. Social anxiety?

Of course, the other way of looking at it is that Lana Wachowski never believed in this movie but doesn't have the clout this time around to refuse press. Hence, the awkward interview. When you bumble a big softball interview like that, shyness can't be the only explanation. Wachowski just doesn't seem to accept the legitimacy of the movie's existence.

Watch any interview with Keanu Reeves where he promotes Resurrections and you'll see a night and day difference going on there. He controls the room and he makes a pretty solid case for the movie's merits. Clearly, he's had training on how to do interviews and handle the press.