SegaDreamFlash

5y

· edited

"The opening act of The Matrix Resurrections is wonderfully confounding, a delicious way to recreate the unmooring unreality of the original to an audience that has likely seen, or felt its influence, countless times. Yet as it replicates, it also diverges. This is not, as the hacker Bugs (Jessica Henwick) notes early on, the story we know."

"Bugs is our window into what’s new in Resurrections, a young and headstrong woman dedicated to finding the Neo that her generation knows only as myth. Her zealotry puts her in hot water with her elders; outside of the Matrix, humanity has eked out a small but thriving post-apocalyptic life, resting on the uneasy treaty between man and machine that Neo brokered at the end of the original trilogy. By constantly hacking into the Matrix to find Neo, Bugs threatens that peace — yet it’s a risk that Bugs and her ragtag crew (which includes a phenomenal Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a role that’s not quite who viewers think he is) feel is worth taking. Because despite the war fought to free humanity from machine enslavement, much of humanity is still choosing to remain in the Matrix. The real world being real is not reason enough for anyone to wake up from the dream world."

"But the hope of rescuing Neo is only half of the story. Wachowski makes a dazzling pivot halfway through The Matrix Resurrections, one that underlines a focal shift from individual freedom to human connection: The Resistance learns that it may be possible to free Trinity again as well, although by means never tried before. It’s a mission that isn’t likely to succeed, but in this strange new future, it’s the only one worth living and dying for. In pivoting to a mission to save the theoretical Trinity, Resurrections takes the messaging of the original film a step further. It’s not enough to free your mind; in fact, it’s worthless if you don’t unplug in the interest of connecting and loving those around you."

This back half gear-shifts into something much more straightforward, and frankly, it whips. It’s The Matrix as a heist movie. Because of this genre pivot, Resurrections’ action takes on a different flavor from that of its predecessors.

"While weighty, satisfying martial arts standoffs are still in play, they’re not the centerpiece, as “Thomas” and “Tiffany” are the heart of the film, played by actors 20 years older and a little more limited in their choreography. Instead, The Matrix Resurrections chooses to dazzle with gorgeous widescreen set-pieces, big brawls, and visual effects that once again astonish while looking spectacularly real. Wachowski and her co-writers split the action as Bugs and her crew — who don’t get enough screen time but all make a terrific impression — race to find where their heroes may be hidden in the real world, and “Thomas” tries to get “Tiffany” to remember the love they once shared. All of the heady philosophy that these movies are known for is put into direct action, as the machines show off the ways they’ve changed the Matrix in an effort to not just keep a Neo from rescuing a Trinity, but to imprison him again."

"In this sequence and throughout, The Matrix Resurrections relishes in being a lighter, more self-aware film than its predecessors, a movie about big feelings rendered beautifully. Its score, by Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, reprises iconic motifs from original Matrix composer Don Davis’ work while introducing shimmery, recursive sequencing, a sonic echo to go with the visual one. While legendary cinematographer Bill Pope is also among the talent that doesn’t return this time around, the team of Daniele Massaccesi and John Toll bring a more painterly approach to Resurrections. Warm colors invade scenes from both the Matrix and the real world; the latter looks more vibrant than ever without the blue hues that characterized it in the original trilogy, while its digital counterpart has now changed to the point where it’s painfully idyllic, a world of bright colors and sunlight that is difficult to leave."

"Embodying those changes is Jonathan Groff as a reawakened Smith, Neo’s dark opposite within the Matrix. Groff, who steps in for a role indelibly portrayed by Hugo Weaving, is the audacity of The Matrix Resurrections personified: He nails a character so iconic that recasting it feels like hubris, yet also finds new shades to bring to an antagonistic role in a world where villains only appear human, when in fact they’re often ideas. And ideas are so hard to wage war against."

"If the old Matrix films are about lies we are told, the new Matrix is about lies we choose. In spite of its questions, 1999’s The Matrix hinges on the notion that there is such a thing as objective truth, and that people would want to see it. On the cusp of 2022, objective truth is no longer agreed upon, as pundits, politicians, and tech magnates each present their vision of what’s real, and aggressively market it to the masses. Our current crisis, then, is whatever you choose it to be. You just have to choose a side in the war: one to be us, and another to be them.

“If we don’t know what’s real,” one character asks Neo, “how do we resist?”"

I'mma stop here and let folks read this review if they want but this sounding like some GAS in my opinion I'm ready, F***

@survival_horror @emu @SUPERMAN @be2

Full review here with some minor spoilers: https://www.polygon.com/reviews/22847211/the-matrix-resurrections-review

Bane

5y

Maybe because my opinion was formed prior to the reviews? I just wanted to know if my skepticism was warranted

SUPERMAN

5y

Lol you a liar and your breath stink

coolrebel

5y

Did you see the movie? And if yes, is fake morpheus up to par with og morpheus? And is the colour grading looking like Titans season 2 on purpose?

HaroldsChicken

5y

Nigga we have all been skeptical if you read the thread and our post

coolrebel

5y

Did you see the movie? And if yes, is fake morpheus up to par with og morpheus? And is the colour grading looking like Titans season 2 on purpose?

coolrebel

5y

Real s***, if it ends up being fire, I will come in here and let yall know in caps its fire. If not, Dont let it bring you down. Its the entertainment business. Capitalism ruins art every time

SegaDreamFlash

5y

Review I posted said "a phenomenal Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a role that’s not quite who viewers think he is" and niggas still think he's Morpheus

be2sane

5y

The question i'm posing is this: what if the movie used the absence of cast members to create a narrative that doesn't revolve around "better replacements" but around a deeper philosophical take on the Machines replacing people without caring to make them identical?

Nah i ain't seent it yet. And the color grading thing could be intentional to explain a different "version" of the matrix

Mark Moschino

5y

ok yall i got to leave this emotional rollercoaster, hit me up when those guys leave or i'll just jump in after i see it, cant wait to talk to yall about it and i have serious fomo over not having a matrix avy

blessings and peace upon you!

coolrebel

5y

Hell nah. Never said that. I think you guys will be sad based on the hype youre creating. You can tell the magic is gone. But nah man enjoy that s***. But you saying yeezus is mid shows me we are just two different kinds of ppl and thats fine. Im not going to bash you or tell you leave a forum lol. Its cool man. Your opinion

HaroldsChicken

5y

THERE IS NO UNAMIOUS FIRE. What’s fire to you may not be fire to me and vice versa . Example no way home is not fire to me

be2sane

5y

For the record i rate Yeezus

coolrebel

5y

Tbh with you bro even if theres a genius level mind bending explanation for cowboy bebop man being morpheus, the tones, aesthetics, and cheesy jokes are not what I want from a matrix movie. Thats just me g. If you like it its cool. I hope you have fun.

HaroldsChicken

5y

We got a spoiler thread this will be for non spoiler reviews

RIZGOD

5y

While I was scrolling through KTT this morning, I checked this thread out. Some arguments going on over what I thought was some obvious bait

I went about my day, just got back from seeing Spiderman NWH and it is currently 9:30 PM over here. It is literally the SAME PEOPLE from this morning still arguing in here Yall fr need some productive hobbies

SUPERMAN

5y

I don't hate it its just aight. But I'm not into just aesthetics and vibes so idk

SegaDreamFlash

5y

Review I posted said "a phenomenal Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in a role that’s not quite who viewers think he is" and niggas still think he's Morpheus

Bane

5y

I'm not lying when I call you an idiot and a b****

be2sane

5y

Literally the way i look at it is an entertainment based philosophy class with great storytelling and a riveting plot

coolrebel

5y

Cap.