The Matrix has long been part of pop culture, and 22 years after the last film was released, we’re finally set to return to the source. More a companion piece than a reboot, The Matrix Resurrections trailer quite literally echoes change. We see major characters coming back, giving us major nostalgia, but change is imminent. So how will this play out?
Well, first, free your mind. This resurrection of a classic does not pick up where the trilogy left off. As you can see in the full trailer above, not everything is as it seems, which shouldn’t surprise most fans, given the trilogy’s legacy of challenging science fiction.
The main characters, including Keanu Reeves’ beloved character Neo, are strangers to themselves and each other. Although serving major John Wick vibes, with the shoulder-length locks, we’re even a little confused about who Keanu Reeves is. The trailer also shows Trinity, who doesn’t recognise Neo, which hits us hard in the feels. We see some newcomers, one sporting a white rabbit tattoo (hint hint), and a lot of director Lana Wachowski’s, iconic fight scenes, channelling her love of Japanese animation and martial arts films.
There’s a lot happening in the trailer, but the main storyline here is love. Love is not new to The Matrix. Who can forget Neo and Trinity’s pragma? Although, both characters died in the last movie, so surprise surprise, they’re back. No, I didn’t spoil anything, as you can clearly see that in the trailer. We can only assume, this movie is about Neo and Trinity finding each other again.
As we can see, the red and blue pills make an appearance, but in this case, Neo is again going by Thomas Anderson and is being prescribed a daily dose of blue pill from his psychiatrist, played by Neil Patrick Harris (the blue-rimmed glasses are a sinister giveaway). What we don’t see is a clear threat. There’s a lot of action, bullets flying, rippling mirrors, and allusions to Alice in Wonderland — but no bad guy. Instead, we’re given a scene of SWAT or a militia group fighting Anderson, Trinity, and newcomers. Perhaps, they are pawns in the plot.
Another change we see, is the development of powers, with characters bending the rules of the Matrix. We no doubt saw Neo blast a few bad guys away, but also, this idea that people can stay in the Matrix or leave willingly. This could be a nod to our modern world, where technology is inescapable, and some would rather choose to build a virtual world (hello, Mark Zuckerberg) than face the real world, which isn’t a far stretch. The glimpses of Sentinel machines and humans being used as batteries also suggests the truce has ended, but then again, nothing is as it seems with Resurrections.
Meanwhile, one major character missing from the trailer is Laurence Fishburne, although we’ve been told Morpheus is in the new movie, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. He serves as a mentor to Anderson, offering him the red pill, to wake up. Priyanka Chopra Jonas also makes an appearance, with some suggesting her character is the new Oracle, or at least an update.
Regardless of who the baddie is, or the main storyline, we’re all left wondering the same thing after watching the featurette above. Is this the beginning or the end? The Matrix trilogy introduced a cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction, changing the way we thought about technology in 1999. It practically changed the language of cinema, the idea of advancement, and prescribed a “blue pill” and “red pill” to our social discourse.
In the end, the trilogy was a masterpiece— a look at the future —but now that we’re living in that future, where can it go from here and will it have the same impact? We already have crypto, and there are talks of a metaverse, so what does that mean for the Matrix concept? Is it a reality, or something we still have yet to discover? Mankind’s relationship with machines has evolved since Wachowski’s first conception of the Matrix, so the idea will always be relevant.
With this relevancy, more movies could essentially be made—only time will tell. What we do think, is Neo and Trinity’s awakening seems like the beginning of a whole new trilogy. New characters, new powers, and a new plot suggest we’re on the cusp of a new Matrix generation.
If you want a bonus look behind the production curtain of The Matrix Resurrections, be sure to watch the featurette above before the film is released, only in cinemas on Boxing Day (26 December, 2021).
