The Matrix Resurrections
A Review in Writing (Spoilers so please be warned)
So, where to begin with this one. There was a lot of high expectations coming off of the back of two things, time, and ability.
For those that remember sitting in the cinema, watching the first matrix unfold through a gritty green lens. This outing held a lot of promise for the veterans of the series. Now before we get started, this is going to be a review in writing. By this I mean, given all of the material, and all of the places that this movie could have gone. Where did the writing takes us.
So lets just throw it out there, from the supporting roles and old characters brought back for nothing but dialog or pointless monologues. To the plain fact that everything scene felt like a studio set, or at best, the inside of a Starbucks coffee shop. This may have been deliberate, the opening sequence out side the heart of the city, which felt faker than fake. Lets just call it. Resurrections is a bad movie. Which is criminal because it had all of the potential to be great. I am not just talking about leaning into nostalgia. it had time on its side, and an audience that would have been receptive to a movie come back. even the stars were on board. However, whilst we talk about that side of things, where was the original two blatant missing leads. Replacing Morpheus and Smith, was just pure pointless. They were staple DNA of the franchise, so either bring them back or remove them all together. A half way house just added to the dilution of the issue with this movie.
From the opening dialog between the two observers it was clear that spoon feeding was on the cards. Have we really reached that point in todays society where if it is not obvious then people will just not get it. This seems to be a reoccurring theme. Here, look at this. To stop the masses saying 'I don't get it'.
Fight scenes felt fake and at best bad. There are several points where punches are mistimed and where CGI was needed, the film opted for live action. Why, the whole point of the Matrix is to be impossible. So lean into it, embrace it, but just not to the extent they did in Matrix Reloaded.
One of my pet hates with the original two movies was the move away form the Matrix itself. In episodes 2&3, humanity and those still help captive diverged to a point where Neo just did not get enough exposure to what he once was a part of. Here again, we see the same mistake all over again.
To sum it up, 'Look my life is weird. I find out I am special. I discover a new world. I fight for my old world, but I never connect with it again.'
Neil Patrick Harris, puts in a good performance, but when compared to the original Smith character or even the architect it falls short.
The Merovingian was great to see, and then launches into nothing but a pointless monologue over the top of a dead and lifeless fight scene. During which we see Neo and Smith fight, flatly and without any emotion or indeed danger for what loss would mean to the story line.
There are so many more fulfilling directions this movie could have gone. So many paths that would have echoed what we all wanted and pulled on the nostalgia heart stings in a more rewarding way.
My personal problem with the movie in general, the direction felt flat. Staged to a point where I just did not care for it. The fight seems were weak and just sloppy in places. The writing on dialog was bad. Yep, called it. Take a look at the first 10 minutes, speaks volumes. The cast did a good job with what they had but those first 10 minutes shows you how the rest of the movie is going to pan out.
Finally, never trust a movie with so many flash backs, rewinds, and loops. Editing could have brought the movie down by at least 20 minutes shorter on the runtime, and made it punchier for the viewer.
Now that I feel I have gone too far into the bad, lets talk about the good. Trinity and Neo are good enjoyable characters to invest in, but their story had been told. Their sacrifice had been made.
I would have loved to see the Matrix opening sequence return. Streams of data, perhaps showing each of the instance building up then falling down. Maybe even early, machine code building up after the end of the great war. This would have been great from a time dilated point of view culminating in each pervious version of Neo and their events leading to the reset of the Matrix. I know its not easy but not everything needs to be obvious. It played out like a bad book, telling me what to look at and think. I think it was maybe 5 mins in where the two observing characters to Trin's loop call it for what is exactly is. Why?
Anyway, enough is enough. There is too much to talk about here, and so much that could have been great. I am sure it will get its moment as a movie. People will either love it or hate it, as always with films that are sugar and salt.
I will leave the comment field open, so tell me what you think. Good or bad, what were you thoughts.
