Two decades after the final The Matrix movie, Lana Wachowski returned to the cyberpunk epic to tell one last story. This excited fans, giving them a chance to see where their beloved characters ended up after the war with the machines. It's definitely an enticing story that hits all the same beats of the original, but something about it feels different.
Unexpectedly, two of the main characters from the franchise return from the dead. More importantly, this is not the same type of Matrix movie that fans remember. There aren't bullets flying in every scene. It's a little bit meta, and it comes with an ending that requires a little bit of interpretation.
What Is The Matrix Resurrections About?
Just when fans everywhere thought the war between humans and machines was over and that Neo died to stop that war, they learn that it — and he — are still very much alive. This makes sense to those who paid attention to The Matrix Revolutions and the Architect. He states at the end of the film when speaking to the Oracle that the peace won't last. And he was correct.
The Matrix Resurrections takes place 60 years after the conclusion of the original trilogy, and fans get a quick glimpse at some familiar shots. The film starts off similar to The Matrix, when Trinity has to run from the Agents. However, there are some subtle differences. For example, the scene focuses on characters that weren't around for the first film. Fast-forward to the crux of the film, and audiences discover that Keanu Reeves' Neo is very much alive in some capacity.
He knows himself as Thomas Anderson, and he's a video game developer famous for The Matrix series of video games. Now, his company wants him to produce an expansion to the series. This leads Mr. Anderson into an existential crisis where he can't discern reality from fiction, believing he's the hero of the very video game he created. It's all very meta.
Mr. Anderson regularly sees a therapist who keeps him drugged-up on a blue pill all too similar to the one Morpheus offers Neo in The Matrix. It's in a coffee shop, aptly called "Simulatte," where the audience learns that Neo isn't the only survivor from of the Nebuchadnezzar. Trinity is alive and well within this new Matrix simulation, under the identity of Tiffany.
Despite Tiffany having children and a husband (fun fact: he's played by Reeves' stunt double from the original The Matrix and director of John Wick), she and Mr. Anderson share some obvious familiarity with each other. It's through this unhappy existence that a hacker called Bugs and a new version of Morpheus awaken Neo, setting out on a new mission to rescue Trinity. This leads them to encounter Agent Smith, played by Jonathan Groff, who turns out to be Mr. Anderson's business partner.
Criticisms of The Matrix Resurrections
The Matrix Resurrections debuted in December 2021 to mixed reviews. Some people found the film unnecessary, with the proper conclusion to the series taking place in the third movie, The Matrix Revolutions. Meanwhile, others saw it as a fitting conclusion and love letter to the franchise. Unlike The Matrix Revolutions, this fourth installment harkens back to scenes from the first The Matrix. Some critics argued that it was a poor attempt to rehash what made fans fall in love with the franchise originally, but film buffs recognized it as a necessary feature of trilogies as a way to tie a series together.
Critics of Resurrections felt that the action wasn't at the same level as the first three movies, with one critic stating that the kung fu wasn't very good. They're not wrong about that either. Resurrections lacks memorable action sequences, something that fans know and love the franchise for. Fans of the original trilogy can talk about their favorite action sequence in great detail. Most might point to the highway motorcycle chase from The Matrix Reloaded, for example.
However, Adam Egypt Mortimer, director of Archenemy and Daniel Isn't Real, says, "The action in this movie is human connection." This film brings the understated themes of the original trilogy to the forefront. It was always about human connection, but that took a back seat to the philosophical themes the Wachowskis wanted explored during a time of war. Remember, the first film ended with Neo seemingly dying and then returning from the dead from Trinity's kiss in the real world. Human connection has always been the crux of The Matrix.
How Does The Matrix Resurrections End?
While there was a ceasefire between humans and machines, factions of machines fought each other, which created an anomaly. Part of Neo's mission to save Trinity was also to discover what the Anomaly was. In a suspenseful scene where Neo and Trinity are finally about to embrace, the world around them freezes, and the Anomaly finally reveals itself to be none other than Mr. Anderson's therapist.
Played by the illuminating Neil Patrick Harris, The Analyst (get it? The therapist is a program called The Analyst) is a program created to study the human psyche, and took over the original trilogy's Architect role by creating a new Matrix. He resurrected Neo and Trinity in resurrection pods, and discovered they always reached out for each other. This gave him the idea to perfect the Matrix by incorporating the passion and love the two felt toward each other into the source code.
Unfortunately, tests determined that every time the two reunited, they brought the whole system down. Instead, The Analyst built the Matrix around Neo and Trinity's unrequited love for each other, allowing them to be near each other and yearn for each other but never actually connect with one another. This kept them and every other human in the system docile and obedient. The Analyst proposes a deal with Neo that if Trinity agrees to run away with Neo of her own free will, the two can go off together. However, if she refuses, Neo must plug back into the Matrix permanently. Wholeheartedly believing in Trinity, Neo accepts.
Despite some reluctance, Trinity realizes she's not Tiffany and runs away with Neo, forcing the Analyst to activate "Swarm Mode." This turns every occupant of the Matrix into an agent and, true to the mode's name, they swarm on Neo and Trinity. The duo escapes on a motorcycle in a not-as-impressive chase scene as in The Matrix Reloaded. The two are eventually chased to the top of a skyscraper where Neo intends to fly away with Trinity; however, it doesn't quite work out that way. Instead, when the two leap from the building, Neo discovers he's unable to fly. This time around, it's Trinity who frees her mind, giving her the ability to do as she wishes within the Matrix. Trinity flies off, taking Neo with her.
In the film's final scene, the duo returns to the Analyst in his office, garbed in black similar to the original trilogy. The three share some dialogue, but the gist of it is that Neo and Trinity are free from control, leaving them to do as they wish, and there's nothing the Analyst can do to stop them. They're reunited because Trinity chose to reunite with Neo, proving that love conquers all.
