How The Matrix Resurrections Perfected the Legacy Sequel | Video Essay 

Let's...try this again. What did YOU all think of The Matrix Resurrections? Hopefully I'm not the only one who loved this one 🔴🔵

The Matrix is now an allegory of studios creating endless sequels. Analyst said it best: as long as he put Neo and Trinity close to each other but not allow them to get together, they generate unlimited energy. This is exactly what studios want: to endlessly put characters and stories in repetitive loops, but never finish the story, generating unlimited $$$. I'm sure it hurt Lana to do this film, but she was able to get the message across, and I'm sure she's enjoying some of that additional $$$ too.

I had the feeling the director was trying to make a movie so bad that WB would stop asking them to make more Matrix movies

I always felt the reason neo didn’t want people seeing him as the one and just a man was besides him being unsure was because if he says he’s the one they will just depend on him. However if you believe he’s just a man doing best he can then maybe you can be the next neo. You’ll be the best you instead of depending on a savior. But that’s just my just how I see it and in all honesty I think this movie showed it best when they started making the fourth game and he says what do ppl think of when they hear matrix. It’s different view for all of us. Isn’t that what makes it so special?

One of the film's most important points in my view is that by engaging people's emotions you can get them to not even want to wake up from the Matrix - a 'gentler' more powerful system of control, which is why the analyst is a much more successful (and scarier) ruler than the architect.

Being positive is one thing, saying it perfect the legacy sequel, no fucking way....

Finally someone gets it!! The Matrix 2 and 3 were very good.. it told the overall story and endgame!! I hate when I hear RU-vidrs say the first matrix was the only good movie

What I see as one of the most important contributions of this film is the fact that we can talk about it. Or at least you can in some places. Much as I loved Spider-Man, the conversation around that film is largely spoilers etc. Maybe there are greater themes to talk about there, but the conversation largely isn’t going to happen. With this film I’ve already watched a few times trying to puzzle out it’s point on binaries, reboot culture, narratives. That’s worth a lot to me. Unfortunately one of the things that prevents real engagement with the film is our current tendency towards encampments, and refusal to engage with ideas we don’t agree with in a thoughtful manner.

I liked the film. I liked that it subverted the fanboy expectations. It was a red pill meta commetary on a few subjects, the hollywood machine, the expectations of audiences, and nostalgia. I also appreciate that this was Lana's cathartic creation to help her cope with a familial tragedy. Resurrections is not an attempt to start more sequels. It is a thoughful epilogue to the trilogy, and gives us a nice peek into the aftermath of Neo's sacrifice. Neo and Trinity are now ONE.

Actually this whole film's satire reminds me of Meta Gear Solid 4 where Old Snake is tired and torturing himself to get through the game. Seeing Neo tortured by The Analyst for "his amusement" really ticks that same box, but more sadistic. 👍

For most people this movie felt like a philosophy lecture, glued to a parody, glued to a B action film, glued to a romance... There was not much fun to be had. The first 30 minutes I was curious to see where it would all go... But then I just got bored. It became an effort to slog through the uneven pacing and tone... It's a mess...

You were so caught up on the philosophy of it that you forgot the actual failure of a delivery the movie is. Plus with your closing statement you are off your rocker.

This was hella well done. Social media trashed this movie but I kept an open mind and actually really enjoyed it and you helped articulate some of the initial thoughts and feelings I was having as I watched. Very dope.

The way I see it, The Matrix (1999) challenged our expectations of an action film. The Matrix Resurrections challenged our expectations of a Matrix movie by changing up the genre and style.

This is probably the most wholehearted review and analysis of Matrix Resurrections available. Thank you so much!

My first feeling after watching the film was a huge sense of relief that there was still a totally unapologetic love story at its core. For me, despite all the hype about technique and philosophy was the thing that made the original trilogy so unique for an action film. I then enjoyed the layers of interpretation similar to the original, I like that the new matrix is basically social media/facebook, fills your head with noise, the Merovingian complaining of the end of civility for tweets and facebook popularity (I don't think he is talking about the social media in the new matrix, I think he is describing the new Matrix itself), the therapist saying that if he keeps people unhappy and frustrated he creates more power. It is a shame some of the original cast were not there, I hear some actors "just couldn't fit it into their schedule" which sounds like a real shame, I would have thought it was worth waiting until they could get everyone they wanted. On the whole though I loved it.

I loved the originals, but my expectations were tempered for a 4th. And sadly, this movie just didn't hold up. The problem is that the movie is so on the nose meta, it feels like it's looking down on me for wanting more of The Matrix. Geez, sorry I fell in love with your movies--I can understand the disdain towards the studio, but the audience is there for a movie. Also, I shouldn't need to know the directors entire life story to be able to appreciate their work. And this movie just wasn't that good. There were some good ideas, and some interesting twists. But I felt empty after watching it. Perfected the legacy sequel? I disagree. They "perfected" making a movie that critiques the notion of legacy sequels... But Lana's resentment about making one was such a dark cloud that she put into the movie that it just wasn't enjoyable. And believe me, I'm a big fan of the bigger matrix world. I'm not an action junkie, and I also thought the sequels we're a little underrated. But this was a mess... Glad other people enjoyed it. I wanted to though.

I’ve only seen it once so far. Even though I think I have some problems with it, I still told all my friends walking out I’d take a sequel like this over sequels like Disney Star Wars.

I too watched the original trilogy before watching Resurrections. It had been so many years and I sure appreciated them more. I didn't follow Resurrections promotion almost at all. When I sat down to watch it at cinema, I was left with "YES! This really spoke to me!", really shattering my expectations. I was honestly expecting bland... Well, legacy sequel, but Resurrections really blew my mind. Granted the weakest part was the action though XD

This film had so many great ideas - but was too short to communicate everything, so it felt that it rushed up to wrap the movie. The Machines Energy war, the new symbiosis of machines and humans, the new city, the new construct of the matrix for efficient energy. This film should have been a trilogy by itself to have a good pace and rhythm.

Thank you for this video. It's insane how many people claim to be fans of the Matrix but never really knew what it was about.

Im in the middle. I gave this film a “C+”. While some ideas do get across, there’s a lack of innovation.

I'm just gonna lay out all my thoughts here since i already did a lot of this heavy lifting in a reply to another comment on this video. I went out thinking it was a 7, but my score has gradually gone down to a 5 since I've had time to reflect on the film and think about it all. This is going to be a long ass comment, but i have a lot to say, so anyways... To start off with: the characters. Bugs is a fucking plot device and not much else, and that's a damn shame. They could've actually done something interesting with her character, but all Lana really cared about was wanting to get Neo in Trinity's pants again so to speak, so Bugs got the shaft and was relegated to being the only driving force in the entire story after the first act, pushing Neo from set piece to set piece with no real care for his own input (which the film openly admits, the movie won't even let the audience come to that conclusion on their own; its fucking insulting to my intelligence). The only exception really out of the new/reworked cast that i thought was kinda well done is Agent Smith (i actually like what they did with him as far as repurposing his character goes), but everything else? 💩 I do like the world building done in this film, but a majority of it is ripped from the MMO, so i can't really credit this film for much of it. I'm just glad they didn't scrap their ideas. I also like the personal aspect of this film and how it ties into Lana's recent loss of her parents (its less philosophical and more so auto-biographical if that makes any sense, kind of like a Hideo Kojima game). This film is clearly a way for her to cope with their death, and I'm not gonna take that away from her. I don't think it improves the writing much, but it's still a cool aspect of the film. I don't have a problem with the idea of The Matrix doing a smaller-scale love story, but the problem I do have lies in the implications of everyone's actions in this film (that being that THIS STORY REALLY ISN'T AS SMALL SCALE AS FILM SPEAK IS TRYING TO SUGGEST). The new Matrix is destroyed now, and that pretty much means that all out war is sure to break out again between the machines and humans (except now with the help of the synthiants), and Neo and Trinity act like they don't have a fucking care in the world now, humanity be damned. They're going to go paint rainbows in the sky while humanity gets slaughtered i guess. Like, how does anyone not see an issue with that? Do they have a plan going forward on how they'll try to survive? Zion barely even survived the last war and it was only because Neo "sacrificed" himself to broker peace between the humans and machines, what makes you think Io is equipped to deal with this? If they're found, their colony is fucked. Why the fuck was it imperative that Neo and Trinity escape The Matrix? Bugs never really explains this because, again, she gets next to no character development in this film. Personally, it probably would've been more poetic had Neo and Trinity decided to stay in The Matrix together of their own volition after dealing with The Analyst if there wasn't going to be a follow-up to this film. You have to admit: THAT would've been a pretty bittersweet yet satisfying ending to The Matrix saga. Now obviously that couldn't work at all in the version of The Matrix 4 that Lana Wachowski ended up ultimately writing (due to how the massive power drawn from Neo and Trinity is based on proximity), but it could've maybe worked in a rewrite. There's more to this film than just its meta narrative and the broad strokes of its story, and THAT'S what people have a problem with. The first film understood this very well and made very carefully thought out decisions when it came to its story. Even the second film, to a lesser degree, is still pretty damn thought out when it comes to its surface level narrative, and the third (while the weakest of the three) gets to piggyback off the heavy lifting done in Reloaded and focus on the payoffs of the overarching narrative between the two films. I just can't say the same about Resurrections. Bugs was nowhere near as relevant as i thought she was going to be and has pretty much zero character development, the new Morpheus is also a glorified plot device (much like Bugs), the rest of the ship's crew are glorified filler characters who only exist to operate the ship and pull people in and out of The Matrix (they're nowhere near as fleshed out as characters like Link, Niobe, Locke or The Kid), the Architect was surprisingly incompetent (despite having such a busted ass power inside the new Matrix), and Trinity's "red pill" moment so to speak in the third act feels incredibly unprompted because the hints she's given are total ass. I can nitpick the flying scene where she catches Neo all day, but it's honestly just that: a nitpick. If that's how Lana wanted Trinity to awaken her powers or whatever, then fine. But to have it happen suddenly like that, with no suggestion before hand that she could be The One like Neo, is just blatantly awful writing. Neo didn't just start by fucking force pushing people and stopping bullets, he had to believe he could first and that took some time to accept. Trinity's was like the flip of a switch, and it feels unearned as a result. And don't get me started on the Merovingian. I could write an entire comment half as long as this about why that scene was so butchered and made zero sense for him to be there. I understand the significance of him being there from a meta-narrative perspective (he really served as a huge mouth piece for Lana in this film), but he's literally an exiled program. Isn't it dangerous for him to be there during that fight scene? I thought being Exiled means he's in hiding.

After hearing only bad things about the movie, it was a must for me to watch as I rarely care about the opinion of the masses and because I like to form my own opinion. I have to admit that I was pretty divided after the movie. I had also watched parts 1 - 3 again and was therefore fully involved in the topic. Just the fact that it made me think and all the flashback moments as well as the idea that Thomas Anderson is supposed to have invented the matrix and that the matrix parts were basically just games, I think it's terrific. I think I definitely have to watch the film more often, because I liked parts 2 and 3 more and more the more I saw them. Very nice and detailed video with even more facts I have to think about.

I think AT&T selling off Warner Brothers to the Discovery Channel can free up the Matrix franchise for more creative endeavors. I hope Resurrections is a start to greater things and I would like to see the Matrix universe move beyond Neo and Trinity with new stories and characters.

Yeah yeah, I get all what Lana was going for with this film, personally and meta wise. She just didn't quite stick the landing. "Everything looks terrific thanks to twenty-plus years of advancements in effects work." Then why do the effects in this film look ten times cheaper than they did in the first film? Not to mention the lackluster hand-to-hand fight scenes that have no style or panache.

I just wanted to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss again in a new story, and I loved it.

Matrix 4 gives Neo and Trinity a hopeful ending instead of a tragic downer ending…that is why fans support this movie. Plus Keanu and Carrie Ann basically had to drag this movie to get done over the finish line…for the fans.

I'm with you. I went to the theater to see this movie and come out in awe..went on openings day first show to see it on the big screen I loved the trilogy and feel this one completed it..bring us back to what was to what is now thank you for putting in the best perspective and explaining it so other may understand...it's not about the money to be made but the story to be told again thank you

Another interesting aspect that I find beautifully expressed in the movie is the notion that even by doing something as 'legendary' and 'revolutionary' as Neo and Trinity in the original trilogy, you are just moving the needle of history forwards a tiny bit. Life goes on - humans and machines get a chance to co-exist, but that doesn't solve all problems, and may create new ones. There is never an 'ultimate victory/solution' to anything in life, it's an ongoing development.

I'd be okay with negative reviews if at least they tried to make some points like you did. All they say is "well obviously shit duh" and the mocking tone is all the backing points they need. Kind of disrespectful. I agree this movie is really good. Didn't think it was posible but they really created something new, building upon the previous movies and every bit as good. Exciting!

Despite how people feel about the movie, I will say it is a great commentary on bringing back old franchises in the modern day

There was some cool new ideas but the main thing that stuck out like a sore thumb for me was the action. There is not one memorable action sequence in this entire movie that comes close to anything in the other movies. You got the lobby scene in the first one, the great hall and highway scene in Reloaded, and the defense of Zion and the great Neo vs Smith fight at the end of Revolutions. Name one scene from Resurrections that comes close. The action was a bunch of quick cuts and you could barely tell what was happening.

I really enjoyed your perspectives on Legacy sequels and Matrix Resurrections. I loved Matrix Resurrections. Thank you.

I really liked the first half of Matrix Resurrections - the machines joining humans, building new Zion. The second half had some questionable moments but overall I liked the film a lot.

I agree with pretty much everything you said, but there's one thing this film lacks: the martial arts. I know that's not the point of these films, but it's absolutely ingrained in the previous trilogy, so I really missed it here. But again, I agree that this film works, especially because it follows directly what happened in Revolutions. Personally, I'm gonna rewatch this on Wednesday at the cinema, aa it should be.

We found that one guy who liked this movie... For everything there will always be that one guy

you gotta respect RU-vidrs being brave enough to defend matrix 4

This was not a great film experience for me. It honestly felt like a fan fiction screen play. Nobody dies, so upon replay there’s absolutely zero tension or risk. And suddenly Keanu Reeves isn’t capable of holding a gun? There was so much firearm foreplay in the first film, and here they have John Wick at their disposal and all he can do is force push? Just wow. Don’t tell me you weren’t missing Lawrence Fishburn and Hugo Weaving. What they attempted in those two actors’ absence was so weak. Thomas’s development partner TRIES to deliver a few Agent Smith/ Hugo Weaving lines with such weak results they literally have to flash Hugo lip syncing even as the guy is talking. Btw what happened to the story line of that character? He just leaves the screen? Nearly all of the crew are cookie cutter and forgettable. I STILL can picture in my mind TWENTY years later Tank zapping Cypher for killing his brother Dozer and spits on his corpse. I can still see Switch and Apoc collapsing when they’re fatally unplugged.. and I can picture mouse “the digital pimp hard at work” trying to sell Neo time with the simulated woman in the red dress while they all slurp down amino acid goop. What character development was there with any of the new crew of this film. Was there any? The new partnership between the human city IO and the machines was a great idea and the best new element of this fourth film, but Niobe’s character was uninteresting, poorly acted and underwhelming in my opinion. Btw “channeling a catharsis into a story” isn’t in itself a good thing. Lana had a responsibility to Matrix Trilogy FANS. Instead she chose to write her diary onto the cinematic screen. While it’s valid in its own right, it’s completely unsatisfactory for the vast majority us who LOVE the Matrix story and did such a disservice to our favorite characters. I loved the idea of Trinity being the “other one”, but she had literally so little time with any powers or action in this film, she was wayyy more of a Bada$$ in the first two films without the powers of The One! What a letdown! Imagine if we had gotten even a third of the film with Trinity being completely unstoppable. Yes please. This film needed way more development and should’ve been made in 2010. What a letdown! Personally I intend to pretend it doesn’t exist and continue to watch the trilogy and let the story end there in my mind. Where it absolutely should have. 3/10 for me.

Loved this film. The Matrix is kin to the dangling carrot society keeps chasing vs connecting within to their soul. 🥕🐇 🕳 Example: Neo and Trinity’s Divine soul connection. Too many just didn’t get it. Sign of the times.

One of the best legacy sequels for me, along with Twin Peaks The Return. Although, I can see how people are did not like it if they only watched it for the plot instead of the theme. Best part for me was the first 30 min and the whit rabbit song scene.

I’m sorry but I’m absolutely blown away that anyone would spend this time talking circles to make an excuse why this film works. I watch movies for stories. If I wanted to watch a bio pic about Lana I would. I want to see the story continue from the Matrix. Not Lana complaining about the company who made her career as she cries with dollar bills in her pocket

I loved the movie. Your take on the undertone messages of the film is right on point. It is a shame that the overall success of the film will be measured on its box office take and not on the incredible thought provoking work it is.

I knew this film was flawed. I still wanted to watch it. But, honestly, thanks to your video I feel that I don't want anymore to watch it.

Thanks, I needed this! Still struggling with all the Meta, and all the callbacks and references.

Nice to know I’m not the only one that had a good time with the film

I’m sorry but if a director gets paid millions of dollars to “stick it to the parent company” that statement is absolutely null and void. They’re just as complicit in making a soulless cash grab as they are. Repeatedly beating your audiences over the head with “I was coerced into doing this” does not make a good movie.

This video is proof than removing dislike button was a mistake.

After watching Sophie from Mars video analysis of the original trilogy and seeing it through a trans lense it’s impossible to not see all the symbolism and appreciate the movie so much more.

As much as I didn’t like matrix 4, I respect the personality and passion behind it. There’s a soul in there, and that’s all you can ask for.

Thank you for this! I know that movies get repackaged many times, in a "money grab", as you said. But I did not feel that way with this movie. Looking at all the negative reviews it has received, I feel disheartened that maybe a lot of people did not approach with an open mind. I appreciate your positive approach, and wish more movie reviewers would try to remain a bit more positive.

Badass and well done man. This was such a helpful and excellently executed review!

"The Matrix Resurrections is a bunch of really good ideas stacked together to make a bad - and sometimes ugly - film" - someone from IGN. Couldn't say better myself. The first Matrix is still unbeatable for me.

i thought the first half of the film was pretty good and had genuine potential but i don't think it delivered in the end. i don't think its a bad film but i also don't think its good. to be honest im conflicted on it myself. there are some cool concepts that are never explored enough.

The first Matrix film was spectacular in a lot of ways but wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Many were drawn by the effects and action but not particularly by its philosophical underpinnings. It took years of discourse and undeniable influence to cement its reputation. Reloaded and Revolutions had their fair share of hate, dislike and dissatisfaction. Interestingly, they seem to sit comfortably well today than they did before. The wow factor has mostly been the top selling aspect of The Matrix films despite the fact that there's more meat to them, which understandably, has its dedicated fanbase or 'devotees'. Resurrection feels familiar yet different in interesting ways. With all that massive hate or dislike, I have the feeling many are going to have to eat their hats--especially upon further consideration or potential sequel that sheds more light on the creative choices or direction.

She stepped in before WB Made it without her. The fact that she used the film to mention and critique WB is what made this awesome. As well as talk about other things

No. You can give this same speech, exactly the same for reloaded and/or revelations. This did not have to be retold. Times, technology and arcance/outdated views will ALWAYS change generationally. A good story for me would have been the glossed over story about how the lack of resources caused infighting among the machines. How Neo kept failing at his reboot and the revelation of the need for Trinity. How the machines formed alliances with the humans. How Sati's parents were mislead which lead to their purge. The fall of zion and the rise of IO, etc. The story was there..... it just wasnt told.

I enjoyed Matrix 4 but it had a lot of flaws to it. Some small details like Trinity knowing how to fly randomly and some story problems... but all in all, it was a very enjoyable experience

The fact that Warner Bro *did* make the threat that they were doing it with or without the director really destroyed your premise

Every time I tried to watch the Matrix, something would prevent me from finishing it. So the past few nights, my boyfriend and I binged watched the movies. Finally! I was a kid when the first came out and I still remember the OMG scenes people were raving about back in the day. Even tho I never got to watch it in it's entirely until recently, it's impact was engraved in my mind. That said, after by boyfriend and I finished the 4th movie, he said he didn't enjoy anything at all, while I thought it was alright. Not sure how we got such different experiences out of these. There are some places I understand people wouldn't like, I did enjoy the movie overall. I loved a lot of the new ideas that were brought in. But I think Lana should have leaned into the new material and cast over relying on the old. I personally would have enjoyed it more if the "old man" and the "blonde" were used more and the reveal that they were Neo and Trim could have come after Neo took the red pill. And I would have liked it if Neo didn't have his powers as "the one". While it was kinda neat to see them both fly, I would have preferred it of the recoding got messed up and the powers were accidentally recoded into Trim instead of Neo, of that's what the twist was going to be. Just my opinion. But I did enjoy it overall and I ended up watching the movie twice. My friend that's a hardcore matrix fan loved it and was fanboying lol I also enjoyed watching the sense8 cast I the movie. What a great Easter Egg!

This movie is complicated for me. After watching it the first time I was completely disappointed thought it was horrible. But it left me thinking and questioning it so much that I was compelled to watch it again. After the second viewing I really enjoy it. It's not perfect but the ideas that this movie presented are very interesting. It's has more philosophical points than 2 and 3. They definitely could have left out the flashback clips from the previous movies.

As a fan of the movies I think the movie is cool to watch but what you call revolutionary I call self-indulgent. felt like the first hour and 15 minutes was the director talking about the process of making a sequel and sequels and themselves and commenting on The matrix and rehashing the matrix and then we finally got a new movie after that.

I didn't mind Resurrections but I didn't see it as something great. It was just okay with mainly ideas but the executions left a lot to be desired. I would have liked some ideas changed for the narrative and here are my thoughts. - Neo basically created a "backdoor" for what he remembers of Morpheus (supposedly). Yet he only has subconciously remembers fragments. Is that why Morpheus in his programmed iterations acts a little "loose" compared to how Morpheus was portrayed by Laurence Fishburne? Who introduced the changes? Was it the analyst knowing about the base code backdoor and it introducing the "missing elements" to complete this iteration of the Matrix? Or, was this changed caused by the modal loop and how the AI for Morpheus "evolved" in the modal? If it is due to the modal loop, it doesn't make sense if the atmosphere is based on Matrix 1. - I wish they really went with it if they really wanted to explore Neo being used by the Analyst as the "Base" or "source code" (as it were) for this new iteration of the Matrix. Instead of introducing it simply as a union of 2 parts (Neo and Trinity), I hoped instead to have seen that when Neo awoke, he would end up seeing clones of himself in various stages of development. And we get a reveal that we are only seeing the "Current" Neo husk being used while the other Neo husks are plugged into the Matrix living their lives unknowing they are clones of Neo because of DSI. Why would they need (younger) Clones of Neo? Well, supposedly unplugging "The One" from the Matrix will cause it to become unstable. What would happen when Neo ages/dies? They'd need a replacement. Hence why you'd need to plug in the "new" base husk as it were. And what about the mind of the younger husk to be used? We have our answer with Matrix 3, Smith injecting himself into living brains/people plugged into the Matrix, but just done more subtlely by the Analyst. And in this regard, is what makes Neo "The One" his body, his mind or a combination of both? If it was just his mind, then why bother with the clone when you can inject him to anyone else in a "prime" age/maturation. I think it would have been a nice thought exercise to introduce to the Matrix. - One major thought I also had and hoped they did instead was to introduce Trinity, with the DSI as well, but I hoped that the story would have instead revealed later on that Trinity is dead but whenever Neo is plugged into the Matrix he can manifest Trinity inside because, like Morpheus, Neo being the source code/base of the new Matrix of the Analyst, he'd be able to also create Trinity inside the Matrix as "the one he chose to save/love", yet he has no clear memory of her because of the blue pill dosing of the analyst. This would have been able to somewhat bring up the idea wherein even in death, the persons we love will always be a part of us. This will still be able to keep the 2 parts make the whole (ala One Winged Angel of him and her) to allow Neo to be "The One" again inside this new Matrix. The closer he is to his "missing code", the more his powers can be displayed. This would then explain why he wouldn't be able to fly without Trinity with him. A reverse Hancock idea if you will inside the Matrix. - Machine City and where the "human battery camp" is will not cover a whole continent by my guess with how the bodies are stacked. Supposedly this new iteration of the Matrix produces more energy with how it is programmed to feed off negative emotion (if I understood it correctly). Since it has also been at least 60 years since Matrix 3, I thought we would have found out there is another "instance" of the Matrix/Machine City running in another part of the world because of how the Analyst seemed to frame talking to the "suits" and performance. I would have supposed there is a point of comparison and not just historical performance only. So if say this is the US Matrix, could there be an EU Matrix? Asian Matrix? African Matrix? It would make sense especially since the Matrix as a world is able to be "co-populated" with bots and/or synthients. Just a thought.

Very well done. Thank you for this.

Thanks for this video essay, I really appreciated what you had to say. I really enjoyed the film and the themes it raised for those of us watching who are now middle aged and are asking the same questions of ourselves; what is the reality we have created for ourselves and is it the one we want to live in? do we have a choice? Why ARE we here? it also addresses the idea that thinking for ourselves is uncomfortable and might force us to question what we think we know. Good point about resolving divisions to work together to enact change - it seems that we continue to be more divided than ever, because we do not want our comfortable realities challenged by asking questions. Love the idea that this was an act of catharsis for Lana Wachowski as it becomes vehicle for the viewer to ask their own questions about themselves.

It's videos like these that makes me love Cosmonaut variety hour more than ever 🤣😂. Long live Marcus!!

Finally a good review of this thing. Matrix 4 is my 3rd favorite movie I’ve seen in theaters this year.

I loved it, loved the movie and loved your video, great work!

It reminds me in that regard on the third season of Twin Peaks. Lynch has been pressured for 25 years to follow up and give closure. When he did, he did it on his terms. Not giving the Twin Peaks of old, but a changed one. A Twin Peaks that reminds us of the old one, but doesn't use it's nostalgia to comfort us, but to take us on a new journey - and it doesn't care if we like it or not. Lynch just continued the Story the way he needed to do, without intervention of the studios. I have to say that I don't know if I like Matrix 4 so far. I don't dislike it. I can clearly see that it is not a cash grab, but an attempt to continue the series in a unique and personal way. I just don't know if I get the message it's trying to send out. Maybe I need more time.

I thought it was pretty meta that the new version of the matrix was literally made by reconstructing Neo & Trinity and using them as it's center 😂

"This film has the philosophical and thematic richness of its predecessors". I mean, points for saying it with a straight face, but the original is a big story about the most important journey a person can take. This movie is a small story about a pointless journey in that context. I hope you got paid well to say such nice things about this movie. If you truly believe what you've said then I invite you to re-watch the original. Forget the action, it's fine and even groundbreaking for the time, but consider the philosophical implications. The scenario laid out in the matrix isn't necessarily true, but you can't prove it's not. It's Cartesian doubt and the central idea from Zen. The ultimate truth, whether we spend a single second of our lives considering it or not. What do we really know for sure. Compare that to the philosophy apparent in this movie. In a word, it's terrestrial. I will say that it was intriguing for a while. There was some courage present in the way he began to doubt and challenge his reality, but this quickly gave way to a cheap facsimile of the original.

Thank you for the great review!

Thank you for putting this into words and a well crafted video...as a matrix fan I loved the film in the context of the original films, the director and our present day circumstances, if they never make another one then at least this was a great way to end it

I wish there were cooler action scenes. The first one had many awesome ones

Opening statement was on point and helps people remember what the matrix is about! You really think reeves would agree to shoot if he didnt think the story fit and was a great continuation? If you dont understand the modal within the matrix and how all that fits into needing trinity and neo youre not really following the first 3 films and the game which is cannon. This one was amazing!

honestly I don't understand the hate about matrix resurrections when its in my opinion the best part so far, regarding that the first movie was a beginner ticket and with resurrections being the prime taste.

#1. You're wrong on the first part. Yes, Lana was reluctant on making another installment, but WB (Warner Bros.) was gonna make another Matrix with or without her. So, she decided to do it, even though she didn't want to.

I liked the Matrix Resurrections. I think what made it succeed where others have failed is that Lana was inspired. Not just by money. But because she had gone through an epic journey since the first Matrix. She had to put that truth into film. It's real. Like the fictional computer simulation that is the Matrix, real life has evolved and changed exponentially since 2001.

It's good to watch a review of someone who gets what the movie is about or is close to it. I feel this movie went over the heads of a lot of people. I think they were expecting something more like visually striking or action packed sequences. I believe there are a lot of philosophical theories that were touched in this movie.

Thank you for this video!

If you guys played the games even matrix online then you will truly appreciate that even the lore in the games is brought over to this too.

I loved the ressurrections and ill just say: This film is same fucked up and messy as the world itself this day... which is great commentary of the current world. Loved it 💚

This perfectly sums up how I felt about this movie, but stated far better than I could figure out how to.

I think the 4th movie accurately expresses the current condition of humanity in the modern world, or at the very least in the western world. While most people like to think that they care about things such as truth, facts, evidence, freedom, liberty, morality and so on --- their actions and inactions in the world, seem to prove that all they truly care about, is how they feel and what they believe. We live in a world where fear, hatred, outrage, war, authoritarianism, etc are praised -- and those who do not want those things, are condemned. Humanity is in a phase of destruction and self destruction, not so much by guns, or bombs, or anything we might think of in the more traditional sense -- but rather, an increasing decline in maturity and mental health, as nihilism and hopelessness mixed with virtue signaling has become the standard. While in the long run, the human species may yet prevail -- in the short run, society is collapsing and that collapse will climax. I couldn't tell you the year or the month or the day, or the specifics of exactly what they will look like, only that it is obvious that it is well under way, and proceeding exponentially. Or as John Connor said at the end of Terminator Salvation, paraphrased -- judgment day was not something that could be stopped, the only thing we can do is survive it, and try to create a better world on the other side of it.

It's good to see a film critique that places the film studied in a larger and more mature framework. As a young person, Lana Wachowski would have known all the French cinema that was movies about making movies (particularly Godard and Truffaut). As artists, neither Wachowski would have enjoyed a studio's hints that they were going to capitalize on the Matrix brand with or without them. So what we get is a reflection on the Wachowski's position within the film industry, which has been bumpy (Cloud Atlas, a beautiful film, was not appreciated, and Sense 8, a unique and beautiful reflection on our global community and the core problem of predatory life, was cancelled). Of course she would bring those issues and the more personal ones connected with her parents' passing into the film. Turning Agent Smith into a producer is perfect. I guess it will take average viewers some time to read all of the elements packed into the thing - or not - which is to be understood in a viewing environment where we move from superheroes to the supernatural without spending much time on our actual position in the metaverse of characterizations, plot structures and memes swirling around us and choking out questions that might one time have been understood as "eternal". Thanks for raising some of the deeper things happening in the work.

Dude WTF! You're so awesome. Finally some youtuber appreciates the movie instead of complaining nonstop. This has been the best review on RU-vid so far.

So what was the genius point of using the same shot for shots, same ending with even the same music? You can’t poke fun, be meta and then do the exact thing you’re mocking.

Did not know people existed that liked this movie. Fascinating.

Man thank you so much for this video! I've seen peeps repeatedly complain about Resurrections and I'm like... Do you even know why this film was made? Did we watch the same film???? So yeah, thank you for pointing out its brilliance and please .. SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!

I hate that you are going to get so much hate for a well articulated and valid review of this movie. I didn't hate it, just the horrible cgi background for the sati scenes. I'll chalk it up to covid though.

That was so well done sir, thank you!

*in old captain america* “No, I don’t think I will”

Griffin your videos are always A+ material dude and this video was no different great stuff man 🙌🔥🔥🔥, also Happy New Year 🎉🎊🍾

I absolutely loved Resurrections, and I was the only one amongst my friends (faithful followers) who couldn't get enough of the movie! I was baffled by my friend's responses to this story being a "let down." This movie was a beautiful understanding of things in our lives repeat. I'm not simply talking about events outside of ourselves, but our own stories about who we are. This movie pointed to the freedom that we all possess if we can see beyond our repetitions, our stories within stories. I want to Thank you from the depth of my heart for expressing your wisdom, love, and clarity about this incredible work of art! And of course, people aren't going to appreciate it because it points in a direction that questions our entrenched cultural stories about who we are and what we're supposed to be like. We innocently look in the mirror and see someone or a familiar story, when really what's revealed is a thought; a temporary fleeting moment of energy moving and flowing, changing and shifting at indescribable amounts of speed. We should dance more mentally and play in the imagination of life versus believing that there's a single understanding that is perfect for everyone. We are the One.

The Sheeple always want the same Herculean story fed to them over and over again, even if it means sacrificing creative freedom and creating something new. This movie is an allegory to that very concept. Emotional manipulation, childhood egotism. We as human beings live vicariously through our experiences, we imagine ourselves as the characters on an unconscious level. This is the emotional construct that so many movies emulate to control our emotions; in reality there is very little substance in nearly every modern production. I had a revelation whilist drinking two Steel Reserves 211's and watching the Chronicles of Riddick reboot. Why was I enjoying this movie? Simply put, I came to the realization that it was because I saw myself as Riddick himself and was vicariously living through the experience and thereof the excitement of being Riddick himself. Only to realize, that this is a mental construct and has little to do with reality. People go to the movies to experience a sense of escapism from reality, to live vicariously through characters such as John Wick as if they would've taken the same actions as he did in that given situation. The audience projects themselves onto the character as if they were TRULY living out the fiction they are experiencing. This is why the hero's tale has become an expectation; our childhood egos search for that affirmation even though we ourselves have become disillusioned as adults. We long for a return to our childhood selves and the fairytales that are all too familiar. So in a sense, you can logically argue that The Matrix Resurrections is a bad movie by those standards. It fails to provide an immersive escapism into fantasy. Instead it does the lateral opposite, it offers you the Red Pill. It offers you the human experience of being the observer of something greater. It gives you the human experience and a hopeful ending that summarizes what it means to be human. Creativity, to think and grow outside of your boundaries. The universal force of gravity which we call love... At first I was disappointed in the final sequence. I had expected a final anime-esque battle between good VS evil; instead I got something unexpected and refreshing. This at first, left me feeling disappointed that it was the final act to The Matrix. The final boss was against a cold lifeless machine, a helicopter flown by a pilot that lacked any free will. However, I realized the true beauty of the message. The more time goes by after I watched the film, the more I've grown to appreciate it and its beautiful ending. I've been searching for ways to contact Lana to express my gratitude and the inspiration the film has brought in my personal life as a creative force. Poetically enough, she has no social media account that I could find and I can only hope this message can somehow reach her.

Man, I've been bingeing your videos and I absolutely love your general positivity and differing POV. You gave me a new appreciation for ASM 2, Dark Knight Rises, etc. I can't get onboard with this one. Matrix Resurrections knows what it wants to be, but falls prey to its' own meta. It has some very big and very clever ideas, but I felt like it fell very short in the execution. The action scenes were a frenetic mess and lacked the style of the originals in a way that felt more like the result of a limited budget than a bold new direction. It had some clever moments, but nothing close to what came before. I'm interested to hear your take, but I don't think I'm going to be changing my mind.

Resurrections was a great follow up! The Analyst dusted off the Selection for Societal Sanity program from MGS2's Patriot AI's and turned it against Neo & Trinity. "It's like being in a nightmare you can't wake up from."

I enjoyed this film very much. I can't understand those saying it's an empty cash grab or that it tries to undo the original trilogy. The only things I think it needed were better action scenes and eliminating that blurry slowed down effect.

The Matrix Resurrections didn’t disappointed me at all.

Honestly, when it comes to the Matrix, the first one is the only groundbreaking film. It touches on many deep themes, from Gnosticism to Anarchy, and came at a time when the collective consciousness needed a rude awakening (which is why it's still so hard hitting tbh). Matrix Resurrections is exactly what it should be, given the times we live in. It's a mirror reflecting back to us the audience (and collective consciousness) the reality we've created since the first film came out. We're unoriginal, tech addicted, apathetic "spiritual zombies". We are the swarm. The Analyst said it best: "Quietly yearning for what you don’t have, while dreading losing what you do. For 99.9% of humanity, this is reality."