Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in 'The Matrix: Resurrections'
Warner Bros.I’ve long argued that a symbol of the film industry (and now, frankly streaming industry as well) was that the environment was such that studios would rather reboot or revamp The Matrix than make “the next Matrix.” To be fair, much of that can be blamed on audiences, which have flocked to a depressing degree to the familiar, the comforting and the once-was-popular. As good as this new teaser for Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix: Resurrections looks, and it looks flat-out spectacular, there is still something a little depressing in its skewed “legacy sequel but not” structure.
We again meet an unknowing and unaware Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) as he encounters visions and events that lead him to discover the truth about the Matrix in all its dystopian glory. He again meets a snappily-dressed Black man (this time not Laurence Fishburne but Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who promises to reveal the truth while arguing that he knows our protagonist better than he knows himself. We again see a leather-clad female ass-kicker (Jessica Henwick) flipping and kicking amid the neo-noir darkness.
The use of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” is an obvious musical choice, but it’s a damn effective one. It provides a percussive rumbling by which to cut the film’s blockbuster action and spectacle, with the rising beats playing perfectly in tune with the trailer’s “action climax.” Still, as compelling and “big” as this looks, I still can’t hide my mild depression at watching what looks to be The Matrix getting a Force Awakens-style legacy sequel.
Whereas the first Matrix was meant to inspire curiosity and awe, this new teaser, by default, aims for comfort and familiarity. Films like The Bourne Identity, The Hunger Games, The Matrix and Shrek once broke huge because they were unique and different, often standing in sharp contrast to conventional Hollywood product from a given genre. Now audiences crave the familiar because it’s familiar.
We get a gorgeous sci-fi reality (from one of the directors of Speed Racer, Jupiter Ascending and Cloud Atlas, natch) and a “Neo rediscovers that he’s Neo” plot that seems trying to have its cake (being a new Matrix movie with younger action heroes) and eat it too (keeping Reeves as the protagonist). While the marketing (which at least hints at being a meta-commentary on needless franchise continuations) is not the movie, that does flirt with danger.
Michael B. Jordan, not Sylvester Stallone, was the star of Creed. Daisy Ridley and John Boyega were the primary heroes of The Force Awakens, with Harrison Ford lending support and Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill lending mere cameos. Jurassic World featured just a few scenes with a single returning character (BD Wong’s Dr. Wu) but otherwise focused on Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt in a 20-years-later continuation.
Conversely, Independence Day: Resurgence kept its prior franchise stars (namely Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman) front and center while failing to let the newbies (Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe and Jessie Usher) take true center stage. Likewise, Terminator: Dark Fate still essentially “starred” Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger while newbies Natalia Reyes and Mackenzie Davis were second-bananas. To be fair, not every brand can pull a Force Awakens and mostly hide the original stars for the sake of marketing the new heroes.
It’s clear that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick and Priyanka Chopra Jonas will get their moments in the sun and may even end up being the new protagonists. However, this trailer is trying to sell a Matrix for a new day while still highlighting the older heroes, as if The Force Awakens made sure to let you know that Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford were still the stars of the story.
Granted, Keanu Reeves is more popular in 2021 than Arnold Schwarzenegger was in 2019. 47 Ronin saw Reeves getting star billing but playing a supporting role to Hiroyuki Sanada. Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus isn’t even in this one. To be fair, The Force Awakens made $2.068 billion with almost no Luke Skywalker. Anyway, so far so good, with the mere hope that the final film will be visually mind-blowing and philosophical enriching enough to overcome my aversion to (most but not all) legacy sequels.
It looks absolutely gorgeous, and if it hits it big it’ll just be that easier for John Wick: Chapter 4 (still slated, for now, for May 27, 2022 alongside Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick) to break out a bit more outside of North America. But that’s a rabbit hole for another day. The Matrix: Resurrections opens December 22 in theaters (red pill) and HBO Max (blue pill). Do I care about another Matrix? Not really, but I’ll be there for a for Wachowski-directed and Reeves-starring sci-fi action movie no matter the context.
