Matrix Resurrections
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From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes The Matrix Resurrections, the long-awaited fourth film in the ground-breaking franchise that redefined a genre. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity. (Warner Bros. UK)
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The new Matrix first promises a lot of interesting and new ideas, and potentially an original development of the main character and the whole world, only to turn into a slightly sad film in the middle by a director who is not capable of executing any of these ideas to the end, and only manages to create a not very imaginative variation of what we have already seen. What makes it worse is the whole film vehemently tries to present itself as something innovative, ironic, and daring. But that desire to mock Hollywood blockbusters and the obsession with sequels, while also wanting to be a part of it all and grab a piece of the box office cake, ultimately appears somewhat awkward.
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A smart, entertaining, daring, surprising film that, like Nolan's Tenet, is begging for a second viewing, a more thorough examination, and therefore more audience enjoyment. And I'm happy to oblige because Matrix: Ressurections is not a redundant film at all, but more than an amazing conclusion to a great trilogy. On the one hand, it mocks the audience, on the other, it gives them exactly what they want (even if they didn’t know it). Lana Wachowski teamed up again with David Mitchell, who I think is an absolutely brilliant multi-genre writer, to write the screenplay, and the result is such a joy to watch, not just because of the production design, but because of everything that happens in the film. From the cast, apart from the amazing Keanu Reeves (no, he's not playing John Wick, although he looks it, he's just Neo) and Carrie-Anne Moss, I would like to highlight Jessica Henwick.
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The fourth Matrix comes with the ambition to show what has happened in all of the worlds since Neo’s seemingly last breath, i.e. not just the cinematic worlds inside The Matrix and the Matrix, but also the filmmaking and audience worlds outside of it. However, what the new film presents inadvertently proves to be much more thought-provoking than what it literally presents in particular instances of dialogue and scenes. Much has been made of how Lana, with her presumed absolute creative control, took the liberty of making a cheeky joke at the expense of Hollywood and its contemporary trends and pursuit of viewer comfort. Despite all of that, however, The Matrix Resurrections is not the rumoured anomaly, but in the end it largely remains merely another manifestation of the system. The greatest expression of creative freedom within the Matrix franchise remains the third instalment, which, in spite of everything, follows its own lighted path of techno-new age ethos and aesthetics in the style of The Watchtower. Conversely, the new Matrix notably ignores all of these levels. Instead of spirituality and philosophy, it dawdles over purely secular issues, and virtual ones at that. Whereas for some viewers this will be a confirmation of the fall of today’s world from the heights of thought into a self-indulgent presentation of its own would-be sophistication, from a step farther way, the effort to awaken that world may appear. Religionist interpreters of the original trilogy, according to whom its individual episodes correspond to the stages of awakening, contradiction and enlightenment, may see this as a step backward, whereby the franchise returns from nirvana to earthly matters, back to the marketing-heralded beginning. That may just be exactly what the world needs today. Not to accept an old messiah from a long-ago age, but to understand that the current stage of society is still not perfect, that true progress – technical and intellectual – never ends or, in the better case, we are still only at the beginning, only with a starting position that has shifted. It’s a similar case with everything that viewers expect from the new Matrix, at least in the sense of our expectations and, conversely, what Lana Wachowski is aiming for. Those who associate the three preceding instalments with innovation or progress in the area of action scenes will be disappointed or utterly pissed off by the confrontational ridicule that the fourth film offers. However, those who expect the Wachowskis’ work to go in new directions (through assimilation of the progress made by others before them) will not be disappointed. The Wachowskis have long been interested not in action scenes, but in the possibilities of narrative and the depiction of movement, and ideally the combination of both. Therefore, it may come as a surprise that The Matrix Resurrections makes very little use of Reeves’s impressive physical skills from years of working on the John Wick franchise. Some of the action scenes even feel completely haphazard. From the overall perspective, however, it can rather be said that they correspond to Neo’s gradual recollection of his abilities and it’s no longer about making the action an attraction, but they have already done that. The film is even more fascinating in the key dialogue scene and the variations thereof spread out over time and space, where the revolution in means of expression takes place. In many respects, the fourth Matrix is an even more inconsistent and, in its individual aspects, problematic work than the Wachowskis’ projects that immediately preceded it. But, again, it’s true that it offers something new, unseen before, fascinating and thought-provoking.
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In my opinion, this movie is actually like last year's Mortal Kombat as it is such a "guilty pleasure", at least so far this year. As a standalone movie, the fourth Matrix movie does not stand up well, in my opinion, and few people will enjoy it without knowing certain realities and a sense of irony. Still, I was gloating in the cinema and marveled at how the studio could have greenlighted this screenplay. The way the whole thing went reminded me a bit of the third season of Twin Peaks, where David Lynch broke free from the chain and was meta in his own peculiar way. He left popular characters in hibernation for most of the time and managed to piss off half the audience to boot. It could quite possibly be summed up as follows: If you are one of those who wanted and looked forward to the fourth Matrix movie, you are probably going to be as disappointed as ever. If you are one of those who considered the original a borderline masterpiece and did not care for the sequel, you are going to get an entertaining and interesting experiment. I guess that is about all.
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Sense8 Reloaded. How do you evaluate a film that didn't meet any expectations, contains a lot of mistakes, and yet I would rather watch it again than Matrix Revolutions? I'm sticking with a slightly sheepish three stars because the first half is genuinely fantastic. Many parallels, clichés turned upside down, (bitter) commentary on pop culture and the dream factory itself – all intertwined with Keanu Reeves looking even more broken than usual. It's something different than anyone expected, and it works in almost every aspect. Unfortunately, doubts arise with the more action-oriented side of things, while a surprising and, for me, unwanted cameo from the Merovingian is accompanied purely by awkwardness. The entire staircase scene is poorly done, and the only way to overcome it is through Jonathan Groff, who for some reason is in this film and elevates it with each narcissistic performance. Lana Wachowski deserves respect for her initial vision, for the clear desire to bring back something/someone who cannot return, and for faithfully returning to the characters and storylines of all the films, not just the first one. It might anger many people, but even though it involves characters that I didn't need to see again, it concludes something that evidently had been and still is left open within it. Nostalgia is much stronger than genuine feelings, memories overshadow the true face of the film. I already have a great fondness for The Matrix Resurrections, but unfortunately it is beleaguered by problematic visual aspects, a fragmented Morpheus with one strange scene after another, and a strangely rushed ending that suddenly needed to pick up the pace after two and a half hours.
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