It seems that resurrection is upon us, for this December we will be ushered down the rabbit hole once again. Check out the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections below.
When I first heard that Lana Wachowski was working on some sort of follow up to The Matrix trilogy, I have to admit I was sceptical at best. The first movie was a cinematic milestone, it broke new ground, inspired a wave of new sci-fi and fantasy movies, and ushered Hollywood into the 21st century. On the other hand, the sequels weren't nearly as impressive. Sure there was hype, and a lot of impressive visuals, fights and stunts. But that hype soon gave way to "meh". So the idea of revisiting that world wasn't all that attractive. That is... until now.
There is something very familiar about the imagery in this trailer, there are a lot of callbacks to events from the previous instalments, and yet we seem to be looking at a whole new Matrix. Everything is a lot brighter, gone is the grungy look, and for the most part, the green tint as well. Could this be a new version? Maybe one built in response to the conclusion of Revolutions. That is certainly a possibility. More importantly; how - and why - is Neo (Keanu Reeves) still alive? And most important of all; how is Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) still alive? When Neo "died" he was at least connected to the Matrix, but Trinity was not. Is it possible his sacrifice to eliminate Smith (Hugo Weaving) didn't kill him, or did the machines somehow repair/revive him? Like they must have done with Trinity (at first I thought we might be facing a WandaVision scenario). Either way, we can see from the trailer that they both have a presence in and out of the Matrix, and they still share a very strong connection, even if they don't know each other.
It seems very apparent that someone - we don't know who - is very interested in keeping Neo plugged in. Someone is even altering his appearance. I love the shot of him in the bath in his fancy apartment, with a rubber duck on his head. He could be enjoying that incredible view, but instead is lost in his thoughts. Clearly he is once again looking for some kind of meaning, either in his life or the world that surrounds him. Part of that search involves seeing some kind of therapist (played by Neil Patrick Harris), who is most likely a machine and the one prescribing him all of those blue pills. Rather amusingly, these blue pills are supposed to achieve the opposite of lift off. The therapist even wears glasses that are the same colour as the pills, which could be an indication that he is there as a form of control. Can the same be said about Trinity? She is the only one who can really influence Neo. So is she there simply to keep him locked up inside the Matrix?
We have been reintroduced to this world, but we know very little about it. It's unclear how long it's actually been since the events of Revolutions. Has it actually been twenty years? What about the truce between humans and the machines? Is this still in place? One of the major themes running through everything is that of history repeating itself. But that doesn't mean we can necessarily believe what we are seeing. Once again Neo is approached by someone who looks to be a young Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who's able to pull off the resistance leader's signature sunglasses and seems to want to recruit Neo, for what we don't know. But new Morpheus and his friends are still referencing Alice in Wonderland in their work, probably in an attempt to jar Neo's memory - the use of Jefferson Airplane's epic song seems appropriate for the trailer, even if it's a little on the nose. An incredible Nolan-esque corridor chase sees Abdul-Mateen II and Jessica Henwick running from Agents, although this doesn't necessarily mean they are on the side of the angels, however the chase itself looks fantastic.
The Matrix is well known for breaking new ground when it comes to shooting action, and Resurrections looks to be no different. There's a lot of great looking action to be found in this trailer, including the employment of doors (and magic mirrors) that act as portals, which allows Lana Wachowski to once again play with gravity in a fun way. It also leads to a grenade fired in what looks to be a restaurant or club blowing up a train from the inside out. Things seem to really heat up, however, as Neo and Trinity rediscover what they can do - and most likely who they are - in fact, Trinity looks almost liberated as she explodes into action. It really feels like the pair of them against the world, as they fight, drive and dodge their way through legions of cops (and who knows who else). Thankfully the almost Jedi-like Neo still doesn't have to worry about dodging bullets! The culmination of all this chaos is quite literally a leap of faith. After dispatching a pair of helicopter gunships the pair leap, hand in hand, from the high rise roof they were standing on. Let's hope Neo can still fly... or will it be Trinity who has the ace up her sleeve this time around?
If there's one thing this trailer does well it's that it draws you back into this world with a whole lot of questions and a smile on your face. Like I said, I was sceptical about a return to this universe, but having seen this trailer I'm now more intrigued. There's a lot going on here, all of it very engaging and very exciting. Hopefully Lana Wachowski will avoid the mistakes JJ Abrams made with The Force Awakens. If this franchise is getting a reboot it deserves a totally fresh start. That said, right now I'm more excited than worried about another trip down the rabbit hole.
When December rolls around, will you be taking the red pill or the blue pill?
The Matrix Resurrections hits UK cinemas on 22nd December.
What did you think of the trailer for The Matrix Resurrections? Leave a comment below or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email us at moviemoustache@gmail.com.
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