Review of The Matrix Resurrections (2021) by Mattyice — 22 Dec 2021

I can see why Lilly didn't sign on for this project and why Lana wanted to shelve this movie in the middle of production, cause it clearly shouldn't have been made, at least in this form. The Matrix Resurrections tinkers with cool ideas of personal choice in the modern age, as well as direct meta attacks on the reboot/sequelization of IPs that should remain dead, but doesn't do or say anything with these ideas.

The storytelling is downright confusing and I felt so lost throughout it. Following an intriguing first act is a truly terribly paced second act filled with endless nonsensical monologuing and a near loss of any sense of what's going on.

Furthermore, the cinematography truly contains some downright ugly shots and the action sequences also range from acceptable to broadcast TV bad, as it doesn't do enough with the intricacies of The Matrix and contains some of the worst gun choreography I've seen in a movie.

All of the actors give good performances, but the recasting of Smith and Morpheus felt much more jarring than I thought it'd be, with both feeling like they should've been excluded rather than recast.

The Matrix Resurrections shows why this franchise should've been left on the IP shelf, as it was ridiculously overwritten, nonsensical, and honestly quite a bit cynical.