The Matrix Resurrections Trailer Goes Down the Rabbit Hole

Movies

Prepare to choose a pill once again, as Warner Bros. has released a trailer for The Matrix Resurrections. A sequel to the legendary 1999 science fiction film and its two significantly-less-than-legendary follow-ups, The Matrix Resurrections sees Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss return as Neo and Trinity, once more traversing the massive computer simulation called the Matrix (I assume; the plot synopsis is a bunch of gobbledygook, and the trailer gives little away). Jada Pinkett Smith is also back as Niobe, who I guess we’ll pretend is important. Joining them are Neil Patrick Harris, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Lambert Wilson, Christina Ricci, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and more. Directed by Lana Wachowski, The Matrix Resurrections is set to hit theaters and HBO Max on December 22, 2021. Check out the Matrix Resurrections trailer below:

Well, this is a rarity. Initially, I had little interest in this movie. I love The Matrix but feel it should have been one film; it ended on the perfect note, and the sequels felt redundant, effectively undoing the ending to justify their existence. And even so, The Matrix: Revolutions had a fairly definitive end for the story, and for Neo and Trinity. What more could there be to say? But the Matrix Resurrections trailer has gotten me interested in finding out. One reason is the mystery, which is a big part of what sold the first movie (the tagline “What is the Matrix?” was pure genius); I have no idea what’s going on, but there are hints that paint the broadest of strokes. It looks like Neo and Trinity have been – apologies – resurrected in the Matrix, but they have no memories of who they were. Neo is going by “Thomas Anderson” again and seeing a psychiatrist while ingesting a healthy dose of blue pills. (Early guess: Neil Patrick Harris is working for the machines and is feeding him the blue pills to control him.) But every so often, he seems to have flashes of memories, including one where he quickly morphs into Agent Smith. Hugo Weaving isn’t listed as being a part of this film, but that was definitely him in that clip, which may make me more excited than almost anything; Smith is one of the best sci-fi villains of all time, and they’d be crazy not to at least try to get him back. And it makes sense if he does play a larger role; considering how Neo died, if he’s back, it’s logical to assume that he brought Smith with him.

In fact, there are flashes of a lot of elements from the other films in the Matrix Resurrections trailer. Neo is slowly told the truth by a series of cyberpunk characters; a younger version of Morpheus beckons him back to the fight; Neo trains with Morpheus; some of the locations look almost identical; the Oracle shows up; there are Alice in Wonderland references galore. I wonder if this means Neo is reliving the events of The Matrix, only as an older and wiser version of himself, with the key not so much discovering his potential as the One but remembering that he’s already done it. It’s a very fine line they’re treading if that’s the case; it could be a fascinating new way to jumpstart the franchise, or it could just feel like a remake in disguise. Back too are the incredible special effects, which look like they’re being expanded upon here. Some of those shots were breathtaking, and that’s reason enough for me to see it in a theater – preferably IMAX – instead of staying home with HBO. I’m curious if there’s a reason for Neo’s new look, which appears to be “Keanu Reeves walked over from the John Wick set.” It reminds me of how Jeff Bridges essentially played a watered-down version of the Dude in Tron: Legacy. I also wonder if they were unable to get Laurence Fishburne to return because I’d much rather see him than that dumb version of Doctor Manhattan from HBO’s awful Watchmen show. But, despite serious trepidations, I’m in for this one; worst-case scenario, it’s yet another sequel I’ll have to ignore.

What did you think of the Matrix Resurrections trailer? Are you going to see the movie? Do Neil Patrick Harris’ blue-framed glasses annoy anyone else? Let us know in the comments and stick around Geeks + Gamers for more movie news!