In the recent past, science fiction cinema has produced some surprises – but perhaps the biggest is paradoxically behind one of the most anticipated films of recent years. Now new to Prime Video.
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Science fiction fans have had plenty of reason to rejoice in recent years. Not only blockbusters such as “Tenet” or “Dune” have caused excitement, but also insider tips such as “Little Fish” or “Beyond The Infinite Two Minutes”. Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, came from one of the most anticipated sci-fi films of its year, a blockbuster that mercilessly undermines the expectations of its audience and yet somehow fulfills them in the end: “Matrix Resurrections.
The fourth “Matrix” film wasn’t exactly what fans were hoping for – as reflected in mixed reviews across all platforms. But that’s exactly how Lana Wachowski accomplished what she once succeeded in doing with the first part: a visually stunning, emotional firework of ideas with a big surprise effect – which you should catch up on now at the latest. Because “Matrix Resurrections” is now included at no extra cost in your subscription to Amazon Prime Video:
For many, this should now be THE opportunity to finally catch up with the sci-fi blockbuster. After all, hardly anyone wanted to see the return of Neo and Trinity in theaters – especially when measured against its production costs: With production costs of $190 million, it only managed to gross just under $159 million in the end. In the worldwide cinema charts of the year 2021, the result was no more than 28th place …
… and that for one of the best and most original science fiction films of the recent past! Because not only we from FILMSTARTS were impressed – with 4 out of 5 stars in the review – by the cult comeback.
“MATRIX RESURRECTIONS”: NOT WHAT WE EXPECTED – AND THAT’S A GOOD THING!
1/10This sequence for The Matrix Resurrections was tricky, because it involved flipping rooms and intersecting geometries, and I got to help sort that out! PD by Hugh Bateup and Peter Walpole, direction by Lana Wachowski. Hope you enjoy! matrixresurrections conceptart pic.twitter.com/B1KzwF98PC
– Reid Southen (@Rahll) October 13, 2023
There is a great deal of irony in the fact that “Matrix 4” was released a week after “Spider-Man: No Way Home”. While the Marvel blockbuster pushed practically every button there is in the nostalgia control center of a film studio, Lana Wachowski turns the world of Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Co. upside down – and thus turns the expectations of the audience through the meat grinder.
“Matrix Resurrections” is tongue-in-cheek meta-fun with an extra dose of fanservice – not despite, but precisely because the film is so different from its predecessors. Similar to Wes Craven’s slasher “Freddy’s New Nightmare”, “Resurrections” is set in a world where the predecessor films (“Matrix”, “Matrix Reloaded” and “Matrix Revolutions”) exist – albeit not in the form of movies, but as computer games. This is amusing, original and pretty much the exact opposite of what other straggler sequels do, which sometimes simply rehash what’s already been done in an uninspired, sometimes even brazenly manipulative way.
But “Matrix 4” isn’t just different – that alone wouldn’t necessarily make it better – but on top of that it remedies a major weakness of the original trilogy. Because even the author of this article, who as a die-hard “Matrix” enthusiast has more than 50 different home theater editions of the films at home, has to admit: Even though the romance between Neo and Trinity played a crucial role again and again, being more than just one of many subplots, in the end it was mainly one thing: pure assertion. But with the fourth film, the love between Neo and Trinity finally gets the importance it has always been given.
Even though “Resurrections” has some spectacular action set-pieces to offer, the film is still far from being a classic “Matrix” blockbuster because of that – and certainly not a typical sci-fi large-scale production. In the end, the conclusion of the series feels above all like a love story. Just one in which there is a bit of a violent crash here and there.
