Language: English
“The body cannot live without the mind” — Morpheus, The Matrix (1999)
The Wachowskis created something incredibly iconic with The Matrix. They changed the way we understood and consumed sci-fi. Their deft storytelling with prophetic lines was pivoted on the relevance of ancient world philosophies in an increasingly mechanised and digitised era, woven together by spectacular fight and chase sequences, all with a generous wash of mint green filters. They wowed a world at the threshold of its TCP/IP accounts during the turn of Y2K with science fiction that seemed so fantastical but frighteningly real as it raised pertinent life questions.
The Matrix was not just a bunch of machines and guns; it was an exploration on what is real and what is an illusion, on our idea of choice, on questioning status quo, on searching for ourselves, and detaching from everything that we feel controls us. For the average, agnostic/atheist collegegoer, The Matrix was an on-the-nose spiritual equivalent of light sabre-rich Star Wars of the previous generation. It was something so original we could call our own; something that was not a hand-me-down from the cooler older generations of Woodstock and Indiana Jones. There was not anything like that until then, and even the subsequent The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions (both released in 2003) tied in the storylines neatly — conflicting viewpoints on this, obviously — leaving us with a clear possibility of a fourth film in the series.
Now, 22 years since we were first wowed, and 18 years since the last film, we meet Neo, who now goes by his original name Thomas Anderson. He is an award-winning, highly famous game designer of — you guessed it — The Matrix trilogy.
This is the start of the meta storytelling that the makers have used to justify why we are enduring The Matrix Resurrections in the first place. In fact, Thomas’ company is being convinced by Warner Bros to do a Matrix 4 game, an experience that our gorgeous protagonist knows has the potential to mess with his already fairly-messed-up head.
This also gives the makers an opportunity to bring in a lot more past footage and references, creating that peculiar brand of reboot reminiscence that has become commonplace with cinema today. The problem with reboots is that they masquerade as a kind of refresher course for younger generations of audiences. By taking a beloved film or series and giving it a fresher, newer treatment (usually in the visual effects department), and making them louder, more self-deprecating initially before forging newer paths in the later films.
How many times are we going to watch a reboot after eons only to be confronted with a nostalgia-led exercise bereft of anything else? Reeking of commercial gains and risking a shot at glory by upgrading something beloved or revered, these films often have flimsier storylines compared to their originals. This is rather ironic given how the original Matrix is frequently considered a philosophical treatise on the controlling nature of capitalism, and how one cannot put a price on freedom. Apparently, conventional belief today is that the audience needs some dumbing down, but clearly the likes of Nolan have not got that memo.
So The Matrix Resurrections follows the formula of Star Wars’ The Force Awakens (Episode VII of the sequel trilogy), which is heavy reliance on the original film (The Matrix in this case, and Episode IV: A New Hope in the case of Star Wars), a whole smattering of characters from the earlier movies, a deluge of references and one-liners that allude to the predecessors, making this every bit a geek fan dream that panders to the overgrown man child.
The film is also incredibly funny as it controls the narrative regurgitation with some sharp wit and personifying (almost) “déjà vu” to a whole different level. If the original trilogy was a green-hued experience, then The Matrix Resurrections is Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat in comparison.
We are reminded of how Keanu Reeves has barely aged, and he continues to play Keanu Reeves in every film. He could have walked out of the John Wick set, and scuttled into The Matrix, and it would not even register as a glitch.
It is a painful reminder that Reeves can hardly act and with typical long-tresses and a beard. He is Hollywood’s answer to Arjun Rampal; those supremely good-looking men who can go through an entire movie wearing next to no expression on their faces. But we continue to root for Neo, who is trying to sieve through what he considers fact from fiction. We cheer for his reunion with Trinity, played ably by Carrie-Ann Moss who reprises the role. She does her limited part as expected — with minimum fuss, emotive eyes, and little else.
Neil Patrick Harris as Thomas’ therapist is played very effectively by combining Harris’ penchant for wit that swiftly changes tone. Lambert Wilson and Jada Pinkett Smith return as Merovingian and General Niobe (from The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions), joining a larger, newer cast comprising Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, and Christina Ricci. Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays Sati, who was the little girl with the sunrise for Neo in Matrix Revolutions. For the short duration she is on screen, Chopra shows us why she is one of India’s best actors as she holds her own against the cinematic charm of Reeves.
Supported by a compelling score and enthusiastic visual effects, the movie is more entertaining than ground-breaking. For just the masala, the nostalgia, and the many Easter Eggs (and white rabbit!), The Matrix Resurrections is worth a watch. The film highlights just how ahead of its time the original Matrix film actually was, especially since Resurrections seems so contemporary in comparison. With fight sequences that border on looking run-of-the-mill at best and dated at worst, the film then adds no value to the original trilogy even as it looks like another sequel is in the offing. What was once a mind-boggling idea that combined sci-fi with philosophy is now a mind-numbing rumination of potboiling magnitude.
For once, I wish he had just taken the damn blue pill.
The Matrix Resurrections is playing in Indian cinemas.
Rating: ***
Senior journalist Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri has spent a good part of two decades chronicling the arts, culture and lifestyles.
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