And with that, we’re back to the desert of the real.
The first look at the long-awaited return to the Matrix is finally here with the first trailer for The Matrix Resurrections (appropriately set to Jefferson Airplane’s song “White Rabbit”). It’s the fourth film in a sci-fi saga dense in philosophy, ontological angst, and the never-ending question of Does Free Will Even Exist?
There’s a lot to glean here (in a preview that will probably be the most studied and analyzed trailer of the year; prepare to see a lot of side-by-side comparison shots/scenes between this film and the first one), but for now the premise is thus:
Neo (Keanu Reeves) has returned as Thomas Anderson once again, nearly 20 years older than when we last saw him (and this franchise). He’s living in the matrix simulation that we all know as “the real world.”
Completely unaware of his Neo past and all that we saw in the first trilogy, Mr. Anderson is now seeing a psychiatrist (Neil Patrick Harris) because he’s struggling with his own sense of sanity.
Inevitably, he’s presented with the choice between the Red Pill and the Blue Pill and…off we go.
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) is also back and, given how both she and Neo ended their arcs in Matrix Revolutions (the third and formerly-final film in the saga), it’s going to be very interesting to see how and why they’re even back at all. Their re-meet cute moment teased in this trailer is rather poignant, reflective of one of the core strengths from the original films: the soulmate connection between Neo and Trinity.
Suffice it to say, Revolutions left open the question of reality itself, and if any version of “reality” or “finality” can be trusted at all, or if there will always be an inevitable loop of fake existence perpetuated by The Architect, The Oracle, and the Machine overlords.
When the original trilogy seemingly ended 18 years ago in 2003, one of the biggest frustrations was rooted in where it landed thematically. For a series that appeared to be about the search for meaning, its existential conclusion (even in Neo’s heroism) seemed to hint that, ultimately, it’s all meaningless.
Maybe Resurrections will finally change that.
Laurence Fishburne has not returned for this reboot, but it would seem that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has taken over his role as a younger version of the character Morpheus (though this trailer doesn’t confirm that 100%). Or, more mysteriously, it’s almost as if Abdul-Mateen’s character is simultaneously Morpheus and an Agent.
If that’s true, then Abdul-Mateen would also be the replacement for Hugo Weaving who doesn’t return for this outing either. That said, it’s more likely that Jonathan Groff takes over for Weaving as the main Agent, albeit with an insidiously happy disposition rather than a menacing one.
One of the more interesting teases in this trailer is the focus on smart phones and devices. It would seem that the power of the matrix over people has evolved. Before, landline phones served as a connection and portal between the matrix and reality. Now in this latest reboot of the matrix (I’m talking about the actual code in the story, not the movie franchise) it appears that smart devices create a more hypnotic hold on people than any previous version of the matrix has before.
While there’s still a lot of questions to answer, this initial trailer is a very exciting, intriguing and satisfying first look. The Matrix Resurrections — co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski (one half of the Wachowski siblings that made the original trilogy) — opens in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22, 2021.
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Keanu Reeves returns as Neo in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Carrie-Anne Moss returns as Trinity in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen co-stars in a mysterious role for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A matrix cityscape in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
People are obsessed with smart devices in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) walks past a projected image of himself from the original Matrix film in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
The reflection that Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) sees when he looks in the mirror in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neil Patrick Harris plays a psychiatrist treating Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) holds a prescription pill bottle in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) takes blue-collared prescription pills in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A reflection of an old man is seen in a mirror as Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) takes prescription pills in his bathroom, in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Keanu Reeves returns as Neo in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) escapes a rather familiar scenario in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) escapes a rather familiar scenario in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) escapes a rather familiar scenario in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Agents descend on a street at night in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) attempt to escape a heavily-armed SWAT team in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) fights off attackers and bullets with Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) fights off attackers and bullets in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) experiences a ripple in the matrix in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprise their roles as Neo and Trinity in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo and Trinity (Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss) meet for the first time, again, in Neo fights off attackers and bullets in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo and Trinity (Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss) meet for the first time, again, in Neo fights off attackers and bullets in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) takes a step of faith off of a skyscraper in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Priyanka Chopra Jonas may be the new Oracle in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Jonathan Groff co-stars in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen co-stars in a mysterious role for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A choice is made between the red pill and the blue pill in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Jessica Henwick co-stars in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) is led through a portal in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A hand tests a liquid mirror portal in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A bloody, ravaged hand attempts to cross a mysterious barrier in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A gun emerges through a liquid mirror portal in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A gun is aimed in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A gun is fired in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Jessica Henwick co-stars in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen co-stars in a mysterious role for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Trinity wakes up in the real world in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
An intense scene in the real world in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo feels the jack input on his neck in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen co-stars in a mysterious role for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A battleship flown by rebel humans in the real world, in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) faces a SWAT platoon at a bar inTHE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) faces a SWAT platoon at a bar in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen co-stars in a mysterious role for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A fight scene unfolds against the backdrop of a projection of footage of Neo from the original Matrix movie in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen co-stars in a mysterious role for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
A return to the martial arts training room in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) fights in the martial arts training room against a new character played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen, in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Brian J. Smith plays a new character in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) fights an Agent in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) escape through explosions in Neo fights off attackers and bullets in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Keanu Reeves returns as Neo in THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
International Banner poster for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
International Teaser poster for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
One Sheet poster for THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
