Starring :- Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jessica Henwick, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris and Jada Pinkett Smith
What’s the story? Successful computer game designer, Thomas Anderson, is plagued by visions of a past life. These visions lead to Mr Anderson questioning his reality. Approached by a familiar figure who offers Anderson the chance to escape his false narrative, he must decide whether to travel down the rabbit hole once more.
Is it any good? ‘The Matrix’ is one of the most influential and definitive Sci Fi movies of the past few decades. The sequels had moments but sagged under their own philosophical weight. ‘Resurrections’ – the forth feature in the franchise – is a puzzling proposition. With the previous film ‘Revolutions’ seemingly tying up the narrative in a satisfactory way there was little call of a follow up. There also appeared to be little appetite from the filmmakers and several key players from the previous trilogy though in the current cinematic landscape the opportunity to reboot an intellectual property is too tantalising a proposition for Warner Bros studios( a point inexplicably made during the film).
‘Resurrections’ is so unique for a modern blockbuster film in so much that it can’t decide whether it reveres its predecessors or resents them. The navel gazing in the opening hour is truly baffling – Keanu Reeves’ Mr Anderson created a trilogy of games called ‘The Matrix’. He has figures of Morpheus and Trinity in his desk. His boss insists Warner Brothers want a forth game and his team then brainstorm what a forth iteration should contain. To add to the meta muddle several scenes from the former trilogy are replicated whilst others are edited into the film itself. The problem with referencing past efforts so frequently is that the filmmakers run the risk of reminding the audience that a far better version exists.
Lessons have also not been learnt from ‘Reloaded’ and ‘Revolutions’. Philosophical musings remain tedious and drawn out. The storyline makes less and less sense as the run time creeps on and the stakes never feel important. If Neo’s mission in the trilogy left him in the same (or arguably a worse) position then how can the audience invest more emotion in another round? The action is also disappointingly perfunctory. The filmmakers would have an impossible task of recreating the invention and influence of the ballet of bullets of the original but the sporadic action of ‘Resurrections’ is just fine which is a miss for a ‘Matrix’ movie.
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss are thankfully the beating heart of the movie. ‘Resurrections’ is less a Sci Fi movie and more a love story of two separated souls and both actors slip back into their roles with ease. Tremendous actor Mateen II is given little to do as a Morpheus proxy and misses the gravitas of an AWOL Laurence Fishburne. Hugo Weaving is also missing and is replaced by the able but wholly generic Jonathan Groff. The standout performance comes from Jessica Henwick as ‘Bugs’ – a devotee to freedom from the Matrix.
Verdict :- A baffling blockbuster which lacks the big ideas or bombast of its predecessors.
danwhofelltoearth 