"No one can be told what the Matrix is, blah, blah, blah." The Matrix Resurrections review

I wasn't interested in the Matrix when it came out. It was a film with an infamously obtuse trailer that didn't give away what exactly it was about. Perhaps my rebellion against that trailer was my first sense that the film was stuck-up and pretentious. But regardless, that's what I ultimately concluded about the film when I finally saw it; I wasn't impressed by the effects or the story. I thought it was superficial and thin as gruel.

Despite that I went to see the two sequels with my friends; the Matrix Reloaded I found at times laughably bad (especially the CGI) but I did at least enjoy the freeway chase scene - when it involved actual stunt driving (again, the CGI cars looked bad). Then the Matrix Revolutions came out and no one seemed to especially like it. The sensation I had was that the film was a passing fad whose time was up. I went on to discover others films made around the same time which had plots I could really sink my teeth into: Dark City and the Thirteenth Floor.

So: the Matrix Resurrections. This is the first Matrix film I enjoyed.

The fact that I, someone who didn't like the first 3 films, does like this one is certainly indicative of what an odd duck this movie is. I think it's likely that the majority of people who enjoyed the first three films were not especially fond of this entry. The stunts and effects are competant, but it doesn't even try to attempt eye-popping visuals. I always found those Matrix Reloaded effects to be lousy, but at least they were trying to push the limits. By contrast, effects in the Matrix Resurrections are done well within the lines. You will not be amazed.

So, if you liked the Matrix franchise for the effects then this one's not for you. What about the film's deep, heady stoner philosophy about, like, man, what if we are all dust in the wind? The Matrix Resurrections mocks its earlier pretensions (as in the "blah, blah, blah" quote above). This film is not seeking to be the new illustration in your 'cool' philosophy prof's 101 class.

I think a large part of why I like the film is because it unbends; the earlier pretense is gone and the world feels a little more human for it. The first quarter of the film is especially fun for Matrix detractors like myself as the protagonist Neo lives in a reality where his earlier adventures were nothing more than a video game and now his company wants a fourth game. It feels like director Lana Wachowski is unleashing some of her frustrations at being constantly petitioned to tell more Matrix stories.

In many ways this feels like another nostalgia film in the wake of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Beloved(?) characters return, so does an old threat with a new face. And, as I indicated, it's a fairly "safe" picture. At the same time, the film lovingly mocks itself and that's no small thing, considering Lana created the original films. The sequences of video game developers rehashing what the first three stories were about feels like the sort of boardroom environment that would create a Matrix nostalgia film and I'm here for that.

In the end, we learn that Neo wasn't exactly the One, rather he and Trinity together are the One. Because in the Matrix, even counting to "1" is convoluted. I don't care. I laughed a lot at this film, but this time, I was supposed to.