Movie Review: The Matrix- Resurrections Revives My Simulation Theory
I was surprised by The Matrix: Resurrections, in part, because like Spider-Man: No Way Home, I did not expect it to be so philosophical. Good? Yes. Deep? Not really. I thought I would like it simply on the fact that it is always nice to see an “old friend,” even if he is trapped in an augmented reality driven by machines trying to control the human condition in response to our mass creation of them to serve under our conditions. While the original trilogy sparked the “we are in a simulation” universe, the reboot asks, “Do you REALLY want to leave it?”
Keanu Reeves returns as Neo/ Thomas Anderson with such a sweet brokenness, I thought The Matrix had also suffered during this pandemic. He is emotionally exhausted, and surrounded by people that are, too, going through an existential crisis, but feel safe enough in their uncomfortable routines to never be brave enough and ask, “Why do I do the same thing on loop?” In essence, in this go-around, The Matrix is not merely a symbol for societal structures and how they program/ plot our lives like a machine would package meat. Instead, as Neo confronts being trapped for nearly 2 decades in The Matrix, the real question is whether he wanted to stay?”
The crux of The Matrix Resurrections is based, this time around, on humanity, and whether we have exhausted ourselves enough with how we are. It is a similar note that I felt while watching Don’t Look Up, out December 24 on Netflix. Both films approach humanity as if it is too tired to be humane, and Neo is on the absolute brink, but he is unsure whether The Matrix is real because he is unsure whether he wants to be sane. In essence, it is the equivalent to the old adage, “If everybody jumps off a building… do you?” Well, considering he, literally, does that saying gains some weight, especially in modern society.
For however much we praise “saints” and leaders of peace from the past, if you look at them, they all got killed. We admire them AFTER we took them out because, when they were alive, they made us uncomfortable. We thought we were better; even martyrs suffering at the hands of a Matrix we knew of but never broke from. Enter Carrie Anne Moss as Trinity and Jessica Henwick as Bugs: two fierce women that have no problem fighting for reality, even if grim, because, at least, it is in their hands. Yet, they pay for their independence, and their desire to wake up in a world that, in truth, does not mind being asleep. Hence, Jonathan Groff’s take as Agent Smith and Yayha Abdul Mateen’s juxtaposition as Morpheus, two forces that moves freely within the Matrix, while being apart of it, come off as the ying and yang to Neo’s existential “Fauci” crisis; can you work within or break a system aimed at breaking you?
It feels very apropos that The Matrix: Resurrections left me with a heavy bag of wonder and questions. It is a mixture Hollywood and hefty self-analysis, which is rare. Yet, The Matrix, as an original trilogy, pushed that audiences do want to THINK. Movies have always been based on feeling, but The Matrix Resurrections is special because it is based on thinking about how you really feel. Check out in theaters and HBO Max on December 22.
