Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving weren't invited back into the "Matrix" — and we think we
know why. "The Matrix Resurrections" is finally here; these are the questions it left us with.
"At last."
Laurence Fishburne's work in the original three Matrix films is some iconic stuff.
The "wise man" leading figure of the human resistance, Fishburne's Morpheus
is a finely-tuned performance. He comes off perfectly as a charismatic figure to believe in,
at the same time that he conveys his own unyielding faith in the prophecy of the One.
Fishburne's Morpheus does show up in "The Matrix Resurrections," but only in a very meta fashion,
with clips from the first movie projected at times around Neo's new reality.
"We thought elements of your past might help ease you into the present."
"Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia."
Old Morpheus clips may be a vivid stand-in for nostalgia,
but the arrangement leaves us wondering – why not bring in the original Morpheus himself
for a return of his own alongside Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss?
This isn't a knock on Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who subs in for Fishburne as a new version
of Morpheus. He rocks some amazing outfits and speaks all the familiar "Matrix" jargon
with just as much flair as Fishburne did, but longtime "Matrix" fans still
might be disappointed by the absence of the original Morpheus. So why did this happen?
In 2020, while "Resurrections" was in production,
Fishburne confirmed his lack of involvement with the movie to Entertainment Tonight, saying,
"I have not been asked to join them, which is fine.
I am hopeful that it will be wonderful and it will satisfy audiences and that people will love it."
Abdul-Mateen, apparently taking over the role,
implied in his own interviews that his Morpheus is a different being entirely.
In October 2021, the actor told Entertainment Weekly,
"This is definitely a different iteration of the character.
I play a character who's definitely aware of the history of the Matrix
[and] the history of Morpheus. This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There's a
lot in our story that's about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn't exempt from that."
Now that the movie is out, we know what he's talking about. The real Morpheus,
played by Laurence Fishburne, is assumed to be dead by the time of "The Matrix Resurrections,"
which is set after a substantial time jump.
The new Morpheus of this Matrix is a program designed based on Neo's memories – a new,
digital character based on both the flesh-and-blood Morpheus and Agent
Smith who also happens to be mixed with some of the old code for Agent Smith.
When asked why the movie went this route, Keanu Reeves told the UK outlet Unilad that it was a
purely creative decision from director, co-writer, and Matrix originator Lana Wachowski. Reeves said,
"Speaking with Lana about that... it was just creatively where she
wanted to go with the production and the story."
Co-star Carrie-Anne Moss confirmed that, saying,
"There's an evolution that happened for Lana with the story, and we're here serving that."
"It's happening exactly as before." "Well, not exactly."
Morpheus isn't the only character who was recast for "Resurrections."
Hugo Weaving's evil "Matrix" agent, Smith, is also represented in this
movie by a different actor – in this case, "Mindhunter" star Jonathan Groff.
Unlike Fishburne, Weaving is on record saying that he was asked to return, but there was a scheduling
conflict that prevented his involvement. In January 2020, he told Time Out London,
"I thought [I] could do both and it took eight weeks to work out that the dates would work. I was
in touch with Lana Wachowski, but in the end she decided that the dates weren't going to work. So
we’d sorted the dates and then she sort of changed her mind. They’re pushing on ahead without me."
Of course, Smith's not his usual self in this movie either.
We learn early in "Resurrections" that game developer Thomas Anderson is working for a
younger, cocky boss who is pushing him to revisit the "Matrix" video games that helped
build the company. As the movie unfolds, that boss finds himself in the middle of a major shootout,
picking up a gun and revealing himself to be a new and improved Smith.
For Agent Smith, the reinvention makes a bit more sense than Morpheus. From his
taking over of every being in the Matrix in the sequels to even invading the real world,
the identity of this rogue program has always been a more fluid thing.
"You." "Yes, me. Me, me, me."
"Resurrections" drives that point home multiple times. Just like in the old movies,
his fate is inextricably linked to that of Neo, and the two of them literally being
codependent coworkers at the beginning of the movie is a great way of showing it.
You can be forgiven if you don't recognize Jada Pinkett Smith,
reprising her role as Niobe after a substantial time jump. At this point in the movie's "real
world," her days of leaping around doing gun-fu are well behind her.
Although it it has been 20 years since the events of the original films,
Bugs explains that that's just the time that's passed in the Matrix. In the real world of the
movie, 60 years have passed, which accounts for the apparent death of Morpheus. This also explains
why a character like Lexy is the grandchild of Roland, former captain of the Mjolnir.
Now a general, Niobe has become harder, more bitter, and doesn't suffer fools — which in her
mind seems to include Bugs, one of the film's new characters who seems to value passion over
patience. After more than 60 years of fighting this seemingly endless battle, who can blame her?
After "The Matrix Revolutions," no one thought we'd see a sequel to the series
that continued the story of the first three movies. Now, "Resurrections" has
us wondering if there might be more sequels on the way for this new era of "The Matrix."
If there aren't, it certainly isn't for lack of trying. The ending of "Matrix Resurrections"
is filled with all sorts of indications where the franchise could be headed,
from the survival of the Analyst, to Trinity's new superpowered status.
When the end credits roll, we see the words "The Matrix Resurrects," which could be teasing the
name or concept for the next film. A sequel could obviously explore Trinity's newfound powers,
much in the same way that "Reloaded" expanded our understanding of Neo's abilities as the One.
It could also follow Trinity and Neo as they take the wheel of the Matrix
and work to build a kinder, gentler reality, with rainbows in the skies.
Even if there never is another "Matrix" movie,
"Resurrections" could likely stand on its own as an endpoint for the series.
The film's story is relatively self-contained, and by the end, it leaves off with an uplifting
message. It might be as close to a "happily ever after" ending as any "Matrix" fan could expect.
As always, the movie's performance will dictate whether this story continues — but
if "Resurrections" is a hit, there are certainly places this story could go.
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