From Morpheus to Smith to even Neo himself, old characters are back in new forms in "The
Matrix Resurrections," and the movie's full of little moments that will make you pause
as you try to figure out just what's going on.
Setting the stage for an unbelievably meta first act, the opening of "The Matrix Resurrections"
mirrors the opening of 1999's "The Matrix" — but not everything is quite as it seems.
Two new characters, hackers Bugs and Seq, are also on the scene, and they, like the
audience, know this scene, and know that something is off.
As we move to the introduction of Trinity, we see Bugs observing, but pause the moment
and you'll realize early that this is not Carrie-Anne Moss and this is very much not
the opening of "The Matrix." Bugs realizes it, too, but pause on an earlier frame and
you'll be one step ahead of the game. This reveal leads to the scene branching off from
the events of the original movie, and eventually revealing the entire intro takes place within
a modal inside the Matrix.
Inside the world of "The Matrix," a modal is a testing sandbox that exists isolated
from a program while still using the code of that program. For example, the modal Neo
creates in the film exists within a game that he's designed. Another bonus pause comes when
Bugs must flee the scene. On the way out, she crashes into a neon marquee marked "Anderson's,"
a dead giveaway that we are in a modal created by Neo himself, a fact that isn't revealed
until a little bit later.
After being discovered by agents while peeping on the faux Trinity intro, Bugs finds herself
being chased by the program that will soon be revealed to her to be Morpheus. In a room
full of keys (and yes, this is 100% a reference to the Keymaker from "Reloaded"), she finds
a door to another room in the modal where she ends up confronting the program. As it
turns out, he has been here before. This is where it all began. We are in Thomas Anderson's
room from the start of "The Matrix."
The room is a replica of Neo's cramped hacker apartment and everything in it. If you pause
the movie for certain frames during this scene you can look around and experience quite a
bit of nostalgia. Full of knick knacks and callbacks, this sequence shows on full display
just how dense with meaning the sets in "Resurrections" are. You can see a replica of Neo's old computer,
still intact. At a certain point Bugs picks up the old MetaCortex ID marked Thomas Anderson.
Every detail down to the same poster on the wall and open bottles and cans of Coke littered
around the microwave is intact.
This scene holds another crucial moment. In it, Bugs confirms the program to be a Morpheus
subconsciously created by Neo within the Matrix, thus understanding the "One" is still alive
and closer than anyone realized.
In a scene where Bugs is explaining her motivations for pursuing Neo and freeing him, we are shown
a very pause-worthy flashback. As Bugs explains it, we see her washing a skyscraper window.
Then, from atop the building, Neo is seen jumping off, but for a split second we see
an image of an old man in his place. As he turns to Bugs, he is once again the bearded
Keanu Reeves that we know and love as Neo in "The Matrix Resurrections." This moment
gave Bugs hope and proved Neo was still out there somewhere. This sets her character arc
into motion, paralleling the arc of Morpheus in the original "Matrix."
This moment is the first clue the film gives about a twist that is yet to come. Later,
we come to understand this moment as Bugs seeing Neo in his true form, not the old man
that the rest of the residents of the Matrix see him as. Throughout the movie, up until
the reveal, there are shots of the man everyone sees him in reflections that hint at the truth.
Late in the film, it is revealed by the Analyst that this sighting was actually a previous
escape attempt by Neo.
If you managed to avoid all marketing material for "Resurrections" beyond the initial trailer,
you probably found yourself shocked by the reveal of Jonathan Groff's character to be
Agent Smith. This is especially surprising since the movie intentionally misled the audience
by not casting Hugo Weaving in the role that he immortalized.
Even if you knew Groff's true role going in, the moment where he finally goes mask off
and shouts "Mr. Anderson" in his best Hugo Weaving voice is one of the most spine-chilling
moments of the film. The shoot-out that ensues is stylish, fast, and features a whole lot
of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II looking sweet in a suit, and some sick gun kata.
Later on, the reason for Smith's role in Neo's simulated life is explained. Rewatching the
movie, a must-do for "Matrix" fans with an HBO Max subscription, it is easy to see that
Smith was placed as Thomas Anderson's business partner to keep Neo in check. This allowed
the Analyst to be able to observe Neo at all times.
One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small. Sure, you've probably heard Jefferson
Airplane's "White Rabbit" countless times in the marketing run-up to the release of
"Resurrections," but it really is a perfect song to score the return to "The Matrix."
The pivotal scene where Neo finally takes the red pill again is dense with callbacks
to the first movie.
The setting is incredible. Neo enters a room that closely resembles the abandoned building
where he took the red pill in the first movie. And on the projection screen behind him that
is lining the wall, the original scene from the 1999 "Matrix" is playing on a loop.
It is a huge meta moment for the movie, one that brings into question the themes of choice
and repetition.
"Nothing comforts anxiety like a little nostalgia."
When Morpheus says this on-the-nose line, he is both referring to the more comfortable
environment he and Bugs created to coerce Neo into taking the red pill, and also making
a meta commentary on this sequel's mere existence. Neo has been here before. In the words of
the Oracle, he has already made the choice.
Through this scene and many more, filmmaker Lana Wachowski analyzes the pervasiveness
of franchises and reboots, by resurrecting past scenes, characters, and motifs to interrogate
how her work was interpreted, and what people want out of a "Matrix" sequel versus what
she wants to convey.
After returning to real life, Neo is immediately jacked back in, and, like in the 1999 original,
is transported to a pure white room — "the construct" — where Morpheus awaits his arrival.
"I remember this."
In "Resurrections," this is where Morpheus explains what exactly he is, an algorithm
written by Neo that is in fact constructed from the memories of both Morpheus and Agent
Smith. From here, of course, we must move to the dojo.
The training dojo where the epic Neo and Morpheus fight occurs in "The Matrix" makes a return
in "Resurrections." The fight that ensues between Neo and this new version of Morpheus
mirrors the original, but the stakes are raised. In this scene, if Neo can't find the power
in himself to win, he will die.
Morpheus almost defeats Neo. While the ex-master of Kung Fu lies on the ground, Morpheus reminds
him of the one thing he is fighting for; Trinity. This results in Neo finally regaining his
Matrix superpowers – or at least some of them – and turning the whole dojo into a
bright supernova, thus passing the test and waking him up.
While pretty much the entire first half of "The Matrix Resurrections" acts as an homage
to and deconstruction of the original "Matrix" movie, the film is also a direct sequel to
"The Matrix Revolutions."
Along with her co-writers, Lana Wachowski decided to bring back some of the primary
characters from the sequels, including Morpheus' old flame and butt-kicking captain Niobe and
everyone's favorite scene-chewing program, the Merovingian.
"Right?"
Speaking of Merv, as Trinity so glibly nicknamed him in "The Matrix Revolutions," the Frenchman
himself makes a return in "Resurrections." The exiled program is in a haggard state,
though. His beard and grimy appearance are a polar opposite from the way we see him present
in the first two sequels. Blaming Neo for his decrepit state, he goes on a fourth-wall
breaking rant about the digital age, including a great moment of lamenting how "style" and
"great conversation" has been replaced by the "beep beep beep beep beep" of incessant
texting.
We can't repeat what he calls Wikipedia, but the very direct reference to social media
as "Face-zucker-suck" is the highlight of the rant. Granted, you can't hear it when
paused, but that line alone is worth rewinding to hear again.
Probably the single best "whoa" moment of "The Matrix Resurrections" comes at the very
end — and it is well worth the wait.
In the climactic moment of the film, Neo and Trinity clench hands and jump off of a rooftop.
This leap of faith is a fake-out. The whole movie, fans have been waiting for Neo to regain
his ability to fly, and this feels like the moment it is about to happen. And then it
doesn't. Not quite.
After their leap, Neo begins to fall. And then he is caught. The camera pans up to show
that this time it is Trinity who has the power of flight. It is an awe-inspiring shot that
single-handedly gives Trinity fans the best moment they didn't even know they wanted.
The entire movie is a tribute to Carrie Ann Moss and Trinity as much as it is one to Neo
and Keanu Reeves. For the two of them, the end of "Resurrections" is only a new beginning.
For the rest of us, well, we will just have to wait and see.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite
movies and TV shows are coming soon. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so
you don't miss a single one.