THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

NO ONE, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SEE THIS UNIMAGINATIVE PIECE OF CRAP.

0 STAR

Film Review © 2021 by Trip Reynolds

Science Fiction / Piece of Crap

Consistent with my review of "The Matrix" and "The Matrix Reloaded," and just like every film in "The Matrix" franchise, it's easier to regurgitate the past than to come up with an original idea. Here again, we're reminded how the Wachowski duo rip-off the ideas and talent of more creative people than to come up with an original, spectacular idea. Case in point, compare the following videos filmed twenty-seven-(27) years a part.

1972, "Fist of Fury" "Slow-motion-waving-hands-sequence!"		1999, "The Matrix" "Dodge this!"
Action Choreography by Bruce Lee Cinematography by Chen Ching-chu Edited by Peter Cheung Directed by Lo Wei		Action Choreography by Yuen Woo-ping Cinematography Bill Pope Edited by Zach Staenberg Directed by The Wachowskis

Eighteen-(18) years after the 2003 release of "The Matrix Revolutions," in 2021 the Wachowski duo dump "Matrix: Resurrections" on us, and we quickly discover our hero, Neo (Keanu Reeves, as the human Messiah against the computer-based artificial universe of "The Matrix"), is unknowingly still tramped in the Matrix; but this time as a world famous video game developer. We're supposed to find this funny, or ironic, or what? Nevertheless, Neo is again confronted with that "take the blue pill or take the red pill" crap, and eventually he's "awakened" to the reality of his subjugation, and the need to find the love of his life, Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss, who's viewed primarly from just above her shoulders due to her increased weight), to fight beside him. Yawn.

Unlike the inventiveness of the enduring James Bond film franchise, the Matrix film franchise continues to repeat itself, and unfortunately, this review must cover the same ground! Again, it's really this simple: Neo - and all humans - are NOT limited to thinking within any perimeters and, most importantly, humans are exempt from the confines of "0's and 1's" of the computer-based artificial universe of the matrix. Humans have imagination! Get it?

High-altitude nuclear detonations and electromagnetic bombs can generate EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) that has the potential to damage or destroy electronic devices over widespread areas. So, why didn't at least one imaginative human simply enter the matrix and detonate an imaginary 1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion!) kiloton thermonuclear device designed to completely obliterate all existing computers, all electronic devices within the Matrix and around the world and replace them with a computer network designed-from-the-groud-up solely under the control of humans? Or, even better, replace all computer-based systems with proprietary analog systems that use "imaginary" non-electronic switchers to connect to each other.

Instead of Neo, and now Trinity, flying why don't they just instantly teleport from one location to another, afterall everything in the computer-based artificial universe of "The Matrix" is thought driven so why not start thinking for a change? Instead, we're treated to endless green-screen-athletes-on-wires fight scenes, and for the most part, "eye candy" special effects. Film is analogous to having a date with an extremely attractive man or woman, but soon discovering your date has atrocious bad breath, fake body parts, can't dance, can't hold an intellectual conversation, and is a lousy lover. Just one big disappointment after another.

If you've seen Disney's 1982 film, "Tron" or the even better 2010 film, "Tron: Legacy" you've already seen films with more originality over the same subject matter, i.e., the human mind trapped in a computer-made universe. Of course, in this film genré there are also horror films, like the 1992 film, "The Lawnmower Man" and the 2014 film, "Transcendence." However, thankfully there's "Star Trek: Picard," which provides a far more positive and intellectually stimulating discourse, without the fake martial arts, without the blue and red pill crap, and without the continuity problems that exist throughout "Matrix: Resurrections." Continuity?

Niobe, portrayed stoically and pathetically by 50-year-old Jada Pinkett-Smith, was not at all believable as she wore prosthetic make-up, walked slow and hunched-over to appear at least twenty-(20) years older than Neo, who's portrayed by 57-year-old Keanu Reeves. Plus, if we're supposed to believe the Matrix pods where Neo and Trinity were cocooned for the past eighteen-(18) years act like a fountain of youth, how come 54-year-old Carrie-Anne Moss gained twenty-(20) pounds?

The Analyst, portrayed by Neal Patrick Harris, controls all aspects of the Matrix, but Sequoia, portrayed by Toby Onwwumere, appears undetected in the Matrix, entirely oblivious to the Analyst, really?

Neo's mentor, sage and pseudo-prophet, Morpheus, appeared in flashbacks (archival footage) as Laurence Fishburne, but was replaced in this latest Matrix film by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II? Likewise, Neo's nemesis, Mr. Smith, portrayed by actor Hugo Weaving only appeared in flashbacks (archival footage) and was replaced by Jonathan Groff. Accordingly, since continuity is not a concern, why wasn't Keanu Reeves replaced with David Hasselhoff, or Denzel Washington, or even better, Helen Mirren? Hopefully, after reading the script for this turkey, Fishburne and Weaving intentionally opted-out, because they valued their artistic careers more than the another payday.

A "thinking person" could have easily scripted a much better film, but alas, this film is not about intelligence, it's about "eye candy" special effects, bullets, and guns. Consistent with the overwelming majority of these dystopian science fiction films, there's always plenty of violence but very little gratuitous sex, which frankly, would have been a welcomed distraction against the predictable ending: Neo and Trinity fly up and away to fight the next sequel (yada, yada, yada).

Film is directed by-the-numbers and predictably, episodically by Lana Wachowski; edited with pseudo-epic intentions by Joseph Jett Sally; hundreds and hundreds of people contributed to the business-as-usual visual and special effects; and sixteen-(16) people who actually wanted credit for it, produced this crappy film.

Film has an slowly paced running length of 148 minutes (two-hours-and-twenty-eight-minutes), but would benefit if trimmed by at least 58 minutes, to ninety-(90) minutes.

Recommendation: Watch this film while multi-tasking and actively engaged in events of higher priority like: washing your dog, cutting the grass, running a marathon, etc.

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