MOVIE REVIEW: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

I was in the theaters (dressed up in cosplay) in 1999 when The Matrix changed pop culture for a solid 20 years. I was there when the second and third movies were made to create a complete trilogy, to capitalize off the first film’s notoriety as well as every comic book tie-in and video game. I was also there when the other movies of the zeitgeist that produced The Matrix (eXistenZ, The Thirteenth Floor, Dark City, etc.) were nearly forgotten to film history. But there was a problem: the Matrix trilogy was complete, but the business people at Warner Bros. wanted more money. And so they made a fourth against the original creators’ wishes (or so the industry news media would have us believe), with delays from the COVID-19 pandemic. What comes out is a very odd mix of amazing ideas and progressions, while falling back on regressive nostalgia to keep people engaged. It’s that same nostalgia that finds us watching the beginning scenes of The Matrix…but this time, Agent Smith is Black.

“The Candyman’s here to make you feel GOOD, baby.”

Said Black guy isn’t actually an Agent, but a digital intelligence (DI) program that calls itself “Morpheus” (played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman [2022], Aquaman, “Watchmen” [TV-HBO]). Also on site is a Redpill named…