Although The Matrix Resurrections reviews aren’t expected until next week, a few international cinema critics have revealed their initial responses to the film on Twitter. Lana Wachowski’s film, which stars Keanu Reeves and is directed by her, has divided reviews. While some people loved the movie, others were not so enthusiastic.
Keanu Reeves reprises his role as Neo in The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth film in the Matrix franchise, 18 years after he first played the character in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003.
The latest Matrix picture not only stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett-Smith, but it also introduces a few new characters, including Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra. The Matrix Resurrections, as seen in the trailers, depicts Neo stuck inside a computer-generated world with no memory of his history.
Critics’ first reactions to The Matrix Resurrections were mixed, with some praising it the “best movie ever made” and others dubbing it a “2.5-hour exposition dump.”
The film was described as a ‘comedy’ by Forbes critic Scott Mendelson. “The Matrix Resurrections is a comedy,” says the director. The action is lackluster, and the new characters are underdeveloped. The metatextual analysis, on the other hand, is incisive. In the Jurassic World/Bad Boys 3/Rp1 style, it wrestles with its own legacy. He wrote, “I prefer the first three, but this is a wild swing.”
The Matrix Resurrections, on the other hand, has been dubbed the “boldest sequel since The Last Jedi” by David Ehrlich of Indiewire. “Despite (and because of) its infinite goofiness, The Matrix Resurrections is the boldest and most vividly personal Hollywood sequel since The Last Jedi.” He wrote, “a silly/sincere galaxy brain take on reboot culture that accepts how modern blockbusters are now only about themselves.”
According to Clayton Davis of Variety, the film focuses on a love story. “The Matrix Resurrections is oblivious to its own existence.” It’s a little too self-deprecating in that it’s really heavy on the love story, with nothing in the way of show-stopping action and effects, which is what the audience wants. Jonathan Groff is the best part, but that’s just life at this point,” he tweeted.
Alison Foreman of Mashable admitted that she didn’t like the movie. “I’m ecstatic for folks who are going to love The Matrix Resurrections. Regrettably, I am not one of them. It’s miles ahead of Reloaded and Revolutions – which, to be honest, aren’t really brilliant – but the stakes are low. She tweeted, “Nothing matters, and not in a cool nihilistic way.”
“The Matrix Resurrections is an almost 2.5-hour exposition dump with choppy action scenes reminiscent of the Bourne movies,” Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Jeff Nelson tweeted. It’s very meta and reuses way too much footage from prior instalments.”