THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)
Label: Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free, A
Rating: R
Duration: 148 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, TrueHD 7.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Dolby Vision HDR10 2160p UHD Widescreen (2.40:1), 1080p HD Widescreen (2.40:1)
Director: Lana Wachowski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jada Pinkett Smith
Lana Wachowski returns to The Matrix franchise with a very meta reboot-ish sequel that manages to resurrect both Trinity and Neo. In it The Matrix franchise was not a film series but a very popular video game series that were the creation of video game developer Mr. Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves, John Wick), who lives in San Francisco in the present day. We learn that at some point following the success of the games he suffered a mental break wherein he thought he was Neo from The Matrix video game, and has been seeing an Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas) who prescribes blue pills to keep him grounded in reality. We also learn that Anderson based the character of Trinity in the game on a woman named Tiffany (Carrie-Anne Moss, Memento) who frequents the same coffee shop, the Simulatte, as he does.
Of course this is all a simulation, and a blue-haired hacker named Bugs (Jessica Henwick, Love and Monsters) tracks Neo/Anderson down, with the help of a younger Morpheus (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman), who turns out to be a renegade program, to reveal to him the truth... that The Matrix isn’t a game, that he is is once more immersed in a simulation and needs to free his mind from the illusion and free his body from the upgraded human-battery farm.
A sometimes too-clever and not yet clever enough sequel that could be considered a reboot of sorts, with numerous call-backs, stylish recreations and flash backs to the actual first film, exploring themes of identity, purpose and illusion with fresh-eyes, it's not perfection but I am pleased to say that it defied my expectations and ultimately won over my more cynical side - which groaned upon hearing of the new film initially. I won't lie, I was won over, and while there were some things I found not-so-great, I had a ton of fun with this one that is a pretty seamless bit of meta fun.
The look is slick and more natural looking that the original trilogy, the fresh look of the stylish cinematography is outstanding, the visual effects and production design are at moments breathtaking, and the action is plenty good. One of my favorite action-sequences is a chase through downtown SF with Neo and Trinity on a motorcycle trying to evade a swarm of attackers, the Matrix program has activated an army of human-skinned bots who leap through windows of high rise apartments, dropping like human bombs, it's completely nuts and visceral. I also dig how the Morpheus program is embodied in the real word as a swarming nanobot creation, and how certain factions of the machines have sided with the humans this go around - it all makes for a very interesting and unique sequel that also pays homage to the first film repeatedly.
What I didn't care for so much was the over exposition of certain things, the unnecessary return of Sati, and the video game programmer set-up isn't handled all that wellm but it does allow for a pretty hilarious team meeting of game designers who have a conversation about what in particular makes the Matrix games so successful, the conversation itself being a refection of the movie franchise and movie sequels. Initially I was also quite cognizant of the fact that Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus or Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith do not return, both are missed, but that apprehension faded away soon enough; and I loved how both Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jonathon Groff (TV's Mindhunter) embodied the characters.
Audio/Video: The Matrix Resurrections (2021) arrives in 4K UHD from WBHE in 2160p UHD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen, sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate, and it looks simply stunning. The film has a look that sets itself apart from the original trilogy and it's looks terrific with pin point sharpness and solid depth and clarity. It's a very attractive looking presentation with the Dolby Vision HDR 10 boasting very deep black levels and vibrant, deeply saturated colors that pop quite nicely. The accompanying 1080p Blu-ray which is also burdened with extras, is solid but struggles to maintain fine detail and depth, plus it lacks the HDR-infused deep blacks and colors that the UHD delivers so flawlessly.
Audio comes by way of English Dolby Atmos or TrueHD 7.1 if you are not Atmos-enabled. A piercing and lushly
designed audio presentation that is absolutely immersive from beginning to end. The nicely aggressive mix also showcases Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer's solid score and musical elections from Jefferson Airplane, Brass Against and Propellerheads.
Additionally we get some pretty cool extras, over and hour and half worth's of featurettes that get into the why Wachowski chose to finally return to the franchise, behind-the scenes explorations, and an amusing piece with various cast members recounting what the previous films were all about with quite a few different and entertaining summaries. If you're a bonus junk junkie I definitely recommend going down the rabbit hole of extras, particularly the 31-min Resurrecting The Matrix. The 2-disc BD/UHD set arrives in a black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork which is replicated on the slipcover. Inside there is a redemption code for a digital copy of the film.
Special Features:
- No One Can Be Told What The Matrix Is (9 min)
- Resurrecting The Matrix (31 min)
- Neo x Trinity: Return to the Matrix (8 min)
- Allies + Adversaries: The Matrix Remixed (8 min)
- Matrix for Life (6 min)
- I still Know Kung Fu (5 min)
- The Matrix Reactions: Echo Opening (5 min), Deus Ex Machina (5 min), Welcome to IØ (5 min), Bullet Time Redux
(4 min), Morpheus vs Neo (4 min), Exiles Fight (5 min), Neo vs Smith (4 min), The San Fran Chase (8 min), The San Fran Jump (8 min)
- No One Can Be Told What The Matrix Is (9 min)
- Resurrecting The Matrix (31 min)
- Neo x Trinity: Return to the Matrix (8 min)
- Allies + Adversaries: The Matrix Remixed (8 min)
- Matrix for Life (6 min)
- I still Know Kung Fu (5 min)
- The Matrix Reactions: Echo Opening (5 min), Deus Ex Machina (5 min), Welcome to IØ (5 min), Bullet Time Redux
(4 min), Morpheus vs Neo (4 min), Exiles Fight (5 min), Neo vs Smith (4 min), The San Fran Chase (8 min), The San Fran Jump (8 min)
- Digital Copy
The Matrix Resurrections (2021) gets a reference worthy UHD from WBHE, the long-in-the-coming sequel is a bit divisive but I loved it, if not loving everything about it, it's still my second favorite sequel in the series after the first. .
Screenshots from the WBHE Blu-ray:
