A little bit like how the Star Wars "prequel" films, used far more miniatures and practical effects than the original films - however, the use of digital compositing (especially in Episodes II and III, which didn't have the time taken to polish that "The Phantom Menace" did) is why there are some very dated looking shots.
@@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE Also on II and III they moved over to the then new and far from perfect Sony digital cameras. PM was shot on film still. And there is a much softer flatter look on the II and III as a result.
@@ferociousmullet9287 Absolutely - part of the reason why "The Phantom Menace" is my favourite of the Star Wars prequel films, beyond the slow-burn (I'm a huge fan of 70's crime/political/spy thrillers), is the fact that it was still shot on film, and actually looked like a film! As much as George Lucas deserves respect for pioneering digital cinema, it just didn't look up to par in those early days.
Your observation that "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" are more like two parts of the same movie is spot on. I had no problem understanding why Smith was defeated and the trail was long and winding to get there. One of the things I really like about these movies. They tied together and made you think. We weren't beaten over the head with it. Things tied together but you had to do your own math. Excited to see what your next video is! Cheers!
Finally someone praising the incredible mech battle and hovercraft chase in Revolutions. All these years I thought I was crazy for loving this stuff and the movie in general. Back in the day people critized the action as an incomprehensible mess and I never understood what everybody was smoking. I think not only the editing and camerawork, but especially the dramatic throughline of that entire set piece is absolutely fantastic. Pure anime! Don Davis' score during that scene is some of the best I have ever heard in any movie period.
Can't wait for your review of "Matrix Resurrections" the more I learn about how those movies were made the more I have huge respect for every people who worked on it.
"all major cast members return" -except TANK. I always felt bad for that guy. He plays 1 of 4 characters to survive the first movie so he asked for a raise, and they fired him for it.
well as i understand it, he was quite difficult to work with, being an all around asshole and all.. he pretty much "tanked" himself (pun very much intended)
@@7_adm Well we are just gossiping now, let's call it what it is. But I find it easy to believe that wasn't a big enough name to get Lawrence Fishburne money, so when he asked to get paid as much as the other 3 actors who had near equal screentime as him, it was easier to fire him and say he was an asshole retroactively. If nothing else TONS of celebrities are assholes and they still get the big bucks. Seesm unfair this one asshole gets fired when so many get away with it. I think (just guessing) he was a small-time actor who knew this was his big break, and tried to get equal pay to his co-stars, then got swatted down. That's his version of events anyways.
It's always so refreshing to see someone appreciate the Matrix sequels as much as I have! I've spent nearly 20 years in "geek arguments" making the case that these are good, cool movies! I'm glad to have a video like yours now that I can point others to who hit every point of why it's good. Thanks so much for your work, sir! It's always a pleasure.
I just want to mention how much I really appreciate that you discuss the music/film score in every video. As a former musician, it's one of the things I always think about and it's great seeing someone else do the same.
I will still die on the hill that Matrix 4 is actually amazing and all of the superficial action sequences are part of the point and message of the film.
Making your film Meta and focusing on the "unnecessary film aspect " of the universe isn't what I'd call some amazing plot point. The movie feels very tired and uninspired. Just because this may be "intentional" on the director's part does not make the film above criticism on these points.
You're entirely right about Ressurections. The Studio was essentially saying "We're doing a 4th movie with or without you" at that point, so the Wachowski sisters basically went "FINE, BUT YOU AINT GONNA LIKE IT" and made what was essentially a combination of "We were forced to make this", "Fuck Bigotry in all its forms, especially thinly veiled 'centrists'", and TEAH TRANS FOLK ARE AWESOME!" ....I quite liked the film. ;)
Of the four films, this is the one I struggle to get through the most. I just find it all a bit dull. But it's cool to hear a positive review of this flick for once. And nobody can say all four Matrix films are exactly the same. I mean, they can but they'd be talking shit
It's hard to believe that "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were shot back-to-back. Reloaded seems so much more grounded, and closer to the original film in tone than the finale. For me, Reloaded is still a great action film, if nowhere near the quality of the original, where Revolutions falls a fair bit further behind both prior films. I still appreciate the trilogy as an whole, and the (very metaphysical, and Gnostic/Mystic Christianity inspired, compared to the very Taoist and Buddhist influences of the original) themes it develops.
Reloaded more grounded? You have got to be kidding me. A 20-minute-long fight with 100's of Agent Smiths, and a 40-minute sequence in Zion showing people that in all reality are in a Terminator future war-type existence having a weird rave orgy party that stops the plot dead in its tracks.
Resurrections was filmed during the pandemic, mostly in Germany. The restrictions on the number of extras on screen and the small sets really hampered the scope of the movie.
Ive never understood the hate for the sequels. They are logically consistent extensions of the first film, and are passionate and intense. I think the main failing in the general publics eyes was that they didnt do what the Matrix did, and break any new ground. It was an unreal expectation that a lot of people Ive spoken too had, that they expected the second and third movies to be as ground breaking if not more than the first and that just wasnt possible. The original trilogy and animated vignettes are all brilliant pieces of film bordering on at times being masterpieces. I get why some folks dont like them because they are a bit heady, but they clicked for me instantly and I got it from minute one and never felt like they had a false moment at any point in any of the 4 original films. I love the originals and count them among my favorite films of all time.
Fascinating stuff. Thank you for your hard work. I have no idea what we wanted from the sequels. All I am sure of is; this wasn't it. Thankfully, there does seem to be a Legion of followers who love 2 & 3. The excitement and anticipation for the sequels was powerful. So powerful in fact, that I can not imagine an outcome that could have lived-up to everyone's expectations, let alone surpass them. I enjoyed the sequels, but haven't revisited them. My go-to is still the first.
The only reason 4 exist is because wb was going to make it anyways with or without them, so Lana decided to do thinking that if anyone was going to do it it might as well be one of the people who made it
I love your videos, and I haven’t watched the matrix sequels in some time - I haven’t watched The Battle of Helms Deep lately for that matter, but one thing that differentiates it for me is the sense of progression - assaulting the walls, breaking thru the gates, forcing incremental retreat - in the matrix battle, they broke in pretty early and swooshed around the massive room getting shot at by caged screamers holding big guns - these felt very different to me, and while I don’t begrudge anyone enjoying it, I was taken aback when you compared it favorably to one of the best battles in sci-fi/fantasy film
Agreed. Helms Deep showed the virtue of layered defence whereas the Matrix is all just shots of Mechs shooting at CGI monsters for what felt like half the movie (I'm sure it wasn't actually that long, but that was what it felt like). Like the Burly Brawl in Reloaded and the Smith v Neo fight at the end of this one (or Anakin v Obi-Wan at the end of RotS), you can appreciate that it's an impressive technical achievement but more is not always better. Just because something is hard to put on film doesn't make it engaging to watch.
i did always like reloaded the Architect and the Merovingian were particulaly good , even go so far as to say it affected my outlook on life in particular the essential nature of having an answer for the question "why?"
I adore Revolutions. It's my favorite Matrix film hands down. It really sticks the landing for me. The action is insane, the stuff with Neo and Trinity confronting the machines on the surface all works really well.
Revolutions is one of my favourite films of all time. I loved seeing the best of humanity in the face of unavoidable armageddon and certain death. The last 40 minutes to me are perfection.
Revolutions just feels so wonderfully human and oppressive to me. Other than a few bits and pieces here and there, it stopped being Cool Matrix in a year when Cool Matrix was still very much in. It's more mythical. As Lana said of the trilogy in an interview awhile back, the first film very much plays to convention still as a hero's journey. Reloaded is a deconstruction of that. When you get to Revolutions everything becomes much more stark, naked. You're asked to participate in the construction of meaning. What most people thought was a whimper of an ending with the whole peace treaty I thought was beautiful. In the end Neo the messiah doesn't save Zion. Just Neo, the freed human. All that shit about prophecy and in the end he just keeps going because he chooses to. I'll also die on the hill of Trinity's death scene being genuinely touching. "You've already shown me so much." Devastated.
The battle of ZION being a collection of outsiders is what makes it so great and thematically reinforcing. The sequels are all about community being a tool for liberation. That one can’t escape the confines of a rigid system without ppl to support you. The first film explored this on a micro scale with the crew being Neo’s support and protectors until he could finally transcend. Here it takes a bigger look. That without the Kids bravery or Links wife determination or Niobe’s flying. Neo defeating Smith would be for nothing. It takes everyone to destroy oppressive systems. One may inspire or be the face but he is always propped up by ppl doing on the ground work. (MLK count have dine what he did without black civil rights groups helping him organize!) It took Neo to inspire the Kid. It took the Kid to live up to Neo’s example! This also becomes a bigger motif now that we know the Wachowskis are trans. Since queer community has been a major factor in allowing ppl to love out loud. The biggest cause of de-transition amongst folx is because they lived in places without support and felt burdened by social conditioning to do so. It makes this themes of everyone supporting each other ring that much more true! Everyone is saved by someone else at some point in this movie!
I quite liked the fourth one. I thought the way neo was a bit shit was on purpose and a brave angle to go with. It worked with the themes of the movie.
18:23 As far as I know, they wanted to bring back Hugo Weaving but he had scheduling conflict so they recast him using the same concept as with the Oracle as having a new outer shell. Whether they also approached Laurence Fishburne is something that there seem to be different stories about. Not sure what actually happened there.
Honestly, your section on Resurrections has helped me understand people’s more lacklustre response. Because I absolutely loved it. But then I expected it to be meta af going into it, for no particularly thought out reason but that’s just the vibes I had felt. So when we saw Neo has a depressed game developer I literally shouted “yes!!”. Warner Bros has always been more self referential than other studios, both in Loony Tunes stuff but also even anime adaptations - in the first Gintama movie two characters with half of the WB shield on each face appeared calling themselves the Warner Brothers (speaking Japanese in a stereotypical American accent) announcing they were making the film they appeared in. But even so, I adored Lana taking that chance to turn what was evidentially stressful franchise rights negotiations into scenes in the film. “I thought they couldn’t do that without our cooperation?” “oh, they can, and they will”; basically outright saying she was only doing it because she had to. Parodying the endless committee discussions about ticking all the boxes, I loved those scenes as well. Maybe just because of Freema Agyeman. Making the first scene a literal recreation of the story and constantly reminding us the other films were also fictional is also a strong choice for me, critically speaking. It gives a very different kind of engagement with the world of the Matrix, and cleverly integrates the capitalistic metaphor of the system previously represented by Neo’s boss at work and Smith into a much wider exploration of a system co-opting any ideas which might be used against it. Then when we finally do see the real world, it feels like an affirmation that this is the part with the messaging she cares more about. Like, Neo was literally textually recreated by The System for the purpose of milking more profit out of him. It’s so on the nose it’s perfect - she’s not taking any chances with “red pill” people this time. I agree the fights are more flat, probably because it wasn’t a passion project but I felt it was integrated well enough into the story as Neo losing his mojo. As to the polished look of the world, I think that’s just the reality with digital cameras. I did appreciate that modern colour grading allows the matrix to still be greeny but without subduing the other colours so much. Although I agree it didn’t really need to be made, I definitely felt like Trinity being the one to enable Neo’s powers and vice versa works very well as extra context for the original trilogy. Especially in their resurrection scenes. That this time was different than the other “ones” not just because they found love, but because their love brought out so much more power in each other. I also think it enhances the final Smith fight in the third film, where Neo is able to fight but ultimately has to win by utilising his powers in some other way. Though also I watched it on my own as soon as the home release, because I wasn’t able to attend a screening due to covid stuff. I do suspect that context impacted the box office earnings a fair bit. I agree Hugo Weaving should’ve come back. Both he and Laurence Fishburne were asked to come back but their schedules sadly didn’t allow it. Re-casting Morpheus makes a bit more sense in the narrative because he’s a new program decades later, but the lines hastily added to explain Smith’s discrepancy do feel pretty obvious. Anyway, I totally agree about the rest, I just feel you covered that so much more completely I don’t have anything to add there x)
I liked _Ressurections_ too, but I see some of the problems people had with it. The project may have been better if the resurection story had been spread across 2 or 3 films.
Resurrections wound up being everything I didn't realize I needed. I saw the original at 16 and the follow-ups within a month of release each, then the fourth comes along and it feels like it's grown up with me. It feels very aware of the time that's passed and the different place the world, the characters and its own legend is in. I'm not so arrogant as to say Resurrections was made for me, but damn did it speak to me.
@@barcodetheworld yes! That scene in the coffee shop where she’s like “she kinda looks like me… but my husband laughed at me when I told him” definitely sold the magnetic pull they were feeling toward each other in ways I never really got before. Even their making love during the dance orgy in Reloaded feels more stylistically sensual than emotionally honest. Honestly, projecting my own trans experience onto another trans woman, I wouldn’t be surprised if that reflects how Lana no longer feels that disconnect between herself and her love life! It’s no longer as if viewed from a distance by a spectator directing the scene, but now is authentically engaged-with on every level.
@@theothersparrow that’s such a succinct way of putting it! I think I was 12 when I first saw the original? So even though my analysis of the originals has evolved over time, it’s still got that undercurrent of “leather and PVC and guns are sexeh”. While the new one acknowledges pretty much every context and criticism, while doubling down on the humanistic message of community resilience. Also, Bugs and her girlfriend are both so accurate to their own archetype of lesbian and that made me feel seen hahah. The sexuality and relationships in the first trilogy have more of a distant polished sheen, while Resurrections is emotionally intimate and accurate. The action may be less polished, but the heart shines through stronger than ever for my money!
I quite enjoyed Resurrections, but i like meta commentary. I didn't enjoy the sequels when they came out, but you bring up some good points. Of course while I enjoyed the first one, I didn't think it was as good as everyone thought. Maybe I should watch them all again.
I'm not sure how youtube choses the type of countdown for every premiere or if this is chosen by the creator himself, but I'm a bit sad that the premieres on this channel don't get the "Sci-Fi Countdown", which is honestly pretty cool tbh.
What really bothered me about this movie is these last two movies we were being sold that the story was ending, that the matrix would end. But then at the end of the movie, it lacked a sense of finality so that the Wachowskis could sell an MMORPG game. That really ticked me off. But I do love that Trinity dies, as it proves that Neo's choice at the end of Reloaded was no choice at all.
Matrix: Reloaded and Revolutions was a supremely great...one and a half movies. They werent the out of nowhere gritty smash hit that makes you go "...whoa" like the original, but that was impossible. They were an incredibly well produced great 3+ hours of a movie, that just had to be split in the middle (Think Dune) and filled out with some flab. All three are still easily in my top ten movies ever, but Revolutions' ending was nonsensical (see P.S.). P.S. Despite having watched all movies multiple times, I had never made "The Source" connection with the end of Smith until you brought it up...I think that even a little nod to it in Revolutions with clunky exposition would have been useful. I will have to rewatch revolutions in light of this.
The point about the normals defending Zion is extremely powerful because it gives agency to the humans, instead of them relying on their savior for everything. Without them taking a stand against the machine army there would be no Zion for Neo to save. They’re all heroes
Thank you for this excellent video! Matrix II & III felt unreal with the CGI, and completly different from Matrix1999. This feeling never got away even with the advance of computer efffects and programs. The Hobbit is a great example. Practical effects > CGI
I once did an ammo/time calculation for the APU suit battle vs the sentinels and basically determined that it would take like 18 million rounds, 40,000 replacement barrels, 18 hours of non-stop fire etc etc blah blah to even have any hope to win. It kinda makes the mech battle for zion feel so stupid in my opinion and makes the commander's hissy fit about an EMP Going off even more stupid. Looking back, I think what would have made that scene more compelling is if the number of sentinels was WAY lower, something more manageable... allow the humans a chance to win before suddenly bringing in the mega-snake of death. To me, that would make that heroic last stand more compelling and the need for The Hammer to pop that EMP just that much more important. AAANNNDDD It would help to give Neo that desperate agency to save the day: the defenses didnt hold, everything is lost, Zion is on its last legs, the BIG sacrifice has to be made because its all or nothing.
I recently rewatched the Matrix films. I still have trouble following the logic that lead to Neo beating Smith and peace between humans and the machines. I thought it had to do with Smith absorbing The Oracle and NEO allowing himself to be absorbed so that they could isolate Smith's code from the inside or something. It never was explained well. Anyway, I actually liked _Matrix Resurrections_ . I'm not TG, but I had recently experienced cardiac arrest and the memory and mental issues it presents. So, I recognized and identified with many of the aspects of Neo's change in character and his perceptions after coming back to life. Plus, I thought the meta bits about modern culture were hilarious because I could see it from both sides, being someone who didn't like Disney's Star Wars but recognizing the nonsense behind some of the performative outrage.
The Lord of the Rings fan in my would have appreciated seeing Smith turn to the audience and declare, "Frodo's mission will succeed." I know, pure schmaltz, but I'd have enjoyed it.
I disagree with the description of R/R as "bloated..." hefty to be sure, but I think they carry their weight better than others. I'm glad others are recognizing them as a single movie divided in half rather than two distinct films (especially since Revolutions is all but impossible to watch without Reloaded), it could be said Reloaded ends and Revolutions begins in the middle of the second act. I think if more people recognized them as a single, continuous narrative, the whole thing might be easier to digest. I kinda wish Resurrections got it's own retrospective... but tbf it wasn't as revolutionary (pun intended) as the first films so there'd be less there. Likewise I questioned the necessity of the film's existence, but knowing they'd never recapture the first film, I released my expectations and asked for nothing more than a convincing premise and a good time... imo Lana and co over delivered--I love the film more every time I watch it. There is, I feel, a very obvious taoist spin that gets missed in all the discourse around choice and fate (from a 101 level understanding of taoism, mind you) in that taoist harmony sees choice and fate as near-indistinguishable; when one is acting in alignment with their true nature (calling back to temet nosce), they can only do what they must, seeming almost predestined. I think we see that restated when Agent Morpheus offers the pill to Neo and points out that it's "not really a choice."
The Resurrection film felt like an uncomfortable mirror. Most people won't examine why it makes you feel that & leave it at the surface even though the surface was soray painted in big bold red letters that it was someone trying their best with the resources they had to put some heart into an obvious corporate cash grab. I mean, I think at point the characters actually say something pretty close to that in the dialogue! People are so quick to hate nowadays it's almost like our corporate overloads make a mountain of capital with hatemongering algorithms while humanity slowly loses everything that made us human & loveable in the first place....
And I think it was very much deliberate. Lana didn't particularly want to do the movie, but knew if she didn't she couldn't stop someone else doing it instead. So she did it - and subverted expectations by lampshading misunderstood concepts, cramming metacommentary everywhere she could and making sure the people who liked the previous movies for the wrong reason would be very upset. Which is, in its own way, a genius display of rebellion. Its highly unlikely executives will push for another movie after that, and that suits her and her sister just fine.
My only issue with this film was the action, mostly of it felt underwhelming, it's very loud but wasn't very engaging to me, production wise it's great stuff but I just couldn't get into any of it at the time. Which was a surprise because I was a massive Dragonball Z and Gundam/Teknoman fan so on paper it should've been awesome and yet the execution left me wanting. I loved the resolution of narrative, Smith's arc and resolution is great and the trap that the Oracle,The architect and DEM set for him is pretty clever. Neo's arc is great as well and the stuff in the beginning with Sati's dad about love is fantastic and the subtext I read into it about that family is really interesting stuff I think they were going for As for Resurrections, a bunch of great ideas that needed time to breath, I felt if anything it should've a miniseries , a 8-10 episode run may have sufficed and yeah it was a kind of a gun to the head situation for Lana. So we got what we got. The main thing that held it back for me was the lack of Hugo Weaving as Smith, I thought he was really needed to sell the beats better because I thought I would've been like that for Fishburne but I like what was done with Morpheus and it dovetailed really well Niobe's arc.
It’s a very good trilogy and it’s the only ending it could of had. I remember talking about the film waiting in line with my buddy and we kinda guessed the ending as the only way possible.
The original Matrix's problem was that it was too influential. It's been parodied or remade so many times: Wanted, Underworld, twice by Christopher Nolan. The irony is that Matrix itself draws from many influences-- a lot of them Chinese and Japanese, so many Anglo fanboys didn't know about them. It's quite rewarding to rewatch the trilogy side by side with John Woo's Hard Boiled, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, and compare and contrast their "ingredients."
This is amazing. I liked Revolutions quite a bit more than Reloaded when it came out, but I think you made a very good point that they really need to be looked at as one movie. Resurrection. Well, I’ll just forget about that one.
I never watched the sequels, not because I was actively avoiding them, I had just heard a lot of bad about them so didn't actively search them out. The original stands on its own as a great film but your retroactives have made me want to go back and watch them all as a marathon
My criticism of the 2 sequels is that they should have been one movie. The last movie should have been the final act and they needed to cut down and clarify the info dump exposition scenes. It's a chore to watch the last 2 movies as they are.
Unfortunately, the Revolutions storyline is just too flat to be compelling. What goes unmentioned in this review is just how much time is spent in shot-reverse-shot conversations between characters the audience isn't invested in. The movie drags so bad that whenever I do a Matrix "marathon" I watch The Matrix and Reloaded and just pretend they stopped there.
I think (with the exception of Io feeling empty) all of the critiques you listed of Resurrections are actually intentional, metatextual choices that were made. Like it really does seem like the glossy, artificial look and the lackluster fight sequences were actually a commentary on the state of action blockbusters
I gotta be honest, it feels like you watched a completely different film than I did, but it's been 20 years, so maybe I'll give the OG Trilogy a rewatch.
I'd be inclined to agree. Then I saw the clips of the movie included in this video and it reminded me that this movie and its predecessor are exactly what I though they were.
His point about bringing the action to the real world and that feeling out of place after 2 movies of mind boggling stunts and action is really intelligent. Our brains were expecting one thing and we got a swerve. Of course that would feel jarring. I’m interested in going back and watching these objectively to gain a better understanding
Can we just agree that half the negative feedback for Matrix reloaded and revolution was because most viewers did not get the details and workings of the Matrix. We won't talk about resurrections at all.😂
Ironically, when I watched the Matrix Resurrections, it made me appreciate Reloaded and Revolutions more than I did. It sort of made the films more enjoyable overall. I can't really figure out why it bombed, as I didn't think it was that bad at all. Then again, I'm not sure why Indiana Jones DoD is failing either. Maybe audiences have changed?
This is my 3rd or 4th go around with matrix 1-3 and honestly I appreciate the sequels more the more times I watch them. I might need to give resurrections more time tho I was pretty disappointed with that one.
There are some great sequences but overall i prefer Reloaded. I really think the main story arcs of both could have been told in such a way as to form more distinct seperate movies with their own identities, Revolutions in particular would have benefitted more from this approach. The main thing that brings it down for me though is Trinity's frustratingly long death scene which annoys me every time.
I really love a great mix of real sets and CGI. Movies like this and LOTR's cannot be done anymore. It is far too expensive to do a lot of "in camera" effects. It is cheaper to use CGI today, sadly. I find it ironic that films are becoming more "video game" in appearance and video games are moving to more "real life" in appearance. Also, there is nothing that looks better than remastered film; real film! I am pretty sure you can upscale 35mm film to 8K, and have it look stunning. Digital is shot and rendered at a certain resolution and that is it. Very tough to upscale older digital special effects shots that were done in 720p for example. All this is to say Matrix Revolutions still looks good after 20 years because they did shoot on real film stock. Resurrections was digital and you can see a HUGE difference in the look. I am beginning to hate digital films. Real film has a real look to it. Just like Red Letter Media would say "you might not notice it, but your brain does." Yes it does! Thanks for the review!
Look, I'll be honest. I didn't like this movie all that much when it came out, and I still don't like it all that much to this day. I felt that all the action scenes in the matrix fell flat, and as you said in the video, most of the action scenes in the real world didn't even feature our main characters, so it was hard to connect with them on an emotional level. That being said, the battle at Zion was spectacular at the time and has held up great to this day. No problems there. And as you said, the fight between Bane and Neo in the real world is awesome. Now, I could have forgiven all of the problems with this film if the final fight between Neo and Smith had been amazing. But it's not. It's a bunch of flying around and Dragonball Z shit (fitting, considering the Wachowskis based a lot of their visual style for these films on anime). I hated it. A lot. And I will never forgive them for shitting the bed for that final fight, considering how great the fight scenes in the first movie were. There was just WAY too much CGI. I could barely tell what was happening. Anyway, I like parts of Revolutions, but overall, it's a major step down from Reloaded, which was itself a step down from the first film.
The resolution of the Neo/Smith conflict has ever since I saw it as a kid been among my top three movie resolutions of all time. It is so smart and devastating at the same time, that if Neo had only given in to Smith's first attempt to override him, all of the bloodshed and suffering and Trinity dying could have been avoided. But Neo just wasn't ready to surrender yet and still tried to win the fight with American action hero brute force instead of Buddhism inspired inner peace.
Wasn't the point that Neo could only 'merge' with Smith once he had become connected to the source? So, actually he did have to go through all the bloodshed.
I need to rewatch the Matrix sequels one of these days, but honestly I'm not all that hopeful to find myself warming to them. If I thought something with mecha-walkers firing huge fuckoff machine guns was shit when I was 13, it really had to have been shit.
Thanks for covering these! Really happy to see the turn around on general feelings for the sequels, never understood the hate. As for Resurrections I swallow palm full of Red Pills over the theory it was made bad on purpose to destroy the brand. Prior to it, there were tons of rumbles of reboot with younger actors and all that jazz. Suddenly one of the Wachowskis comes back, sneaks in a meta scene about "doing it with or without us", crafts a duller version of the first movie and effectively kills ANY interest of WB wanting to touch the brand for foreseeable future. At least that's what I choose to believe.
I too enjoy this movie more than Reloaded. It has better pacing and like you mentioned in your vid, a lot of things that were introduced in Reloaded pay off in this film. I think the issue when watching the trilogy is how different the sequels feel compared to the original film. The original feels more tightly paced, grittier, and with no wasted or overindulgent moments. The sequels on the other hand feel over-produced. It feels like since the filmmakers had a bigger budget to work with they felt like they had to make everything an 11. Instead of just a fight with Agent Smith, let's have a fight with 100's of him and let it go on for 20 minutes. Instead of focusing on the crew of one ship, let's show a bunch of ships flying around. Instead of fighting one or two squids let's have them fighting millions. There are so many visual effect set pieces that look cool, but just feel kinda bloated after a while. Don't get me started on Reloaded's Zion 40-minute sequence where the plot literally just stops dead in its tracks.
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I always liked the irony that scenes set in the "real world" required more CGI than the scenes set within the computer generated simulation.
A little bit like how the Star Wars "prequel" films, used far more miniatures and practical effects than the original films - however, the use of digital compositing (especially in Episodes II and III, which didn't have the time taken to polish that "The Phantom Menace" did) is why there are some very dated looking shots.
@@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE
Huh, I didn't know that. Thanks!
@@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE Also on II and III they moved over to the then new and far from perfect Sony digital cameras. PM was shot on film still. And there is a much softer flatter look on the II and III as a result.
@@ferociousmullet9287 Absolutely - part of the reason why "The Phantom Menace" is my favourite of the Star Wars prequel films, beyond the slow-burn (I'm a huge fan of 70's crime/political/spy thrillers), is the fact that it was still shot on film, and actually looked like a film!
As much as George Lucas deserves respect for pioneering digital cinema, it just didn't look up to par in those early days.
Reality is a bitch
The final Neo vs Agent Smith is the best Superman vs Brainiac fight we never got
or Ozai vs Aang - which we did get.
@@galwitprifor001 Or Miracleman vs. Kid Miracleman, which we also got, and which clearly was an inspiration to the Matrix creators.
I can't remember what used it originally but when Smith flew Neo into the ground and made the crater, it reminded me of Superman and Doomsday
Your observation that "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" are more like two parts of the same movie is spot on. I had no problem understanding why Smith was defeated and the trail was long and winding to get there. One of the things I really like about these movies. They tied together and made you think. We weren't beaten over the head with it. Things tied together but you had to do your own math. Excited to see what your next video is! Cheers!
Rowan mate, this is so well put together. Your craft has always been good, but now it's amazing.
Finally someone praising the incredible mech battle and hovercraft chase in Revolutions. All these years I thought I was crazy for loving this stuff and the movie in general. Back in the day people critized the action as an incomprehensible mess and I never understood what everybody was smoking. I think not only the editing and camerawork, but especially the dramatic throughline of that entire set piece is absolutely fantastic. Pure anime! Don Davis' score during that scene is some of the best I have ever heard in any movie period.
Can't wait for your review of "Matrix Resurrections" the more I learn about how those movies were made the more I have huge respect for every people who worked on it.
Um, I'm pretty sure his review of Resurrections was included in this video.
"all major cast members return" -except TANK. I always felt bad for that guy. He plays 1 of 4 characters to survive the first movie so he asked for a raise, and they fired him for it.
well as i understand it, he was quite difficult to work with, being an all around asshole and all.. he pretty much "tanked" himself (pun very much intended)
@@7_adm Well we are just gossiping now, let's call it what it is. But I find it easy to believe that wasn't a big enough name to get Lawrence Fishburne money, so when he asked to get paid as much as the other 3 actors who had near equal screentime as him, it was easier to fire him and say he was an asshole retroactively.
If nothing else TONS of celebrities are assholes and they still get the big bucks. Seesm unfair this one asshole gets fired when so many get away with it.
I think (just guessing) he was a small-time actor who knew this was his big break, and tried to get equal pay to his co-stars, then got swatted down. That's his version of events anyways.
It's always so refreshing to see someone appreciate the Matrix sequels as much as I have! I've spent nearly 20 years in "geek arguments" making the case that these are good, cool movies! I'm glad to have a video like yours now that I can point others to who hit every point of why it's good. Thanks so much for your work, sir! It's always a pleasure.
I just want to mention how much I really appreciate that you discuss the music/film score in every video. As a former musician, it's one of the things I always think about and it's great seeing someone else do the same.
Seeing Ressurrections after seeing Evangelion 4.0 helped me appreciate the meta of Resurrections.
I will still die on the hill that Matrix 4 is actually amazing and all of the superficial action sequences are part of the point and message of the film.
Word.
Making your film Meta and focusing on the "unnecessary film aspect " of the universe isn't what I'd call some amazing plot point. The movie feels very tired and uninspired. Just because this may be "intentional" on the director's part does not make the film above criticism on these points.
Yes + it looks different because the matrix itself is different from what we know so it all works for me
YOU HAVE MY SWORD
Agreed. And despite it all - still enjoyable even with my brain turned off. I just think a lot of people didn't enjoy being called out.
I appreciate your work Rowan. I can't get to the place you are in for matrix #2&3 but you make a great case.
You premiered this literally right as I went on lunch break, thank you
You're entirely right about Ressurections.
The Studio was essentially saying "We're doing a 4th movie with or without you" at that point, so the Wachowski sisters basically went "FINE, BUT YOU AINT GONNA LIKE IT" and made what was essentially a combination of "We were forced to make this", "Fuck Bigotry in all its forms, especially thinly veiled 'centrists'", and TEAH TRANS FOLK ARE AWESOME!"
....I quite liked the film. ;)
Only one of them made it
@@TheMysteryDriver True, though I suspect they were united in intent.
And I also like the movie. Its very nature is rebellion.
Of the four films, this is the one I struggle to get through the most. I just find it all a bit dull. But it's cool to hear a positive review of this flick for once. And nobody can say all four Matrix films are exactly the same. I mean, they can but they'd be talking shit
It's hard to believe that "Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were shot back-to-back. Reloaded seems so much more grounded, and closer to the original film in tone than the finale. For me, Reloaded is still a great action film, if nowhere near the quality of the original, where Revolutions falls a fair bit further behind both prior films. I still appreciate the trilogy as an whole, and the (very metaphysical, and Gnostic/Mystic Christianity inspired, compared to the very Taoist and Buddhist influences of the original) themes it develops.
Reloaded more grounded? You have got to be kidding me. A 20-minute-long fight with 100's of Agent Smiths, and a 40-minute sequence in Zion showing people that in all reality are in a Terminator future war-type existence having a weird rave orgy party that stops the plot dead in its tracks.
Resurrections was filmed during the pandemic, mostly in Germany. The restrictions on the number of extras on screen and the small sets really hampered the scope of the movie.
Ive never understood the hate for the sequels. They are logically consistent extensions of the first film, and are passionate and intense. I think the main failing in the general publics eyes was that they didnt do what the Matrix did, and break any new ground. It was an unreal expectation that a lot of people Ive spoken too had, that they expected the second and third movies to be as ground breaking if not more than the first and that just wasnt possible. The original trilogy and animated vignettes are all brilliant pieces of film bordering on at times being masterpieces. I get why some folks dont like them because they are a bit heady, but they clicked for me instantly and I got it from minute one and never felt like they had a false moment at any point in any of the 4 original films. I love the originals and count them among my favorite films of all time.
Fascinating stuff. Thank you for your hard work. I have no idea what we wanted from the sequels. All I am sure of is; this wasn't it. Thankfully, there does seem to be a Legion of followers who love 2 & 3. The excitement and anticipation for the sequels was powerful. So powerful in fact, that I can not imagine an outcome that could have lived-up to everyone's expectations, let alone surpass them. I enjoyed the sequels, but haven't revisited them. My go-to is still the first.
Booked to see all 4 movies back to back on the big screen this July.
Can't. Wait.
The only reason 4 exist is because wb was going to make it anyways with or without them, so Lana decided to do thinking that if anyone was going to do it it might as well be one of the people who made it
With how bad resurrections was, I think they would have been better off getting someone else
Which is literally said in the film, lol
I love your videos, and I haven’t watched the matrix sequels in some time - I haven’t watched The Battle of Helms Deep lately for that matter, but one thing that differentiates it for me is the sense of progression - assaulting the walls, breaking thru the gates, forcing incremental retreat - in the matrix battle, they broke in pretty early and swooshed around the massive room getting shot at by caged screamers holding big guns - these felt very different to me, and while I don’t begrudge anyone enjoying it, I was taken aback when you compared it favorably to one of the best battles in sci-fi/fantasy film
Agreed. Helms Deep showed the virtue of layered defence whereas the Matrix is all just shots of Mechs shooting at CGI monsters for what felt like half the movie (I'm sure it wasn't actually that long, but that was what it felt like). Like the Burly Brawl in Reloaded and the Smith v Neo fight at the end of this one (or Anakin v Obi-Wan at the end of RotS), you can appreciate that it's an impressive technical achievement but more is not always better. Just because something is hard to put on film doesn't make it engaging to watch.
i did always like reloaded the Architect and the Merovingian were particulaly good , even go so far as to say it affected my outlook on life in particular the essential nature of having an answer for the question "why?"
I adore Revolutions. It's my favorite Matrix film hands down. It really sticks the landing for me. The action is insane, the stuff with Neo and Trinity confronting the machines on the surface all works really well.
The reason morphis is recast in 4 is from the events of matrix online which is considered cannon
It feels like a crime that the trilogy is getting forgotten about when it's an utter classic
Underrated film IMO, great OST too
I agree that Matrix 3 is actually good. I loved The Matrix Revolutions.
Revolutions is one of my favourite films of all time. I loved seeing the best of humanity in the face of unavoidable armageddon and certain death. The last 40 minutes to me are perfection.
Revolutions just feels so wonderfully human and oppressive to me. Other than a few bits and pieces here and there, it stopped being Cool Matrix in a year when Cool Matrix was still very much in. It's more mythical. As Lana said of the trilogy in an interview awhile back, the first film very much plays to convention still as a hero's journey. Reloaded is a deconstruction of that. When you get to Revolutions everything becomes much more stark, naked. You're asked to participate in the construction of meaning. What most people thought was a whimper of an ending with the whole peace treaty I thought was beautiful. In the end Neo the messiah doesn't save Zion. Just Neo, the freed human. All that shit about prophecy and in the end he just keeps going because he chooses to.
I'll also die on the hill of Trinity's death scene being genuinely touching. "You've already shown me so much." Devastated.
The actors certainly earned their money in this trilogy.
So happy to learn I'm not the only one who loves this film! Great review! :)
The battle of ZION being a collection of outsiders is what makes it so great and thematically reinforcing. The sequels are all about community being a tool for liberation. That one can’t escape the confines of a rigid system without ppl to support you.
The first film explored this on a micro scale with the crew being Neo’s support and protectors until he could finally transcend.
Here it takes a bigger look. That without the Kids bravery or Links wife determination or Niobe’s flying. Neo defeating Smith would be for nothing. It takes everyone to destroy oppressive systems. One may inspire or be the face but he is always propped up by ppl doing on the ground work. (MLK count have dine what he did without black civil rights groups helping him organize!)
It took Neo to inspire the Kid. It took the Kid to live up to Neo’s example!
This also becomes a bigger motif now that we know the Wachowskis are trans. Since queer community has been a major factor in allowing ppl to love out loud. The biggest cause of de-transition amongst folx is because they lived in places without support and felt burdened by social conditioning to do so.
It makes this themes of everyone supporting each other ring that much more true! Everyone is saved by someone else at some point in this movie!
Most excellent work Rowan
Greetings from the Netherlands
Great work as always. One of my favourite channels
Glad to hear love for these movies, it's my third favourite trilogy.
I quite liked the fourth one. I thought the way neo was a bit shit was on purpose and a brave angle to go with. It worked with the themes of the movie.
...I don't think of the Original Three as a Trilogy, I think of them as a cycle...
18:23 As far as I know, they wanted to bring back Hugo Weaving but he had scheduling conflict so they recast him using the same concept as with the Oracle as having a new outer shell.
Whether they also approached Laurence Fishburne is something that there seem to be different stories about. Not sure what actually happened there.
Honestly, your section on Resurrections has helped me understand people’s more lacklustre response. Because I absolutely loved it. But then I expected it to be meta af going into it, for no particularly thought out reason but that’s just the vibes I had felt. So when we saw Neo has a depressed game developer I literally shouted “yes!!”.
Warner Bros has always been more self referential than other studios, both in Loony Tunes stuff but also even anime adaptations - in the first Gintama movie two characters with half of the WB shield on each face appeared calling themselves the Warner Brothers (speaking Japanese in a stereotypical American accent) announcing they were making the film they appeared in.
But even so, I adored Lana taking that chance to turn what was evidentially stressful franchise rights negotiations into scenes in the film. “I thought they couldn’t do that without our cooperation?” “oh, they can, and they will”; basically outright saying she was only doing it because she had to. Parodying the endless committee discussions about ticking all the boxes, I loved those scenes as well. Maybe just because of Freema Agyeman.
Making the first scene a literal recreation of the story and constantly reminding us the other films were also fictional is also a strong choice for me, critically speaking. It gives a very different kind of engagement with the world of the Matrix, and cleverly integrates the capitalistic metaphor of the system previously represented by Neo’s boss at work and Smith into a much wider exploration of a system co-opting any ideas which might be used against it. Then when we finally do see the real world, it feels like an affirmation that this is the part with the messaging she cares more about. Like, Neo was literally textually recreated by The System for the purpose of milking more profit out of him. It’s so on the nose it’s perfect - she’s not taking any chances with “red pill” people this time.
I agree the fights are more flat, probably because it wasn’t a passion project but I felt it was integrated well enough into the story as Neo losing his mojo. As to the polished look of the world, I think that’s just the reality with digital cameras. I did appreciate that modern colour grading allows the matrix to still be greeny but without subduing the other colours so much.
Although I agree it didn’t really need to be made, I definitely felt like Trinity being the one to enable Neo’s powers and vice versa works very well as extra context for the original trilogy. Especially in their resurrection scenes. That this time was different than the other “ones” not just because they found love, but because their love brought out so much more power in each other. I also think it enhances the final Smith fight in the third film, where Neo is able to fight but ultimately has to win by utilising his powers in some other way.
Though also I watched it on my own as soon as the home release, because I wasn’t able to attend a screening due to covid stuff. I do suspect that context impacted the box office earnings a fair bit.
I agree Hugo Weaving should’ve come back. Both he and Laurence Fishburne were asked to come back but their schedules sadly didn’t allow it. Re-casting Morpheus makes a bit more sense in the narrative because he’s a new program decades later, but the lines hastily added to explain Smith’s discrepancy do feel pretty obvious.
Anyway, I totally agree about the rest, I just feel you covered that so much more completely I don’t have anything to add there x)
I liked _Ressurections_ too, but I see some of the problems people had with it. The project may have been better if the resurection story had been spread across 2 or 3 films.
One of the things I liked for resurrections is that neo and trinity actually had some chemistry whereas in the OT, it was so wooden and unbelievable.
Resurrections wound up being everything I didn't realize I needed.
I saw the original at 16 and the follow-ups within a month of release each, then the fourth comes along and it feels like it's grown up with me. It feels very aware of the time that's passed and the different place the world, the characters and its own legend is in.
I'm not so arrogant as to say Resurrections was made for me, but damn did it speak to me.
@@barcodetheworld yes! That scene in the coffee shop where she’s like “she kinda looks like me… but my husband laughed at me when I told him” definitely sold the magnetic pull they were feeling toward each other in ways I never really got before.
Even their making love during the dance orgy in Reloaded feels more stylistically sensual than emotionally honest.
Honestly, projecting my own trans experience onto another trans woman, I wouldn’t be surprised if that reflects how Lana no longer feels that disconnect between herself and her love life! It’s no longer as if viewed from a distance by a spectator directing the scene, but now is authentically engaged-with on every level.
@@theothersparrow that’s such a succinct way of putting it!
I think I was 12 when I first saw the original? So even though my analysis of the originals has evolved over time, it’s still got that undercurrent of “leather and PVC and guns are sexeh”. While the new one acknowledges pretty much every context and criticism, while doubling down on the humanistic message of community resilience.
Also, Bugs and her girlfriend are both so accurate to their own archetype of lesbian and that made me feel seen hahah. The sexuality and relationships in the first trilogy have more of a distant polished sheen, while Resurrections is emotionally intimate and accurate.
The action may be less polished, but the heart shines through stronger than ever for my money!
Bruce Spence is a legend in Australia. Don't forget he was in Dark City too.
So glad to hear a positive review of this movie. I looove this one. Just a great movie and a fantastic final chapter.
I am still convinced Matrix 4 was a feature length MEME and that was intentional. Think about it. Hints of Last Action Hero if that helps.
One of top 5 trilogies of all times! Revolutions was good, very good!
I quite enjoyed Resurrections, but i like meta commentary.
I didn't enjoy the sequels when they came out, but you bring up some good points. Of course while I enjoyed the first one, I didn't think it was as good as everyone thought. Maybe I should watch them all again.
Always thrilled when you release a new video. You deliver each and every time, thank you.
The final fight always gives me chills. It really feels like a fight for the fate of humanity
I'm not sure how youtube choses the type of countdown for every premiere or if this is chosen by the creator himself, but I'm a bit sad that the premieres on this channel don't get the "Sci-Fi Countdown", which is honestly pretty cool tbh.
What really bothered me about this movie is these last two movies we were being sold that the story was ending, that the matrix would end. But then at the end of the movie, it lacked a sense of finality so that the Wachowskis could sell an MMORPG game. That really ticked me off. But I do love that Trinity dies, as it proves that Neo's choice at the end of Reloaded was no choice at all.
Matrix: Reloaded and Revolutions was a supremely great...one and a half movies. They werent the out of nowhere gritty smash hit that makes you go "...whoa" like the original, but that was impossible. They were an incredibly well produced great 3+ hours of a movie, that just had to be split in the middle (Think Dune) and filled out with some flab. All three are still easily in my top ten movies ever, but Revolutions' ending was nonsensical (see P.S.).
P.S. Despite having watched all movies multiple times, I had never made "The Source" connection with the end of Smith until you brought it up...I think that even a little nod to it in Revolutions with clunky exposition would have been useful. I will have to rewatch revolutions in light of this.
The point about the normals defending Zion is extremely powerful because it gives agency to the humans, instead of them relying on their savior for everything. Without them taking a stand against the machine army there would be no Zion for Neo to save. They’re all heroes
Thank you for this excellent video!
Matrix II & III felt unreal with the CGI, and completly different from Matrix1999.
This feeling never got away even with the advance of computer efffects and programs.
The Hobbit is a great example.
Practical effects > CGI
I once did an ammo/time calculation for the APU suit battle vs the sentinels and basically determined that it would take like 18 million rounds, 40,000 replacement barrels, 18 hours of non-stop fire etc etc blah blah to even have any hope to win. It kinda makes the mech battle for zion feel so stupid in my opinion and makes the commander's hissy fit about an EMP Going off even more stupid. Looking back, I think what would have made that scene more compelling is if the number of sentinels was WAY lower, something more manageable... allow the humans a chance to win before suddenly bringing in the mega-snake of death. To me, that would make that heroic last stand more compelling and the need for The Hammer to pop that EMP just that much more important. AAANNNDDD It would help to give Neo that desperate agency to save the day: the defenses didnt hold, everything is lost, Zion is on its last legs, the BIG sacrifice has to be made because its all or nothing.
I will never forget the part where Mifune gets cut up
Even just watching clips i get chills , love this series. Fantastic insite and ideas i hadn't thought of
I recently rewatched the Matrix films. I still have trouble following the logic that lead to Neo beating Smith and peace between humans and the machines. I thought it had to do with Smith absorbing The Oracle and NEO allowing himself to be absorbed so that they could isolate Smith's code from the inside or something. It never was explained well.
Anyway, I actually liked _Matrix Resurrections_ . I'm not TG, but I had recently experienced cardiac arrest and the memory and mental issues it presents. So, I recognized and identified with many of the aspects of Neo's change in character and his perceptions after coming back to life. Plus, I thought the meta bits about modern culture were hilarious because I could see it from both sides, being someone who didn't like Disney's Star Wars but recognizing the nonsense behind some of the performative outrage.
I've never actually watched any of these films but loved the Animatrix, funnily enough.
Great video! :)
The Lord of the Rings fan in my would have appreciated seeing Smith turn to the audience and declare, "Frodo's mission will succeed."
I know, pure schmaltz, but I'd have enjoyed it.
Wonderfully written, as always. Thank you kindly!
I disagree with the description of R/R as "bloated..." hefty to be sure, but I think they carry their weight better than others.
I'm glad others are recognizing them as a single movie divided in half rather than two distinct films (especially since Revolutions is all but impossible to watch without Reloaded), it could be said Reloaded ends and Revolutions begins in the middle of the second act. I think if more people recognized them as a single, continuous narrative, the whole thing might be easier to digest.
I kinda wish Resurrections got it's own retrospective... but tbf it wasn't as revolutionary (pun intended) as the first films so there'd be less there.
Likewise I questioned the necessity of the film's existence, but knowing they'd never recapture the first film, I released my expectations and asked for nothing more than a convincing premise and a good time... imo Lana and co over delivered--I love the film more every time I watch it.
There is, I feel, a very obvious taoist spin that gets missed in all the discourse around choice and fate (from a 101 level understanding of taoism, mind you) in that taoist harmony sees choice and fate as near-indistinguishable; when one is acting in alignment with their true nature (calling back to temet nosce), they can only do what they must, seeming almost predestined. I think we see that restated when Agent Morpheus offers the pill to Neo and points out that it's "not really a choice."
The Resurrection film felt like an uncomfortable mirror. Most people won't examine why it makes you feel that & leave it at the surface even though the surface was soray painted in big bold red letters that it was someone trying their best with the resources they had to put some heart into an obvious corporate cash grab.
I mean, I think at point the characters actually say something pretty close to that in the dialogue!
People are so quick to hate nowadays it's almost like our corporate overloads make a mountain of capital with hatemongering algorithms while humanity slowly loses everything that made us human & loveable in the first place....
And I think it was very much deliberate. Lana didn't particularly want to do the movie, but knew if she didn't she couldn't stop someone else doing it instead. So she did it - and subverted expectations by lampshading misunderstood concepts, cramming metacommentary everywhere she could and making sure the people who liked the previous movies for the wrong reason would be very upset.
Which is, in its own way, a genius display of rebellion. Its highly unlikely executives will push for another movie after that, and that suits her and her sister just fine.
My only issue with this film was the action, mostly of it felt underwhelming, it's very loud but wasn't very engaging to me, production wise it's great stuff but I just couldn't get into any of it at the time.
Which was a surprise because I was a massive Dragonball Z and Gundam/Teknoman fan so on paper it should've been awesome and yet the execution left me wanting.
I loved the resolution of narrative, Smith's arc and resolution is great and the trap that the Oracle,The architect and DEM set for him is pretty clever.
Neo's arc is great as well and the stuff in the beginning with Sati's dad about love is fantastic and the subtext I read into it about that family is really interesting stuff I think they were going for
As for Resurrections, a bunch of great ideas that needed time to breath, I felt if anything it should've a miniseries , a 8-10 episode run may have sufficed and yeah it was a kind of a gun to the head situation for Lana. So we got what we got.
The main thing that held it back for me was the lack of Hugo Weaving as Smith, I thought he was really needed to sell the beats better because I thought I would've been like that for Fishburne but I like what was done with Morpheus and it dovetailed really well Niobe's arc.
The music in this one is amazing. Particularly Neodammerung.
Hold up, the mouth of Sauron wasn't in the theatrical release of Return of the King?
It’s a very good trilogy and it’s the only ending it could of had. I remember talking about the film waiting in line with my buddy and we kinda guessed the ending as the only way possible.
That Neo was Jesus?
The original Matrix's problem was that it was too influential. It's been parodied or remade so many times: Wanted, Underworld, twice by Christopher Nolan.
The irony is that Matrix itself draws from many influences-- a lot of them Chinese and Japanese, so many Anglo fanboys didn't know about them. It's quite rewarding to rewatch the trilogy side by side with John Woo's Hard Boiled, Akira, and Ghost in the Shell, and compare and contrast their "ingredients."
Resurrection was aweful, it hurt my stomach to watch.
Loved it, very good script and balanced views.
Algo boost
I loved The Matrix. I have the poster on the wall. This movie? Well, I had forgotten Trinity died. That's how memorable I found the story.
I do remember it - the audience burst out laughing in the cinema I was in. Probably not the reaction they were going for.
Please do Resurrectionsl!
I loved Revolutions because it was the ending of one of the greatest love stories of the new millennium.
Oh. & I agree with everything you say ❤️
This is amazing. I liked Revolutions quite a bit more than Reloaded when it came out, but I think you made a very good point that they really need to be looked at as one movie. Resurrection. Well, I’ll just forget about that one.
Live long & prosper! Tnx
I never watched the sequels, not because I was actively avoiding them, I had just heard a lot of bad about them so didn't actively search them out. The original stands on its own as a great film but your retroactives have made me want to go back and watch them all as a marathon
My criticism of the 2 sequels is that they should have been one movie. The last movie should have been the final act and they needed to cut down and clarify the info dump exposition scenes. It's a chore to watch the last 2 movies as they are.
Its the best one of the trilogy
The matrix reloaded was by far the best out of the three in my opinion
Well said, no notes.
Unfortunately, the Revolutions storyline is just too flat to be compelling. What goes unmentioned in this review is just how much time is spent in shot-reverse-shot conversations between characters the audience isn't invested in. The movie drags so bad that whenever I do a Matrix "marathon" I watch The Matrix and Reloaded and just pretend they stopped there.
Interesting. I always thought it was Smith's virus thing that came out of nowhere.
I think (with the exception of Io feeling empty) all of the critiques you listed of Resurrections are actually intentional, metatextual choices that were made. Like it really does seem like the glossy, artificial look and the lackluster fight sequences were actually a commentary on the state of action blockbusters
I gotta be honest, it feels like you watched a completely different film than I did, but it's been 20 years, so maybe I'll give the OG Trilogy a rewatch.
I'd be inclined to agree. Then I saw the clips of the movie included in this video and it reminded me that this movie and its predecessor are exactly what I though they were.
His point about bringing the action to the real world and that feeling out of place after 2 movies of mind boggling stunts and action is really intelligent. Our brains were expecting one thing and we got a swerve. Of course that would feel jarring. I’m interested in going back and watching these objectively to gain a better understanding
Can we just agree that half the negative feedback for Matrix reloaded and revolution was because most viewers did not get the details and workings of the Matrix.
We won't talk about resurrections at all.😂
Ironically, when I watched the Matrix Resurrections, it made me appreciate Reloaded and Revolutions more than I did. It sort of made the films more enjoyable overall. I can't really figure out why it bombed, as I didn't think it was that bad at all. Then again, I'm not sure why Indiana Jones DoD is failing either. Maybe audiences have changed?
i agree with every video you have done but i think the matrix should have ended on the first movie
Bait And Switch: The Trilogy.
This is my 3rd or 4th go around with matrix 1-3 and honestly I appreciate the sequels more the more times I watch them. I might need to give resurrections more time tho I was pretty disappointed with that one.
There are some great sequences but overall i prefer Reloaded. I really think the main story arcs of both could have been told in such a way as to form more distinct seperate movies with their own identities, Revolutions in particular would have benefitted more from this approach. The main thing that brings it down for me though is Trinity's frustratingly long death scene which annoys me every time.
I really love a great mix of real sets and CGI. Movies like this and LOTR's cannot be done anymore. It is far too expensive to do a lot of "in camera" effects. It is cheaper to use CGI today, sadly. I find it ironic that films are becoming more "video game" in appearance and video games are moving to more "real life" in appearance. Also, there is nothing that looks better than remastered film; real film! I am pretty sure you can upscale 35mm film to 8K, and have it look stunning. Digital is shot and rendered at a certain resolution and that is it. Very tough to upscale older digital special effects shots that were done in 720p for example. All this is to say Matrix Revolutions still looks good after 20 years because they did shoot on real film stock. Resurrections was digital and you can see a HUGE difference in the look. I am beginning to hate digital films. Real film has a real look to it. Just like Red Letter Media would say "you might not notice it, but your brain does." Yes it does! Thanks for the review!
Look, I'll be honest. I didn't like this movie all that much when it came out, and I still don't like it all that much to this day. I felt that all the action scenes in the matrix fell flat, and as you said in the video, most of the action scenes in the real world didn't even feature our main characters, so it was hard to connect with them on an emotional level. That being said, the battle at Zion was spectacular at the time and has held up great to this day. No problems there. And as you said, the fight between Bane and Neo in the real world is awesome. Now, I could have forgiven all of the problems with this film if the final fight between Neo and Smith had been amazing. But it's not. It's a bunch of flying around and Dragonball Z shit (fitting, considering the Wachowskis based a lot of their visual style for these films on anime). I hated it. A lot. And I will never forgive them for shitting the bed for that final fight, considering how great the fight scenes in the first movie were. There was just WAY too much CGI. I could barely tell what was happening. Anyway, I like parts of Revolutions, but overall, it's a major step down from Reloaded, which was itself a step down from the first film.
The resolution of the Neo/Smith conflict has ever since I saw it as a kid been among my top three movie resolutions of all time. It is so smart and devastating at the same time, that if Neo had only given in to Smith's first attempt to override him, all of the bloodshed and suffering and Trinity dying could have been avoided. But Neo just wasn't ready to surrender yet and still tried to win the fight with American action hero brute force instead of Buddhism inspired inner peace.
Wasn't the point that Neo could only 'merge' with Smith once he had become connected to the source? So, actually he did have to go through all the bloodshed.
#3 is kinda underrated TBH 😎
I feel vindicated. Always loved Revolutions.
I need to rewatch the Matrix sequels one of these days, but honestly I'm not all that hopeful to find myself warming to them. If I thought something with mecha-walkers firing huge fuckoff machine guns was shit when I was 13, it really had to have been shit.
Thanks for covering these! Really happy to see the turn around on general feelings for the sequels, never understood the hate. As for Resurrections I swallow palm full of Red Pills over the theory it was made bad on purpose to destroy the brand. Prior to it, there were tons of rumbles of reboot with younger actors and all that jazz. Suddenly one of the Wachowskis comes back, sneaks in a meta scene about "doing it with or without us", crafts a duller version of the first movie and effectively kills ANY interest of WB wanting to touch the brand for foreseeable future. At least that's what I choose to believe.
Meant to say sea urchin, not star?
I too enjoy this movie more than Reloaded. It has better pacing and like you mentioned in your vid, a lot of things that were introduced in Reloaded pay off in this film. I think the issue when watching the trilogy is how different the sequels feel compared to the original film. The original feels more tightly paced, grittier, and with no wasted or overindulgent moments. The sequels on the other hand feel over-produced. It feels like since the filmmakers had a bigger budget to work with they felt like they had to make everything an 11. Instead of just a fight with Agent Smith, let's have a fight with 100's of him and let it go on for 20 minutes. Instead of focusing on the crew of one ship, let's show a bunch of ships flying around. Instead of fighting one or two squids let's have them fighting millions. There are so many visual effect set pieces that look cool, but just feel kinda bloated after a while. Don't get me started on Reloaded's Zion 40-minute sequence where the plot literally just stops dead in its tracks.
I still hold that the trilogy is Animatrix, The Matrix and part 3 is a melding of 2 and 3.