WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections, now in theaters and on HBO Max.
The Matrix has become such a huge part of pop culture, leaving fans giddy for almost anything Keanu Reeves does. It's engrained in memes, but also seriously appreciated outside of its bombastic action sequences for the meta statements made against capitalism and how humanity has been brainwashed digitally. This has led to folks constantly plowing through the original trilogy for deeper meaning in the films' many philosophies, so let's dissect how The Matrix Resurrections honored what came before via Easter eggs and callbacks.
The Trinity Interrogation
Resurrections opened with Trinity being interrogated in the Heart O' The City hotel, just like in the first film. The agents arrived and prowled the building, even telling her to put her hands up in a full-blooded homage to what happened in 1999. Trinity wouldn't emerge victorious this time, though, leaving Bugs to try to save her. The new Morpheus, in his Agent brainwashing, also told the cops, "Your men are already dead!" -- which is what Smith said in the '99 movie too, acknowledging Trinity's a badass.
The White Rabbit And Sati
The first film had Neo following a white rabbit tattoo on a friend, allowing him to meet Trinity in a nightclub. This sent him down the rabbit hole with Morpheus' crew, but the White Rabbit is much more literal and important here. It's represented by the freedom fighter Bugs, who also had a giant white rabbit tattoo. She'd lead to charge to free him and Trinity from the machines, with her ship, the Mnemosyne, mimicking the Nebuchadnezzar Morpheus had. In addition, Alice in Wonderland was being read by the older Sati (seemingly the new Oracle) when Thomas went to his noodle shop, unaware he was Neo.
Older Faces Returned To War
The Merovingian returned but this time, he was a disheveled hobo with his exiles, not some aristocrat controlling programs per The Matrix Reloaded. He was pissed Neo changed the world and hoped he wouldn't get exposed to the machines again. Niobe also returned, but this time, with Morpheus dead, she was ruling the new Zion, Io. Bugs later ended up in a chase with keys on the wall, homaging the Keymaker, while Roland, a freedom fighter Neo allied with years ago, had a granddaughter, Ellster, on Bugs' ship. The old Morpheus was also spotted via a giant statue at the Resistance base.
Neo's Meals
Apart from the noodle shop, something the original Neo talked about with Morpheus in the old films, Thomas was also found eating steak and basking in his ignorance. It's a callback to when Cypher was eating steak with Agent Smith, working a deal to betray Neo's crew as the sellout preferred the fake bliss of the Matrix rather than the cold life in Zion.
The Signature Poses
There's Matrix memorabilia on Thomas' shelves in his game developing office, including a figurine of Trinity diving out the window from Reloaded and shooting. There's even a giant hand flipping the bird, honoring when Neo gave the middle finger to Agent Smith when they first met in an interrogation. Lastly, a reawakened Neo used his iconic pose to try to fly later on in the movie, but this time, he couldn't unlock that power.
Mr. Smith's Dark Past
Smith was Thomas' boss at the game company, and when they chatted, there was a head bust of the old Smith getting his face smashed in. It recalled Neo punching him in the rain in Revolutions, while the brawls in the subway, as well as the bathroom, had almost all the action choreography from when Smith tried to kill Morpheus and Neo, respectively, in the original trilogy in similar locations. To top it off, Thomas also saw his mouth sealed shut, akin to when the old Smith did that to him.
The Black Cat
The Analyst had a black cat, named Deja Vu, which homaged the feline Neo saw twice in the '99 flick. Trinity explained deja vu meant there was a glitch in the Matrix, aka what happened when the Machines changed something. When Smith turned on the Analyst, he ensured the villain didn't get the cat to reset Thomas' mind, and it also appeared in the end, making friends with Neo as he and Trinity began a rebuild of the digital world.
The Water Homages
Firstly, Bugs (before she got her mind liberated) was seen as a window-washer, watching Thomas try to bring his inner-Neo out. As she wiped the glass, the water beads reflected that shot when cleaners wiped Thomas' office windows in the first film. Also, when Morpheus had his firefight with the Agents in Resurrections, the sprinklers going off paid homage to when Neo and Trinity blew the elevator up to rescue Morpheus from Smith in the first movie and the sprinklers came on at the end. As the new Smith got soaked too, it paid homage to when Neo and the old Smith fought in the rain to end their feud in Revolutions.
The Helicopter Raining Bullets Down
There's an iconic shot of ammo shells raining down from a helicopter in the first film when Neo piloted the chopper to shoot up the office to free Morpheus. This got repeated in Resurrections when the Agents instead used a chopper to fire at Trinity and Neo on a rooftop, making it clear they understood Neo's past and how to get to him.
Neo Still Knows Kung Fu
In the first movie, the line where Neo revealed he knew kung fu after it was uploaded into his mind was one of the funniest yet most poignant moments. It allowed him to spar with Morpheus and fight the Agents. Ironically, in this film, he told the Merovingian's crew he still knew kung fu after beating them down. In addition, the training session with the new Morpheus had a similar setting and martial arts style as the '99 brawl.
Other Key Tributes
When Neo and Trinity flew off at the end in Resurrections, it honored the end scene of the first movie, and other scenes where Neo hovered and then sped off like Superman in the original trilogy. In addition, Bugs mentioned phone booths weren't needed anymore as they used portals to get in and out of the digital construct. Lastly, apart from the many scenes from the old movies playing when Neo met Morpheus in Resurrections to take the pill, the room's aesthetic, fluid mirror and the overall dialogue mimicked their '99 freedom meeting.
See how the old films are paid tribute in The Matrix Resurrections, now in theaters and on HBO Max.