The press screening for long-awaited fourth instalment in the Matrix franchise, The Matrix Resurrections, took place recently and the critics' reactions are out. According to the wave of comments circulating online, Lana Wachowski's upcoming film is everything longtime fans were hoping it would be.In general, critics believe the film is both ambitious and as meta as audiences could expect. Moreover, they describe the film not as a pure sci-fi return, but a comedy and a romantic story. All in all, the dystopian franchise that revolutionized the sci-fi genre in the early 2000s is back. Though none of the critics dive into specifics, they are almost unanimously praise the performances of franchise newcomers Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick and Neil Patrick Harris, who play Agent Smith, Bugs and The Analyst, respectively.
All of these facets of The Matrix Resurrections was teased in the trailers or by the film's cast in recent months. Star Keanu Reeves previously talked about reading the scripts and being surprised by the amount of humor present throughout. He said he was "struck by how much humor is in it" and added, "It's throwing down the Matrix gauntlet again; it's super smart, clever, entertaining, suspenseful, and funny."
Though Resurrections does take place long after the original trilogy, co-writer David Mitchell has said in the past that the film is not a sequel to 2003's The Matrix Revolutions, but something different. He explained, "It's certainly not yet one more sequel, but something autonomous that contains however the three Matrix that preceded in a really ingenious way. It's a very beautiful and weird creation. It also achieves a couple of things that we do not see in action films, meaning it subverts the rules of blockbusters."
The trailers and clips released in the run up to the premiere has teased as much, with footage from the original Matrix trilogy appearing briefly, showcasing Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus and Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith, though neither of the two actors have been confirmed to return for the film. Weaving has explained that for him, it was largely due to a scheduling conflict, where Fishburne has said he was simply not contacted to reprise the iconic role.
As unique as The Matrix Resurrections may be, Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff has teased that it may not be the end. She stated that so long as writer and director Lana Wachowski is up for creating for Matrix films, Warner Bros. is "all in." It is currently uncertain if Wachowski is developing or interesting in another Matrix film.
The Matrix Resurrections premieres in theaters and on HBO Max Dec. 22.
Source: Twitter