Early reactions to the long-awaited The Matrix Resurrections are starting to arrive after the film’s social media embargo was finally lifted on Thursday night. Critics and journalists have taken to Twitter to share their opinions on the fourth installment of the Matrix franchise, and it looks like the dystopian thriller left reviewers polarized. Early reactions range from “awe-inducing” to “very flawed.”
The Matrix 4 features the return of franchise stars Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss Lambert Wilson, and Jada Pinkett Smith reprising their roles alongside franchise newcomer Abdul-Mateen II. The trio is joined by a variety of high-profile co-stars including Neil Patrick Harris and Priyanka Chopra.
Resurrections picks up the story twenty years after 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions left off and a lot of fans are hoping it was worth the wait.
Some Reviewers Called 'Resurrections' Smart And Funny, Others Said It Was The Best Movie Of The Year.
Polygons Matt Patches praised the film as one of the year’s best, tweeting: “The Matrix Resurrections: best movie of the year? So angry, so joyous, so fun,” and followed up with confusion when he noticed there wasn't positive consensus reaction.
Emily VanDerWerff of VOX said that halfway through the two-and-a-half-hour thriller she thought it might have been the best movie ever made and that she ‘lovvvvved it.’
Film reviewer Erik Davis believes it was worth the wait, calling it ‘STELLAR. Smart, funny, weird, self-referential & unexpected,' and that the film offered ‘wildly inventive action sequences, lofty storytelling decisions & a TON of big ideas.’
"Keanu Reeves gives one of his best performances... Him and Carrie-Anne Moss still have that magic chemistry, carrying a gorgeous, dynamic film that's rough in patches yet still discovers great additions in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Jessica Henwick," Critic Robert Daniels wrote.
People’s Nigel Smith said the new film is ‘more fun than I remember the sequels ever being,’ but that the film was ‘bogged down in exposition,’ and that ‘the climax ROCKS.’
Not Everybody Thought The Matrix Franchise Should Have Been Resurrected.
Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence wasn’t so enthused, saying that the film lacked perfection and some scenes were ‘complete and utter nonsense.’
Rotten Tomatoes Joey Magidson was disappointed, tweeting “It is a Matrix sequel, that’s for sure. Better than the last two, it still pales in comparison to the original. Some of the ideas bandied about are interesting, and the cast is game to be back, but not enough feels new here. Solid, but a letdown.” Yikes!
Mashable’s Alison Foreman followed up with another scathing first look: “I am deeply happy for those who will enjoy #TheMatrixResurrections. I am, regrettably, not among them. It’s leagues better than Reloaded and Revolutions - which let’s be clear are really not good - but has bad stakes. Nothing matters, and not in a cool nihilistic way.”
The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max on December 22nd, in the meantime check out some little know facts that made the first film a phenomenon.