On Dec. 22, “The Matrix Resurrection,” the fourth part to the Matrix series, was released in theaters and on HBO Max.

This addition followed an older Neo, played by none other than Keanu Reeves. Many actors returned for this film, such as Carrie Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, and a cameo from Lambert Wilson. A big shock was finding out that Laurence Fishburn, the actor known for playing Morpheus, would not return to the franchise. His character was instead portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. 

The lead character, Neo, is introduced as a video game creator most famous for his game, The Matrix. If you have seen the previous three Matrix movies, you would know that the last one ended in a way that would seemingly close out the series. However, in the fourth addition, we see many fan favorite characters revived, new characters introduced, and plenty of nostalgia and action packed into this one movie to resurrect the series once more. 

“The Matrix Resurrection” starts off very similar to the first Matrix movie, but is different in that a new villain allows for new conflicts to commence. The movie is set 60 years after the third movie, “The Matrix Revolutions.” Neo once again has to find his way out of the monotonous cycle that the Matrix has trapped him in. The love story between him and Trinity, or Tiffany, is very interesting to follow as they do not start off together. I will not go too in depth about this so as to not spoil the movie. 

I thought it was cool to see how different characters and settings have progressed since the last movie, and the more modern aspects added to the movie. I thought that it was pretty slow moving as well, with the bigger conflict saved until the end; at over two hours, it probably could’ve been shortened. With that being said, I did find the storyline quite intriguing, and while the movie did not really add much to the plot of the franchise, especially considering how it initially ended in the third movie, I do think it was good for nostalgia and meant to excite Matrix fans again. 

Though this is the fourth installment to the series, it is not completely necessary to watch the previous movies. You will likely miss out on understanding the references to the other movies–cameos of iconic characters, mentions of past events, and flashbacks to old movie scenes–but the movie would still be relatively easy to follow since the script does a good job at explaining the premise of the Matrix, and the significance of the main characters. I would recommend this movie to Matrix fans and those new to the franchise alike.
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