ReviewThe Matrix Resurrections movie review: Keanu Reeves returns as The One in Lana Wachowski’s exhilarating reboot of the sci-fi action series
- After two disappointing back-to-back sequels in 2003, Keanu Reeves reprises his role of Neo, last seen sacrificing his life in an attempt to destroy the Matrix
- The action is breathtaking, with British-Chinese actress Jessica Henwick and Candyman star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II putting in fine performances
4/5 stars
Déjà vu looms large in The Matrix Resurrections, the fourth film in the sci-fi saga that began with 1999’s The Matrix, then continued with two disappointing back-to-back sequels in 2003.
Eighteen years on, Resurrections does exactly what it says, bringing characters back from extinction – chiefly, Keanu Reeves’ Neo, last seen sacrificing his life in an attempt to destroy the Matrix, the global virtual reality sim that has enslaved humanity for years.
“Most people think that Neo is dead. I know he’s not,” announces the blue-haired Bugs (Jessica Henwick), who opens Resurrections witnessing the very opening of the original movie – or at least a version of it – when the slick, PVC-wearing Trinity (Carrie Anne Moss) kung-fu kicks her way out of a tight spot.
Bugs is leading the search for Neo, and she’s finally got close to finding the one they called The One. Neo is now plugged back into the Matrix as one-time hacker Thomas Anderson; this time – in a very meta-twist – he is a video game designer in San Francisco.
The protagonist is currently working on a new title called “Binary”, but it was his game-changing trilogy “The Matrix” that made him world famous. But all’s not well. Despite naval-gazing with his shrink (Neil Patrick Harris), he keeps seeing Trinity in a local coffee bar – although she’s now called Tiffany.