The Matrix 4!

[batguy]

I was hoping the very last shot would be Hugo Weaving, in an exasperated tone, saying " . . . Mister Anderson . . . "


It looks like exactly what I predicted yesterday. A 'Force Awakens' soft reboot.

Upside: I thought the first ones had SFX that were too showy & pulled me out of the story. (Yes, I thought it even at the time. Yes, I was young at the time.) Today that is no longer a big resource to draw upon. Show-off effects don't sell or impress people like they used to. This movie will have to focus more on story if they wanna get any traction with it.

They picked a good trailer song. It suits the movie. Pop culture recognizes it, but it hasn't been overused in recent decades.

Gen-Z and younger's most immediate reaction will be: "Oh, so this is where the red-pill-blue-pill thing in pop culture comes from!"

 

[Psab keel]

What's edgy now are films with excellent character development, intriguing story, outstanding direction, exceptional acting and amazing writing.

This movie will have to focus more on story if they wanna get any traction with it.

I remember when these things were necessities, not afterthoughts. I often wonder, if the audience's standards are so low it's not surprising Hollywood's best effort is to appeal to their memories?

It's not like Keanu is hurting for money or his career is in a slump. Who knows? Maybe the script has something that really grabbed him, but I just think the chances that this is just another reboot in the modern cycle of rehashed material is pretty damn high.

 

[Strikerkc]

I think we always like to forget how much of every film season throughout time has been filled with redundant derivative garbage.

Old music is better because the 70's and 80's stations only play the 400 hits out of the thousands upon thousands of garbage songs that were put out in that decade.

Film is the same. This will either stand the test of time and be remembered like the first matrix, or it will fade away like matrix 2 & 3. I'm not too worried about it. if it looks poopy when it hits theaters. I'll watch something else.

production quality looks good, the action and cgi looks tight. and if the story is a let down, it won't be for lack of good actors. I look forward to seeing what they have planned.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

Interested. Hopefully the story will not just be a reboot, but will make sense why Neo is back and rediscovering things. The beginning of that trailer is like Doogie Howser is a psychiatrist and John Wick is having a session. Then in that dojo scene Neo totally Hadokens that dude like Ryu from Streetfighter (well minus the fireball).

 

[Psab keel]

I'm not overly concerned with this being bad or good. I'm just tired of the lack of imagination on the part of the studios.

 

[HeartBlade]

I dont know, this iteration could be really interesting if the Watchouskis are allowed to get creative.

to me, the early therapy sessions seem to possibly be Neo “trapped” in his own mini Matrix, being forced to consume the blue pill daily to keep his mind trapped. Given that he was the first “one” to choose to save the girl and “abandon” resetting the Matrix, the machines likely needed some new contingency. Neo is also technically hooked directly to the mother brain as of the end of Revolutions.

it does seem that although the old gang is back, they have been successfully reset with a new team of freedom fighters “redoing” the cycle, making the film a soft reboot for new audiences. I dont think its a coincidence that one of the new characters is a bald black man evoking a young Morpheus.

What would be interesting is if Neo is the one again or if there is a new “One” and if so, how Neo would interact with him. Neo seems to have a far stronger grasp of warping the matrix to fit his needs (basically force pushing a missile back at the helicopter) so he would easily be stronger than the new “One” and could play a mentor role or a new lead. That could lead to an interesting story

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

I'm actually very interested from the trailer. I saw the first two in theaters and skipped the third until it video because the second one was a mess.

I like the idea it has here. It may be a soft reboot where it retreads old ideas and imagery again, which is a little disappointing, but what intrigues me most is the umbrella of context it's all under.

In the third film, Neo pretty much resets the matrix and becomes "pure code" or whatever, and in the second film, the Architect shows all the possible matrixes that exist alongside the "real" one in the tv room. The third even ends ambiguously whether or not Neo is actually dead or not and whether or not he'll return again. I like the idea that Neo, or some form of him, exists in an alternate matrix that spawned off from the "resetting" but with memories and memories of people still existing from the last matrix. I think it can all be really interesting because, whether on purpose or not, the last film pretty much left the door wide open for it for go anywhere.

I hope that it doesn't go the road where it craps the bed again, but the possibilities are there.

 

[batguy]

By the end of the 3rd movie Neo was *****. He was king Arthur, going off to recover & sleep in Avalon rather than dying. He was a straightforward savior/messiah figure.

I guess the new plotline is that he forgot again.

 

[Psab keel]

Who is the market for this reboot? The same audience clamoring for those Avatar sequels?

 

[batguy]

The old movies will bring in the older audience.

Younger people will watch it for John Wick + seeing what all the pop-culture fuss is about.

It's not the safest bet in town. But they have a decent chance of selling tickets based on the IP + a good trailer.

 

[Psab keel]

But that's my point. If the only cards they have to play are used to bait older fans and hope to have enough flash to capture new ones, doesn't that expose how hollow they are creatively? I'm fully aware that this is a business and I'm not against them making a profit. I just wish it wouldn't be at the expense of creativity.

This problem isn't isolated to this specific movie either. It's the standard practice now, otherwise this would feel fresh and exciting to revisit this world and characters if it wasn't one of many in the same vein. Having to remind the new generation how awesome something was isn't as impressive as seeing totally new material that can leave an indelible mark on them.

To my mind if the wrote response is, "well it least it's not xyz..." or "it will hit me with nostalgia feels" then that means the bar has been set very low by fans because it only caters to remind them of why they enjoyed the originals and unfairly stacks the odds against the new installment because it will never have the same impact. Besides most fans who loved the original never stopped loving it so do they really need the reminder? Which argues that this isn't really meant for fans so much as it's meant to bring in an audience who likely has either no knowledge of the source material, or who is so fickle with their entertainment choices that they forget movies the second they walk out of the cinema.

It's already at a disadvantage because it's not playing on its own strengths but relying on gimmicks to trick you into parting with your money whether you're an older fan who saw the first one in theaters or you're an overly stimulated kid who needs a sensory overload to command your attention. I imagine it's a lot like a parent trying to get their kid interested in their own childhood hobbies when its clear most kids would find Mom or Dad's interests quaint at best. Lame at worst. Studios, directors and actors often play the part of the washed up high school football stars who have nothing to live for but the glory days of their youth. It's vanity disguised as art. This is the problem with soft reboots and sequels, especially if there's a large gap between them.

I'm happy to revisit the past with movie franchises by rewatching the originals. I'm not interested in having them reinvented to appease a new crowd who has to be hard sold on the premise.

But that's just me.

 

[agent5]

I'm not overly concerned with this being bad or good. I'm just tired of the lack of imagination on the part of the studios

Films today, for the most part are strictly considered investments, not art. You need to watch a documentary by Alec Baldwin called, "Seduced and Abandoned", which lays out the current studio pathway to getting movies made today. It's eye opening to say the least.

 

[Psab keel]

I'll have to check that out. Also that interview with Keith Coogan from Iconiccon explained a lot too with regards to why there is a proliferation of reboots. Even being aware of the reasons for this trend it doesn't detract from the exhaustive nature of the idea. It helps to have context, but from a consumer perspective it's just lazy and it would be great if audiences stopped feeding into the loop.

 

[Axlotl]

I'll have to check that out. Also that interview with Keith Coogan from Iconiccon explained a lot too with regards to why there is a proliferation of reboots. Even being aware of the reasons for this trend it doesn't detract from the exhaustive nature of the idea. It helps to have context, but from a consumer perspective it's just lazy and it would be great if audiences stopped feeding into the loop.

I get what you're saying, and I totally agree, but this movie is written by, directed by, and produced by a Wachowski. If the suits at the studio just wanted to make a nostalgic cash grab, they could have done it without the Wachowskis. And the Wachowskis are well known for doing what they want, to hell with the studio.
They've made a few stinkers, but they're still among my favorite filmmakers of all time. They're artists, making art. They're exactly the kind of filmmakers we should be supporting.
This movie could end up being awful, like Jupiter Ascending, a total mess, like Cloud Atlas (or the Matrix sequels), or a rare gem of cyberpunk art, like Speedracer or the original Matrix.
We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[kickman88]

Surprised it took them this long to dig it out of the grave and resurrect it

Ahhhhh, the real Oracle has spoken!!!

 

[Psab keel]

I get what you're saying, and I totally agree, but this movie is written by, directed by, and produced by a Wachowski. If the suits at the studio just wanted to make a nostalgic cash grab, they could have done it without the Wachowskis. And the Wachowskis are well known for doing what they want, to hell with the studio.
They've made a few stinkers, but they're still among my favorite filmmakers of all time. They're artists, making art. They're exactly the kind of filmmakers we should be supporting.
This movie could end up being awful, like Jupiter Ascending, a total mess, like Cloud Atlas (or the Matrix sequels), or a rare gem of cyberpunk art, like Speedracer or the original Matrix.
We'll just have to wait and see.

Even with the original directors returning it's still no guarantee that it will be any good. George Lucas couldn't do it with Star Wars. Spielberg couldn't do it with Indy. I've long since learned that just because a name is attached, even if it's the same stars or directors, it's still a huge gamble. Who knows? Maybe it will be really good. I just have my doubts. My gripe has more to do with the trend than this particular movie.

 

[Axlotl]

Even with the original directors returning it's still no guarantee that it will be any good. George Lucas couldn't do it with Star Wars. Spielberg couldn't do it with Indy. I've long since learned that just because a name is attached, even if it's the same stars or directors, it's still a huge gamble. Who knows? Maybe it will be really good. I just have my doubts. My gripe has more to do with the trend than this particular movie.

Those are good points...

 

[batguy]

I can't see it being a GREAT movie. Not unless the whole trailer was pulled from the first half of it and there is a lot more going on. What the trailer shows is a soft remake of the first movie. That's very likely what it will be.

My best hope is that it justifies sequels, and then we get much better sequels than last time.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

So, full disclosure, I loved the entire MATRIX trilogy, but I went to school for theology & Bible study, & have spent countless hours delving into psychology & humanistic philosophy. Those movies were, to me, like someone took a TON of various ideas that I had dryly read in books & decided to dramatize them with a live action anime.

That being said, I personally felt the story was completed, so I have a bit of trepidation about it being continued, especially by only ONE of the original creators.

That concern was heightened today when I read the official synopsis...

"The Matrix Resurrections is a continuation of the story established in the first MATRIX film. It reunites Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss as cinematic icons Neo & Trinity in an expansion of their story that ventures back into the Matrix and even deeper down the rabbit hole. A mind-bending new adventure with action and epic scale, it's set in a familiar yet even more provocative world where reality is more subjective than ever and all that's required to see the truth is to free your mind.

20 years after the first film, the franchise that helped define pop culture at the turn of the century is back for a continuation and extension of the original movie. The Matrix remains in the zeitgeist as a film that has changed the way we look at cinema and reality itself. With its game changing action and visual effects, The Matrix helped pave the way for films to follow."

It says that it's a "continuation of the story established in the first MATRIX film". So I'm not sure if that means they're (the studio) are trying to distance themselves from the sequels, or if they're being ignored. I'm pretty sure that's not the case, because in the teaser, there's a shot of Neo with burnt out eyes being worked on by the Machines, & one that really looks like Trinity being 'resurrected' by the Machines in a process we've not seen before, both seeming to take place after the trilogy.

Anyone else heard anything to place the actual timeline?

 

[JediMichael]

I wonder if we'll see another surge of kids wearing black trenchcoats again.

Guess we can all hope it ends up being good, but hard to really tell from the trailer, other than pretty eye candy.