Twenty-two years ago the Wachowski siblings melted the minds of theater audiences across the globe withThe Matrix. Few movies, much less science fiction movies, have felt as revolutionary or have been as impactful as the first installment ofThe Matrixfranchise. The movie transformed a number of actors into household names and affected the way people think about the very nature of reality.
The Matrix’s big shock also functions as its premise. Humanity, it turns out, exists within a massive computer simulation. Out in the “real world”, humans are grown in pods and used for energy. They are overseen by a race of machines. Humanity lost the world to the machines further back than anyone can reliably remember. The main character, Neo,wakes from the simulationand is thrust into the fight between humanity and the machines.
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The reveal of reality as nothing more than a computer simulation isn’t a true “twist” inThe Matrix, but the surprise factor was still a driving force of the film’s success. After revealing something that big, where can a series go? The Wachowskis produced two sequels toThe Matrix(not including the animated shorts that compriseThe Animatrix). Neither sequel film came close to emulating the success of the original.The Matrixsequels are better than people remember, but they pale in comparison to the franchise’s debut. It’s been eighteen years since the trilogy concluded withThe Matrix Revolutions. How can the Wachowskis possibly recapture the magic?
ContinuingThe Matrix
The Matrix 4faces a much steeper climb to success than either ofThe Matrix’s first two sequels. Time is, of course, one of the biggest challenges. The franchise’s multi-decade absence certainly isn’t doingTheMatrix 4any favors. In the grand scheme of things, overcoming the time gap will likely beeasier forTheMatrix 4than many would assume.The Matrixis not the first series to make a return after a long absence. It’s not even the only science fiction series to do so recently. Denis Villeneuve proved withBlade Runner 2049that a franchise can overcome even a thirty-five year absence if it has a solid fan base and a way of justifying its return.
The bigger challenge for the Wachowskis andTheMatrix 4will be finding a way to give audiences as intense an experience asThe Matrixfirst offered in 1999. Much of what the Wachowskis did in that film was revolutionary at the time. From story to special effects, theater audiences had never before seen anything likeThe Matrix. That’s simply not true anymore.
The Matrixpermanently changed the way that big actions films are made. Modern audiences see mind-blowing special effects in almost everything they watch. WhenNeo flew into the sky at the end ofThe Matrix, people could hardly believe it. Now, that’s something Iron Man and nearly every other Marvel hero does on every outing. The types of special effects that were invented to even createThe Matrixare now standard practice, not just in movies but on television, too.
Positive Signs
There are a few signs thatTheMatrix 4will be able to overcome the obstacles in its path. The Wachowskis crafted afictional world designed to be timelessand ever-relevant.The Matrixwill always be associated with nineties-vibes leather and mirrored sunglasses. Despite that, the “real world” in the film is a dystopian tragedy that feels as eerily possible in 2021 as it did in 1999. Technology’s influence on our daily lives has only grown sinceThe Matrixfranchise left the limelight. There’s plenty of social and cultural tension for the Wachowskis to explore in their new film.
To be relevant today,TheMatrix 4needs to evolveits world. The Wachowskis know this. They’ve been very secretive about the details of the new film. The few hints that have escaped point in a good direction. The Wachowskis have pulled in some exciting new talent for the film, including Neil Patrick Harris and Jada Pinkett Smith. Harris has gone on record saying thatTheMatrix 4has a much more intimate feelthan previous franchise entries. That could play into the fact that these days the machines live in our pockets and on our bodies.
The Wachowskis have also managed to bring back some of the key players from the originalMatrixtrilogy. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss will both return. That’s good news because aMatrixmovie could hardly function without Neo and Trinity. How they’ll fit into the story remains to be seen, buta potential title leakoffers some clues.
There are plenty of reasons to be nervous about a newMatrixfilm. There are just as many reasons to be hopeful that this new movie manages to revive a much-beloved series. If anyone has a shot at pulling off a newMatrixfilm, it’s the creators of the franchise.TheMatrix 4is in good hands, but only time will tell if it will be a success.
