‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Early Reviews Are In: 'You're In Or You're Out'
By Kristin Myers on December 22, 2021 at 8:48 AM EST
“The Matrix Resurrections” is finally out on Wednesday, December 22.
The fourth movie in the franchise arrives 22 years after the release of the first film, “The Matrix,” which debuted in 1999. The science fiction film franchise was created by the Wachowskis and prodder Joel Silver.
After the first film debuted in 1999, it was followed by “The Matrix Reloaded” in 2003 and “The Matrix Revolutions,” which was also released in 2003. From there, fans had to wait until today to see the fourth film, “The Matrix Resurrections.”
The series tells the story of the fall of humanity. Artificial intelligence has trapped mankind in a virtual reality system known as the Matrix, which they farm as a power source. Some of the prisoners are able to free themselves of the system, such as Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) as they try to free humanity from the system.
Reeves and Moss have both reprised their roles for the fourth film, with Lana Wachowski producing, co-writing, and directing the film.
What Did People Think Of The First ‘Matrix’ Films?
The first “Matrix” film has an 88% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a score of 73 on Metacritic and a score of A- on CinemaScore.
The second film has a 73% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a score of 62 on Metacritic, and a B+ rating on CinemaScore.
The third film seemed to drop considerably from the first two installments, as it only has a 35% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes. It has a score of 47 on Metacritic, but CinemaScore seemed to rate it much higher, giving it a B.
Although the film has only come out today, “The Matrix Resurrections” currently has a 70% fresh rating on RottenTomatoes and a score of 65 on Metacritic. The CinemaScore for the latest installment has not yet been released.
What Do Critics Think of ‘The Matrix Resurrections’?
Critics seemed divided on the film. Some critics called the film “a lot of fun” while other critics said that it was “a little hard to follow.”
Valerie Complex of Deadline Hollywood Daily wrote, “It focuses on telling a heartfelt story that rings as true to reality as possible. This may cause hard-core Matrix lovers to loathe the direction that's been taken, but it's a breath of fresh air for me.”
Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic wrote, “Frankly, it's a little hard to follow sometimes. You really just have to kind of go with it, let all the quasi-religious savior mythology wash over you. You're in or you're out. I found myself out.”
Randy Myers of San Jose Mercury News wrote, “‘Resurrections’ can’t compare to the original film, but it is a lot of fun.”
Alex Godfrey of Empire Magazine wrote, “Resurrections suffers from an identity crisis, going from being supremely fun and knowing to weirdly pedestrian. It's a slippery mish-mash- entertaining in big bursts but ultimately a little hollow.”
Nick Schager of The Daily Beast gave a scathing review, saying, “Devoid of its trademark style, action, and depth, it's a pointless follow-up that falls back on cheeky self-referentiality in order to justify its existence.”
Brian Lowry with CNN wrote, “Complicated in the best of times, ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ is simply convoluted, a collection of flashy digits that don't add up to much of anything.”
So is “The Matrix Resurrections” worth the price of admission? Fans will just have to head to theaters and decide if the almost two-decade-long wait was worth it for themselves!
