Not a single tentpole, blockbuster, franchise, what-have-you from recent years comes close to matching our interest in The Matrix Resurrections, Lana Wachowski’s return to her (and absent sister Lily’s) genre-bending, generation-marking sci-fi saga. Sure, you love the first chapter-and-verse and distill the sequels to “suck.” But try again—they’re cinema du gigantique par excellence. And Wachowski’s filmography only got stranger and more forward-thinking in the 18 years since: Speed Racer, Cloud Atlas, Sense8… the vision (and equally important resources) to break our brains in all the right ways. So yes: we are more excited for another Matrix than another Spider-Man, and if you can’t see the difference between these things we stand at something of an impasse.
Anyway. Matrix Resurrections. Whatever veil sat the two years since its announcement is starting to lift, that December 22 release date begetting a first trailer. For rather coyly introducing a potentially brilliant conceit that reopens (resurrects, etc) the saga seemingly closed during George W. Bush’s first term—a delightfully on-the-nose cue to boot—anticipation’s at fever pitch. Another Matrix: a wild, potentially terrible idea Wachowski just may pull off. For now, at least, there is no reason to lose faith.
With Keanu Reeves, Carrie Anne-Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Lambert Wilson joined by newcomers Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, and Jonathan Groff, see the preview below:
The Matrix Resurrections hits theaters and HBO Max on December 22.