Near the end of 2021,Matrix 4will take on the challenge of being a sequel to a series that hasn’t seen a release in almost two decades. Details about the movie are few and far between. Likely the Wachowskis are trying to use the shroud of mystery around the film to build hype.
In 1999The Matrixmelted the minds of everyone who saw it. With one movie the Wachowskis revolutionized action film-making,told an ahead-of-its-time trans allegory, and created the best cyberpunk movie sinceBlade Runner. Ironically, in 2017Blade Runner: 2049did whatMatrix 4is attempting now.
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Of course,The Matrixhas had sequels before.The Matrix: Reloadedcame out in May of 2003, andThe Matrix: Revolutionscompleted the trilogy that November. Critics responded poorly toReloadedand worse toRevolutions, which currently has a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.The Matrixsequels are much better than people remember, butMatrix 4still faces the challenge of making the series relevant after a 17-year absence.
Didn’t They Die?
Oh, and there’s that little detail where Neo and Trinity both died by the end ofThe Matrix: Revolutions, but Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are in the cast ofMatrix 4. Other fan favorites will not be returning. Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus is probably the most memorable character in the franchise, but theWachowskis didn’t invite Fishburne to be inMatrix 4. A less surprising absence is Hugo Weaving. His Agent Smith was the primary villain in all threeMatrixmovies, but Neo defeated him at the end ofRevolutions. Despite that,Lana Wachowski tried to have him in the film, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. That’s probably for the better. Reviving Agent Smith all these years later would lessen the dramatic impact of his final fight against Neo inRevolutions.
Of course, including Neo inMatrix 4could end up doing the same thing, but what’s aMatrixmovie without Keanu Reeves? The Wachowskis have said nothing about how they’ll be incorporating Reeves and Moss into the film. However,a potential leak ofMatrix 4’s titlemight offer a hint.
A now-deleted Instagram post from a makeup artist who worked on the film referred to the film asMatrix Resurrections. That does seem to ring true as a title for an entry in the series. The “R” subtitles have been a running theme, and “resurrection” does seem to be what Neo’s and Trinity’s presence would dictate. A resurrection theme could dovetail perfectly with an ideal way forMatrix 4to situate itself in today’s tech environment.
“The Net” Isn’t New
WhenThe Matrixfirst came out, most people still considered the internet a novelty. It was 1999, and cell phones were bulky contraptions that few wanted to carry around. The idea that computers could somehow grow in power to consume the world was outrageous.The Matrixburned itself into the cultural memoryby presenting a world where computers controlled humans, who lived out their days inside of a computer-generated simulation.
The entireMatrixtrilogy deals with the moral quandaries that exist in the conflict between humans and machines. At the time the story broke new ground. Today the world ofThe Matrixis utterly recognizable. Computers in the form of algorithms do control vast swaths of human life, from bank accounts to loan balances, flight plans to the daily commute. Most people spend a majority of their time living in the computer-generated world of social media.
The Matrixneeds to tackle topics relevant to the current relationship between people and tech, andResurrectionswould be the ideal way to do it. Today the biggest concern isn’t whether or not computers will come to dominate the world. It’s whether or not computers can replace the world entirely.
Figure or Ground?
The development of AI and deepfake technology has blurred the lines between the real and the imaginary. Images can be doctored in ways that are undetectable. AI may soon be able to perfectly replicate human behavior. At that point, how can people tell the difference between the digital and the real, the figure and the ground?
In the originalMatrixtrilogy, Neo and Trinity fought a war to free humans from machines. WithReeves and Moss returning forMatrix 4, it seems very possible Neo and Trinity will be “resurrected” as digital recreations of themselves.
The film could explore, both thematically and in its plot, the questions presented by this new relationship between humans and machines. Does a war need to be fought against machines that are indistinguishable from humans? At what point would an AI recreation of Neo be as real as Neo himself? If anyone can address these questions, the Wachowskis can.
By evolving to tackle new aspects of our complicated relationship with technology,Matrix 4can make itself as relevantto life in 2021 asThe Matrixwas to life in 1999. Hopefully, the Wachowskis reveal plot details at some point between now and the film’s release. Otherwise, fans will just have to wait untilMatrix 4makes its way to the big screen.
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