Full reviews for Lana Wachowski’s “The Matrix Resurrections” won’t hit until Tuesday, but the social media reaction embargo was lifted last night with multiple critics, film journalists and more weighing in.
A lot of the reactions were also from reviewers as opposed to junket press, and so offers more analysis than these early screening reactions usually do.
As expected, the response ranges wildly though next-to-none seem to be outright negative, while plenty are wildly ecstatic – and that’s from some critics who tend to be harsher towards franchise fare.
All up it sounds like a sequel less concerned with fan service and appealing to a large audience than one that follows the beat of its own creative vision. As a result, some will rail against it, some will embrace it wholeheartedly, and some will be left confused by it. Here’s a sampling of reactions from Twitter:
“The Matrix Resurrections: best movie of the year? So angry, so joyous, so fun.” – Matt Patches, Polygon
“The Matrix Resurrections, despite (and because of) its infinite goofiness, is the boldest & most vividly personal Hollywood sequel since The Last Jedi. A silly/sincere galaxy brain take on reboot culture that makes peace with how modern blockbusters are now only about themselves.” – David Ehrlich, Indiewire
“#TheMatrixResurrections is a comedy. The action is disappointing and the new characters are thin. But the metatextual commentary is biting. It wrestles with its own legacy in that JURASSIC WORLD/BAD BOYS 3/RP1 fashion. I prefer the first three, but this is a wild swing.” – Scott Mendelsohn, Forbes
“#TheMatrixResurrections is a terrific, awe-inducing, meta mind-bender completely in line with the franchise’s legacy. Finds an innovative, high-concept way to frame the new story. Keanu Reeves & Carrie-Anne Moss’ chemistry burns. Jessica Henwick is a revelation! The action sequences are BIG, meaningfully engaging with character parallels & connections. Lana Wachowski & Co. thread subtle, nuanced nods to the other films through the fight choreography, visual effects, production design & cinematography.” – Courtney Howard, Variety
“Absolutely adored #TheMatrixResurrections, which builds on where the sequels left off in beautiful and unexpected ways, and presents a world that’s entirely consistent with what came before and also opens it up to a host of new stories. My synapses have been firing for days. So many world-building details to delight in–especially if you’re already deep into the rabbit hole like myself–but Lana Wachowski also never loses sight of the emotional story that’s been at the core of the series all along.” – Ethan Alter, Yahoo
“The Matrix Resurrections is a total blast. Weird, romantic, *extremely.* meta, and consistently funny. I kind of loved it. (Also, everyone in this movie is ridiculously hot.). It’s the ‘Gremlins 2’ of the Matrix series. I mean that in a good way…Wes Craven’s New Nightmare it’s that kind of sequel. I have issues – the fight choreography is lacking compared to the other films, and the fights themselves are edited a little too choppily. But the film is so earnest and so unapologetically romantic that it had me hook, line, and sinker.” – Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
“There was a point in the middle of The Matrix Resurrections where I briefly thought it was the best movie ever made, and, like, I haven’t convinced myself it’s NOT? I lovvvvvvved it. A lotta people are gonna haaaaaaaate. My favorite kind of movie!!” – Emily VanDerWuff, Vox.com
“#TheMatrixResurrections is a Matrix sequel, that’s for sure. Better than the last two, it still pales in comparison to the original. Some of the ideas bandied about are interesting, and the cast is game to be back, but not enough feels new here. Solid, but a letdown.” – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar
“#TheMatrixResurrections is too self-aware of its existence. Poking fun at itself a bit too much, it’s very heavy on the love story, with not a lot of showstopping action and effects, which is what the people want. Best part is Jonathan Groff but that’s just life at this point.” – Clayton Davis, Variety
“I am deeply happy for those who will enjoy #TheMatrixResurrections. I am, regrettably, not among them. It’s leagues better than Reloaded and Revolutions – which let’s be clear are really not good – but has bad stakes. Nothing matters, and not in a cool nihilistic way.” – Alison Foreman, Mashable
“The Matrix Resurrections” opens in cinemas and debuts simultaneously on HBO Max from December 22nd. Check out a new featurette for the film below.