Movie Review: The Matrix Resurrections

Matrix Resurrections (2021) 

Directed by Lana Wachowski 

Written by Lana Wachowski 

Starring Keanu Reeves, Jonathan Groff, Yahya Abdul Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Carrie Ann Moss

Release Date December 22nd, 2021 

Published August 20th, 2022 

The story of Matrix Resurrections proceeds as a pursuit of Neo by those who wish to save and protect Neo from a world that wishes to exploit him. That’s a description of the plot of Matrix Resurrections and a description of how modern popular culture feels about Keanu Reeves the actor. Any check of social media searches of Keanu Reeves reveals a wholesome, earnest appreciation for Keanu and his down to Earth approach to being a worldwide celebrity. 

The Matrix Resurrections picks up with Thomas Anderson/Neo working as a video game developer. Thomas’s most popular game is called ‘The Matrix’ and the incidents that we witness in the original Matrix trilogy are now things that happened in the video game that Thomas Anderson developed with his partner, Mr. Smith (Jonathan Goff). The plot kicks in when Thomas Anderson subconsciously creates a simulation in his code that creates a new program called, Morpheus (Yahya Abdul Mateen II). 

The Morpheus program catches the eye of Bugs (Jessica Henwick), a ship’s Captain in the real world who recognizes this strange blip in the code and goes to investigate it. Bugs ends up pulling Morpheus out of the Matrix and this begins their search for Neo, The One, the man who went missing many years earlier after being viewed by many as a God who may have the ability to destroy the Matrix and end the tyranny of the God-like machines that enslave humanity and have been trying to crush what remains of a society outside of their control. 

The Matrix Resurrections is very smartly cast with each choice providing a clever new layer to the Matrix mythos. The best addition to the cast is Jessica Henwick, a sort of fan insert character both fan-girlng over being the one to find Neo and getting the chance to protect and preserve his legend. Henwick is a capable action star, a convincing badass, and a hard as nails Captain as she lives out our fantasy of protecting Keanu Reeves from all harm. I say that in jest but it’s true, if you love Keanu you’d likely leap at the chance to protect him from harm. That makes Bugs a terrific fan avatar, smart and capable, tough and laying down her life on behalf of our beloved hero. 

Also joining the cast Neil Patrick Harris, an obvious program, at least to us, as he plays Psychiatrist to Thomas Anderson, feeding him Blue pills and repeatedly reassuring Thomas Anderson that this life he created for himself, the Matrix, is all in his mind. Harris is snaky and charming in the role, a proper and unique antagonist for this franchise entry. Bonus points for recognizing a distinct disdain for the industry of psychiatry of which director Lana Wachowski is not a fan. 

Then there is the glorious Jonathan Groff, the erstwhile King George of Hamilton, taking over the role of ‘Agent’ Smith. In the story that Neo is living in, Smith is his antagonistic business partner, a thorn in his side but one he can’t live without. The parallels between Thomas Anderson’s new life and Neo’s old life endlessly fighting with Agent Smith within the rubbery reality of The Matrix are beautifully illustrated even as Smith’s existence in this sequel story is a tad bit mystifying. 

Yes, there are reasons why both Morpheus and Agent Smith do not appear in their original form but you must discover that on your own by watching The Matrix Resurrections. And that is something I do recommend even as the movie does spin its wheels a bit while underlining Neo’s life as Thomas Anderson and the boring and suspicious repetitions in his daily routine. Once the movie advances to the real world things get much more interesting. 

Big shoutout to Jada Pinkett Smith who is excellent in her too short role. Some will complain about her makeup job but, for me, her performance is too good to complain about cakey makeup. Jada Pinkett Smith delivers gravitas and a believable sense of conflicted emotions, resentment and hurt battling against a sincere care and hope. It’s a very small role but Pinkett-Smith’s Niobe is a great way to link the past and the present in surprising and exciting ways. Her motivation and conflict is given weight and care. 

I also want to highlight the score which is exceptional. The final act score is propulsive to the point of exhausting, in a good way. The music, credited to Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer, and the chaotic action of the final moments of The Matrix Resurrections combines the electronica infused score of the early 2000s Matrix sequels with a post-modern orchestral sound heavy on piano and choir to deepen and enrich the electronica sound that Tykwer brought to the fore throughout his career. 

Is The Matrix Resurrections preaching to the choir, using nostalgia to appeal to a built in fanbase? Perhaps, but, since I am a member of that built-in fanbase, I didn’t really mind. Unlike supposed original concept blockbusters from this past year, the team behind The Matrix Resurrections are really good at making a blockbuster movie that doesn’t feel like just another cash grab. There is a strong sense in the work of co-writer and director Lana Wachowski had a story she really wanted to tell, far beyond the profit motivation that was undeniably always there. 

The Matrix Resurrections debuted in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on December 22nd, 2021.

Movie Review: Disturbia

Disturbia (2007) 

Directed by D.J Caruso 

Written by Christopher Landon, Carl Ellsworth 

Starring Shia LeBeouf, Aaron Yoo, Sarah Roemer, Carrie Ann Moss, David Morse

Release Date April 13th, 2007

Published April 13th, 2007

We all have movies we love that no one else even vaguely remembers. For me, one of those movies was director D.J Caruso's independent debut feature The Salton Sea. A dour but very clever modern nor starring Val Kilmer, The Salton Sea is a triumph of smart scripting and clever direction. Caruso's work since that debut, Taking Lives, Two For The Money, have been slipshod big star vehicles that are as slick as they are forgettable.

For his latest film, Disturbia, however; Caruso looks to be back in form. A modern, teenage take on Hitchcock's Rear Window, Disturbia uses the tools and techniques of classic cinema to craft a tricky, if somewhat predictable, little thriller; much more entertaining than you might expect.

Kale (Shia LeBeouf) lost his dad in a horrific car accident. Since then he has become a problem child whose troubles come to a head one day when he punched out his Spanish teacher. A sympathetic judge keeps Kale out of juvenile hall. The compromise however is no picnic. Kale will spend his summer trapped in his house under the ever watchful electronic watchdog, an ankle bracelet.

At first it's all videogames and cable TV but when mom (Carrie Ann Moss) cuts off both of his sources of entertainment, Kale finds his attention drawn to his neighbors windows. Using his high powered video camera and his dad's old binoculars, Kale begins capturing his neighbors routines. On one side he finds the new girl next door Ashley (Sarah Roemer). On the other side is Robert Turner, a creepy loner who fits the profile of a serial killer that Kale and his pal Ronny (Aaron Yoo) have been following on the news.

Soon the girl next door has joined the boys in their stakeout of the creepy neighbor who may or may not be a serial killer.

Disturbia takes the classic conceit of Hitchcock's Rear Window and updates it for the Ipod generation. Using plenty of modern gadgetry, director D.J Caruso uses technique to create tension and strong characters to create rooting interest and Disturbia becomes surprisingly involving. When it's quiet and watching Kale unfold his relationship with Ashley it has a John Hughes feel. When the tension is ratcheted up, Disturbia becomes old school Hitchcock by way of radio shack.

Shia Le Beouf is a young actor whose appeal is difficult to isolate. He isn't handsome, he doesn't cut a tough guy figure by any stretch. What he does have though is that classically Tom Hanks kind of goofy everyman thing. It is that quality that allows him to play the unique duality of Kale in Disturbia. On the one hand, he is an unlikely romantic interest for the beautiful girl next door. On the other hand he is the unlikely action hero running to the rescue.

David Morse is so effortlessly creepy he could be Giovonni Ribisi. With his imposing height and disquieting calm, Morse plays the creepy part of a serial with the zeal of a great method actor taking on Shakespeare's Hamlet. The script undercuts Morse's character by giving away too much too soon but that doesn't stop Morse from projecting menace well enough to keep you glued to the screen.

If there is one thing that irritates me about Disturbia it is that faux hip title. Disturbia as a title is too clever by half. It's just so market tested, as if an ad executive were trying to invent some hip teenage slang. Of course, if the one issue I can find with a movie is its title, that must be a pretty good movie. And, Disturbia is a pretty good movie, not great but really good.

Disturbia is a quick on its feet modern thriller, slightly predictable but endlessly watchable. Director D.J Caruso is old school in his approach to crafting and creating tension. He's also quite modern in the way he sews together two different genre aspects, the thriller and the coming of age romance. It helps to have a talented young cast to deliver on your vision and Caruso is blessed.

Shia Le Beouf may be a star in the making, watch for him in Transformers this summer, see him in Disturbia soon.

Movie Review Suspect Zero

Suspect Zero (2004) 

Directed by E Elias Merhige

Written by Zak Penn, Billy Ray 

Starring Aaron Eckhardt, Ben Kingsley, Carrie Ann Moss

Release Date August 27th, 2004

Published August 26th, 2004

“Remote viewing” is something fans of late night radio host Art Bell are very familiar with. The CIA is rumored to have used remote viewing to locate dangerous criminals until the concept was found unreliable. Remote viewing is essentially a psychic phenomenon. Viewers claim to be able to find people using only their mind, describing what they see by drawing a picture with their eyes closed.

While remote viewing has been debunked, see Penn & Teller's brilliant "Bullshit" series, it does make an interesting plot for a movie. Suspect Zero, starring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley, makes good use of it as a plot point but a weak performance from Eckhart is the film’s undoing.

Eckhardt stars as FBI agent Thomas Mackelway, recently returned to duty after a suspension. Mackelway had once been a top guy in the bustling Dallas office but now has been busted down to the relatively mundane Albuquerque office. As he's settling in to what he thinks will be a pretty dull gig he gets a big case, a murder that places the body directly on the New Mexico-Texas border.

Because the body is on the border, it is a federal investigation. The murder has the telltale signs of a serial killer. Numerous markings, a strange symbol (a zero with a line through it), and the victims eyelids have been cut off. The capper though is that, like most movie serial killers, the killer has specifically chosen Mackelway to be his opponent in a murderous game of cat and mouse.

Ah, but this film is a little more complex than other films of its genre. Our killer, Benjamin O'Ryan (Kingsley) has chosen his victims because they are serial killers. One of the victims happens to be the reason why Mackelway just got off suspension, he attacked the man and thus he got off on a technicality until O'Ryan came along and killed him. The manipulation here is pretty good; you sympathize with O'Ryan because he is killing bad guys.

O'Ryan tracks the killers through remote viewing, a skill he developed as an agent of the FBI. O'Ryan believes that Mackelway may have the gift as well. O'Ryan wants Mackelway to help him track down a killer he calls suspect zero, a killer who has killed indiscriminately across the entire country with no serial pattern. This suspect zero, O'Ryan believes, may be responsible for most of the unsolved murders in the country.

The film was directed by E. Elias Merhige, whose Shadow Of The Vampire was a quiet success back in 2000. Here his direction lacks the precision of Shadow. He falls way too in love with moving his camera, neglecting at times to secure it before moving it on a dolly, thus the camera shakes to distraction. Merhige uses way too many super tight close-ups, so close you can count nose hairs. Thankfully, toward the end of the film, Merhige's direction becomes tighter and the final 20 minutes get real good.

The most glaring problem of the film is star Aaron Eckhardt whose performance is uncertain and imprecise. It may be more the fault of Zak Penn's script for underwriting the character but clearly the character is off balance the entire film. The subplot about Mackelway possibly having the gift of remote viewing is never resolved though he spends a good deal of energy selling the pain of the migraines and visions that accompany the gift.

Also, hasn't this guy ever heard of the Internet? How is there not one computer in the entire FBI office? There is also a throwaway romantic plot with a former girlfriend and partner played by Carrie Ann Moss that just seems rote and unnecessary.

Who can blame Zak Penn for underwriting Eckhart's character when Ben Kingsley's O'Ryan is such a great part to write for? Kingsley is becoming known for strong performances in weak films, even earning an Oscar nomination for the over-hyped Sexy Beast. He's even not horrible in Thunderbirds where his righteous overacting is at least worth a few chuckles. Here he is riveting and more than believable as a man who has seen too many horrible things.

There is something so seedy and yet appealing about vigilante justice. You can't say it's okay to kill people but when O'Ryan comes upon a serial rapist, beats the hell out of him and kills him, you can't help but pause for a moment and think it's not so bad. I always love movies that test the limits of my morality, and sense of right and wrong and Suspect Zero does that.

I wish I could give Suspect Zero a full recommendation but that is impossible when the lead character just doesn't work. On the strength of Ben Kingsley's performance and the very good final reel, I can give Suspect Zero a partial recommendation.

Movie Review The Matrix Reloaded

Matrix Reloaded (2003) 

Directed by Lana and Lily Wachowski 

Written by Lana and Lily Wachowski 

Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving, Carrie Ann Moss, Harry Lennix, Jada Pinkett Smith, Randall Duk Kim 

Release Date May 15th, 2003 

Published May 14th, 2003 

You know a film is a true cultural phenomena when people show up dressed as the film's characters. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and now add to that The Matrix. Numerous guys dressed as Neo or Agent Smith, even a couple girls dressed as Trinity. No Morpheus, the dressing up thing seems to be mostly a white people thing.

The question is, is The Matrix worthy of such a following? If the reaction amongst the four sold out shows on opening night at my local theater is any indication, it won't matter what pop critics like myself say.

The battle for humanity continues in Matrix: Reloaded as Neo (Keanu Reeves) awaits a message from the Oracle that will advise him on his next move in the war against the agents of the Matrix. Before that message, Neo, along with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss), are called back to Zion to deal with the robot army that is digging towards the last human city. It's up to Morpheus to convince the people in charge that waiting for the Oracle is just as important as defending Zion. According to him, if prophecy is true there will be no need to defend Zion because the Matrix will be no more.

Standing against Morpheus is Commander Lock (Harry Lennix) the leader of Zion's military and the man who is now with Morpheus' ex, Niobe (Jada Pinkett Smith). Lock is more pragmatic than Morpheus and does not believe in the prophecy. Niobe seems uncertain either way. When the message from the Oracle is received, Neo reenters the Matrix and is told to seek out the mystical Key Maker (Randall Duk Kim) who can lead him to the Architect, the man who created the Matrix.

The Key Maker is being held by a rogue computer program called The Merovingian (Lambert Wilson). He is a program that was to be deleted by the Matrix but has escaped and hides out with other deleted programs, including his wife Persephone (Monica Bellucci) and the Twins (Adrian and Neil Rayment). Once they are able to get the Key Maker, he will lead them to the center of the Matrix where the Architect resides, only Neo can get there. According to the prophecy once he does, the Matrix will crumble.

Before all of this, Neo must first overcome a series of prophetic dreams in which he watches Trinity die. Oh, and there is also the problem of Agent Smith. Now free to roam the Matrix as a rogue program, Smith has developed the ability to copy himself infinitely, an ability he takes full advantage of in the fight scene that is the film’s center piece (Dubbed “the burly brawl” by the effects team). In the brawl, Neo fights off hundreds of Agent Smith's before simply flying away as he did at the end of the first film. The flying ability is something Neo puts to good use in Reloaded as he is still developing the talents that make him the One.

The best part of Matrix: Reloaded is the same thing that signified the original, its awe inspiring special effects. I already mentioned the burly brawl, and there is also a spectacular chase scene that reportedly cost a good portion of the film’s budget and 45 days of shooting. That’s longer than many entire films.

My favorite scene, however, is the opening fight scene with Trinity fighting off an agent as she flies through a window. The scene is repeated three times in the film as part of Neo's prophetic dream. Carrie Ann Moss looks so cool and so tough it makes the film for me. Especially cool is the gun barrel close-up as she falls out of the window and the use of bullet time that was made famous in the original.

Then there are the Twins, billed as Twin 1 and Twin 2. They seem like either ghosts or demons and have the ability to turn to smoke and fly through walls with an effect quite similar to the ones used in X2 for Alan Cummings’ Nightcrawler.

What's not so great is any scene that slows down for dialogue. The first forty minutes of the film, aside from Trinity's spectacular opening and Neo's brief battle with upgraded Agents, is surprisingly low key and heavy on dialogue, especially when we finally arrive in Zion. While there, Morpheus delivers a long-winded “win one for the Gipper” speech. Then there is a protracted rave scene intercut with Neo and Trinity having sex. Nothing wrong with the sex but I didn't go to see Keanu's butt, I came to see him kick butt.

The scene with the Oracle is the most tedious, though highly anticipated by fans who believe the film’s metaphors. It's nothing against the late great Gloria Foster but her Oracle's habit of answering a question with a question becomes annoying fast. I said in my review of the original that the film reminded me of a college student who studied philosophical quotes but not actual philosophy. In Reloaded that same college student is working those quotes into conversations but still hasn't studied what they really mean. The film's mythos is still vague enough for as many interpretations as you can think of. Though I think the sex scene should put to rest the Christ comparisons, unless there is an unknown bible passage where Jesus bangs Mary Magdalene.

As I said though, you see The Matrix for the action and on that level the film delivers big time. Using its big budget to improve upon the original effects, Reloaded surpasses the original and becomes one of the single greatest visceral action films ever. On par with the groundbreaking action of Terminator 2 and before that Star Wars, both the effects champions of their times.

Writer-Directors Lana and Lily Wachowski have created a special effects extravaganza. While I wasn't drawn in by its thin philosophical and metaphorical script, I am hotly anticipating Matrix: Revolutions just to see if they can top the special effects and edge of your seat excitement of Reloaded.

Movie Review: The Matrix Revolutions

The Matrix Revolutions (2003) 

Directed by The Wachowskis 

Written by The Wachowskis 

Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Ann Moss, Gloria Foster 

Release Date November 5th, 2003 

Published November 4th, 2003 

I was not of an age of reason when Return Of The Jedi was released. I did not understand the historical significance of Godfather Part 3. Now, years later and hopefully much wiser, I see those two films for what they are, the weakest films of two historically brilliant trilogies. So it should come as no surprise that the third film in The Matrix franchise, that one Critic I know called “Our Star Wars” is the weakest film of the three. Matrix Revolutions may not have anything as disappointing and sad as Ewoks in it, but its many flaws are almost as egregious.

Picking up exactly where The Matrix Reloaded left off, Revolutions begins with Neo on an operating table, comatose. Across from him is Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), now in human form having just sabotaged a number of Zion's defenses. From here we learn that Neo is trapped in between the Matrix and the real world. With the advice of the Oracle (Mary Alice, taking over for the late Gloria Foster) and under the protection of Seraph (Collin Chou), Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss) enter the Matrix to save Neo.

To re-enter The Matrix and rescue Neo, Morpheus and Trinity must battle the Merovingian (Lambert Wilson), an all powerful evil inside the machinery of The Matrix, and track down a new character called The Trainman (Bruce Spence). This is done in no more than 20 minutes into the movie and we are once again out of the Matrix and headed for Zion. First however we must wade through another 20 minutes of dull exposition before we reach the first of the films to major set-pieces, the battle for Zion.

Here is the odd thing about the battle: it takes place without Neo, Morpheus, Trinity or any other character that we have come to identify with The Matrix. This major sequence leans entirely on Nona Gaye's Zee and Clayton Watson as The Kid. There is also plenty of screen time for Nathaniel Lee as Captain Mifune, and though he is quite the badass fighter, we have had no time to invest anything in his fate until now. Without the major players involved, the battle for Zion feels like a completely different and far less involving film.

Once major fighting in The Battle for Zion halts in we get another agonizing 20 or so minutes of dull exposition as we wait for Neo and Trinity to make their way to the machine city and Neo's final showdown with Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith. There is a good deal of dialogue along the way meant to build Smith into the ultimate evil which I found deeply confusing because wasn't the Matrix itself the ultimate evil? Now, because the movie needs someone for Neo to punch, Agent Smith steps into the lead villain role and we lose the innate conflict of the first films in the trilogy, or at least that goes very much on the backburner in favor of ugly CGI fight scenes. 

Whether or not the Matrix is destroyed you will have to see for yourself and hopefully you will find something in it that I did not. This was an odd experience for me because I had given up on the metaphorical and philosophical ideas behind The Matrix after the slick, stylish The Matrix Reloaded showed the series to be merely about special effects. Yet as I watched Revolutions I couldn't help but search for those mythical metaphors and an inkling of the philosophy that so many said lay in the heart of the trilogy. To my disappointment, I was right. The philosophical roots of The Matrix are just not there and without that, The Matrix Revolutions and the franchise in general nothing but cold sterile computer generated special effects.