This is my first post to cinetv. I didn't even know this site existed. @thelogicaldude mentioned it on Twitter so I thought I'd check it out.
I just finished watching The Matrix Resurrections on HBO Max and I've really got mixed feelings about this reboot. I'm going to try and write this review without any spoilers and just talk a little about my thoughts and feelings about the film.
First off, I'm a HUGE fan of The Matrix films. I liked all 3 as they were released and also the Animatrix. So I had really high hopes and even larger expectations. Honestly, I was a little disappointed. I thought it fell a little flat.
I honestly thought about going to the cinema to see this one and after watching at home, I'm glad I didn't go. The first hour and forty five minutes seemed almost underproduced and even low budget at times. I was expecting action packed from start to finish. I feel it started slow and by slow it seemed to take over an hour and half for any real action.
The plot seems a little boring and it almost seems more like a love story than an action movie at first. With that said, I think this movie could have taken off in 1000 different directions other than the direction they decided to take.
For anyone that might be new to The Matrix franchise or not a huge fan of the earlier films I think the first hour and a half might even be confusing to them. The movie just assumes you know the back story IMHO. That wouldn't be bad if it wasn't such a large part of the movie. We're talking about an hour and half before things really begin to develop.
Most of the characters seem to be played by other actors which seemed a bit strange. It was hard getting used to these new faces playing old characters we came to know and love over the years. Also, those were some really big shoes to fill after the earlier releases. IMHO the early Matrix franchise is now a cult classic. Ironic really because it feels like just yesterday when I seen the first Matrix at the cinema and that was 20 years ago now.
About an hour and 45 minutes into this movie it finally started to feel like it was building up into something. That old familiar Matrix vibe starts to creep in. Somehow though it just seemed to fall flat for me. Maybe it was my expectation. Maybe I just built it up to large in my head.
Lets face it, two and half hours is pretty long for a movie. Where this movie ends is actually where I would have liked to see the movie start. Even the ending fell flat for me. Just like the first Matrix it seems to hint at another movie coming. It's almost like this movie was to prepare this generation of fans for the real movie that has yet to be released. I don't know how else to explain it without giving away to many details and secrets.
I have to admit I wasn't crazy about this reboot. I'm a huge fan and I expected so much more but I've already said that repeatedly. If they do release a part 2 to the Resurrection series I probably will watch it. It's like this movie was preparing us for the real one. Now that the back story is out of the way the directors and producers can create an action packed thriller that is worthy of the franchise name. I guess that's where I'm going with this review. It almost seems like they created this movie as a primer for something better to come. At least that was my perception of the film and my hope for the future.
I'll probably do a more detailed review of the film in the future after it has been released for awhile. I didn't want to post any spoilers here considering it's the release day. I think this franchise has such potential and I think the reboot fell flat in my humble opinion. Somehow, I don't think this is the end of the story though. Hopefully future installments will live up to my expectations!
Maybe I expected to much and I'm being a little harsh. Have you seen the new movie? Agree / Disagree? I'd love to hear the thoughts of some other fans out there.