The Matrix: Resurrections – trailer and title unveiled

Luca Fontana

25.8.2021

Translation: Veronica Bielawski

Warner Bros. has not only revealed the title of the fourth «The Matrix» movie, but also an unofficial trailer. It isn’t publicly available yet. But initial descriptions hint at the story.

The title of the fourth «The Matrix» movie has been revealed: «The Matrix: Resurrections». The movie studio Warner Bros. made the announcement at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, California, the world’s largest convention for cinema operators.

A first, unofficial trailer was also unveiled. You can find a summary of the trailer below, based on descriptions by those lucky enough to have seen it at CinemaCon; the trailer is not yet available to the public. It’s not yet known when Warner Bros. will release the first official trailer.

«The Matrix: Resurrections» opens in US theatres as well as on HBO Max on 17 December 2021. Outside the United States, the movie is expected to open on 1 April 2022.

The trailer: Neo is back – and must awaken

Let’s recap: At the end of «The Matrix: Revolutions» Neo (Keanu Reeves) gave his life to defeat Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), a program that even the Matrix was no longer able to control. In return, the Architect (Helmut Bakaitis) promised him peace with humanity – along with the possibility for anyone who wants to leave the Matrix to do so.

«How long will peace last?» the architect asked the Oracle (Mary Alice) at the end of the movie.

«As long as possible,» answered the Oracle.

In Part 4, peace seems to be coming to an end. The trailer is set in futuristic San Francisco. Neo aka Thomas Anderson is there, unable to recall past events. But something isn’t quite right. Time and again, he sees green Matrix code. His psychiatrist (Neil Patrick Harris) thinks he’s insane and gives him blue pills. Later, Neo meets a woman in a coffee shop.

«Have we met before?» she asks.

It’s Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss).

Then a new, mysterious figure (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) appears. It looks like a young Morpheus.

«Time to fly,» says the figure, giving Neo a red pill. Neo then meets a person with blue hair and a bunny tattoo (Max Riemelt). This person guides him through a mirror. Neo awakens.

Cue the action: Neo is training in martial arts with the young Morpheus. He gets shot at by a sniper... and freezes the bullet in mid-air. Telekinesis. Suddenly, Trinity is also there. She and Neo are in a helicopter, being pursued by a missile. Neo uses telekinesis to divert the missile toward another helicopter.

By all accounts, the action scenes feature quick cuts typical of a trailer. The iconic bullet time scene was reportedly also in the trailer.

What could this mean?

In short: Neo either didn’t die in Part 3 after all, or the Machines took over his being in the Matrix. That would be something new. According to the Architect, the Machines can easily make clones of Neo. He himself is, after all, the sixth version of himself.

Neo was created by the Machines for the purpose of ending the current Matrix cycle as soon as the human population outside the Matrix cracked the 100,000 mark, at which point it had to be destroyed by the Machines. In other words, population control. His job was to select a handful of people to repopulate Zion, the human city outside the Matrix. This in turn would start a new Matrix cycle and ensure the continuation of mankind.

But what the Machines can never control is Neo’s personhood. In fact, his sixth reincarnation is the only one that refuses to cooperate with the Machines, which is what sets up the events in the third Matrix movie. So, transferring sixth Neo’s personhood to a seventh body – perhaps through the Matrix – would be new territory.

Will the Matrix need a chosen one, i.e. The One, again? Or has Neo’s subconscious found a way back into the Matrix itself? It’s all speculation. And then there’s Trinity, who actually also died in Part 3. Maybe this time it will be Neo who gets Trinity out of the Matrix.

We’ll see.

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.» more