The Matrix Resurrections is the first “Matrix” movie since 2003’s “The Matrix Revolutions,” but it is not the first time we’ve seen the franchise in theaters this year. That distinction goes to “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” the cinematic shareholder meeting for Warner Bros. with special celebrity guests that inserted Looney Tunes characters Speedy Gonzales and Granny into a scene from “The Matrix.”
Speedy Gonzales dodged slow-motion bullets; Granny jumped in the air and kicked a cop in the face like Trinity. The 2003 animation omnibus “The Animatrix” detailed how the Matrix was created, how an apocalyptic war against robots led to human suffering being harvested to fuel a world of machines; there should be an addendum that includes this scene from “Space Jam: A New Legacy” to show what it all led to.
This is the reality that we live in—one ruled by Warner Bros.’ Serververse—and it is also the context that rules over “The Matrix Resurrections.” The film bears the name of director Lana Wachowski, returning to the cyberpunk franchise that made her one of the greatest sci-fi/action directors, but be warned that no force is remotely as strong as Warner Bros. wanting a lighter and brighter take on “The Matrix.” “The Matrix Resurrections” is a reboot with some striking philosophical flourishes, and grandiose set-pieces where things go boom in slow motion, but it is also the weakest and most compromised “Matrix” film yet.
The Matrix Resurrections is an American science fiction action film produced, co-written, and directed by Lana Wachowski. It is the sequel to The Matrix Revolutions (2003), and serves as the fourth installment in The Matrix film series overall. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith reprise their roles from previous films in the series, where they are joined by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Christina Ricci.
The film will be a joint production by Village Roadshow Pictures and Venus Castina Productions and is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures theatrically on December 22, 2021; it will also stream digitally on the ad-free tier of HBO Max in the United States for a month beginning on that same date.
Under the code name “Project Ice Cream”, the film began production in San Francisco on February 4, 2020. Filming also took place at Babelsberg Studio in Germany, and in Chicago. Filming in San Francisco caused irritation amongst residents and city workers after damage was inflicted to buildings and street lights. As in the case of other productions like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (both 2021), the producers had to pay $420,000 to the San Francisco Police Department so they could film in the city. As opposed to other productions, no second unit was needed during the action sequences as Wachowski directed all the scenes herself.
The film was initially set for release on May 21, 2021, which would have premiered alongside John Wick: Chapter 4 also starring Keanu Reeves. However, the film was postponed to April 1, 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 5, 2020, the film was moved to December 22, 2021. The film is set to be the final film from Warner Bros. Pictures to have a simultaneous release on the HBO Max streaming service for one month as part of the studio’s plans for all of its 2021 theatrical films, as Warner Bros. will discontinue the release model in 2022 in favor of a 45-day exclusive theatrical window as part of new agreements the studio reached with Cineworld (which owns Regal Cinemas) and AMC Theatre.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Directed by: Lana Wachowski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Neil Patrick Harris, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff
Screenplay by: Lana Wachowski, David Mitchell, Aleksandar Hemon
Production Design by: Hugh Bateup, Peter Walpole
Cinematography by: John Toll
Film Editing by: Joseph Jett Sally
Costume Design by: Lindsay Pugh
Set Decoration by: Lisa Brennan, Barbara Munch
Art Direction by: Ravi Bansal, Richard Bloom, Daniel Frank
Music by: Johnny Klimek, Tom Tykwer
MPAA Rating: R for violence and some language.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: December 22, 2021 (United States)
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