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The Matrix 4 Can Make Up For The Original Sequels' Mistakes
The Matrix 4 can expiate the shortcomings of the two earlier sequels in the series. Almost two decades after the third installment in the franchise, The Matrix: Revolutions, The Matrix 4 is set to continue one of the landmark series in all of science fiction. However, unlike the revivals of most long-dormant franchises, The Matrix 4 will be following a far less acclaimed end point of the original trilogy.
For as beloved as 1999's The Matrix remains to this day, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are on the receiving end of just as much disdain. The latter in particular has been the punchline of jokes for big franchises ending on notes of widespread disappointment for years (though the conclusion of Game of Thrones has arguably surpassed it in this regard). Nevertheless, the anticipation for The Matrix 4 cannot be denied.
Whether due to the series' long absence leaving audiences hungry for more or simply being the byproduct of the resurrection of a franchise that set the world on fire ages ago, the general audience dissatisfaction with The Matrix sequels has done little to dampen the excitement for the series' impending return to the big screen. This could prove to be to The Matrix 4's advantage, as the movie can not only expand on the mythos of The Matrix universe but can also rehabilitate its two predecessors.
The Original Matrix Movie Was Unique
It's easy to forget today just how earth-shattering an effect The Matrix made in 1999. Walking into theaters, moviegoers expecting a fun shoot-'em-up with a techno spin were completely unprepared for what The Matrix really was, a psychedelic dissertation on the very idea of what it means to be "real," and even this only scratches the surface of just how much the movie left the world collectively blown away. It's stunning bullet-time effects and superhuman martial arts action were both parodied and ripped-off ad nauseum for years to come, while Keanu Reeves' messianic protagonist Neo was a hero the likes of which audiences had never expected. The Matrix seamlessly combined deep philosophical explorations with mind-blowingly kinetic visuals.
On the other side of the coin, Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith was a simply unforgettable villain, while Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus single handedly made The Matrix into one of the most widely quoted movies of the decade. Add in Carrie Anne-Moss' thoroughly formidable warrior woman Trinity, and The Matrix was a perfect storm of sci-fi, action, epistemological questions, and larger-than-life characters that was the very definition of a runaway hit. As part one of a trilogy, The Matrix set the bar impossibly high.
Why The Matrix Sequels Were So Hated
The fact that both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions hit theaters in 2003, a release strategy that would not be replicated until the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is proof positive that the anticipation couldn't have been higher for the continuation of the first movie's story. However, while numerous reasons have been cited for the widespread disappointment in the two movies, a good deal of it can be boiled down to audiences feeling as if they'd been left with more questions than answers.
How does Neo still have his abilities outside of the Matrix? Who were his predecessors as The One? How has Zion been destroyed and rebuilt so many times? What exactly is the purgatory between The Matrix and the real-world Neo finds himself in? These and other questions were left far more open-ended than moviegoers were prepared to accept. That's to say nothing of just how much The Architect's monologue about The One's origins left many caught in a tailspin of scholarly dialogue or how Trinity's dying words were comically overextended. In essence, the Wachowskis' well-known predilection for leaving their stories open to interpretation ended up backfiring in The Matrix sequels.
How The Matrix 4 Can Improve The Sequels
The solution The Matrix 4 can offer to the two sequels' reception is the simplest one of just letting The Matrix universe lay all of its cards on the table. With The Matrix 4 already being described by Keanu Reeves as "very ambitious", it should also be the point where the series takes its deepest dive into how The Matrix's world came to be. Neo's five predecessors as The One, his use of his abilities outside of the Matrix, and the many other unanswered questions of the series should be explored, with Neo's return in the movie already providing a foundation.
Furthermore, there's already precedent for The Matrix series to dive into the history of its universe in the form of The Animatrix. A collection of nine anime short films released between Reloaded and Revolutions, The Animatrix is regarded by some as the best installment of the entire franchise, and that clearly has a lot to do with how thoroughly the anthology explored The Matrix universe. From devoting two films to mankind's downfall to the machines and the origins of The Matrix to exploring the stories of characters new and old (including the escape of Neo's plucky sidekick Kid from The Matrix), The Animatrix lays out a perfect template for The Matrix 4 to follow in exploring the loose ends left by the first two sequels and providing the resolution that audiences felt deprived of from the trilogy's original conclusion.
While The Matrix 4 itself isn't likely to fundamentally change or retcon anything about Reloaded or Revolutions, it can do a lot to fill in the blanks of their unsolved mysteries that left audiences feeling so unfulfilled. If the franchise's history with The Animatrix and the series' game-based continuation The Matrix Online are any indication, The Matrix 4 is likely aiming to expand the scope of the series anyway. With that in mind, providing viewers with answers to the questions that frustrated them in the first two sequels would go a long way towards making them and the entire Matrix series feel truly realized.
The Matrix 4 (2021)
Release Date: May 21, 2021
