The film received generally positive reviews from critics but was a box-office disappointment, grossing only $159 million worldwide against a production budget of $190 million. It received a nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 75th British Academy Film Awards. A sequel is currently in development.
Summary. The Matrix 4 failed to meet expectations set by the original trilogy, receiving poor reviews and performing worse at the box office. The absence of Lawrence Fishburne as Morpheus in The Matrix 4 frustrated fans who adored his portrayal of the character in the previous films.
The studio has announced plans to continue the franchise, with a fifth Matrix movie now in development. It will be the first installment in the cyber-action film series without either Lana or Lily Wachowski as directors.
Lana Wachowski delivers a surprisingly meta, self-aware movie about the original trilogy packed with bold, fascinating ideas but an absolutely terrible execution.
Screenwriter John August has diagnosed that the problem with the Matrix sequels was that they were “playing obscurity for depth”, i.e. obfuscating the internal logic of the characters' choices in order to make the audience fearful of dismissing it, just in case they were missing something that they just didn't get.
The Matrix Resurrections Should Never Have Been Made
Did Will Smith reject Matrix?
In fact, Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix to star in the critically panned western adaptation. His decision leaves many spectators wondering why he chose not to take on a role that's now considered iconic in both the sci-fi and action genres.
Of the three movies, this one felt most like a chore to sit through; the sequels didn't live up to the originality of the premise established by "The Matrix', and more or less were made in favor of the action packed fight and combat scenes.
Laurence Fishburne, who played Morpheus in the original “Matrix” trilogy, did not return to the franchise for “Resurrections.” Morpheus is long dead during the events of the sequel, but an artificial intelligence based off of the leader (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) does play a major role in the story.
Additionally, Neo has also risen from death not once but twice in The Matrix and The Matrix Resurrections, solidifying that he is by far the most powerful character in The Matrix franchise.
Parents need to know that The Matrix Resurrections is the long-awaited (but underwhelming) fourth Matrix movie, the first since 2003's The Matrix Revolutions. Expect effects-heavy action violence, including lots of guns and shooting; fighting, kicking, and punching; bloody wounds (a throat…
The Matrix is an American cyberpunk media franchise consisting of four feature films, beginning with The Matrix (1999) and continuing with three sequels, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions (both 2003), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021).
At the same time, Smith develops an animosity towards the Matrix itself, feeling that he is as much a prisoner of it as the humans he is tasked with controlling. He later develops an immense and increasingly open desire for the destruction of both mankind and machines.
If you pair this sub-par reaction and receiving of the film to its loyal and most-dedicated fans, you can only imagine how that would translate to new or non-fans – there was very little interest from new-watchers of the film as they were not exactly hearing the most positive reviews since the film's release – this ...
Laurence Fishburne will not take another trip down the rabbit hole. The actor told New York Magazine that he “has not been invited” to reprise his iconic role in Lana Wachowski's “The Matrix” sequel. “I have not been invited. Maybe that will make me write another play.
Morpheus died in The Matrix Online, a game that is part of the “Matrix Expanded Universe” and is considered Matrix canon. Therefore, Morpheus' death could not be ignored in The Matrix Resurrections. As for Agent Smith, Hugo Weaving could not return for The Matrix Resurrections due to scheduling conflicts.
According to the actor who originally played Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), he simply wasn't invited back to reprise the role. The writer/producer/director of Resurrections, Larry Wachowski, never even contacted Fishburne about playing Morpheus again.
The film received nominations at the 72nd Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing, winning all four categories.
Nicholas Cage also turned down the role due to family obligations, and Val Kilmer, one of the producers' top picks, turned down both the role of Neo and Fishburne's Morpheus. Instead, he worked on the poorly received At First Sight. Interestingly, Sandra Bullock was also considered for the role, with Warner Bros.
Reloaded and Revolutions have tons of exposition and still don't really make much sense. The Matrix movies make total sense if you know how to analyze movies and have the prerequisite insight into the queer experience. Alas, most people didn't, and still don't, and so they appear as an incomprehensible mess.
She played the Oracle in The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003); however, she died during filming and was thus unable to portray her role in the third film. As a result, Mary Alice replaced her in The Matrix Revolutions and Enter the Matrix.
