Dammit! Did I miss a nerd fight?



Edit: dammit I need a nerd to teach me how to post gifs.

Is this a cowboys game thread now?

Personally, in and of itself, I think the CGI actually looks great. For me, though, it's the cinematography that's making *everything* look slightly cheap at times. There are a few of shots where it appears as if they're using digital cameras, which almost never look good, certain scenes are poorly/weirdly lit, and, again, the handheld stuff just doesn't feel very Matrixy at all.

Fogburn95 said:

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Dammit! Did I miss a nerd fight?



Edit: dammit I need a nerd to teach me how to post gifs.

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Tibbers said:

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I miss the green tint.

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I'm hoping there's a good reason it's gone.

johnnyblaze36 said:

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Fogburn95 said:

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Dammit! Did I miss a nerd fight?



Edit: dammit I need a nerd to teach me how to post gifs.

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Edit: dammit I give up.

TCTTS said:

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Personally, in and of itself, I think the CGI actually looks great. For me, though, it's the cinematography that's making *everything* look slightly cheap at times. There are a few of shots where it appears as if they're using digital cameras, which almost never look good, certain scenes are poorly/weirdly lit, and, again, the handheld stuff just doesn't feel very Matrixy at all.

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I'm about to post a theory of mine, so if you consider my personal opinion a spoiler, please stop reading now. [Posted in Compliance with the Spilner Rule]

I think this is going to be explained in a canonical sense. I think logistically it looks this way because it's been 20 years and movies look better. But it'll be explained in universe because, as I understand it, every "cycle" is completed with the machines "improving" the Matrix based on what they learned in the previous "cycle".

But not enough because humans can never have "perfect" even in the Matrix (was explained in the third film).

In other words, it actually buys into the breaking of the third wall theory - when we saw the matrix 20+ years ago it was probably in a non stadium seating theatre in a red, cottonpatch two part folding chair (no cupholder), our shoes squeaking every time on the spilled coke and popcorn. Watched it on 35mm film and a projectionist had to play it for you.

Welcome to Matrix Resurrections, where you can watch it in the theatre. Or, the exact same day in the comfort of your home. For no charge if you have HBO Max.

Welcome to the future! The greatest and latest version of "the matrix"

Just copy and save a file from gyphy and then upload to imgur and then copy that BBCode link and paste here and it should work for you.

Sorry I have nothing to else to add to this thread. Just found it funny and will exit now.

So here's something interesting...

I just looked it up, and they brought back John Toll, the cinematographer of the original trilogy. But they also brought in a second cinematographer, Daniele Massaccesi, who shot Cloud Atlas and some of Ridley Scott's latest films. That said, I've never heard of two cinematographers - especially of their stature - working on the same movie. So I wonder if Massaccesi is shooting a lot of the stuff we're seeing, but then - maybe - at some point, there are more classic/traditional-looking Matrix sequences that Toll shot? I have no idea, but it's certainly a weird wrinkle that hints at some kind of intentionality. Otherwise, why not just have Toll shoot the whole thing by himself?

You're probably on to something here.

4K version...

Cloud Atlas: underrated

Damnit. This is going to suck.


Trailer was kind of awesome. Still, it really just brings back all the ways the last movie failed the franchise.

Whatever computer world this is appears to be very distinctly set in San Francisco. Where as in the first three movies the computer world was basically just a generic city (but shot in Sydney). It could be as simple as Warner Bros got better tax breaks shooting in San Fran over Sydney this go around, but they still could have just as easily made San Fran appear more generic than it does here. Instead, it literally looks to take place in a computer generated San Francisco clone. I don't know if that means anything, just pointing it out.

Like a mini matrix that neo creates to bring back his dead girlfriend, but that then gets found by both computer viruses and rebels who try to pull him back into a conflict he wants to be done with?

Yeah, maybe

Theory spoilers so please don't read if you don't want to be theory spoiled.

That makes sense. I could see how Morpheus is just a program sent to Neo's created matrix to wake him up from his simulation. If you notice, Neo is now an old man in the mirror so he's been in this created reality for awhile. He's been lost so long he possibly forgets he created his artificial reality long ago possibly to cope with losing Trinity and failing Zion. Either that or The Architect created an artificial reality just for Neo to placate him. I like the idea that Neo being as powerful as he is would create his own reality to cope with loss.

Some folks similar to Morpheus and Trinity from the first Matrix film have woken up from the Matrix but need Neo to help them combat the agents and act as a rallying cry to others in the resistance. Trinity is as you guys have stated is a simulation as well, possibly created by Neo, possibly created by those who created Morpheus, again, to get Neo to wake up.

Neo realizing now that he must break free is stymied by the Agents sent to his reality to stop him. Possibly we learn that the Agents allowed the resistance to find Neo as Neo insulated himself not only from the world but from the Matrix as well.

Anyway, Neo must make a choice, leave his artificial reality to return to the Matrix to continue his quest and deal with the pain and loss of losing Trinity, failing Zion, and dealing with the pain of growing old or stay in his happy placation.

I think it would be neat if as we see at the end, he and Trinity make the leap of faith and together they kill his artificial reality only to resurrect in the real world to go back into the Matrix.

Perhaps in this film we never actually go into the Matrix at all. Perhaps we end at his choice of entering the Matrix and the next film (they will keep making these films right because I'm all for it) we finally get back to….The Matrix.

TCTTS said:

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Haven't watched yet but will soon...

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Finally watched this and I highly recommend doing the same.

Nice, yeah, I feel like a lot of this is probably in the ballpark.

Truth be told I didn't watch it beforehand. You're right, it's not.

At this point, based on the shots from the trailer of the machines doing something with Neo's body post-Revolutions, I *do* now think that he's physically still alive in the real world. And his mind is plugged into whatever digital world it's inhabiting, be it a new iteration of the Matrix or a digital world of his own creation. Either way, he obviously doesn't remember the events of the first three movies, and either Trinity's code or Morpheus' code or (who are both almost assuredly dead in the real world) are sent to remind Neo of who he once was and to wake him up, so to speak. But sending both of them to *might* feel a bit suspect, so I'm wondering if there are competing factions this go-around, sent to lead Neo down two potential paths, one worse than other. And maybe Yorpheus (Young Morpheus) is secretly one of the bad guys in this iteration. He's seemingly dressed as an agent in a couple shots, so who knows. Regardless, I don't think there's any way it'll be as simple as man vs machine this time. Either that dynamic has been flipped somehow, or its way more gray, with man and machine having teamed up to some capacity on one side or the other.

I say Trinity has to be dead in the real world, but then again there's this shot of her clearly plugged into the new, present-day Matrix (or whatever digital world). Notice there's a new plug/jack lower down her neck, and that the old, 1999 Matrix plug/jack is still in her head, going unused, implying this is the same body from back then. In other words, I don't know what to think...

I'm a big fan of movies that incorporate the bad narrator concept and perhaps that's what this film is doing. Morpheus was a good guy in the first, the resistance were good guys as well, perhaps in this film they are not. Perhaps even more cool is that trinity is a program created by bad actors to placate Neo but like all programs, can be rewritten, perhaps by Neo as love conquers evil. (Cue the Huey Lewis and the News song)

As to why we see Trinity plugged into the Matrix there, say she did die in real life, maybe the machines have kept her on life support in a way and that would make the end scene all the more impactful knowing that if they do "wake up" she would then die. Tough choice for Neo.

Perhaps machines have become so powerful and the Matrix as well that humans would fight against Neo to rage against that which would kill the machine/the matrix. We are so placated by our own devices and we have become so reliant on AI and our devices that like taking a petulant child's phone away for acting up, humanity rebels against those that seek to do so.

I'm just curious as to why the machines would want Neo to wake up. Perhaps if he does so, he counteracts the truce and the machines who are very binary and rules driven, need that to occur so they can end the only potential threat against them.

Yeah, exactly. Think about what Reloaded did. It took the entire concept of "the one" and completely flipped it on its head. Turns out it was just another system of control, a reveal that I absolutely loved. So I can see them doing something similar here, with the bad narrator concept you mention, and flipping the whole man vs machine thing on its head as well, or at least to a degree.

Either way, I'm suspicious that it's yet another first act of Neo being awoken to the reality that he's trapped in the Matrix. Or, rather, he's being awoken to that fact, but maybe the reality on the other side isn't as clear-cut and ultimately the "right" reality this go-around. What if, instead, the bad guys are the ones "waking him up" this go around, and they do so shrouded in roughly the same act one arc from the first movie. So, where as Neo learning of his true reality and entering the real world at the end of act one in the first movie was ultimately a good thing, maybe here, for whatever reason, it's more complicated and nefarious than that. So there's a nefarious group "waking him up" for nefarious reasons, but then there's a competing, good-guy faction trying to either stop them or wake Neo up to a higher truth. Something along those lines, maybe.

Been thinking about the trilogy, and where it went wrong for me. The CGI in the Smith fight was so bad that it was one spot for a while, but when I started to think about the Matrix as a video game/computer program, I eventually made my peace with being able to look at that as looking like a video game.

But from a storytelling standpoint, the 2nd one ends with this massive cliffhanger: neo can control the machines in the real world. Total WTF moment. Enter Matrix 3. The only explanation you get for how someone not in the matrix controls the machines from the matrix comes from like a 10 second conversation with the Oracle. Neo asks how he did it, and the answer:

"The power of the One extends beyond this world. It extends all the way back to the source."

So now Neo's organic body can - what - emit radiowaves that can control machines via wifi or something? A very different kind of WTF moment.

If anyone can explain that piece to me, I would be very grateful because it's always stood in the way of my enjoying that last movie.

Agreed completely with what you are saying. This story must be fresh, it must further its allegories, andit must use the material of the story that the viewer is already familiar. Maybe the only good guy in this is Neo and the only reason he is good and different from all the rest is his love of Trinity or just his concept of love in general. Materialism, from the machines to humanity and all the hoopla of the matrix in general vs. the very core of the strongest connection that breaks all barriers and that's love. It's a concept that regardless of iteration, regardless of imitation, regardless of simulation, the one thing that binds humanity and is impossible for machines to both comprehend, recreate or placate.

Humanity and its absence of love can churn humanity into a sea of tormented souls acting as if zombies to tear and gnaw at ideas that can't feel on their own or long so desperately to have again. Machines are obviously cold and unfeeling so that's obvious but humanity can be just as cold and unfeeling and worse still jealous at the notion of happiness, love and joy if not felt.

It's basically Neo vs. Twitter.

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Been thinking about the trilogy, and where it went wrong for me. The CGI in the Smith fight was so bad that it was one spot for a while, but when I started to think about the Matrix as a video game/computer program, I eventually made my peace with being able to look at that as looking like a video game.

But from a storytelling standpoint, the 2nd one ends with this massive cliffhanger: neo can control the machines in the real world. Total WTF moment. Enter Matrix 3. The only explanation you get for how someone not in the matrix controls the machines from the matrix comes from like a 10 second conversation with the Oracle. Neo asks how he did it, and the answer:

"The power of the One extends beyond this world. It extends all the way back to the source."

So now Neo's organic body can - what - emit radiowaves that can control machines via wifi or something? A very different kind of WTF moment.

If anyone can explain that piece to me, I would be very grateful because it's always stood in the way of my enjoying that last movie.

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Honestly, for as many issues as the sequels had, that one never really bothered me. Neo and every other human in the real world obviously had highly advanced, nuts-and-bolts tech hardwired directly into their brains. So it didn't seem at all odd to me that Neo's tech, in particular, had some kind of - yeah, for lack of a better word - special "WiFi" capability that could interact with and affect the machines in the real world, that was also remotely connected to the source. Not really all that different from the Google Nest WiFi Router and mesh system I have in my house, just on a way bigger scale, with Neo's robo-brain acting as an extension/additional point of the router/source. Granted, that entire summer between Reloaded and Revolutions I was utterly convinced the real world was another Matrix/system of control. But once that was revealed not to be the case, I had no issue with Neo having the capabilities he had in the real world.

Tibbers said:

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Agreed completely with what you are saying. This story must be fresh, it must further its allegories, andit must use the material of the story that the viewer is already familiar. Maybe the only good guy in this is Neo and the only reason he is good and different from all the rest is his love of Trinity or just his concept of love in general. Materialism, from the machines to humanity and all the hoopla of the matrix in general vs. the very core of the strongest connection that breaks all barriers and that's love. It's a concept that regardless of iteration, regardless of imitation, regardless of simulation, the one thing that binds humanity and is impossible for machines to both comprehend, recreate or placate.

Humanity and its absence of love can churn humanity into a sea of tormented souls acting as if zombies to tear and gnaw at ideas that can't feel on their own or long so desperately to have again. Machines are obviously cold and unfeeling so that's obvious but humanity can be just as cold and unfeeling and worse still jealous at the notion of happiness, love and joy if not felt.

It's basically Neo vs. Twitter.

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Very well said. I think they'll mix things up quite a bit, but the "love" theme will remain a cornerstone for sure.

I like the idea, from the ScreenCrush video above, of the machines potentially learning to be more empathetic and human, while the humans have potentially become more un-empathetic and machine-like. Would certainly speak to today's social media landscape, like you mention.

TCTTS said:

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WW84, In the Heights, Tenet, Godzilla vs Kong, and Dune this year.

The Matrix 4, The Batman, Space Jam 2, and The Suicide Squad next year.

Quite a big-name slate for WB over the next two years.

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Great bump. This was the very next post. Couple duds in there for sure.

Brian Earl Spilner said:

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Here's an interesting thought...how will they access the Matrix if there are no landlines now? It looks like everyone has modern day cellphones.

Maybe it's the mirror.

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It will probably be one of those stupid Tonal mirror things. LOL