Understanding Matrix Resurrections
One random day 4 years ago I decided to write my interpretation of the previous 3 Matrix films and now a 4th has arrived. So lets dive into this and try and make sense of the reboot. Let me remind again though - interpreting a film may never have a correct answer. This is just mine.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
We start this film in an eerily close way to how the original movie (The Matrix) began. This is down to the exact spoken word between the 1st and 4th film even at times overlaying the original film. However, instead of us recognizing the usual Trinity and actress behind her we are left with someone who the audience does not recognize and additionally we are watching this from the perspective of new characters watching this encounter from within The Matrix.
This new character Bugs helps teach us that we are watching a simulation of the Matrix within the Matrix. This might be a shout out to all the fan theories of the previous films of just that explanation.
The agents are breathing down on Bugs though and we find one agent in particular that is referred to and speaks like Mr. Smith, but is stumbling embodiment of Morpheus. A quick encounter and red pill vs blue pill with this program and it is freed and now sentient losing the behavior of the agent inside.
We loop back to what is perceived as the real world, but obviously the Matrix with Neo back as Mr. Anderson. He is watching his sandbox ("modal") and noticing the breach that Bugs caused and nervous what is happening.
We learn that Mr. Anderson is a top game designer building a trilogy of games that are a mimic to the first three films. We are many layers deep in trying to understand of what is going on - Neo is in the Matrix, but building a game of the Matrix within the Matrix. He sees a therapist who prescribes a blue pill in which Neo abruptly stops taking during this film.
His boss is another walking mimic of Mr. Smith and at times also repeats exact phrases from the earlier films. Like we've become accustomed to at the 20 minute mark to always being reminded of the nostalgia of the earlier films.
Morpheus (The machine iteration) is working with Bugs to extract Neo from the Matrix, but once again agents are intervening. We get to witness another extraction routine that had some slight differences from the original films, but then eventually at the 50 minute mark - Neo awakes in the real world again.
We are left at this point in time lost beyond belief. Neo was killed alongside Trinity in the 3rd film and now the physical real world bodies of both are back alive. As Neo awakes he looks in front of his battery pod and spots Trinity's pod. Both of these pods are elevated and positioned in a way that suggests these batteries are far more important than the rest. Which does poke a plot hole on why one of those bodies can be awakened with no other legitimate machine enemy reacting in time.
Neo struggles to return to the real world immediately and instead has to take part in various Matrix simulations with Morpheus to help realize that his current life was a lie. When this is done we learn that Zion no longer exists and our followed ship (The Mnemosyne) is heading back to the newest human refuge - Io.
We meet Niobe who has aged 60 years and reminds us of what happened since Neo's war with Mr. Smith in Matrix 3. Turns out that famous battle in Matrix 3 had some side effects that awoken or introduced sentience in some machines. It was clear the war of Zion vs machines would never end - so Io took a different approach with humans and some machines working together.
We know from an explanation that wars broke out between the machines after the 3rd movie because the source of power was diminishing. This led to a new machine power rising known "The Analyst" with "The Architect" falling out of the picture as told from Niobe via The Oracle. We learn the human Morpheus after the 3rd movie was elected to the council and then passed of old age.
So now we have Neo in the real world wanting to go back into the Matrix to unplug Trinity and reunite the pair again. Basically a role switch from the 1st movie where Trinity was unplugged rescuing Neo and now Neo is rescuing Trinity.
Near instantly after jumping back into the Matrix we find that Mr. Smith has stumbled upon the group with additional exiled machines. The machines strangely want the Matrix back to the previous iterations, because at that time exiled machines were not purged. So the success of the older programs like Mr. Smith and The Merovingian just want to return to an older era by killing Neo.
A fight breaks out, but now Neo is beginning to realize that his powers have no limits in this Matrix world. He ends up defeating Mr. Smith again with an extreme use of power and they are off to rescue Trinity/Tiffany.
Unfortunately as Neo encounters Trinity we finally learn the therapist or Analyst is the one pulling all the strings. This is where many dots are connected from the previous films. The Analyst exposes a new feature known as "bullet-time" so the machines can control the timing of the Matrix slowing the humans jacked in.
This begins the monologue and boy we learn a lot. The Analyst was present when Neo died at the end of the 3rd movie or as they refer to him as The Anomaly. They realized Neo generates such immense amount of energy inside The Matrix that when Neo was gone - power was less than intended. The Analyst then convinced the "suits" or machine overlords to resurrect Neo and Trinity
Through a slow expensive process of rebuilding tissue and matter. Neo and Trinity were born again the real world to be immediately jacked back into the Matrix. However, it was learned that if they were split up there was no benefit of energy - just two additional batteries in the cog. United though and the simulation or Matrix would collapse - so the Analyst found a happy middle. A simulation where both Neo and Trinity would see each other, but due to some tricks and stimulation never really connect the dots together.
Neo suffered from a machine manipulation that made his personal perception of his image different than how every other machine saw him. At times though characters and even machines could recognize the true behavior under a false skin and realized Neo was himself all along.
The monologue continues explaining the previous iterations of the Matrix worked on facts and stats which is not how the human brain works. The Analyst moved to an approach that mixed desire with fear and human subjects never attempted to leave their pod, because they feared what they couldn't have and desired to keep the same old life moving.
Neo escapes back to the real world and the ship he accompanies is marshaled back to Io for violating orders. While discussing with Niobe a familiar machine from the 3rd movie returns. Sati, the tiny girl from the train station has now grown up and offering information and help. Shes a machine after all, so maybe she controls how she wants to look in The Matrix because she sure as hell doesn't look 60 years older.
Sati's father is the architect behind the resurrection pods that Neo and Trinity were enslaved in. Sati now holds the secrets to this resurrection chamber, a knowledge she obtained, but a death price her father paid for sharing it. This knowledge was not known to Niobe so this kicks off a game plan explained while the plan is being executed during the explanation. This reminds me of the 2nd movie while the key maker is explaining what needs to be done - as its done.
The plan to rescue Trinity is on, but this time this isn't a classic red pill and rescue. This is a live unplug of Trinity when the time is right. This isn't exactly clear how this works, especially since the first few movies established that unplugging a brain while trapped in the Matrix is suicide. However, we now have machines following our characters with the ability to jack into the Matrix at a moment's notice so perhaps this is what allows the bending of rules.
Neo, back in the Matrix, visits the coffee shop to meet with Trinity. However, The Analyst and a bunch of agents are already present. This helps enforce that this iteration of this Matrix is more focused about the individual livelihood of Neo and Trinity than a shared space to enslave all humans.
Trinity arrives, which surprises me, since what enslaved human enters a coffee shop with 98 police officers shoulder to shoulder to obtain a coffee. It's clear she already understands or at least dreams that this life is not her own. It sounds like Tiffany (Trinity) may not believe this new life, but it only takes a few moments until it clicks in her head. She says the famous - "My name is Trinity", which is a flip of "My name is Neo" from the previous films.
Trinity's dream is now being lived in the Matrix - Neo and Trinity are united, but the Analyst intervenes and freezes time. It seems quite bleak until Mr. Smith returns to resume time after a short battle with The Analyst. Mr. Smith's loyalty is still confusing, but at times both Neo and Mr. Smith will have a common enemy of The Analyst.
With The Analyst temporarily subdued from Mr. Smith, our two main character escape the scene to attempt to leave The Matrix. Neo is showing an increase amount of world breaking power to bend energy as Trinity races through the streets.
The real world preforms a hot swap on Trinity's brain to unplug her from connection in the resurrection pod to the mobile machine station using Bugs to trick the machines. This apparently unlocks her connection to truly understand the fake world in which she is imprisoned and creates an odd temporary effect (shown above) in The Matrix. Trinity shares the same gift of Neo to manipulate the Matrix, but the Analyst returns for a brief moment to activate "Swarm" - which turns all imprisoned minds against the threat as Neo/Trinity continue to escape.
While the Analyst also sent thousands of Sentinels to kill the resurrection bodies in the real world - they are too late. A bit unbelievable given the time, energy and effort to resurrect those bodies and yet no sentinels were guarding the actual resurrection chamber.
Neo and Trinity race and escape until they find themselves on top of a roof. Trinity shows an extreme change of power and can levitate & fly. She stops their suicide jump and while not shown in picture gets them safely ejected from The Matrix.
The music begins to play and it seems this movie was setting up another possible sequel. Trinity and Neo are back in the real world, but both make visits to The Matrix with the ability to fly and manipulate energy. They make one last visit to the Analyst for a few words.
They question the Analyst why he hasn't been purged and we learn the Analyst still understands enough about humans, Neo and Trinity to be kept alive by the machines. The movie ends with Trinity and Neo promising to make some changes to the Matrix to help the enslaved minds as they fly around together.