[movie] The Matrix 4

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El Guapo
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Re: [movie] The Matrix 4

Post by El Guapo »

Well right, but that sequence also includes a number of scenes (including the highway chase!) in which you cannot watch Monica Bellucci in that dress.

Like if the highway sequence had agents who had taken the form of Monica Bellucci chasing the heroes who for some reason are also Monica Belluccis, then I would be in.
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Sudy
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Re: [movie] The Matrix 4

Post by Sudy »

I think this is a worthy follow-up to the Matrix series, and marginally worthwhile entertainment in general. Is it a worthy follow-up to The Matrix (1999) specifically? No, but then most of us didn't think the initial sequels were either.

It's amazing how little the action matters in this film. Some of it's still fun to watch, but mostly I just wanted to get back to the character interactions. It's really neat that a peace was maintained and that there are neutral/friendly machines now. But the latter goes a bit too far, making them feel like pets. The ending leaves things open for a sequel, but I was glad to read that none is currently planned. I just don't think there's much left for this franchise to say.

Even though it's more straightforward than the initial sequels, I still frequently found it hard to follow or understand multiple characters' motivations. The characters and acting are quite good, but the story seems frustratingly anti-climactic in contrast to the original trilogy. Mostly I think because the scope of the conflict is poorly framed despite ample exposition.

I don't have a problem with the meta stuff... I think it's interesting, and I also liked directly revisiting the world of the original film in a way almost reminiscent of Back to the Future II. But the focus shifts midway through the film, and part of me was always wondering if we'd uncovered the final reality (and was then disappointed when we had).

3.5/5. Fans of the original will be happy, but then they'll be sad.


Edit: Or maybe it's bad fanfic, I dunno. Sequels are almost always so disappointing. I couldn't have imagined sitting down to this 20 years in the future after seeing the original.

I saw a commercial on late night TV. It said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were. -- Mitch Hedberg
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Kraken
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Re: [movie] The Matrix 4

Post by Kraken »

Sudy wrote: Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:02 am It's amazing how little the action matters in this film.
My main complaint was the long scenes that could be summed up with a stage direction: "They fight; ___ wins." All the choreography and wire work was just distraction from the story, and the runtime could've been a lot shorter than 2.5 hours. I guess a lot of viewers come for the action, but my attention wandered.

The story was better than I expected. I saw the first movie in the theater when it came out, so I only dimly remembered it, and didn't see the sequels at all. Yet I didn't feel left out in this film, even when some scenes were obvious callbacks.

I was entertained enough and felt drawn back into the Matrix universe...but I wouldn't recommend the movie to other non-fans. I only watched it because HBO was counting down the days left while Wife was out of town, and she had zero interest in seeing it. 4/8 tentacles.
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Grifman
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Re: [movie] The Matrix 4

Post by Grifman »

I just watched and really enjoyed it. Loved the original, thought #2 was ok, hated #3, so I’m not a fanboy by any means.
Spoiler:
Loved the meta, the idea that the first 3 were video games and there was an upcoming sequel - for Warner Bros even - was hilarious, especially the development meeting. And I enjoyed all the callbacks, such as the crazy Merovingian.
All in all, it was a lot of fun.
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Sudy
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Re: [movie] The Matrix 4

Post by Sudy »

Spoiler:
And I enjoyed all the callbacks, such as the crazy Merovingian.
Spoiler:
I enjoyed the character reappearing, but his meta dialogue (at least what I understood, in English) was a little ham-fisted and I felt like the movie had gone a different direction but that point. It got a bit silly and I felt like I was watching a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film for a moment.

I thought too many programs were resurrected and made appearances, while not enough of the original trilogy's human characters did. I know it was set 60 years in the future, but why? Was there a particular storytelling motive?

They went into great detail to explain how this movie's plot makes sense within the scope of the original trilogy, but I don't know if I buy it. (Or at least, it didn't make sense to me in a single viewing.) It kind of invalidates the point of the originals, but perhaps that was part of the point. Or more likely, as is stated in the meta dialogue, a new movie was going to happen with or without the Wachowskis. As far as nostalgia-worshipping soft reboots go, this at least tries to say more than Jurassic World or The Force Awakens.

I saw a commercial on late night TV. It said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were. -- Mitch Hedberg
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Grifman
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Re: [movie] The Matrix 4

Post by Grifman »

Sudy wrote: Fri Jan 21, 2022 12:15 am
Spoiler:
And I enjoyed all the callbacks, such as the crazy Merovingian.
Spoiler:
I enjoyed the character reappearing, but his meta dialogue (at least what I understood, in English) was a little ham-fisted and I felt like the movie had gone a different direction but that point. It got a bit silly and I felt like I was watching a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film for a moment.

I thought too many programs were resurrected and made appearances, while not enough of the original trilogy's human characters did. I know it was set 60 years in the future, but why? Was there a particular storytelling motive?

They went into great detail to explain how this movie's plot makes sense within the scope of the original trilogy, but I don't know if I buy it. (Or at least, it didn't make sense to me in a single viewing.) It kind of invalidates the point of the originals, but perhaps that was part of the point. Or more likely, as is stated in the meta dialogue, a new movie was going to happen with or without the Wachowskis. As far as nostalgia-worshipping soft reboots go, this at least tries to say more than Jurassic World or The Force Awakens.
I
Spoiler:
think the movie was set 60 year in the future so it could be sort of a reboot in many ways - only major characters like Neo, Trinity, Smith and a rebooted Morpheus (and the "General") remained. In addition, with the long time span, it was long enough for major changes to have taken place as noted in the movie. I had no interest in seeing any of the old crew - they had their day, I was more interested in seeing new characters. And the movie is best when they are in the Matrix - that IMO was a major flaw of the last movie - too much time in the real world - I had no interest in seeing a real world battle between sentinels and men in mechs - that's not what make the movies different/special - it's the Matrix where all the fun happens. As for the plot, it certainly made more sense that the last movie, which I never really understood what was going on there at the end.
Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions. – G.K. Chesterton
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