Just as Neo learned kung fu in an instant, The Matrix Resurrections has been uploaded with a crash course in humor - and it's a welcome addition to the franchise. The Wachowski sisters' original Matrix trilogy did a lot of things well. The 1999 effort revolutionized the visual effects game, proved high-octane action movies could still be high-brow, and successfully created an immersive, fully-realized fictional dystopia that spun into video games, comics, anime, and more. One thing The Matrix didn't do was try to be funny. Aside from Neo slipping back into Ted Logan to deliver the line, "I know kung fu," The Matrix wisely steered away from comedic territory.
So it came as a huge surprise when early test screenings of The Matrix Resurrections praised the "humor" of the long-awaited sequel. Was Lana Wachowski making a drastic genre switch? Had the test audience never seen a comedy before? What in Neo's name was going on? The first trailer for The Matrix Resurrections has now released and, sure enough, there are more moments of comedy in those 3 minutes than the first 3 films combined.
Neil Patrick Harris is wonderfully condescending as Neo's (or Thomas Anderson's) therapist - almost like a parody of real life. There's a ridiculous shot of Neo sitting in a bath with a rubber duck on his head, then he's awkwardly standing in a crowd of people staring at their smartphones, and pulling at his face in a mirror like a Jim Carrey impersonator. Even the uncertain coffee shop reunion between Neo and Trinity has the air of a romantic comedy more than a sci-fi classic. Strangely, however, The Matrix Resurrections' humor really works.
Neo isn't reeling off one-liners or performing pratfalls in bullet time; instead, The Matrix Resurrections uses a surreal ridiculousness that separates Keanu Reeves' character from the world around him. It's comparable to Groundhog Day, Being John Malkovich or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where the central protagonist knows a secret that every other person around them is oblivious to. The Matrix Resurrections also employs exaggerated, surreal imagery for satirical purposes. Thomas Anderson is aware something is deeply wrong, and shows this by looking awkward around others, or putting a rubber duck on his head - nothing in this fake realm really matters, after all.
The original Matrix trilogy took itself very seriously, and that tone was never going to work in 2021. Not only has The Matrix been parodied countless times over the past 20 years, but super-serious martial arts movies with leather coats and nu-metal soundtracks haven't exactly aged well. The Matrix Resurrections is reinventing its own formula, adding more self-awareness while replacing stern-faced posturing and well-worn action movie-isms with the kind of weird comedy that fits perfectly alongside the Matrix trilogy's mad premise. In many ways, The Matrix Resurrections lands closer to its surreal Alice in Wonderland inspiration than any previous movie dared.
If the thought of a humorous Matrix movie has you reaching for the blue pill, the new trailer allays those fears. The comedy is restricted to Neo's false life, and all the phony medical professionals, meaningless gadgets and sad bath times that should make him feel better but aren't. When The Matrix Resurrections kicks into gear and Neo remembers his true self, fans get all the bullets, explosions, punching and special effects they could possibly want. Of all the new ideas The Matrix Resurrections brings to the table (and there are a lot!), learning not to take itself seriously is what truly modernizes the franchise.
