These are the blink-and-you'll-miss-them shots contained in Neo's dreams during The Matrix Resurrections' first trailer. A modern sequel to the Wachowski sisters' Matrix franchise has gone back-and-forth at Warner Bros. for a number of years, only becoming a reality in 2019 when Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss signed on the dotted line. Directed by Lana Wachowski and with a confirmed title of The Matrix Resurrections, the long-awaited follow-up (if, indeed it is a follow-up) arrives December 22, 2021, giving fans an existential crisis just in time for Christmas.

The full trailer for The Matrix Resurrections has now been unveiled and, predictably, is more ambiguous than it is helpful. Though visually stunning and full of intrigue, the footage gives only a cursory idea of what the hell is going on, with Neo and Trinity both alive within the Matrix simulation. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II appears to be playing some incarnation of Morpheus, and there are references galore to the original 1999 film.

Related: Why Neo Looks So Different In The Matrix 4

The trailer opens with Keanu Reeves' "Thomas" attending a therapy session where he describes having dreams - flashes of an alternate life. This line is followed by a series of rapid-fire shots, many of which seem super-significant to The Matrix Resurrections' plot. Whether these images are Neo's "dreams" or whether that's merely for trailer purposes is impossible to say. With one finger on the space bar and 0.5 speed engaged, here's every shot from the dream sequence, and what it could mean for The Matrix Resurrections.

The Gunman With Matrix Code Eyes

Green eyes in Matrix Resurrections

The first image in Neo's dream sequence shows an as-yet-unidentified gunman with a beard and silenced pistol, shooting a bullet toward Neo. The One is hardly a stranger to being shot at in The Matrix, but the most curious thing about this attacker is the green Matrix code in his eyes. This isn't a power we've seen before in the franchise, but could represent an upgrade to the Agents' assimilation ability. Previously, Agents could inhabit the avatars of anyone inside the Matrix, allowing them to be "everywhere and nowhere." In The Matrix Resurrections, that ability could be more invasive, allowing the Machines to control inhabitants' every action.

Neo Stopping The Bullet In Bullet Time

Bullet time in Matrix Resurrections

The bullet fired by our mystery assassin is heading towards an unknown target, probably a protagonist or innocent civilian because Neo is seen desperately reaching for it with his finger. Though still an impressive feat, Neo could stop bullets telekinetically in the past. His diving hand suggests The One's powers haven't yet returned in full. The Matrix fans will recognize the slow-motion effect in this scene as "bullet-time," made famous in the first movie when Keanu Reeves bent over backward to avoid a spray of bullets. The little air ripples left in the bullet's wake are a telltale sign of bullet-time in action.

The Machines Resurrecting Neo

Keanu Reeves as Neo blind in Matrix Resurrections

The Matrix Resurrections' trailer leaves fans questioning how Neo came back to life after his death at the end of 2003's trilogy-closing The Matrix Revolutions, but the answer might be buried within Neo's quickfire dream montage. The above shot (left) looks like Neo's corpse in Machine City after the closing moments of the original trilogy. He's surrounded by Machines (who are helpfully covering up his modesty), and it's implied that they're piecing his body together. The close-up second shot (right) supports this theory, since Neo's eyes are blinded like they were in the Matrix sequels. Quite why the Machines would remake Neo is a key question heading into The Matrix Resurrections.

Related: Why Matrix 4 Looks So Different (& Less Green)

Morpheus' Gun Fight

Yahya Abdul Mateen in Matrix Resurrections

Neo's dreams provide our first trailer glimpse of Yahya Abdul Mateen II, who is heavily suspected to be playing Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections. His small, rounded glasses are very close to the shades worn by Laurence Fishburne in 1999 and 2003. Morpheus (assuming that's who Yahya is playing) is locked in a watery gunfight with a heavily-armed SWAT unit, and we know from later images that Agents are overriding these cops. A longer shot from the same sequence can be found deeper into The Matrix Resurrections' trailer.

Neo & Trinity's Glowing Handshake

Handshake glow in Matrix Resurrections

These two shiny hands clasping together belong to Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, who are spotted in a later shot joining hands to repel a surrounding force of enemy troops. The handshake image is used repeatedly throughout The Matrix Resurrections, and it seems that when Neo and Trinity finally awaken their true selves, they join forces to generate a huge, glowing power unlike anything either has done previously. The glow could reveal a change in Neo's One powers, but looks somewhat similar to the bright light Neo saw after he was blinded. The joining of Neo and Trinity might also tease both of them being The One in The Matrix Resurrections.

Trinity From The Original Matrix Movie

Trinity in Matrix Resurrections

The Matrix Resurrections' trailer isn't shy about referencing the past. The white rabbit, the dojo sparring, and the choice of pills all call back to the Wachowskis' very first 1999 movie. Some shots are even like-for-like, such as this image of Trinity sitting down and facing a wall while enemies infiltrate from behind. The room is clearly different (though Trinity is next to a phone both), so this can't be a flashback, but rather history repeating itself. A glitch in the Matrix, if you will. Why The Matrix Resurrections is following The Matrix so closely is one of many new questions fans have.

Machine Pods Close Together

Machines in Matrix Resurrections

In this flash of the real world, the two symmetrical contraptions look to be human containment pods, used by the Machines to drain human bodies of energy. These pods, however, aren't linked up to the massive batteries of Machine City, which house thousands of sleeping human slaves plugged into the Matrix. Whoever these pods contain, they're being afforded special treatment, so it makes sense that Neo and Trinity would be inside. Both characters died in The Matrix Resurrections, and both corpses remained in Machine City. If Neo and Trinity were rebuilt by the Machines (as described above), it seems they were then hooked into the Matrix via a special unit. There's something unnervingly romantic about Neo and Trinity resting next to each other like this.

Related: Matrix 4: Everything We Know About Neil Patrick Harris' Character

Neo Waking Up In The Real World

Keanu Reeves as Neo in Matrix Resurrections

Immediately following the two pods, the real Neo wakes up from stasis, peering out over the rim of his container. This is very similar to a shot from Neo's awakening after taking the Red Pill in The Matrix, except the prominent red lighting which suggests we're in the same room as above. A big question mark hangs over why Neo wakes up, but seemingly spends most of The Matrix Resurrections plugged into the simulation. A line from Yahya Abdul-Mateen's Morpheus-like character hints that Neo can't let go of Trinity.

The Click

Click in Matrix Resurrections

Neo's string of dreams ends with an unseen figure in a leather coat clicking their fingers - the only clue being a giant, ostentatious ring on their right hand. There's no good explanation for this scene (other than to punctuate the end of Neo's dream flashes), but the flashy ring and fashion sense might point toward The Merovingian, with Lambert Wilson's character expected to feature in The Matrix Resurrections.

More: Matrix Resurrections Trailer Breakdown - 39 Reveals, Secrets & Story Details

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