Summary

• The first Matrix movie is undoubtedly the best in the franchise due to its pioneering visuals and perfect balance of action and sci-fi.
• The Matrix Reloaded disappoints by focusing on action over story progression, lacking substance.
• The Matrix Revolutions wraps up the trilogy, serving a meatier plot with a standout highway battle but falls short of the original's storytelling.

The four movies in The Matrix franchise can be ranked from head-scratching worst to bullet-dodging best, with some being closer than others. Envisioned by the Wachowskis, The Matrix delivered a pre-millennial dose of existential sci-fi and rapidly became a cultural phenomenon. Based in a dystopian future where war ended with AI robots enslaving the human race in a digital simulation (the Matrix), the 1999 cinematic classic follows a band of resistance fighters as they hit back against their well-oiled masters and free others from the virtual prison. Keanu Reeves' Neo is at the center and destined to end the war.

The Matrix's critical and commercial success resulted in two sequels — The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. Decades later, the franchise's influence, legacy, and popularity remain strong. Consequently, The Matrix Resurrections premiered in December 2021, bringing Neo back alongside Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity and modern stars such as Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, and Neil Patrick Harris. Set decades after Neo's Machine truce, The Matrix Resurrections simultaneously acts as a sequel, a remake, a reboot, and a commentary. Nevertheless, the 2021 movie is a part of the film series and has to be ranked with the others.

The Matrix Revolutions

The final film in the original Matrix trilogy was a disappointment

Upon release in 2003, fans widely panned The Matrix Revolutions as one of the most disappointing climaxes in science fiction cinema, and that opinion has barely improved over the intervening years. It could even be said that the fans' desire to fix the third Matrix movie's many mistakes was as much a driving force behind The Matrix Resurrections as the prospect of Keanu Reeves reprising his role as Neo, or the prospect of exploring fresh stories within the Wachowskis' fictional plane.

A fifth Matrix movie hasn't been confirmed, but The Matrix Resurrections's ambiguous ending indicates that more films are possible.

However, The Matrix Revolutions isn't an entire disappointment. The finale places greater emphasis on the story compared to its predecessor, serving up a far meatier plot to chomp on. The third installment in the franchise rounds off Neo's deadly feud with Agent Smith in brutal fashion, chronicles the final days of the war against the Machines, unveils the Matrix's true nature, and justifies Morpheus' faith in Neo. But The Matrix Revolutions still doesn't match the original's storytelling, with Trinity's death the most obvious sin (a terrible waste of a character that neglects to craft any real emotional impact or purpose).

Another positive to draw from The Matrix Revolutions is the ending itself. The trilogy concludes with the Matrix rebooted, Neo ending the war via heroic sacrifice, and humanity presented with hope for a brighter future (temporarily, as it turns out). Audiences are afforded the closure of a happy ending in The Matrix Revolutions, but not without a touch of bitter mortality. That's exactly the place The Matrix trilogy needed to finish in 2003. Unfortunately, that's not enough to keep Revolutions from the bottom spot on this Matrix movie ranking.

The Matrix Resurrections serves its characters far better than The Matrix Revolutions. Trinity receives the closure she should have found in 2003, and the fourth film focuses on her and Neo's love, which makes for a more personal conclusion.

The route The Matrix Revolutions takes to reach the finale leaves movie-goers desperately reaching for the blue pill. The end of Neo's story is a meandering, frustrating quest for answers that fails to emulate the philosophical intrigue of the original 1999 film. The third movie comes off as pretentious, ambiguous, and evasive rather than clever. As The Matrix Revolutions struggles to tie together its real-world Machine storyline and the threat of Agent Smith, it becomes clear that The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions should've been condensed into a single streamlined film that combined the best elements of both.

The Matrix Resurrections

Resurrected The Matrix franchise in 2021

The technology of 2021 brought a distinct visual sheen to The Matrix Resurrections that blends the original trilogy's aesthetic (minus the Matrix sequels' green hue, thankfully) with the sleekness of modern blockbusters. The scenery has an updated pop without losing the core of what a Matrix movie should look like, which makes the duality between real and simulation even stronger. Additionally, The Matrix Resurrections serves its characters far better than The Matrix Revolutions. Trinity receives the closure she should have found in 2003, and the fourth film focuses on her and Neo's love, which makes for a more personal conclusion.

The newbies in the cast of Matrix Resurretions fit in seamlessly too. For a sequel so heavy on nostalgia (and painfully aware of that fact), The Matrix Resurrections could show the Star Wars sequel trilogy a thing or two about assimilating new characters alongside beloved returnees. Predictably, The Matrix Resurrections is tuned to a distinctly meta key, and that self-awareness allows the long-awaited 2021 sequel to be self-referential without descending into fan service or disappearing up its backside. Not since 1999's original The Matrix has the franchise combined action sci-fi with thought-provoking themes so well.

Unfortunately, the meta through-line drags the movie down, resulting in The Matrix Resurrections's mixed reviews. Director Lana Wachowski tries valiantly to justify why the story is continuing, and why The Matrix Resurrections is essentially a retread of 1999, but the task is too great. Though largely fine as an epilogue, at no point does Neo and Trinity's return feel essential or natural, leaving The Matrix Resurrections ringing hollow — not necessarily in terms of character (one of the sequel's strengths), but certainly in the action stakes and overall concept. In the opening 20 minutes, Jonathan Groff's character utters:

"Our beloved parent company Warner Brothers has decided to make a sequel... they informed me they're going to do it with or without us."

Intentionally or otherwise, this can't help but feel like Wachowski is telling audiences how much she doesn't want to be making the 2021 sequel. As a result, that cynicism hangs over the entirety of the movie until The Matrix Resurrections's ending.

The Matrix Reloaded

The sequel doesn't advance The Matrix franchise's story

At the end of the day, The Matrix Revolutions bears more responsibility than The Matrix Reloaded for the series' decline. The second film can be removed and the overall narrative barely changes. It doesn't do enough to advance the overarching story to justify an entire film and instead plays more like a procession of action sequences loosely linked by barely concealed exposition. The Matrix Reloaded employs a different ethos, replacing smart subtlety and interesting metaphors with literal parallels. This more straightforward approach lifts the aura of mystery The Matrix built but fails to put anything of substance underneath.

Despite its shortcomings, The Matrix Reloaded isn't entirely without merit and succeeds on two fronts — expanding the fictional universe and visually stunning action. The plot is largely inconsequential, but the second Matrix movie enriches the in-universe dystopia and introduces aspects that remain part of the wider universe in The Matrix Resurrections. Viewers learn more about the formation and hierarchy of the Matrix, and Agent Smith evolves into a rogue program. These additions broaden the Wachowskis' mythology — albeit ones that could be considered detours more than necessary progression.

In terms of action, the Keymaker highway battle is the most memorable chapter of the Wachowskis' awkward middle child. The sequel's fight sequences represent a rare step up compared to the original Matrix movie, proving even more fun, innovative, and artistically intense. Therein lies the problem with The Matrix Reloaded; where the 1999 film inventively blended philosophical themes, mind-bending science fiction, and aesthetically grandiose action, the sequel relies on heart-pounding adrenaline moments. The trigger-happy "Reloaded" tagline perhaps should've acted as an early warning that it wouldn't meet expectations.

In the case of The Matrix, there exists a clear and tangible gulf in quality between the first release and its successors.

Nevertheless, The Matrix Reloaded holds several edges over Revolutions and Resurrections in the ranking of the four Matrix movies. The third film's action remains a league above Lana Wachowski's 2021 sequel and represents a more natural continuation of Neo and Trinity's journey. The Matrix Resurrections arguably highlights the pros of The Matrix Reloaded more than ever. Both sequels were assigned the task of continuing a narrative many held dear, and both approached the challenge with vastly different philosophies. Though the existing drawbacks haven't disappeared, 2021's developments make it easier to appreciate what The Matrix's first sequel brought to the table.

The Matrix

The original film is eons better than its successors

The Matrix is quite simply levels above the others in the popular film series. Sequels are often judged unfairly, with fans so attached to the original that they struggle to accept any expansion of their beloved franchise. However, in the case of The Matrix, there exists a clear and tangible gulf in quality between the first release and its successors. Visually, The Matrix was a revolutionary undertaking by the Wachowskis. The dual setting — one familiar to viewers but malleable and fake, and one futuristic but completely fabricated — was unlike anything movie-goers had seen before and felt utterly immersive.

The Matrix helped pioneer new cinematic trends such as bullet time and gun-fu, as the action sequences seamlessly melded martial arts, firearms, and futuristic technology.

The 1999 film's true strength lies in its near-perfect balance. As much as it is a landmark action movie, The Matrix also incorporates cerebral science fiction and can either be enjoyed as a mindless fists-and-firefight flick or endlessly analyzed and dissected as a dystopian think-piece. Such balance is lost in the sequels, with The Matrix Reloaded falling too far into action territory, Revolutions losing itself in an attempt to be intelligent, and Ressurections caught between meta-reality and the simulated fictional battle. The Matrix manages to tread the fine line between intriguing audiences and frustrating them with ambiguity.

It's difficult to imagine The Matrix Resurrections happening if the original hadn't left such a strong and enduring legacy, overcoming the potential damage two less-than-impressive Matrix sequels inflicted. The benefit of hindsight might have improved fan sentiment towards Revolutions and Reloaded ever so slightly. However, the original The Matrix still reigns supreme.