The Matrix Resurrections focused heavily on nostalgia as a central core of its storyline, but there's also a lot more to be seen. The Wachowski penchant for sprinkling the Matrix films with subtle references and visual clues is common at this point, and Resurrections is no different.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have been able to spot a few of these little Easter eggs, but it's doubtful they managed to catch them all. The best of the bunch are hidden in plain sight, but sometimes difficult to see, given the focus on characters, and the evolving plot of the film.
Code In The Water
At the beginning of the film, a SWAT unit can be seen walking down a dimly lit hallway, in preparation for a breach. Their target is Trinity, or at least, a stand-in for the real thing. The entire scene plays out nearly like a carbon copy of the original, which, according to Matrix lore, took six months of prep work in order to shoot.
Most viewers probably missed a very subtle visual clue when the camera pans down to the SWAT unit's boots. Hidden in the puddles is a faint glimmer of Matrix code, which is designed to show viewers that this is indeed still the digital world of the machines.
The Eat S*** Sign
The opening scene of The Matrix Resurrections climaxes with Bugs on the run from Agents, after a botched mission to catch Trinity. She briefly encounters and speaks with them, before making her getaway across the rooftops. At one point, she slides down a large sign in order to hit the street below.
If fans' eyes are sharp, they can make out a wide shot of the sign, which reads "For Those Who Love To Eat S***," which is an interesting, albeit quirky little addition to the scene. The fact that it points to a larger vertical readout of "Anderson's" is even more puzzling.
Keys In The Window
After escaping the Agents following her drop to the street level, Bugs hides out in a locksmith shop. The Agents pursue her, but Bugs is saved at the last minute by Morpheus, who had been posing as one of them up to that point. He is the one who drags her into a facsimile of Neo's apartment, from the original film.
The locksmith shop is highly iconic, as it is no doubt a direct reference to the character of the Keymaker, from The Matrix Reloaded. This humanoid program was capable of fashioning a key to any door and was instrumental in Neo finding his way to the Source, and the Architect who controlled it.
The Propellerheads Song
When Neo is finally revealed, he's sitting in his office inside a giant corporate building, where he is supposedly living the life as a successful video game developer. The camera jumps to different areas of the office, showing elements from the Matrix trilogy that are now suggested to be a figment of his imagination.
Heard faintly in the background is a song that sounds almost identical to the classic 1990s big beat hit "Spybreak," from the Propellerheads. The song was featured on the soundtrack for the first Matrix film and plays during one of Neo's most heroic moments - the rescue of Morpheus from inside a heavily guarded high-rise building.
The Game Award
During the same sequence showing Neo in his office, the camera settles on a variety of desk and shelf items, one of which is an award dedicated to Neo for his work on "The Matrix," a video game he developed under his company, Deus Machina.
The date of the award reads 1999, which is the year the original Matrix film came out. This slight attempt to break the fourth wall was designed to get audiences questioning what was real, and what was fiction, at least according to Neo's own mind.
Chad Stahelski's Cameo
Neo and Trinity meet up again in the first half of the film, and it's established that the two share some sort of attraction. However, the film tries to throw the audience off by featuring Trinity as a mother with two kids, and a husband named Chad.
The Chad in question is actually Keanu Reeves' original Matrix stunt double, Chad Stahelski. He would later go on to develop and direct the mega-popular John Wick films. That franchise also stars Keanu Reeves in some of his best action movie roles to date.
Agent Smith Facial Bust
During the scene when Neo talks to his Deus Machina business partner, the film attempts to establish him as one of the main antagonists of the story. The clues are all over his office, including one particular bust of the original Agent Smith, played by Hugo Weaving in the first trilogy.
The bust is a model of a scene where Neo punches Smith in the face, slow-motion style, and captures the comical, albeit brutal hit with full glory. The image was also featured in the supplemental material for the original Matrix trilogy, from years before. It occurs during the final act of the third film when Neo utters one of his coolest quotes of the entire Matrix franchise.
Neo Eating Noodles
After trying to regain what he thinks is a grip on his own sanity, Neo doubles down on his established life in an attempt to rid himself of his delusions. The trouble is, the more he tries, the more he's reminded of them, particularly when it comes to throwbacks to his earlier life.
One scene that many Matrix fans missed was when Neo is sitting in a restaurant eating noodles, while watching Trinity pass by. In the original Matrix, Neo returns to the simulation after being unplugged and notices the restaurant during a car ride. According to Neo, they made really great noodles.
Window Washing
For those who haven't seen The Matrix in a long time or others who haven't seen it at all, the scene where Bugs is washing windows and sees Neo standing on a ledge might seem relatively benign. In truth, it's an Easter egg reference to the first Matrix film.
The scene in question occurs during the opening act, when Neo, otherwise known as Thomas Anderson, is getting chewed out by his boss for being late. He gazes at the window, which is being washed from the outside and feels a strange sense about the world around him.
The Merovingian
Under heavy makeup, it was hard to make out the Merovingian, except when he began to talk in his French accent. For those who haven't seen the original trilogy, this character is completely foreign to them, and as such, may have been passed off as nothing more than an anomaly.
How the Merovingian survived the events of the original trilogy has yet to be revealed, but he clearly remembers all the events that came before. His return could have benefitted from less comedy, and a more in-depth connection to Neo's past.