For a certain group of fans, The Matrix: Resurrections has been one of the most highly-anticipated installments in a cinematic franchise, especially because --or in spite-- of The Matrix being released over twenty years ago. While it might not claim the same fanbase size that's devoted to Star Wars (or anything in the MCU) it's had a not-insignificant impact on pop culture, so it's not surprising that as with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the movie has already garnered plenty of divisive audience opinion.
Whether viewers believe that its plot is a blatant rip-off of Free Guy (which most fans feel is a blatant rip-off of The Matrix), or simply praise artistic choices that hardcore fans can't abide by (Lana Wachowski intentionally made a bad movie), The Matrix: Resurrections has been the subject of some unpopular opinions all across Reddit. No matter what side of the red or blue pill fans fall on, there's no denying this fourth installment is part of a franchise that has always been hotly debated.
It's Just Free Guy With A Matrix Filter
While the plot of The Matrix: Resurrections, about a man waking up to the reality of his existence, may not seem very original given it's so rooted in the storyline of The Matrix, its predecessor inspired countless action movies with its focus on a world-within-a-simulation (Ready Player One) and ushered in an era of cerebral action movies like The Bourne Identity.
FaithlessnessSea5244 doesn't perceive it as a unique movie because "it's just Free Guy with a Matrix filter," with the same concept of "all players [being] self-aware" and "the programmer [trying] to keep the status quo." While some fans may not wholly love this fourth installment, they still concede there would be no Free Guy without The Matrix, and if anything, The Matrix Resurrections rips off itself.
It's Misunderstood
The initial reaction by fans has been to balk at the subversive nature of the movie's plot, which doesn't seem to cater to the concepts, themes, and visuals that they expected to see. Rather than concede that the movie's intentions might have been misunderstood, most fans have been falling on either side of a steep binary dichotomy.
For better or for worse, Internet--Sensation believes that "this movie wanted to try something original and unique" but that new fans "don't want a good movie, they want concentrated nostalgia." Fans looking for elements of what they'd loved best in a 20-year-old franchise didn't find anything to appeal to them except subverted expectations.
It's Been Overshadowed By An Overrated Spider-Man: No Way Home
It's not unusual for tentpole franchises to release installments at the same time, and The Matrix: Resurrections debuted at the same time as Spider-Man: No Way Home. Most fans of the web-slinging superhero have crowned his movie the victor, which an overall better plot, storyline, and characters to be emotionally invested in.
AromaticIsNotTheWay thinks differently, citing that the fourth installment in the Wachowski's franchise would have been received better had it not been overshadowed by the latest addition to the Tom Hollander series, which has been "overhyped [for] fan service." Yet this argument doesn't really stand up as both films are different enough to exist on their own without negatively impacting each other. With its all-star cast and shocking scenes, Spider-Man: No Way Home satisfied fans' expectations while The Matrix: Resurrections did not.
It'll Get Better Over Time Like The Star Wars Prequels
When the prequel trilogy came out, quite a few hardcore Star Wars fans weren't remotely satisfied with George Lucas's vision for the fall of the Republic and the rise of Darth Vader, but have since come to regard the movies more fondly. However, most Matrix fans don't see how The Matrix: Resurrections will be viewed favorably decades from now.
WDZERO thinks that because "time was only kind to [the Matrix sequels], like the prequels in Star Wars" and The Matrix Resurrections has nothing to worry about. In order for this to happen, there might even need to be more Matrix movies (like the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy) so that fans can have something to juxtapose in hindsight.
It Captures Modern Technology And Society
As revolutionary as The Matrix was, it's a product of its time. For many fans, it reflects the attitudes and concepts inherent to the late '90s/dawning of the new millennium, while also being considered astute, cerebral, and prescient. It made a statement about technology while also showing some of the most advanced forms of it in filmmaking.
Yskjn asserts that while the original movies were like "time capsules" in the way they captured the then-modern concepts of communication and technology, the fourth installment captures "the current milieu" in much the same way. Most fans are inclined to admit that while it may reflect a society saturated with social media, The Matrix: Resurrections doesn't do enough to provide philosophical commentary, nor does it push the boundaries of cinematic technology.
It's Made To Troll Fans
The Wachowski sisters' movies have always pushed boundaries, even if they haven't always been received well by their fans. Fans expecting more of the same from Lana Wachowski and her vision of the franchise weren't willing to believe that she made a movie with poor visual effects, acting, and plot to simply do the equivalent of a cinematic bait-and-switch.
Exodius33 thinks the Matrix series is over, and if fans "unironically wanted a new one, then Lana Wachowski thinks you're a moron who loved the brand rather than anything actually espoused by the art." Most fans feel that it's perfectly acceptable for the director to make a movie with a particular vision, as long as that vision is well-executed.
It's Bad On Purpose
Fans have been criticizing The Matrix Resurrections' action scenes, set design, and fight choreography because of their failure to live up to the revolutionary versions found in the original movie. They don't believe that Lana Wachowski could have intentionally sabotaged the movie, making a soulless cash grab because she didn't want to be forced into making a soulless cash grab by Warner Brothers.
Northernboundary asserts that "Matrix 4 is a crappy movie on purpose to say that our reality / Matrix life in 1999 was far better than the pandemic ridden, social media infected, climate change threatened, banal 'I'll have an extra squirt of chocolate in my mocha existence' we all live in today." Fans feel that by making exactly what Warner Brothers claimed to want, Lana Wachowski failed to be as subversive as she'd hoped, letting fans down in the process. Yet the director is free to express the vision that was always her own and not some disgruntled fans who thinks they know better.
It's Meant To Reflect On Expectations
Fans expected that The Matrix: Resurrections, with twenty years of new filmmaking techniques to offer, would be even more incredible than the movies before it. The movie they received felt like a letdown, especially given that its production values and lore didn't seem to improve upon what was already provided. To add flame to the fire, certain beloved characters (like Agent Smith) looked completely different.
Britishpianoboi maintains that the movie is a commentary to direct "us back to our imperfect reality," and that being "bad beyond words" makes it revolutionary, capable of "waking audiences up" to their enslavement to reboots, remakes, and unoriginal ideas. Most fans didn't see the point of making fun of modern society with terrible jokes, wooden acting if it was at the expense of everything they liked about the original trilogy.
It Works As An Artistic Statement
The Matrix: Resurrections had many strong characters, but fans hoping to find them acting the same way, or part of familiar world-building and lore with the sequel were left disappointed. They didn't want to receive a meta-statement about the franchise itself, they wanted a continuation of what the franchise had to offer.
For km89, who views the movie as art, accepts that "not everyone's gonna like it," but with "full awareness that [it[ wasn't an attempt to continue the Matrix storyline." Being subjective, art won't please everyone because everyone has different tastes, but most fans believed the message the director put forth was obscured by the way it was presented.
It's About Breaking Free From Preconceptions
It can be hard for any fan to adjust to the creative decisions of a franchise when it means a lot to them. Observing The Matrix: Resurrections to satirize itself and what made its franchise compelling didn't sit well with fans who felt ignored, ostracized, and belittled.
WorldFarAway thinks that they weren't entitled to being catered to because "the Matrix is about breaking free from preconceptions and [the audience] needs their expectations recalibrated." What Lana Wachowski saw as stifling, many fans did not, and didn't appreciate the new tone of the movie which, like the new version of Morpheus, was too off-putting.