[Discussion] What did you think of Matrix 4? (Spoilers)
[Discussion] What did you think of Matrix 4? (Spoilers)
Saw a video the other day (not in English unfortunately) with an analysis of how it actually makes sense from a themes and style perspective (e.g. the Wachowski's work on the Sense 8 taught them how to go to a more "impro" kind of directing compared to planning everything with very established plans in their earlier works)
Curious to see what the opinion of the people here is
I agree with the comments here. It's not very good but they go so far out of their way to laugh at themselves and the studio for making the film that it becomes charming. There are a lot of 80s / 90s sequel movies that make weird choices instead of rehasing and I'd much rather see something I'm not expecting. They know full well that a direct sequel would never please the fans so they basically destroy Matrix lore. I don't think Neo fires a gun which I found incredible as statement on the previous movies. So yah not good in the traditional sense but it's quite original in its post modern take on internet fandom, studio forcing sequels, lack of originality, commenting on not giving the audience what the think they want, etc.
It's so tongue in cheek it reminds me of a song called Space Game by MC Lars. "I've been post post modern since junior high!"
It was just okay. (Spoilers ahead!)
The overarching story that “love wins” I felt was nice, but the way it was handled really diminished Trinity’s role/value. No longer a bad ass herself, she’s now just there to support the male lead.
The reusing of the original character tropes, down to their names(!), wasn’t great. Easier to explain to the audience I guess, but severely lacking in originality.
Cool special effects, as always!
If I remember correctly the line that summed up M4 was spoken by Trinity (paraphrased), “That’s the horrible thing about selling your ideas. Once the company has them they can do whatever they want, whether you agree with them or not.” (Referring to the software game Neo had sold, and was working on at the beginning of the movie…)
Which was a weird line in the context of the movie, and makes me believe that Warner Bros. was going to make M4 regardless of what the Wachowski sisters wanted, or thought of the script. So one of them signed on to salvage what they could.
I enjoyed it, but won’t be rewatching it anytime soon.
makes me believe that Warner Bros. was going to make M4 regardless of what the Wachowski sisters wanted, or thought of the script. So one of them signed on to salvage what they could.
My understanding is that this is exactly what happened. Also the wachowski’s parents died, so Lana felt some nostalgia wasn’t the worst thing to have in her life at that point.
But yea, this is what happened, and the film is dripping in a weird meta fever dream of a tantrum about it. It’s the charm others have mentioned. When I saw it in the cinema, I was immediately astounded that they were going there. Probably as surprised as I’ve ever been in a cinema.
Also the wachowski’s parents died, so Lana felt some nostalgia wasn’t the worst thing to have in her life at that point
Thanks for pointing this out!
I watched it with some friends at one of their houses. Halfway through one of them said out loud: "This is kind of shit isn't it?" I think that basically sums up my feelings on it. I won't deny that they tried to explore some important themes but it's such an unmemorable mess that I can't even remember a few years out if they were successful at all. What I do remember is how uninspired and boring so much of the film was. Especially the fight scenes which are such an important core of the Matrix franchise.
I think they made it very clear early in the movie in a meta way through Neo's job that nobody really wanted to make it but that they were more or less forced to by Warner Bros. And it seems like it was ultimately made by Lana Wachowski as a fuck you to the studio and went out of its way to piss off the audience.
Interesting, that was more or less my feeling as well.
The analysis I've watched recently changed my mind, I'm going to try to find something similar in English
It was a great spoof of the matrix movies. And neil patrick harris... Best work of his since star ship troopers.
I think he was the best character and best acted. The rest - I was fine with the open-ended closure of Revolutions, I don't think there needed to be a revisit to the next phase nor any more prequels. At some point you have to let the artwork be what it is and stop trying to do more. Or milk more money from it.
The only good thing that came from it is the ability for Lana to insert some self-critique within the film itself on how bad of an idea it was.
Patrick Willems said something about it that made it all make sense. Then I forgot what he said, just like I did the movie.
It felt to me like the one Wachowski who was involved didn't want to have anything to do with it and sabotaged the movie she was making as thoroughly as possible in protest of being forced to make it.
It was bad. Not sure it was quite as terrible as #3, but definitely bad.
Oh it was way worse than 3. No matter how much you hate 3, the movie had a purpose and it fulfilled that purpose. It ended the series, definitively clearing up any questions I would have had about sequels. It was a definite end and let me move on from a complete series.
Honestly I'm not sure why people hate on it so much, what more could they have wanted?
I thought it was a major let down, and I went into it with tempered expectations. The fights aren't interesting, keeping but recasting Morpheus and Smith was weird, and it felt like it was just treading water throughout. Trinity flying at the end sort of devalued Neo's role in the first three movies too.
It was forgettable. I don't remember it being either good or bad. Kind of just meh.
So something I haven’t seen mentioned here yet is the premise of the new matrix.
Instead of being about the illusion of freedom and choice, it’s about chasing constantly tantalising and unreachable desires, with Neo and Trinity being out of each other’s reach “driving” the whole thing.
Obviously a reference to modern social media etc. But say what you will about the film, I always thought this was a solid idea and continuation of the first matrix’s metaphor.
There’s probably a bunch of artistic stuff out there on what the modern internet is to modern culture. But the image of two loved one eternally forced to be tantalisingly out of reach as the heart of modern society has stuck with me very boldly since I saw the film.
And I’m not sure I’ve seen anything even come close to getting to the heart of what doom scrolling takes away from us as people.