With Matrix 4: Resurrections , we return to one of the cinematographic universes that has most influenced science fiction and cinema in general. Therefore, it does not hurt to take a look at everything about the Matrix saga. Plot, movies, actors, characters … Don’t worry, you’ll find out what’s important about the franchise.
For that, nothing better than starting with a general explanation.
What is the Matrix?
Although I’m going to attempt the feat of explaining what each movie is about later on, this is the general premise.
The plot places us in a cyberpunk future in which humanity lost a war against machines. These have locked us in a virtual reality that is quite similar to our everyday reality, while they use us as a source of energy .
Literally, people are like batteries and our physical body is enclosed in a device that milks us , while our mind lives an illusion.
However, there are some humans who resist and have freed themselves from that illusion, living in a real world devastated by the war we had.
Who runs the Matrix saga?
The first three Matrix films were directed by the Wachowski sisters, Lana and Lili Wachowski .
The most recent, Matrix 4: Resurrections , is directed solely by Lana Wachowski .
Main actors and what characters they play
Main actors
- Keanu Reeves. He plays the role of Neo , a hacker in the Matrix and a chosen one capable of unleashing tremendous power. The constant references to some kind of Christ the Savior or to Superman are very unsubtle.
- Carrie-Anne Moss. She plays Trinity , another hacker freed from the Matrix and a member of the resistance against machines, who helps wake Neo up and fight the computers. As the saga progresses, her love affair with Neo will be increasingly central to the plot.
- Laurence Fishburne is Morpheus in the original trilogy . He is the captain of the Nebuchadnezzar , a human resistance ship based in Zion. He will not return as Morpheus in Matrix 4 and he does not know why: “Ask Lana” is his answer when questioned about that. He is a leader in the real world and a dangerous terrorist in the Matrix illusion, highly sought after by agents. And speaking of agents …
- Hugo Weaving is the haunting Agent Smith, Neo’s main rival . The agents are programs with their own artificial intelligence, which are in the Matrix and control that everything is in order. To do this, they pursue members of the resistance that enter and leave the virtual world, in addition to stopping other rebellion attempts and preventing humans from discovering that, in reality, they live a kind of virtual dream in a false world made by computer.
Supporting actors
Many more actors have gone through the saga. Some of the main secondary ones have been:
- Joe Pantoliano and Marcus Chong are Cypher and Tanque , two of the Nebuchadnezzar’s crew and members of the resistance. The first will end up being a traitor.
- Gloria Foster (and Mary Alice in the last film of the original trilogy) is The Oracle , a show that will help Neo on his adventure.
- Helmut Bakaitis is The Architect , creator of The Matrix and one of the oldest programs. Responsible for its operation and the six versions of it.
Other actors have been Monica Bellucci (Persephone), Lambert Wilson (The Merovingian), Randall Duk Kim as The Locksmith …
Almost all major characters with plot influence make shows, as the action happens in the Matrix most of the time. These programs, being endowed with their own artificial intelligence, have their own interests and are helping or hindering the heroes in their fight against the machines. Many times, with little logic, because who knows what a program wants certain things for, but hey.
What films make up the saga and what is each one about?
The hardest part comes. Explain what happens in the Matrix because, frankly, what starts out as simple and is a masterpiece soon derails into a confusing and unnecessarily complex plot . In fact, I don’t think even the Wachowskis know very well how it all fits together.
So far, these are the movies out there and what each one is about.
The Matrix (1999)
Neo is a hacker who awakens to the reality of the Matrix and embraces his role as the chosen and supposed liberator in the war against the machines. He will be endowed with special powers that allow him to influence the Matrix as a kind of superhero or demigod.
You see? Simple. It remains a timeless masterpiece with a clear, classic structure that works.
The hero awakens, fights alongside his allies, sacrifices himself, and embraces his role and power as a liberating messiah. The story of the chosen one that has been told a thousand times and that, in the Matrix, is done perfectly. An impeccable setting, abundant innovative action and a techno-retro taste that gives it a special flavor.
One of my favorite movies.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Let me see how to explain it. The saga could have ended with the first movie and it could have been perfect. We already imagine that Neo / Superman / Cristo fights and wins. But no.
Here we are told how the war between humans and machines is accelerating . These send their sentinels (sinister and powerful robots of real life) towards Zion, city of resistance and stronghold of humanity that remains awake.
Meanwhile, an increasingly powerful Neo begins to have haunting visions of a dying Trinity. So he consults the Oracle, a program that tells him that he has to get to the core of the Matrix .
There, after a handful of fights that no longer surprise so much, but are fine, he meets the creator of the Matrix, the Architect. Bored and pretentious, he releases what seems like an eternity of exposure in which he explains, among other things, that Neo is not the first Chosen One .
The Matrix is not a perfect program, it degrades and every 100 years or so it has to be restarted and recharged . Hence the title ( Reloaded , do you get it? Bah, it doesn’t matter).
Neo is faced with the dilemma of continuing his role in the cycle, allowing Zion to be destroyed, choosing a group of people who will break free to repopulate Zion and for everything to start over as usual. The other option is to allow the Matrix to collapse, killing all of humanity connected to it. That would make, along with the destruction of Zion, all of us disappear.
Live enslaved or die free. Neo chooses the latter and tries to save the people of the Matrix . Suddenly, here comes the surprise, it turns out that Neo not only has powers in that virtual reality, they cross the threshold and he is also Superman in the real world . With his mind he destroys some Sentinels and falls into a coma.
On top of that, Agent Smith goes haywire and becomes a dangerous virus for the Matrix . It is unloaded in the real world inside the body of Bane , a member of the resistance and the film ends with Neo and Smith / Bane stretcher with stretcher, in a coma.
An important and too complicated mess, where logic jumps through the air. But hey, you forgive him because the previous movie is almost perfect.
Matrix Revolutions (2003)
We continue where we left off after Neo’s decision. The machines about to destroy Zion and Neo trying to save everyone in the Matrix. He is in limbo during his coma, but his companions rescue him .
It’s been a long time since it was time to ask how the logic of virtual reality works, programs, inputs, outputs and others, it does not make any sense.
Neo visits the Oracle again, who tells him that Smith does not stop replicating himself, endangering the Matrix and acquiring powers similar to Neo’s. In the real world, Smith / Bane starts killing everyone and blinds Neo. But since Keanu’s powers extend into the real world for some reason, nothing happens and he can see the machines in that real world. Neo charges Bane and flies with Trinity on a ship to Machine City to stop the war.
Meanwhile, the Sentinels, finally, arrive at Zion and a battle of almost half an hour takes place where the robots use the most stupid strategy in history, so that they are contained.
Neo and Trinity crash in the city of machines and Trinity dies giving the last kiss with less chemistry in history . Neo finds Deus Ex Machina (of course the name suits him) who is supreme leader or something. He pacts a peace with the humans in exchange for Neo destroying Smith in the Matrix.
Keanu succeeds, but the effort kills him. After that, the Matrix is reloaded in a version that seems more colorful and friendly than the previous one, while Zion celebrates peace.
The Matrix: Resurrections (2021)
We don’t know the plot for sure, but the trailer seems to recreate again the same story of a Neo in the Matrix who wakes up to realize that everything is an illusion.
Since hit movie sagas can be rebooted just like The Matrix, telling the same story without trying the slightest bit ( Star Wars I’m looking at you), we can’t wait long, but we’ll see.
Apart from the movies, the mythology of the Matrix was extended with Animatrix , a series of highly recommended animation shorts , and also in video games.
And this is the main thing you should know about the Matrix. Now, you can enter Matrix 4: Resurrections knowing everything important and, hopefully, we will all find out something.
Where to watch Matrix online
We have gotten used to everything being two clicks away from the remote, so you may be wondering if the Matrix saga is currently available on any streaming platform . And the answer is yes. The three films that make up the current story, that is, Matrix, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, can be seen on both Movistar Plus and HBO Max . In this latest streaming service you can enjoy them in 4K with support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.
It seems that Netflix should also add the great trilogy to its catalog soon – if you do a search from Google you get to its tab in the red N catalog – but at the time of this writing, the tapes continue to appear with the poster of “Coming soon”.
If you are not subscribed to any of these platforms, you can always also choose to rent or buy online in places like Amazon Prime Video , where they have it available in both distribution modes and in UHD quality for 3.99 euros or 10, 99 euros, respectively (each title, of course).