CONNECT ENTERTAINMENT
MARCH
REVIEWS
RECOMMENDATIONS
Marco Cian (Hyogo)
Brass Against’s Wake Up is angrier than Rage Against the Machine’s. This might not seem important, but the differences between these two songs mirror the differences between the original Matrix and the new Resurrections. While The Matrix is a film about waking up, shocking the system, and all that revolutionary jazz, it is also slick and clean. The system its characters rail against is soulless, corporate, ‘90s office space, which, far from being oppressive, offers security and comforts that can seem positively idyllic in today’s economy. Resurrections, in contrast, is rawer and more passionate, but feels messier and more chaotic compared to its predecessor, with the system Neo fights reflecting how tech giants have soured the ‘90s dream of internet freedom.
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With sequels, one must answer why the adventure continues. But Resurrections has an equally difficult question to answer—why does the adventure continue now, after all this time? Thankfully, this question is answered skillfully, without overwritten character arcs or overridden happy endings. Neo’s sacrifice really did make a better world, even if there is still conflict to drive the plot. More than that though, Resurrections is a movie about the cultural impact of The Matrix itself, with a good portion of Resurrections dedicated to grappling with the question of how an artist even can make a worthy sequel to their most iconic work (while also throwing copious shade at movie executives who see art purely as something to increase profits).
