The Matrix Resurrections Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

Downs...

5. The Massively Disappointing Action Sequences

The Matrix Revolutions proved above all else that ambitious action sequences can help cushion sketchy writing, and the basic expectation of any Matrix film is that it'll deliver kinetic and visually creative set-pieces.

Sadly the most overpowering, perhaps fatal flaw of this fourth film is the staggering lack of ambition and technical finesse in the action.

Save for a more impressively heightened final sequence, the various shootouts, punch-ups, and chase scenes feel weirdly anonymous, even forgettable, compared to the original trilogy.

This is clearly due to a number of reasons: the trilogy's legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping didn't return for Resurrections, nor did cinematographer Bill Pope, nor composer Don Davis.

And so, major aesthetic tenets of the series' style are absent, and Lana Wachowski has sadly failed to fill the void with her replacements.

The cinematography looks unfussy and the slow-motion in particular has a blurry digital stink to it, while the choppy editing renders some moments close to incomprehensible, and Johnny Klimek and Tom Tykwer's musical score is mostly forgettable.

One gets the sense watching the film that Lana has lost her enthusiasm for the series' signature action, because not a single set-piece in the movie can hold a candle to even the weakest fight from the second or third movies. What a letdown.