Thomas Anderson is back to living a seemingly ordinary life as a successful video game designer in San Francisco, though he is plagued by fragmented memories and strange dreams. But when a new version of Morpheus offers him the red pill once again, Neo reopens his mind to the world of the Matrix, only to find that it is stronger, more secure, and far more dangerous than ever before.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
December 22, 2021 |
Running time |
148 minutes |
Genre |
Sci-Fi Action |
Budget |
$190,000,000 |
Box Office |
$159,168,767 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Lana Wachowski |
Produced by |
Grant Hill James McTeigue Lana Wachowski |
Written by |
Lana Wachowski David Mitchell Aleksandar Hemon |
Music by |
Johnny Klimek Tom Tykwer |
Cinematography |
Daniele Massaccesi John Toll |
Edited by |
Joseph Jett Sally |
Production Co. |
Warner Bros. Village Roadshow Pictures Venus Castina Productions |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #04 in The Matrix Collection
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The Plot
The Modal and the Red Pill
Within an isolated simulation known as a "Modal," an encrypted program running repeatedly, a digital recreation of Morpheus and several Agents reenact the events of Trinity's original escape. Watching from the shadows are Bugs, the captain of the ship Mnemosyne, and her operator, Sequoia (Seq). The simulation deviates when a "false" Trinity is cornered and nearly escapes, only to be intercepted by a hybrid version of Smith and Morpheus. Bugs is discovered by the Agents, but in the chaos, the Smith-Morpheus hybrid grabs her. Instead of attacking, they flee together into a room that perfectly replicates Thomas Anderson's apartment from 1999.
Inside the room, Bugs reveals to the confused Morpheus that seeing Neo was what originally helped her realize the Matrix was a lie. Morpheus, in turn, explains his own awakening came after discovering Matrix code reflected in water. Recognizing his purpose is to find Neo, Morpheus accepts a red pill offered by Bugs, freeing his mind from the Modal's loop. As Agents breach the room, Sequoia guides Bugs and the newly freed Morpheus toward a specific door, allowing them to narrowly escape the simulation before it collapses.
The Life of Thomas Anderson
In the city of San Francisco, Thomas Anderson is a world-renowned game designer for the company Deus Machina, famous for creating the Matrix video game trilogy. While working, he discovers an anomaly within his Modal code but is interrupted by his business partner, Jude, who insists on a coffee break. At a local coffee shop called Simulatte, Jude discusses themes for a new game, but Tom is distracted by a woman named Tiffany, who bears a striking resemblance to Trinity. Jude introduces them, and despite Tom’s awkward protests, he shares a brief, profound moment shaking Tiffany’s hand before her husband and children arrive. Back at his office, Tom tries to investigate the Modal again, only to find the file purged. A coworker then informs him that his boss, Smith, requires a meeting.
In his office, Smith unnerves Tom by quoting the original Matrix, musing on "millions of people just living out their lives... oblivious." He drops a bombshell: their parent company, Warner Bros., has mandated a sequel to the original Matrix trilogy. As Smith discusses the future, Tom begins to hallucinate, seeing Smith’s mouth seal shut, rendering him voiceless. Struggling with his reality, Tom visits his therapist, the Analyst, who prescribes him blue pills to manage his "delusions" and keep him tethered to reality.
The Failed Extraction and the Awakening
Tom stops taking his blue pills while working on Matrix 4, finding inspiration in kung fu films and his peers. During a fire alarm evacuation at the Deus Machina building, Morpheus and the Mnemosyne crew attempt to extract him. Morpheus enters the office, wielding weapons and fighting off security teams that transform into SWAT units. Confused and terrified, Tom believes he is suffering a psychotic break. The situation escalates when Smith picks up a discarded gun, his memories seemingly triggered by the violence. Amidst the chaos, Tom refuses to leave, convincing himself it is all a hallucination, and the extraction fails.
After regaining his composure with the help of the Analyst and his black cat, Deja Vu, Tom retreats to a rooftop to reflect. He stands on the ledge, contemplating jumping, when Bugs appears and physically pulls him back. She reminds him that he once saved her, and now she is returning the favor. Bugs leads him through a portal to a construct in Tokyo, entering an abandoned theater where Morpheus and the crew are projecting Neo’s old memories onto a shredded screen. Finally accepting the truth, Tom takes the red pill.
Return to the Real World
Immediately after taking the pill, the group is ambushed by Agents, Bots, and the Analyst. Sequoia finds an exit through a mirror in a Tokyo subway bathroom, and Bugs urges Neo to go first. Neo wakes up in a gel pod in the real world, horrified to see Trinity trapped in another pod opposite him. Before he can reach her, machines disconnect him. He is rescued by the Mnemosyne’s "tame" machines, Octacles and Cybebe, who transport him to the ship. The crew attempts to rehabilitate Neo, whose physical body has been meticulously maintained by the machines. Morpheus reveals in a construct dojo that sixty years have passed since the events of The Matrix Revolutions. To test Neo's combat readiness, Morpheus fights him; Neo is nearly beaten until he violently retaliates, destroying the dojo with a burst of energy.
Neo wakes on the ship and meets the full crew: Berg, Lexy, Ellster, and the machines Lumin8, Octacles, and Cybebe. Though initially terrified of the machines, Neo learns they are allies who defected during a civil war amongst the machines. The ship arrives at IO, a hidden human city led by an aged Niobe. She explains that after the machine civil war, resources became scarce, and she now prioritizes the safety of IO over freeing minds. Considering Neo a destabilizing danger, she imprisons him. However, Bugs and her crew defy orders and break Neo out, determined to rescue Trinity.
Exiles and the Fight for Trinity
The crew re-enters the Matrix to locate Trinity. They track her to a warehouse but are intercepted by Smith and the Merovingian, who is now a disheveled exile accompanied by his cronies. Smith reveals that he and the Merovingian need Neo dead to maintain their own freedom from the Analyst’s control. A brutal fight ensues. Smith knocks Neo into the lower levels of the ruins, beating him severely. However, the physical trauma reawakens Neo’s combat abilities; he uses a force push to defeat Smith while the crew handles the Merovingian’s exiles.
Following the fight, Neo finds Trinity working at a motorcycle shop. Just as he approaches her, the scene loops and time slows to a crawl. The Analyst appears, revealing himself as the creator of this new iteration of the Matrix. He explains that Neo and Trinity’s proximity generates immense power, which he harvests to power the simulation. He demonstrates "bullet time" control by firing a bullet at Trinity that moves agonizingly slow, mocking Neo’s inability to stop it. He threatens to kill Trinity if Neo doesn't surrender, forcing the crew to disconnect as IO ships arrive to retrieve them.
The Heist at the Anomaleum
Back at IO, Niobe threatens to discipline Bugs, but their argument is interrupted by Kujaku, a friendly machine carrying a message from Sati. Sati, now an adult program, reveals she knows exactly where Trinity’s physical pod is located—the Anomaleum—and has a plan to save her. Niobe reluctantly agrees to the mission. The plan involves a two-pronged attack: Neo will confront the Analyst in the Matrix to buy time, while Morpheus, Bugs, and the machines infiltrate the heavily guarded Anomaleum in the real world to disconnect Trinity’s body.
In the Matrix, Neo meets the Analyst at Simulatte, which is surrounded by SWAT teams. He proposes a deal: if Trinity chooses to leave, the Analyst must let them go; if she chooses to stay, Neo will surrender. The Analyst, amused by tests, agrees. Trinity arrives, and her "husband" Chad and children appear to pressure her. Trinity confesses she has felt like she is in a dream and admits she hates the name Tiffany. Rejecting her false reality, she declares her name is Trinity. As the Analyst panics, chaos erupts. Smith suddenly intervenes, attacking the Analyst to ensure his own freedom, while Neo and Trinity fight off the SWAT forces.
The Swarm and the Leap
The Analyst, wounded by Smith, initiates a "Swarm" mode, turning every civilian in the city into a mindless, suicidal bot to stop Neo and Trinity. As the couple attempts to flee, Shepard asks Neo to fly, but he cannot. Instead, they escape on Trinity’s motorcycle. The chase is harrowing, with "bots" throwing themselves from buildings to bomb the streets. Neo uses his telekinetic powers to clear the path, shielding them from the falling bodies and explosions.
Cornered on a rooftop at dawn by helicopter gunships firing missiles, the pair is trapped. Neo manages to deflect a missile into a helicopter, causing a massive explosion. With no other options, Trinity looks at the sunrise and says, "My dream ended here." They clasp hands and jump from the skyscraper, intending to die on their own terms. However, as they fall, Neo tries to fly but fails. Suddenly, Trinity stops their fall, suspending them in mid-air. It is she who has gained the power of flight. She grabs Neo and flies them to safety, escaping the Matrix as the crew in the real world successfully disconnects her from her pod.
A New Beginning
Back in the real world, Neo and Trinity are finally reunited in the flesh, sharing a tender moment while the crew watches. Sometime later, they return to the Matrix to pay a visit to the Analyst. Trinity crashes through the ceiling of his home, kicking him across the room. When the Analyst arrogantly claims the "sheeple" prefer his controlled world over freedom, the pair laugh at him. They make it clear they are not there to negotiate a deal; they are there to remake the world. Trinity thanks the Analyst mockingly for the "second chance" to change things. The film concludes with Neo and Trinity flying together through the skies of the Matrix, united and in control.
