Should Matrix Resurrections' WB Joke Inspire More Meta Studio Humor?
Warning: Spoilers for The Matrix Resurrections ahead.
In Lana Wachowski's The Matrix Resurrections, Keanu Reeves' Thomas Anderson makes a direct meta-joke at the expense of Warner Bros., and other movies and studios could follow suit. Resurrections divided fans on release: some accused the film of sullying the importance of the first three movies, while others praised the bravery of the move. The film flopped, too, but its legacy might be in the further blending of corporate identity and movie narratives. It could be either a brilliant or destructive moment for tentpole cinema.
Resurrections, which also brings back Carrie-Anne Moss and introduces Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a version of Morpheus, repositioned the first Matrix trilogy as a video game designed by Thomas Anderson. The events took place – Neo really did travel to Machine City and sacrifice himself to negotiate a truce between Zion and the machines. However, what audiences watched is, according to The Matrix 4, reconstructed from memory. This is the first meta-joke, acknowledging the trilogy's once-staggering but now dated CGI. Then, executives from WB demand that Anderson creates a fourth game and insist they'd make it anyway with someone else. Anderson protests but eventually gives in to reclaim his vision. It's a deeply unsubtle critique of WB's franchise reboot ambitions.
Related: Every Way The Matrix Resurrections Retcons The Original Trilogy
It's an audacious move and one that other studios could very easily incorporate in more successful ways. Considering Resurrections'box office performance, it's worth noting that no one was really clamoring for another Matrix movie. In fact, the Wachowskis repeatedly said the story was complete. While The Architect and
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