While the sequels may not be held in the highest regard, the Matrix franchise has remained popular through the years, so it was little shock when it was revealed that attempts were being made to return to the virtual world. However, nobody was quite expecting to learn that Lana Wachowski had written a script for a direct sequel to the original trilogy. And even more surprising, Keanu Reeves will be back to star in it.
Of course, now that the movie is happening, and quite soon based on reports, fans are clamoring for information on this new project. Just what kind of story could The Matrix 4 possibly be telling? Keanu Reeves told ET he has read the script, and while he's certainly not spilling any secrets he does say that script will follow the original trilogy in one important way. According to Reeves....
It's very ambitious. As it should be!
While the word ambitious certainly covers a lot of ground, it's a word that would almost need to be part of any Matrix movie. While fans and critics alike may have felt the previous sequels were lacking something that the original movie had, ambition certainly wasn't it. The entire Matrix trilogy is incredibly ambitious, maybe even to a fault.
Of course, exactly how the story is ambitious is also being left ambiguous. The Matrix movies broke new ground when it came to special effects technology like the use of "bullet time" camera systems. It also dove deep into philosophical subjects regarding the nature of existence. Will Matrix 4 be ambitious from a technological sense, perhaps looking to up the game in action film making once again by doing things entirely new and different? Or will it be ambitious in its thematic elements, trying to tell a story that will make the audience question their own beliefs regarding life itself. It could be either. It could be both.
And a Matrix 4 will also certainly need to be ambitious from a storytelling standpoint. If nothing else, the movie will need to explain the return of Neo to the Matrix, after the third film pretty definitively closed that loop. The idea that The One would return certainly makes sense, but the The One looking like Keanu reeves once again, assuming that is indeed what happens, may require some explaining.
Of course, Carrie-Ann Moss will also return in Matrix 4, and she also ended the trilogy in a state less than alive, so how any of this will work is anybody's guess.
If nothing else, it's nice to know that Matrix 4 isn't trying to simply be another Hollywood blockbuster. It could have played it safe and just made something with black vinyl and wire-fu and called it a day, but the movie is going to try and do something remarkable with itself. I for one can't wait to see what it tries to do next.
