The upcoming fourth Matrix film, The Matrix Resurrections, has officially been rated R for "violence and some language." The Matrix, which was released in 1999, was directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and became a massive cultural phenomenon, spawning two sequels. The Wachowski's returned to direct both sequels, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both of which were released in 2003.
Lana Wachowski returns for The Matrix Resurrections as producer, director, and co-writer with sister Lilly opting to sit the fourth film out. The Matrix Revolutions, the most recent film in the franchise, ended with Neo (Keanu Reeves) seemingly sacrificing his life to end the long-running battle between humans and their machine overlords, but Resurrections is being billed as a sequel to the original Matrix film. Reeves returns for Resurrections along with co-star Carrie-Anne Moss, who played his love interest Trinity in the original trilogy. Morpheus returns for Resurrections, albeit a much younger version of the character, who will be played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead of Laurence Fishburne.
According to a new article from Collider, the Motion Picture Association has officially given The Matrix Resurrections an R-rating for "violence and some language." This rating puts the film in line with the previous three Matrix movies, which were all also rated R for violence and language, with the second film also featuring a brief sex scene.
Considering the level of violence typically found in the Matrix films, the R rating isn't necessarily a surprise, but it will likely come as a relief to fans of the original trilogy who want to see the franchise's signature action make a return. Aside from a few brief glimpses, the new trailer for Resurrections doesn't give too much away in terms of what to expect from the film's action, but if previous entries are anything to go by, there will be a great deal of hand-to-hand combat and slow-motion gunfights. While the action scenes in the Matrix sequels are arguably a little less gritty and visceral than those of the first film, the slow-motion sequences do sometimes make the violence much easier to see and there are occasional bloody wounds depicted on-screen.
Resurrections receiving an R rating is ultimately the best thing for the film. As has been seen with other film franchises, such as Die Hard and The Expendables, taking movies that are known for their hard R-rated approach to violence and language and then toning it down to a PG-13 for subsequent sequels usually doesn't sit well with fans. Typically, a move from R to PG-13 is made in an effort to attract younger moviegoers, but, as the Matrix franchise is over twenty years old at this point, a lot of younger audiences may not be fully interested in the new film anyway. Besides, as has been shown with Deadpool, Logan, and Joker, R-rated movies can still be wildly successful at the box office. The Matrix Resurrections releases simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22 of this year.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Release Date: Dec 22, 2021
Lana Wachowski returns for The Matrix Resurrections as producer, director, and co-writer with sister Lilly opting to sit the fourth film out. The Matrix Revolutions, the most recent film in the franchise, ended with Neo (Keanu Reeves) seemingly sacrificing his life to end the long-running battle between humans and their machine overlords, but Resurrections is being billed as a sequel to the original Matrix film. Reeves returns for Resurrections along with co-star Carrie-Anne Moss, who played his love interest Trinity in the original trilogy. Morpheus returns for Resurrections, albeit a much younger version of the character, who will be played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II instead of Laurence Fishburne.
According to a new article from Collider, the Motion Picture Association has officially given The Matrix Resurrections an R-rating for "violence and some language." This rating puts the film in line with the previous three Matrix movies, which were all also rated R for violence and language, with the second film also featuring a brief sex scene.
Considering the level of violence typically found in the Matrix films, the R rating isn't necessarily a surprise, but it will likely come as a relief to fans of the original trilogy who want to see the franchise's signature action make a return. Aside from a few brief glimpses, the new trailer for Resurrections doesn't give too much away in terms of what to expect from the film's action, but if previous entries are anything to go by, there will be a great deal of hand-to-hand combat and slow-motion gunfights. While the action scenes in the Matrix sequels are arguably a little less gritty and visceral than those of the first film, the slow-motion sequences do sometimes make the violence much easier to see and there are occasional bloody wounds depicted on-screen.
Resurrections receiving an R rating is ultimately the best thing for the film. As has been seen with other film franchises, such as Die Hard and The Expendables, taking movies that are known for their hard R-rated approach to violence and language and then toning it down to a PG-13 for subsequent sequels usually doesn't sit well with fans. Typically, a move from R to PG-13 is made in an effort to attract younger moviegoers, but, as the Matrix franchise is over twenty years old at this point, a lot of younger audiences may not be fully interested in the new film anyway. Besides, as has been shown with Deadpool, Logan, and Joker, R-rated movies can still be wildly successful at the box office. The Matrix Resurrections releases simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on December 22 of this year.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Release Date: Dec 22, 2021