The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Everything Else => Topic started by: opt2not on December 23, 2021, 04:38:39 pm
-
Seriously, it’s hot garbage. It doesn’t do anything for the franchise other than pandering to original movie, and being a satire of itself. So many eye-rolling moments that I was giving myself motion sickness.
The fight scenes lacked the cool and clever factor of the original films, maybe because they didn’t have Yuen Woo-ping doing fight choreography.
The casting felt all wrong, characters that were supposed to be serious came off comical and insincere. Takes you out of the movie many times throughout. Same with the making fun of itself moments.
The ending was left open for perhaps another movie, but the problem is they are dealing with actors in their 50’s now. Keanu is 57 and Carrie-Anne is 54. The additional younger actors weren’t playing characters that could carry on the franchise and be interesting. At least in the MCU Marvel is future proofing their franchises by passing the torch to the newer actors. I highly doubt the Matrix films can hold up Neo and Trinity in their 60’s.
All said, this movie was a let down. It’s filled with many “hey remember when we were cool?” moments and subtle hints of discontent towards the publishing studio that it wastes its opportunity to actually resurrect the franchise.
-
I got halfway then went to bed.
not sure if i will return to watch the rest.
probably after i've had a few drinks.
the first thing i thought was it's the sequel i never knew i didn't want.
-
First Matrix was already boring by the oracle scene.
Second Matrix was 10 minutes of pointless fighting and then Neo flies away. Over and over.
Third was people shooting machine guns and yelling for the last hour.
I did like their movie Cloud Atlas which everyone else seems to have hated.
:dunno
-
I got halfway then went to bed.
not sure if i will return to watch the rest.
probably after i've had a few drinks.
the first thing i thought was it's the sequel i never knew i didn't want.
:laugh2:
After watching a trailer I was quite sure that I did NOT want to see it.
-
Pbj being an edgelord again. ::) First Matrix was a work of filming art. The rest can kick rocks.
-
Well, it was influential and now it suffers from “Seinfeld isn’t funny” because it was ripped off so much. What’s weird is the directors refuse to leave the color grading alone and the versions now look nothing like it did in the 90s. I watched my VHS copy recently and it’s still entertaining. It does drag for awhile, though.
:cheers:
-
Nah all the matrix films sucked. The first one was mind blowing.... if you've never watched anime or played video games or read scifi before. It was just a "meh" film at best. The other two are hot garbage.
-
I watched anime, played video games and read sci-fi before watching the first Matrix, and I found it mind blowing.
It’s a cinematographic pleasure. Every shot is well composed and thought out. Lots of Hitchcock and Kurosawa in it. It pays great homage to the old way of film making, you’ll even see some Scorsese in there.
The action sequence has just enough Hong Kong in it to be accepted by the westerners, but still be clever in choreography to flow in sequence.
The story has good pacing, and it inserts enough periodic upbeat action to help those with an attention span of the nine year old to keep up.
And I’m not even going to go into the actual filmmaking breakthroughs they made from a technological stance.
This a good film. If you’re not a fan that’s fine. But you can’t deny what it has done for sci fi movies and the awards it won.
Sometime people just want to go against the popular opinion just to be different. I respect that too.
-
Speed Racer is underrated. I really like that movie. The first Matrix holds up for me. I can't say I care for anything else they have made.
-
I need to attempt to watch Speed Racer again. I was a huge, more so than I should admit, fan of the cartoon series. Blame 90s MTV. I recently rediscovered a framed Speed Racer poster I bought from Woolworth's 25 years ago and I'm currently negotiating wall placement.
Whatever you want to say about the directors, they do make interesting stuff. Jupiter Ascending is a total dud but at least it's.... new? Made it about 20 minutes into SENS8.
:cheers:
-
I thought the first was great both in concept and execution (and I think Keanu has sucked in everything he made after Bill and Ted #1- which he was excellent in of course- perfect for his style and capacity.)
The rest are a film studio trying to make $$ on the back of a great film.
All the sequels were pretty lame comparatively- adding mostly naught to a great single film franchise.
I can't speak to how #1 aged however, which is why I will force the kids to watch it with me in the next few weeks and then we can talk apples to apples.
:)
-
I own the trilogy, but don't remember anything about the second or third film.
So they must have been forgettable.
The first one was an awesome concept and good execution, but once that reveal is over I don't see how you keep it going short of equally mind bending reveals which could get absurd if they were continuous.
I'll probably still go see the new one in the theater on discount/free popcorn night.
-
I'll probably still go see the new one in the theater on discount/free popcorn night.
Some friendly advice: be sure to drink plenty of coffee and/or Mountain Dew before you go.
Second thought, nevermind. The inside of your eyelids will likely be more interesting to watch than this mess. Literally fell asleep 1/3 of the way through and was surprised I made it that far. Forced myself to finish watching it and felt stupid afterward for doing so.
Seems like just another entry in the list of things in modern life where substance is ignored and style is expected to carry the water.
But on a high note, the Matrix Awakens technology demo using the Unreal engine (https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/wakeup) looks amazing :)
-
I like Speed Racer... much like the cartoon it's ---smurfing--- stupid and if you keep that in mind it's highly enjoyable.
What is this "theater" you speak of? The entire WB release is free on HBOmax. Theatre is dead, long live the max. The future is now.
-
I like Speed Racer... much like the cartoon it's ---smurfing--- stupid and if you keep that in mind it's highly enjoyable.
What is this "theater" you speak of? The entire WB release is free on HBOmax. Theatre is dead, long live the max. The future is now.
It is not looking good for theaters but I hope you are wrong. I love the theater experience.
We just finished rewatching the first Matrix and it really holds up. The cinematography in-particular is still amazing. The newer HD print HBO has is also very sharp.
-
I like Speed Racer... much like the cartoon it's ---smurfing--- stupid and if you keep that in mind it's highly enjoyable.
What is this "theater" you speak of? The entire WB release is free on HBOmax. Theatre is dead, long live the max. The future is now.
It is not looking good for theaters but I hope you are wrong. I love the theater experience.
We just finished rewatching the first Matrix and it really holds up. The cinematography in-particular is still amazing. The newer HD print HBO has is also very sharp.
So what part of the theatre experience do you enjoy exactly? Getting raped over the cost of tickets and food, being annoyed by everyone else or having to leave one's home and schedule a time to watch a movie? Get a good surround sound system and a big tv... the theatre "experience" has been better at home for decades now.
I still don't get the matrix love. The film had a pretty basic plot and the visuals are 100% meh. I mean cowboy curtis was pretty good in it but the rest of the cast couldn't act their way out of a paper bag.
-
I like Speed Racer... much like the cartoon it's ---smurfing--- stupid and if you keep that in mind it's highly enjoyable.
What is this "theater" you speak of? The entire WB release is free on HBOmax. Theatre is dead, long live the max. The future is now.
It is not looking good for theaters but I hope you are wrong. I love the theater experience.
We just finished rewatching the first Matrix and it really holds up. The cinematography in-particular is still amazing. The newer HD print HBO has is also very sharp.
So what part of the theatre experience do you enjoy exactly? Getting raped over the cost of tickets and food, being annoyed by everyone else or having to leave one's home and schedule a time to watch a movie? Get a good surround sound system and a big tv... the theatre "experience" has been better at home for decades now.
I still don't get the matrix love. The film had a pretty basic plot and the visuals are 100% meh. I mean cowboy curtis was pretty good in it but the rest of the cast couldn't act their way out of a paper bag.
I particularly enjoy the experience of seeing a blockbuster with a bunch of other fans. Most recently seeing Spider-Man no way home on opening night with my family was fantastic. Having the crowd around you really into a movie is priceless.
If theaters go away I don't see studios spending big money on blockbusters for streaming. Most of the great at-home streaming opportunities we got this year were anomalies because of Covid. No way that continues without big box-office revenue.
-
Matrix was a great movie and I don’t like 90% of movies. They messed up when they made Neo all powerful at the end, all good Shonen anime only has the protagonist increase his power by a little so they can have future adventures and new bosses to fight. I also did not like the way the agents could never die and be everywhere, kind of deflated any reason to fight them.
-
Pbj being an edgelord again. ::) First Matrix was a work of filming art. The rest can kick rocks.
Agree
-
:cheers:
-
I still don't get the matrix love. The film had a pretty basic plot and the visuals are 100% meh.
The original Matrix was a pretty stock "hero's journey" storyline, but it worked in the context of the film and especially with respect to the action. The action sequences were nicely tied to Neo's character arc, something that can't be said for the sequels.
The "bullet time" special effects were revolutionary at the time. Even the CG holds up since it focused on environmental backgrounds rather the sequels where they went into uncanny valley territory with the characters.
It was also notable for the main actors learning the fight choreography and doing a lot of their own stunts. This allowed fight scenes to be filmed with wide shots and longer takes, unlike the shaky-cam and jump cuts of many modern action scenes. The action sequences still hold up today.
There was also the "What is the Matrix?" marketing angle. I still remember going into the theater not knowing what the movie was about and being genuinely surprised by it. A modern trailer would probably give away all the plot points.
-
SPOILERS AHEAD!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
-
I let myself think about it for a while. I really try to let myself get lost in the movies nowadays, and not let them be taken to seriously, but hot damn I love The Matrix and this movie was a big disappointment to me. It took a day to get my thoughts in order. I'll air my grievances Festivus style, in a bulleted list:
- Filmography - no bullet time, or any other attempts at ground breaking filming. It's funny, because they copied their own slow motion bullets dropping from the helicopter, but not some of the other cool effects from The Matrix.
- Fight scenes - this was the fast cut scene type of fighting, which was very difficult to keep up with what was going on and was more inline with other action movies and not the Matrix.
- Story - this was the biggest yawn. I found myself checking the time. The most appealing part of the movie is when they were explaining what happened in the last 60 years.
- Acting - the last scene when Neo and Trinity are talking is terrible. Not sure what else to say, but the rainbows in the sky conversation just felt like such a forced attempt at humor.
- Smith - new Agent Smith is lame. Not sure if I understand how he was even there and the fact he was calling Neo "Tom" instead of "Mr. Anderson" was disappointing.
- Stopping bullets - Neo looked like a crazy person waving his hands around to stop bullets
- Trinity is the One of Two? - Not sure this matters at all? What are we saying that old Trinity is also the one in the new Matrix? If we are, does that even matter? It just wasn't as big of a reveal as I think they were hoping.
All in all - not sure what was trying to be accomplished with this movie. Totally agree with Opt2Not, and not in a my_expectations_were_too_high kind of way. It's just a mess. I kind of wrote off the 2nd and 3rd Matrix movies so I could let the original stand on its own for the masterpiece it is. I guess I'm going to write off the 4th movie as well.
-
They messed up when they made Neo all powerful at the end, all good Shonen anime only has the protagonist increase his power by a little so they can have future adventures and new bosses to fight.
Yeah, this was the biggest issue with the sequels. Neo was so overpowered that the action sequences were devoid of any tension and his character growth was effectively halted.
-
The biggest surprise for me is that any of you watched it.
Did anyone expect it not to suck?
Seriously?
-
The biggest surprise for me is that any of you watched it.
Did anyone expect it not to suck?
Seriously?
I was hopeful because they had so many directions to take it. I may be uncultured when it comes to stories and what not, but The Matrix was such a great flick for me when it came out. It was easy to keep my expectations low for the 4th installment because of the 2nd and 3rd movies.
-
The biggest surprise for me is that any of you watched it.
Did anyone expect it not to suck?
Seriously?
Haven't seen it yet and probably won't at this point. That said, given the Wachowski track record I did not have high expectations.
I did, however, hold out some hope that maybe lighting would strike twice and this might have been the film to redeem the franchise. Sadly, it looks like that is not to be.
-
I must be one of the few people on the planet who actually enjoyed the second film. That's mainly because it hinted at the intriguing possibility of there being a Matrix within a Matrix. So effectively no one actually escapes the Matrix.
Unfortunately, they quietly dropped that idea in part three, and reverted back to an incoherent Michael-Bay-style robots vs humans plot.
-
With regards to part 4, I haven't seen it yet, and frankly the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.
We live in an era in which trailers tend to be better than the films they're supposed to be promoting, and they also usually contain major plot spoilers. But the only good thing about the Matrix 4 trailer was the Jefferson Airplane song (which they probably should have used in the original films). The rest of it just felt like a cash-grabbing retread.
-
The biggest surprise for me is that any of you watched it.
Did anyone expect it not to suck?
Seriously?
I still haven't gone back to watch the second half.
-
You guys talked me out of seeing it. :lol
-
RedLetterMedia gave some interesting critiques of the movie calling in the new self aware Gremlins 2 movie. I might have to watch it because of this but I am not looking forward to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpSo4fu1rgM&ab_channel=RedLetterMedia
-
RedLetterMedia gave some interesting critiques of the movie calling in the new self aware Gremlins 2 movie. I might have to watch it because of this but I am not looking forward to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpSo4fu1rgM&ab_channel=RedLetterMedia
RLM is always a good time and usually spot on with their take on films. And after watching this, I kinda feel like watching Matrix Resurrections (albeit with entirely different expectations).
-
Resurrections is not a good movie. It's just another "can we milk it just a little more?" exercise. I got as far as the roof top chase and let it go. The original Matrix is a recognized sci fi classic. The critical consensus is that it's one of the best sci fi films of all time. If you don't agree, maybe Google the reasoning behind that consensus. That said, if you think it's just "meh", well, we all get different enjoyment from our fav movies.
I have a pristine re-release of The Matrix which I watched recently, it's a hell of a lot of fun, my favorite scene is still the helicopter, Trinity, Neo moment. I've never regarded Keanu Reeves as much of an actor. He's wooden even in the Matrix, but the movie is greater than the sum of its parts. The only movie I've ever really liked him in is River's Edge, which none of you have ever heard of. :lol
-
I decided to give it a go last night. It wasn't as bad as expected. The first half did drag on too long and I was losing interest. Perhaps having foreknowledge that the second half would be completely different kept me going. The worst part for me was the insertion of clips from the original movie. Completely unnecessary waste of time and I cringed every time. It felt like one of those filler sitcom episodes comprised of clips of past episodes. I thought the movie itself referencing the challenges of making a fourth installment was clever and not in a ludicrous Gremlins 2 way.
The second half felt like your typical 2020's reboot with a variety of generic younger characters plopped in with zero time spent on their character development. It's dissapointing, but what is to be expected from movies now.
So overall....nothing compared to the original, but standard fare as a current movie to kill a couple hours and then forget. They somewhat refer to this with a line about "all we did was entertain some kids back then". (paraphrasing. I don't remember the exact line and am not going back to find it).
-
You guys just can't help yourselves.
-
Might be more fun if fellow arcade nerds took all this time squandered on a film industry debacle and spent it on helping me with rewarding projects.
:)
Of course the way everybody talks about watching the film, eating a bucket of linoleum might be more enjoyable.
-
Quick question for you guys. Is this film better or worse than Ghostbusters Afterlife?
I realise they're both essentially pointless retreads, but I fancy going to see a film this weekend and they're the only options available.
I've already seen the latest Spiderman film, which was OK, but still slightly disappointing after all the hype.
-
I really enjoyed Ghostbusters Afterlife. The new Matrix, not so much.
If you do pick Ghostbusters, stay to the VERY end of the credits.
-
Quick question for you guys. Is this film better or worse than Ghostbusters Afterlife?
I realise they're both essentially pointless retreads, but I fancy going to see a film this weekend and they're the only options available.
I've already seen the latest Spiderman film, which was OK, but still slightly disappointing after all the hype.
Another vote for Ghostbusters afterlife.
Last time out I saw Nightmare Alley. Acting and atmosphere were superb, but movie was 40 minutes longer than it needed to be.
The ending is expected and carried out like a formality. We see the character accept his fate, but don't get the satisfaction of seeing him suffer it.
-
Ghostbusters was really enjoyable, if you don't overthink it. It knew it wasn't going to be like the originals and didn't try to be. Putting it in a rural setting was probably the best decision they could make.
-
I didn’t hate the ghostbusters with the women in it.
:dunno
-
Fell asleep halfway through that one, so I don't comment much, but the 1st half was just unremarkable and left me with no desire to finish it up.
-
Well I eventually decided to see Ghostbusters Afterlife, mainly because of the recommendations here.
It had a bit of a Goonies feel to it, and was basically OK until about 10 minutes to the end when it suddenly became overly sentimental, and everything started to feel a bit awkward. The sudden shift in tone was jarring to say the least.
I was also shocked at how old the original cast looked. I realise the first film was made 37 years ago (yikes!) but it doesn't really hit you until you see the original cast in their Ghostbusters costumes. That in turn made me feel old, and consequently I left the cinema on a bit of a downer.
-
I didn’t hate the ghostbusters with the women in it.
:dunno
I didn't hate it either. Actually I rather liked it, and as a stand-alone film it would have been perfectly fine.
However, it wasn't a stand-alone film. It was supposed to be a sequel (or perhaps reboot?) to the original Ghostbusters film. If you're going to make a sequel then you should either be trying to fix problems with the original film, or have something new to say. Ghostbusters 2016 failed on both counts and was therefore ultimately a bit pointless. You could of course level the same criticism at Ghostbusters Afterlife.
-
Sorry to bring up this old subject, but hey, I gotta be me..
I just got around to watching Matrix Resurrection. I agree it should have never been made.
I went to sleep during it.
That was one movie that I thank goodness I did not invest any money in. (DVD loaner). But the time was not a total loss, since I did get a good nap in.
And as for Ghost Busters Afterlife, I liked it.
-
I enjoyed afterlife. Paul Rudd was a good choice for that movie and the plot was better than ghost busters 2.
the ghost busters with the women, i don't remember it being bad. just something i didn't care to watch again though Chris Hemsworth was pretty damn funny. Other than that i really can't remember the movie too much. don't think i was drinking that night either, my kids were smaller and we were doing the projector next to the fire outside so i usually only drink when it's just me that can fall into the fire.
4th matrix....i still haven't gone back to finish the second half.
i guess i sorta want to see what happens.
-
4th matrix....i still haven't gone back to finish the second half.
i guess i sorta want to see what happens.
You really don't. Really. :puke :)
But I liked Afterlife as well. Didn't think I was going to, but I did. Really felt true to the franchise and the actors did a good job.
-
Finally sat down and watched the new Ghostbusters yesterday. (we did have to consult Wikipedia to confirm the gender of Little Egon - it's a girl!)
Liked it. The ending bummed me the hell out, was not expecting Egon to show up. Jeez.
Oklahoma doesn't really look like that, which I found amusing. Google tells me it was filmed in Canada near the Montana border.
:cheers: