Summary
There are only a handful of movies that transformed the genre of sci-fi by blending epic storytelling and great visuals to create something special. WhenThe Matrixwasreleased in theaters in 1999, it not only gave viewers something unique but also made them realize how technology can be used to tell such an enthralling narrative. However,the moviewas not just about technological advancements, it was also about how Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) tried to save humans from the simulation created by machines and set them free, making the storyline deeply resonate with the viewers. The film not only garnered critical success, it also earned more than $463 million at the global box office, which made Warner Bros. believe that moviegoers were ready for such mature storytelling.
Unfortunately, things didn’t move ahead as the production house wanted them to. The next two films in the franchise -The Matrix ReloadedandThe Matrix Revolutions -couldn’t capture the brilliance of the original and received mixed reviews. In 2021, the production giant wanted to expand the universe with the legacy sequel,The Matrix Resurrections,and bring original characters to complete the story. Although the trailers looked promising, the film failed to create hype among fans and could only earn $157 million globally on a production budget of approximately $190 million. Despite not receiving favorable numbers at the box office, Warner Bros. is not scared to enter the Matrix again and announced that a fifth film in the franchise was already in development. But if they want to make the upcoming film a success, they need to go back in time and take inspiration from one title that truly understood theMatrixuniverse:The Animatrix.
TheMatrixFranchise Needs Innovation And New Ideas, Not Mindless Nostalgia
Upon its release in 2021,The Matrix Resurrectionsdidn’t receive love from the moviegoers and even divided the ardent fans of the franchise. Some people did praise the movie for how it depicted the socio-political tensions between humans and machines, but the film’s underwhelming storyline couldn’t lay a strong foundation for this visual spectacle. Viewers did get to see their favorite characters, Neo and Trinity (played by Carrie-Anne Moss), on the big screen, but their respective narratives didn’t seem exciting and felt repetitive. Even though the makers wanted to show how theMatrixwas working in modern society, and how humans are still trapped inside this simulation created by machines. Despite some cool action sequences,Resurrectionsfailed to do anything substantialfor the franchise and felt like an attempt to cash in on the audience’s love for the original trilogy.
Now, it’s time to leave all the previous storylines or characters in the briefcase and do something better to make this series even more exciting. For that, the makers don’t have to go somewhere else and look back at one of their most fascinating projects, titledThe Animatrix.Released in 2003,The Animatrixis an anthology film comprising nine animated shorts that dive deeper into the aforementioned universeand give viewers a detailed look at how the world ofTheMatrixcame into existence. Apart from doing that, it also expanded the series in a unique way. Moving away from live-action, the film used animation to shed light on various important backstories and moral dilemmas faced by humans.
By followingtheAnimatrixstorylines, the makers have a chance to give viewers something fresh. Of course, those stories have been explored in the animated movie, but the makers could take inspiration from them to tell a story that feels much closer to the original film, and eclectic. For example, the film could focus on “The Second Renaissance,” which masterfully examines the rise of machines and the fall of humanity. Moreover, it details a narrative that seems hauntingly close to the world that people live in today. In the aforementioned storyline, humans are on the verge of crumbling into their own vanity and corruption. To get out of the situation, they developed Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help them. However, it doesn’t take much time for these AI-driven machines to take over and createThe Matrix.What made these stories so impactful was because of how they were told from the machine’s point of view, and offered a nuanced take on how humans treated AI so badly, flipping the roles of hero and villain. This kind of storytelling might give the upcomingMatrixfilm an edge and intrigue the audience with something new. Moreover, it also gives the makers a chance to showcase the epic battle sequences that people have come to associate with the aforementioned franchise.
The AnimatrixRemains A Standalone Story, But Is Also Connected ToThe Matrix
It is quite evident that Warner Bros. doesn’t want to let go ofThe Matrixfranchise because of how popular it is and the kind of value it holds. But that doesn’t mean that the makers can’t take creative liberties to tell a story that doesn’t follow the traditional tropes of the genre.The Animatrixdid that superbly with its animated short, “Beyond,” which was not at all about the war between humans and machines. It was more emotional and chronicled the journey of a teenage girl who was looking out for her cat in her neighborhood. However, the search for her cat takes her to a nearby haunted house. As soon as she enters the house, it is revealed that the house is an amalgamation of anomalies. Moreover, the haunted house is a place where gravity breaks down and logic disappears, making viewers believe that there is a glitch in the Matrix.
This particular story was all about a human finding that such things exist and discovering the cracks in reality. It didn’t include massive battle sequences or iconic heroic moments, but what it did brilliantly was make this story more human.The Matrix 5could explore a story like this that feels more of a standalone narrative, but is still connected to the larger universe, much likeRogue Onedid forStar Wars.Turning such unique storylines into live-action could lead to a project that feels like one big story where all the parts connect.
But there’s one thing that the makers should definitely take fromThe Animatrix, and that one thing is how diverse the project was. Not just the characters, but the people behind the camera came from different countries, including Japan, Korea, and the USA, to give these stories a new perspective. They also brought their unique styles to make the anthology film richer in the storytelling aspect. Although it has already been announced that Drew Goddard will be directing the fifth film of the franchise, a little help could be taken by the storytellers from around the world to make the title more intriguing.
WhyThe AnimatrixSecretly Holds the Key to RebootingThe MatrixFor A New Generation
In a world that’s changing so rapidly, traditional film studios need to understand that viewers now want to see better stories. Even when they are trying to expand the ongoing film universe, the studios need to be bold enough to tell new stories. For example, they need to study whatMad Max: Fury Roaddid for its franchise. It not only took the series to greater heights, it also reinvented the franchise with a fresh story, epic visuals, and new leads. It remained true to the source material without being chained to it. If Warner Bros. wantsThe Matrix 5to be more than just a gamble, it has to trust its audience and what it wants.
The audience is ready for new stories and new perspectives, andThe Animatrixmight prove to be significant in giving them what they need. Additionally, it could be the smartest move to take the story forward.The Animatrixhas already proven that theMatrixuniverse is much bigger than Neo, Trinity, or any other character that viewers have seen in the movies. Conversely, it opened the doors to endless creative possibilities, and following such narratives might bring new heroes and new difficulties to the limelight, which might encourage new people to join the franchise as viewers.The Matrix 5has the chance to change the course of a franchise that has been loved by millions of fans around the world, and it also provides an opportunity for the makers to break the shackles to tell a groundbreaking story.
In 2003,The Animatrixtold the world thatThe Matrixisn’t just one story, it’s a world of several thought-provoking threads. If the makers are thinking about the upcoming film seriously, it could turn out to be a restart that the franchise desperately needs.
