Movie review
December 16, 2021 · 148 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Matrix Resurrections follows Thomas Anderson, a video game developer haunted by strange memories, as rebels free him from a new version of the Matrix where he lives an ordinary life. Trinity has also been resurrected into a simulated family role, and the pair must reconnect while fighting a controlling new system. The film includes the writers' clear intent to reclaim the "red pill" idea from right-wing use, gives Trinity major new powers and agency, and features a prominent female rebel leader alongside diverse supporting characters in the resistance.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Matrix Resurrections.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent new female rebel leader and diverse actors in key resistance roles create visible audience-level diversity emphasis, though the futuristic setting allows some natural fit.
Woke political dialogue
Writers openly aimed to reclaim the red pill from the right; the film adds self-aware meta commentary on its own legacy and cultural misuse, though explicit political speeches remain light.
Identity-driven story themes
Centers personal awakening, choice, and equal partnership with Trinity gaining major agency and powers; reflects creators' known identity focus even if not overt identity-politics lectures.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Shows a system using false happiness and control to suppress awakening; stays mostly philosophical rather than delivering modern activist attacks on patriarchy, capitalism, or Western norms.
Woke character or canon changes
Gives Trinity significant new powers and places her in a domestic simulation role before her full awakening; minor adjustments fit the meta-story without major canon breaks.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Specific complaints from right-leaning audiences and media targeted the red pill reclamation, female empowerment, and perceived left-leaning cultural pushback; present but not overwhelming.
Creator track record context
Lana Wachowski's extensive activist and identity-focused history plus co-writers' explicit progressive reclamation statements set a clear pattern.
Production
