Have you ever had a dream that you were sure was so real? What if you weren’t able to wake from that dream? How would you know what is real and what is the dream world? Its questions such as those that keep us awake at night. More often than not, those moments make us remember the film that forever changed the minds of audiences…The Matrix. 

It’s been eighteen years since the conclusion of the Matrix trilogy was released and over twenty since The Matrix was introduced to the world. Led by astounding direction from the Wachowskis combined with an intriguing and original script, The Matrix would eventually become one of the most influential science fiction films since the original Star Wars. Its story, scope, and philosophical ideas still resonate to this day. 

With that said, let’s remind ourselves of five key points that occurred in The Matrix Universe before seeing The Matrix Resurrections. These critical points should remind us of all that happened and will give us a slight glimpse into the fourth entry.

For fans of these films, these will be familiar, and for the new generation of moviegoers who are unfamiliar with this franchise, here at mxdwn we suggest you relive all the glory before running to the theater or streaming this newest edition on HBO Max. Let’s count down the Top 5 key points to remember before you see The Matrix Resurrections. Spoilers are going to present, so be warned!

5. The Oracle Foretold of Neo’s Return. 

Following the death of Neo at the hands of Agent Smith, the world between the humans and the machines is put on pause. Neo meets with the machines and speaks to a literal “Deus Ex Machina” and proclaims that he wants peace. After Smith assimilates Neo, he is destroyed by the machines, and the Matrix itself is rebooted. The Sentinels withdraw from Zion and the war is, as far as the audience knows, over. The Oracle does mention at the end of the movie that perhaps Neo will return, and even the Architect  agrees with the Oracle that peace will last as long as it can and that there will be an offer to those who wish to leave the Matrix. 

 4. There have been six versions of the Matrix (as far as we know). 

When Neo first meets the Architect in The Matrix Reloaded, it was surely one of the most confusing scenes in movie history. The audience learns that several attempts were made to make the “perfect world” for the human race, but that ultimately each iteration failed. With the story of Neo, he is in the sixth version of the Matrix. Morpheus was killed in the Matrix Online video game so seeing a younger version of him in the fourth entry does raise some questions. Since the war is over, peace was established and the Matrix was rebooted, what version is the audience going to see in this newest film? Do different versions of the Matrix allow for memories to be formed from past experiences? 

3. Humans started the war with the machines. 

During the time in which Morpheus is telling Neo the truth of all that happened, he is unaware of who fired first. The truth is learned when watching The Animatrix in which one story tells the fascinating tale of B1-66ER, a domestic android who murders his owner and claims self-defense. What follows thereafter is a trial in which the android claims he didn’t wish to die and only reacted when his owner threatened him with violence. This leads to an outcry that pits the humans against the machines, which were designed to serve humans, and the result is the death of B1-66ER. A great amount of this story is omitted here, but that machine was the one that started this debacle and the human’s action led forth the events of the first film. Go back and check out the Animatrix, it is definitely worth a watch and essential in Matrix lore. 

2. Neo was a computer programmer before becoming The One.  

Thomas Anderson worked at a respectable software company before becoming the man that Morpheus had been searching for. With this particular career, Thomas Anderson adopted the alter ego known as “Neo.” His quest for the truth and understanding of the so-called “matrix” led to his discovery by the agents of the matrix and the meeting between Neo and Morpheus where Neo was given a choice to either keep on dreaming or discover just how far the rabbit hole goes. Neo is addressed as Thomas Anderson in the new movie based on the trailers. Neo dies at the end of The Matrix Revolutions both in the matrix itself and in reality. Did he just reset and start the dream world again? This leads to our final key point.

1. Neo and Trinity died in The Matrix Revolutions. 

Our eyes don’t lie. Both Neo and Trinity die at the end of the third film. Trinity’s body was left on the ship Logos after it crashed in Machine City. Neo’s body was taken away after Agent Smith assimilated him in the matrix which causes an entire system to reboot. The audience never sees what happens to Neo’s body or where the machines take him. Is it possible that both Neo and Trinity were born again on the human farm and if that’s the case, why do they look aged in the trailers for the fourth film? Was Thomas Anderson woken up by a younger Morpheus to lead the resistance once again? Is Trinity still dreaming and has yet to take the red pill? Why is all this chaos happening again if peace was reached between humans and machines? There are so many questions.  

Those are five key points to remember before seeing the much-anticipated The Matrix Resurrections. It is thrilling to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss back together on the big screen portraying the characters that forever changed cinema. The Matrix Resurrections is now in theaters and on HBO Max on everywhere. There is no better time than now to hack back into the dream world and experience all the glory that impressed us over twenty years ago.  

What is the matrix? Well, it’s more complicated than you might imagine. It’s time to decide; will you take the blue pill or the red pill?