The Matrix Resurrections Gets Official Rating

The Matrix Resurrections has received its official rating, which is “Rated R for violence and some language.” The official rating for Matrix 4 was revealed by Film Ratings along with a bunch of other upcoming movie release dates, but it should synch perfectly with fan expectations of The Matrix franchise. The original Matrix movie broke the mold by mashing up sci-fi and hard-R ’90s action flicks with Eastern kung fu and anime genres. It would’ve been somewhat jarring if this new era of The Matrix tried to tone the violence and gunplay in order to appeal to the wider audience of a PG-13 rating. 

Then again, who really expected Lana Wachowski to comprise the vision of The Matrix Resurrections? Anyone? 

The Matrix Resurrections trailer revealed that Wachowski has indeed made a new age version of the Matrix that feels every bit in step with the weird, mysterious, visually captivating vein of the original film. The questions swirling around how Keanu Reeves’ Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss’s return to the Matrix, with seemingly no memory of their past experience in the original trilogy, is pretty much the thread that is pulling longtime fans back in. For new fans, the action design and choreography of Resurrections seems to be enough to pull a new generation of fans in. 

The veil of mystery is thick indeed, and even when we get answers from the cast and crew, those answers only seem to spark more questions. Take, for example, the case of Yahya Abdul-Mateen: the Aquaman actor let it be known after the trailer that he is the new version of Morpheus in Matrix Resurrections – a statement he has since muddled in a later interview: 

“I play a character who’s definitely aware of the history of the Matrix [and] the history of Morpheus,” Abdul-Mateen told EW. “This character is on a journey of self-discovery. There’s a lot in our story that’s about growth, defining your own path. Morpheus isn’t exempt from that.”

“Laurence already did what had to be done,” he added. “I think what the script provided was a new narrative and some new opportunities that did make room within the Matrix universe for a new Morpheus. What the viewers will come to understand is that there are many rules of the Matrix. Age, appearance, the things we identify as real, can be manipulated in that world. The Matrix is where anything is possible.”

The Matrix Resurrections will be in theaters and HBO Max on December 22nd.