When The Matrix Resurrections was announced, amid the pantheon of fans that were elated was a group of folks who went – not again. Hollywood studios have developed a penchant for reviving and serializing old franchises in a bid to cash-in on nostalgic sequels and a segment of fans considered Warner Bros. to fall in that category. As time progressed, confidence grew in Lana Wachowski’s vision for the movie which, coupled with the ingenious marketing campaign to launch the film’s teaser and the first trailer, restored faith that this is indeed something special.

Writer David Mitchell echoed those feelings when quizzed about The Matrix Resurrections and whether he had seen it. He described it as weird, subverting the rules of a conventional sequel, and yet being able to contain all three movies that came before it neatly. Speaking to Indiewire, here’s what he had to say on his viewing experience of the movie.

I saw the film in Berlin in September. It’s really good. I cannot tell you what this film is about, but I could explain what it is not. It’s certainly not yet one more sequel, but something autonomous that contains the three Matrix that preceded in a really ingenious way. It’s a very beautiful and weird creation. It also achieved a couple of things that we do not see in action films, meaning it subverts the rules of blockbusters.

The Matrix Resurrections sees half the Wachowskis returning with Lily sitting this one out. Joining Lana then in the writing room are Mitchel and Aleksandar Hemon, author of The Lazarus Project. Plot details continue to be under wraps as the secretive and bizarre nature of the film means even a full trailer has left fans clueless when it comes to speculating on plot details.

The Matrix Resurrections releases in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously on Dec 22, 2021.