While sitting down with Variety to promote “Project Hail Mary,” Drew Goddard spoke in defense of “The Matrix Resurrections,” a film that has often divided audiences, while also giving a cautious update on his work as the writer and director of the upcoming installment.
Goddard on Stepping into the ‘Matrix’ Universe and the Heart of ‘Resurrections’
With the weight of continuing one of cinema’s most iconic franchises on his shoulders, Goddard was asked about his approach to “The Matrix 5.” He tempered expectations, saying, “I can’t say too much, because we’re still in the stage of writing it,” but reassured audiences of his commitment, adding, “I feel the weight of wanting to do right by the fans, wanting to do right by the creators and wanting to do right for myself as a fan.”
When the conversation turned to “The Matrix Resurrections” and the interviewer asked what the director thought was the reason behind its underwhelming box office, Goddard offered his defense. “I don’t know. It certainly resonated with me. When I watched the movie, I was deeply moved. It may be the most emotional of the four,” he said.
The screenwriter suggested that the film’s reception had more to do with circumstances than content, noting, “I know it got caught up in the COVID times and it was when Warner Bros. was putting everything on streaming.”
When the fourth installment was released in 2021, it faced significant criticism from both fans and critics. Many viewers were unsettled by its meta-commentary, which frequently poked fun at the concept of a forced sequel, and by the shift away from the franchise’s groundbreaking action and stylized fight choreography toward a more personal, dialogue-driven story.
Recasting iconic roles, including Morpheus and Agent Smith, also drew complaints, and some critics argued the plot relied too heavily on nostalgia while emphasizing the romance between Neo and Trinity over the philosophical and cyberpunk elements that defined the original trilogy.
Some observers have even suggested that director Lana Wachowski deliberately shaped the film in this unconventional way as a subtle resistance to studio pressure for a conventional sequel. Whether Goddard will build on these choices or reinvent the story remains to be seen.