Keanu Reeves in The Matrix in 1999
With the unveiling of the Chinese version poster of the fourth "Matrix Rebirth" of "The Matrix", this "living long-see" work that makes the majority of science fiction fans worry about their stomachs can finally reunite on the big screen for the first time. At this time, it has been exactly 22 years since the first "Matrix" "subverted the cognition of all mankind", and Keanu Reeves on the poster has also changed from a refreshing and handsome boy to a long-haired uncle.
"Do you choose red or blue?" The most classic prop of "The Matrix", and the key to unlocking the worldview of the entire series, are these two pills - choose the blue pill, you will continue to stay in the solid and comfortable virtual space; and choose the red pill, it will show you the cold and cruel real world.
In the newly released trailer for Matrix: Matrix Rebirth, the pill that has not been seen for many years has become the most core element, and Neo, who has returned to the matrix, seems to have forgotten his role and role in the first three films, even Trinity, who once fought side by side. Under the guidance of the so-called "psychiatrist", his daily life is accompanied by a large number of blue pills, as if returning to the state of ignorance at the beginning of the first part, waiting for who will bring him the second awakening. The significance of the red and blue pill, whether in the movie plot or in the film promotion, the producer Warner has made a "painstaking effort". As early as September, Warner had released a kind of "pill creativity" trailer on the WhatisTheMatrix.com website, every netizen clicked into it to see different content, the trailer will be based on the user's choice, the current real-time time, and the location of the IP random combination of fragments and dialogue, according to media statistics, the final generation of "Matrix Rebirth" trailer version up to 180,000.
Above is the red and blue pill in The Matrix,
Below, they appear in Matrix Reborn
The mere interactive creative trailer made it so "sci-fi", apparently to pique the appetite of viewers, especially sci-fi fans and Keanu Reeves fans who are keen on "Cyberspace". Although the plot of the film was strictly confidential before the release, from the official preview of the official version, various media interviews, and the derivation of the structure of the first three parts of "The Matrix", a trace of "how the matrix is reborn" can still be found. First of all, on the list of creators of the film, there are still the Wachowski sisters who built The Matrix twenty years ago (they were still Wachowski brothers at the time), and the slight difference is that the two have changed from being a juxtaposed director to being directed by lana Wachowski alone, and sister Lily Wachowski is only responsible for the screenwriting. Keanu Reeves had said that if "The Matrix" really wanted to restart, unless Wachowski directed it himself, he would not be out again. Sure enough, inspired by the director's sisters, the two most important actors in the series, Reeves and Kerry-Ann Moss, also returned, and the poster was the silhouette of the two of them, bathed in the most representative dark green "digital rain" of "The Matrix".
When the two appeared on the cover of PREMIERE magazine,
It is also unveiled with the iconic shape and "digital rain"
That kind of "digital filter" of the physical scene also reappears in the trailer, and fans familiar with the series know at a glance that this is a picture calculated by the matrix, and the dark green eyeball that flashes by is also a non-human character belonging to the virtual world. In complete contrast to the sunny cityscape there, the real human being is still soaked in a dark tissue fluid, with a harness tube connecting the spiritual planes inserted behind the head. The trailer once again appears naked Trinity waking up from the liquid, and when she roars, there will be a number of different faces around, plus Neo also saw an elderly version of himself in the mirror, can't help but think, after this matrix rebirth, will it also create a "multiverse" like Marvel, each human entity, in the virtual space can appear with different appearances and identities?
And things like upgrading slow mirrors, stopping bullets with empty hands, arbitrary doors through time and space, mirrors, "seals" for virtual characters, the possession of viruses, and "Chinese Kung Fu" that has set off a Hollywood boom have appeared in the trailer of "Matrix: Matrix Rebirth". Slightly regrettably, Neo's mentor Memphis is not in the cast list, and the new African actor Yehya Abdul-Medin has a similar makeup to Fishbourne, especially his "competition" with Neo in the Eastern scene, it is easy to guess that this is the "young version" of Memphis, after all, in the matrix, the human form is not fixed. In addition, the most critical villain in the first three films, The "virus" Smith played by Hugo Viven, did not appear in the trailer, and it is not known whether this role was really eliminated by the system and humans, or "upgraded" through another way. In short, the trailer of just 2 minutes and 52 seconds has too many familiar "hacker" elements, and at the same time contains new possibilities of subversion, as the last agent-like character said to Neo: "Still go back to where it all began, welcome back to the matrix!" ”
So, if you turn back to 1999 and look back at the background of the birth of The Matrix, you can understand why the series was able to surpass similar films and become a science fiction classic of the new millennium, spawning a wave of "hacker" subcultures that swept the world. When the college-run Wachowski brothers worked out the script for The Matrix in the 1990s, they incorporated elements of popular culture such as science fiction movies, comics, and games, the most important of which was the "cyberpunk" style spawned by Blade Runner and the "brain in the vat" theory of philosopher Hillary Putnam. The Wachowski brothers may not be familiar with Descartes' famous phrase "I think, therefore I am" or idealistic theory, they are more from the science fiction world's questioning of artificial intelligence and the imagination of the newly emerging virtual cyberspace, assuming the story of "an office worker suddenly finds himself in the virtual space".
It is based on the idea that human beings have been enslaved on the physical level and can only fight in the matrix system on the spiritual level, Wachowski let Neo fight with the matrix system and the virus for three episodes, and the black and green digital aesthetic, the "cool" fashion style of the sunglasses trench coat, the preference for oriental kung fu and the special effects such as bullet time are all pop culture elements that serve this idea. Of course, "cyberpunk" itself has a philosophical or sociological level of interpretation space, and the human as an individual perception end, active or passive chain into the virtual network space of the preconception, in the "Matrix" more than two decades have almost been practiced in reality, from "Summer War" to "Ready Player One" to "Out of Control Player", a large number of inventions and use of VR and somatosensory devices, has spawned the current hot "meta-universe" concept.
What makes fans most excited is that "Matrix Rebirth" as the sequel to "The Matrix", the male protagonist is still Keanu Reeves, which will not be like the "Life and Death Speed 2: Sea Thriller" followed the trend of "Life and Death Speed", which hard replaced him from the male protagonist's seat, and finally let the sequel become a joke of hanging on the sheep's head to buy dog meat. What's more, Reeves, who can be called "a clear stream" in Hollywood, is not only a "wonderful man" in the eyes of fans and peers, but also always brings surprises to people inside and outside the play. Feeding pigeons alone in the square, low-key subway to give way for ladies, an old jacket that has not changed for several years, but at the same time generously donated for charity, took out the film remuneration and shared it with the crew colleagues, and sent the stuntmen to a Rolex "black water ghost" custom watch....These legends are true! No wonder everyone is sighing: "The world is not worthy of your good~"
In the previous Matrix 3: Matrix Revolution,
This play in the rain is unforgettable to the audience
Veteran fans still remember that in Gas van Sang's "My Private Idaho", Reeves's youthful and handsome face, participating in Coppola's "Four Hundred Years of Vampire Zombies" gave him a firm foothold in mainstream Hollywood blockbusters, and "Life and Death Speed" made him really usher in the first climax of his personal career. Reeves's unique temperament, which can not only fall in love with Vinola Ryder, Ethana Ghyon, Cameron Diaz or Charlize Theron, but also become a cold detective or lawyer, it is this kind of "cold and hot" coolness that will be photographed by the Wachowski brothers and become the savior of mankind in the matrix of "The Matrix".
"The Matrix" brought Reeves a huge reputation that swept the world, and he himself was deeply influenced by this work, but not the kind of commercial level of hot iron, but discovered another personal hobby of his own - Chinese kung fu. Several of Reeves's personal hobbies are also famous in the circle, even to the point of "not doing business": love rock, he and a few friends together to form a "Sirius" band, in order to be able to tour at the expense of refusing Hollywood film contracts; love motorcycles, he not only drove harley motorcycles around, but also keen to personally modify, participated in the creation of motorcycle companies, specializing in providing users with private customization. A large number of action scenes in "The Matrix" are hand-in-hand instruction from Hong Kong's "Yuan Jiaban", which makes Reeves completely fall in love with Chinese kung fu. He not only tried to star in the film himself, but also became friends with Chinese martial artists such as Chen Hu, perhaps because of Reeves's "one-eighth Chinese blood" origin, but more because of his sincere, diligent and easier to gain the trust of others, he was willing to teach him "true kung fu".
Tai Chi Man released in 2013
How much Reeves loves Chinese kung fu is evident from his only film he has directed and starred in so far, Tai Chi Man. This work can be said to be a "screen gift" that Reeves gave to his master and friend Chen Hu, although the level is different, but this tribute to Chinese martial arts and martial artists is still worthy of recognition, and Reeves also has a personal understanding of the Chinese philosophy behind kung fu because he has come to China many times to collect style. After practicing for many years, He also made Reeves, who was more than half a hundred years old, "slim down successfully", and unexpectedly glowed the "third spring" - with the low-budget action film "Rapid Attack" series once again became popular, John Wick became his second screen image second only to Neo, even if the plot was completely simplified, but the victory was in the precise and clean action, "dry" on the line! Not only was the fight addicted, but another famous Internet terrier was born: "Don't Touch Reeves's Dog". Even when Reeves brought the long-haired and bearded shape into "The Matrix Reborn", it gave fans a sense of "cinema meta-universe" crossing, "You don't understand me", indeed, Reeves, who hit him on the screen, who really understands him?