The Matrix 4 Resurrections: Explained (Full Plot And Ending)

The Matrix: Resurrections is the fourth part in the series and sees Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprise their epic roles as Neo and Trinity. The film is set many years after the events of The Matrix: Revolutions and is made well, for the most part bringing back tons of nostalgia, including some of the great music used in the earlier movies. Here’s the plot and ending of The Matrix: Resurrections explained; spoilers ahead.

Contents

Here are links to the key aspects of the movie:

The Matrix Trilogy: Summary

If you need a quick summary of the The Matrix Trilogy, check this video out:

Who is The Analyst? What happened after the ending of The Matrix: Revolutions?

who is The Analyst in resurrections

The Analyst is the new Architect. In The Matrix: Revolutions, the machines terminated Neo to destroy Smith. When this happened, a program called The Analyst observed that Neo was an anomaly like none other and that Neo’s choices were based on his love for Trinity, a companion that the earlier anomalies did not have. So he resuscitates both of them.

Meanwhile, the machines kept their promise, offered peace, and left Zion alone; they also freed others who wanted out of The Matrix. In time, there was a power shortage, and the machines went to war with each other.

The Analyst figured out that Neo and Trinity were individually not worth much, but when combined, the kind of electricity they produced surpassed the average human’s output by many folds as long as two were kept close enough and desire and fear ran their lives. The Analyst also identifies that subconsciously, this is the state where most human minds stop rebelling the programming. His theory – the worse the humans are treated, the more they are manipulated, the more energy they produce. Hence, The Analyst could generate more power from all human minds by keeping them in the same state of desire and fear.

Thus, a new version of The Matrix is created, designed keeping Neo and Trinity imprisoned at its heart with The Analyst in charge. Older programs are deleted, and the status quo of peace is lifted. Do recollect that dialogue between The Architect and The Oracle at the end of The Matrix: Revolutions. When he asks her, “Just how long do you think this peace is going to last?” she says, “As long as it can”. Well, with the entry of The Analyst, that peace comes to an end. The Oracle does send a warning, but it falls on deaf ears.

How and why are Neo and Trinity alive and back inside the Matrix?

For the sake of electric power, Neo and Trinity are kept alive in unique pods in the machine city’s well-guarded facility called the Anomaleum. They are made to live tormented lives with each other at arms reach to ensure a stable Matrix. Neo and Trinity subconsciously desire to be with one another but fear the outcome if they do – each other’s death. Neo and Trinity were experimented upon like lab rats as it took The Analyst years to design his new Matrix after getting them plugged in and stabilized.

How long has it been, and why haven’t Neo and Trinity grown as old as the others in the real world?

It has been 60 years since the events of The Matrix: Revolutions. Neo and Trinity were experimented on and put into special pods that seems to have slowed the pace at which they aged. This has been done to draw all that additional electricity from them over a longer lifespan. According to Neo and Trinity, only 20 years have passed.

What happened to the real Morpheus and Zion?

Morpheus was chosen unanimously to be Zion’s leader, but he believed in The One far too much. He thought that nothing could change what Neo had put in place and ignores The Oracle’s warning. He also believed that humans and machines would always be on opposite sides which eventually led to their downfall. It appears that Zion was eventually destroyed, and Morpheus was killed when the machines ended the peace. While Zion is referred to as “being trapped in a Matrix of their own”, this was metaphorical. The Matrix: Resurrections pretty much puts an end to the Matrix within the Matrix theory that has done the rounds for two decades.

What happened to The Oracle and The Architect?

Along with exiles and many other programs, they were purged when the new Matrix, designed by The Analyst, came into power. 

What happened to Niobe? What is Io, and why are machines working with humans?

Niobe matrix resurrections

Well, Niobe just got older by 60 years. She managed to survive, but importantly, she didn’t believe that all machines were the same. Neo’s trip to the source and being wired in from there allowed the machines to understand that not all humans are destructive in nature. Over time, some of the machines sided with the humans and helped them set up a new concealed city called Io. Over the years, collaborating with machines, humans have re-engineered and re-created parts of the world that once existed in the late 20th century. They now have a sky and grow crops.

That said, Niobe’s priorities have changed. She has been focusing far too much to rebuild a real, real-world, and has reduced her efforts to free more minds. This, in tandem with The Analyst’s new programming, has made humanity progressively more enslaved. But Niobe, through her experience, knows that freeing more people would mean more resources for them and she’s collaborating with the synthients to create a sustainable ecosystem. Bugs disagrees with her as she is the young rebel that Niobe once was.

The Matrix: Resurrections: Plot Explained

What has Neo been doing in the Matrix? Why could no one find Neo?

neo mirror resurrections

Neo is reinserted into the Matrix, but the mental projection of his digital self is altered by The Analyst to get him to look like a balding old nerd. Neo’s digital signal is also changed, making him untraceable. People of the real world assumed Neo died saving them. 

Neo has been fed by the Matrix that he is a game designer, Thomas Anderson, and that his life’s experiences are actually the events of a three-part game series he created called The Matrix. Neo has had fierce breakdowns because of his mind rejecting the programming. This one time, he tries to step off a building in an attempt to fly. He believes that the events in the game were parts of his life, but The Analyst, posing as his therapist, feeds him lies and keeps him in check by putting him on the blue pills.

A small group of people, led by Bugs, is suspicious that the balding game creator is Neo because Bugs happens to look at Mr Thomas Anderson trying to step off the building, but for a short instant, she sees Neo’s digital self. Since then, she believes that Thomas is Neo and makes it her life’s mission to free him.

What happened to Trinity?

Trinity Reflection Coffee Table
Trinity’s reflection on the coffee table!

Trinity was reinserted into the Matrix and was given a new identity called Tiffany. Her Digital Self Image has been altered to make her look like a blonde woman. She was also given a husband and kids. The responsibility of her kids kept her from questioning the many thoughts she got about her life being a lie. She even identifies herself to be very similar to Trinity from the game but is laughed at when she brings this up with her husband. While this angers her, she can’t do anything about it and lives her life in constant doubt. Neo and Trinity can sense a mild familiarity with each other, but both have altered appearances and their memories have been tampered with and hence they really can’t recollect one another. Also, while Neo has always seen Trinity (Tiffany) in the coffee shop, Simulatte, he hasn’t approached her because of that subliminal fear of losing her – a job well done by The Analyst.

What happened to Agent Smith in The Matrix: Resurrections?

what happened to smith in resurrections

Smith was not destroyed either. That balance between Neo and Smith was retained in this new Matrix where Smith too is made to believe that he’s the owner of a game designing company. He and Anderson are shown to have their differences but are kept from the truth about their real identities. 

Why not delete Smith like the other exiles and The Oracle? Neo and Smith are two sides of the equation which The Analyst understood and utilized their bond to keep them both tethered. Besides, Smith was no ordinary exile. He was the case of the anti-virus program going rogue. Perhaps to avoid risking his return, The Analyst preferred to keep him in check by altering his appearance and keeping him disillusioned. 

Who is this young Morpheus in The Matrix: Resurrections?

young Morpheus

Young Morpheus is a sentient program created by Neo inside his Modal. In the Matrix, as part of his game program, Neo builds a Modal that runs a simulation of the events of the first Matrix. We see this in the opening of the movie The Matrix: Resurrections – another Trinity enacting the events. But these events are altered because of the way Neo has programmed it. His subconscious is looking for answers. 

Neo believes there are two people responsible for him to realize his true self within the Matrix:

  1. Morpheus – for freeing his mind
  2. Smith – for killing him and allowing him to rise as The One

So in his simulation, he programs this young entity based on both Morpheus and Smith. Thanks to the nature of his programming, Young Morpheus begins searching for Neo. Bugs hacks into this Modal and runs into Young Morpheus and extracts him. We later learn that Neo subconsciously left his Modal open hoping someone would free Young Morpheus who would in turn find and free him.

Wait, programs can be freed from the Matrix now?

Yes, just like humans, programs in the Matrix can also be freed from the Matrix, and they appear and interact in the real world through a variation of nanobot technology (Paramagnetic Oscillation). Young Morpheus is one such free program.

Freeing Neo again, but Smith too!

the matrix 4 office scene

Young Morpheus reaches out to Neo to get him to take the Red Pill, but they get attacked. Seeing the chaos at the workspace, Agent Smith recollects his past and tries to attack him. Neo still believes he’s imagining all of this as part of his psychosis. The Analyst uses the Deja Vu technic, erases the office event, and tells Neo that it was all in his mind. 

Eventually, Bugs and team reach Neo and use backdoors to finally extract him with the help of a few synthients, Cybebe and Octacles. Neo has been mind-washed for so long that his vitals fail in the real world. Young Morpheus helps by sparring with Neo and stating that Trinity needs his help and Neo’s mind accepts the real world. Neo meets Bugs, her crew, and Young Morpheus in his Paramagnetic form as they exchange an epic handshake. Cybebe approaches Neo and thanks him for the sacrifice he once made. Since Cybebe and Octacles risk their lives breaking protocols to extract Neo, they have been exiled and therefore the team has no way to access Trinity’s pod.

Niobe locks Neo up because his attempt to rescue Trinity would put Io in danger. Young Morpheus and Bugs break him out and enter the Matrix.

The Merovingian is back, just to make fun of Mark Zuckerberg

Smith, who is no longer living his false life, meets with The Merovingian and his exiles, who are a dying race in this new Matrix. The Merovingian hates Neo and blames him for this miserable new version of The Matrix and takes a swing at Zuckerberg’s Meta in the process. Smith tries to kill Neo, believing that his death is his path to freedom but Neo sonic-booms Smith and heads to meet Trinity.

Bullet-Time

The Analyst figures that Neo’s primary source of power comes from his speed. So in this new Matrix, he programs a Bullet-Time feature that slows down everything, including Neo’s movements. He threatens Neo to return to the Matrix stating he will kill Trinity otherwise. Since Neo has exited his pod, he can finally see Trinity in her true form. Neo and the team exit the Matrix. Back at Io, Niobe is furious at the team but is intercepted by a message from Sati. 

What is Sati’s role in The Matrix: Resurrections? Why does Sati help?

Sati's Role in The Matrix 4

In The Matrix: Revolutions, Sati’s parents offer The Merovingian access to The Oracle in exchange for Sati’s safety. Despite this, The Oracle protected Sati because she foresaw that Sati will have a hand in restoring balance. Sati has been aware that Neo and Trinity are alive and in the Matrix. She explains that her father was the chief engineer at the Anomaleum and designed the resurrection pods. But once he got to know that Neo and Trinity would be imprisoned in them, he secretly transitioned the design details to Sati. The Analyst deleted Sati’s parents for his betrayal, while she is saved by Kujaku, a synthient with stealth powers, using which she reaches out to Niobe.

For years, Sati doesn’t tell Niobe about Neo and Trinity because she felt that would have disrupted Niobe’s efforts to build Io for both humans and synthients. However, Sati keeps a close eye on Neo and Trinity in the coffee shop and waits for the day she might help Neo and avenge her parents.

Sati further explains that Neo’s escape has destabilized the Matrix. A fail-safe has been triggered to reset the Matrix back to the previous version. But The Analyst has halted the reset as he’s convinced that Neo will return voluntarily in fear of Trinity’s death. The Analyst’s knowledge of Neo’s choice has made him incautious, giving the team an opportunity to save Trinity.

Why hasn’t The Analyst found and purged Sati yet?

Considering Sati has been in the Matrix keeping an eye on Neo for 60 years, the obvious question that comes to mind is – Why has The Analyst not purged her yet? The film doesn’t directly answer this, but The Matrix: Revolutions might have a clue. Remember, The Oracle had to find herself another shell and transform herself by losing a part of her code to go into hiding. The Matrix: Revolutions ended with Sati reuniting with The Oracle, and she likely spent many years with her until The Analyst’s new version of the Matrix came into effect. In that time, The Oracle could have taught Sati to find her own new shell. Sati is shown to be able to alter code to create a beautiful sunrise, so it wouldn’t be a far stretch to conclude that with the help of The Oracle, she learned how to alter her own signature and hide in plain sight. The Analyst has no knowledge of Sati’s whereabouts, and considering his overconfident nature, he didn’t think Sati was a threat to him.

What is Sati’s Plan in The Matrix: Resurrections?

  1. Young Morpheus to enter a small air vent that leads up to Neo’s Pod.
  2. Young Morpheus to open the devacuator line to allow Cybebe, Bugs and Kujaku to enter the Anomaleum and reach Trinity’s pod.
  3. Sati to remotely instruct Kujaku to disconnect Trinity’s body.
  4. Wait for Trinity to make a choice if she really wants to exit the Matrix.
  5. If “yes”, momentarily connect Bugs to trinity’s digital self as Bugs’ brain signals are the closest to Trinity’s.
  6. Remove Trinity from the pod and move it to the ship and plug her in from there, and unplug Bugs.
  7. Everyone gets the hell out of there before the sentinels know there has been a theft.

Trinity’s Choice

Neo tells The Analyst that if Trinity chooses to stay, he will reenter the Matrix; if not, they want out. The Analyst agrees. Initially, Trinity says that Neo is too late and leaves with her family. But just as she’s about to exit, she figures she hates this life as Tiffany and beats her husband up, who turns out to be a bot. It’s pretty evident that her kids are also bots and have been placed in her life as a measure of control. Before anything, The Analyst goes back on his words (unlike The Architect in the previous film) and triggers Bullet-Time.

Why does Agent Smith come to the rescue?

Agent Smith has always appreciated his connection with Neo. He’s always felt they are both anomalies representing two sides of the equation. While he initially believes that Neo’s death will set him free, he understands that his powers have returned, given Neo has exited the Matrix. His beef now is with The Analyst for keeping him trapped as a game designer for so long.

The silly planning on The Analyst’s part is that he focuses only on Neo and not Smith. Once Neo exited the Matrix, Smith regained his powers of an Agent and somehow is not affected by Bullet-Time. That said, he isn’t anywhere near powerful as the exile he was in The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions. Smith bids goodbye and un-assimilates the random person – poor chap has no clue what he’s in the middle of. Smith’s purpose in this new Matrix is not addressed.

What is a Swarm?

As The Analyst explains, he has used bots that look like ordinary people as part of his Matrix ecosystem. On his command, he can get any bot to follow his orders. However, these bots don’t assimilate like Agents and live their lives believing themselves to be humans. A swarm is when a group of bots are activated to kill; we see an event on the train when they escape with Neo.

The attack of the Bot Swarm

Resurrections climax

Realizing that Trinity’s body has been stolen from the pod, The Analyst triggers a massive swarm to attack and kill Neo, Trinity and gang. Trinity rides away with Neo as the Swarm herds them into a kill zone. Choppers show up to blow them to kingdom come. Neo uses his powers to shield himself and Trinity, and they make their way to the roof of a building. 

Neo uses one chopper to blow up the other, but he gets knocked to the ground with Trinity. Trinity finally remembers everything about the two of them and their past, and they take a leap of faith off the building.

The Matrix: Resurrections: Ending Explained: How can Trinity Fly?

Matrix ending explained

The ending of The Matrix Resurrections shows us that Trinity is also an anomaly and can see the code from inside the Matrix, just like Neo could. She looks at the sky and remembers the moment she saw the real sun, just before she died, and recalls calling it beautiful. Given Trinity has also exited her pod and is connected from the ship, she can see Neo in his true form and recollects their past lives. They take a leap of faith off the building. Trinity’s love and belief in Neo really made him rise as The One. They were always a pair. This time Neo believes in her and is fighting to pull her out. In this version of the Matrix, the anomalies have emerged as a pair, explaining why Trinity can fly. 

Trinity flies away with Neo, and they exit the Matrix and embrace in the real world. After that, they return to meet The Analyst. Neo’s and Trinity’s exit should have triggered the fail-safe rolling the Matrix back to its previous version. But The Analyst is unlike The Architect; his quest for power and control made him use his system knowledge to stop this roll-back. Unfortunately, he didn’t anticipate Neo and Trinity’s escape. This gives the duo complete access to redesign this version of the Matrix as The Analyst conceived it keeping Neo and Trinity at the heart of its design. All The Analyst can do now is sit and watch. What would happen if The Analyst rolled back the Matrix? Well, that might take away the infinite power that Neo and Trinity have, but he would be deleted by the machine world for misusing his powers. They fly away triumphantly, and the film comes to a close.

What were your thoughts on the plot and the ending of The Matrix Resurrections? Drop your comments and questions below, let’s discuss!