We’re getting more insights into just what went into the look and feel of The Matrix Resurrections, the sequel to the blockbuster film franchise whose initial 1999 film The Matrix revolutionized the action genre in terms of both visual effects and heady storytelling.
Those who are at least familiar with the trailer for the fourth installment of the franchise will know that it contains a noticeably broader spectrum in terms of the movie’s color pallet compared to past installments
It turns out there’s actually a good reason the latest movie has dropped the so-called “green filter” prominently featured in The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions.
The Matrix Resurrections cinematographer Daniele Massaccesi broke down the explanation in a recent interview with Slash Film.
“Green because obviously everybody remembers the Matrix to be green. Think of the way computers developed so quickly in 20 years. In the beginning, computer was a black screen with a blinking, all the writing was green, everything was green. Wasn’t much color in it. So, at that time, it would make sense to have that kind of green look to the Matrix.”
He then went on to explain that since computers aren’t so green anymore, the look of the artificial world known as the Matrix in the film also had to change.
“And, actually, the reality that can create sometimes even looks even more real than the reality itself, so we decide to go, ‘Let’s make it beautiful. Let’s make it look beautiful. We don’t need to be green. We don’t need to be the same idea that was original.’ Because it’s 20 years later, the characters are 20 years later, everything is 20 years later, and things have developed. So it allowed us to have more freedom, and have more fun in a way, to create a new look.”
The explanation makes perfect sense when you consider how far-flung into the future The Matrix Resurrections takes place compared to the original trilogy. Catch the film in theaters and HBO Max now.