The Matrix Resurrections officially rated R from the MPAA

In case you were worried that The Matrix Resurrections was going to be neutered with a PG-13 rating to reach a larger audience, you can now rest easy knowing it has officially been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America.

The Matrix Resurrections earned an R-rating for “violence and some language”, per Film Ratings, which will keep it in line with the previous installments that were high on visceral action that the fans really loved. I never doubted that the film would go for an R-rating but sometimes you never know in Hollywood. The treasured PG-13 rating does broaden a movie’s audience but it’s nice to see that film is sticking to what made some of The Matrix work.

The Matrix Resurrections released its first trailer back in September and it featured an anxious Neo being thrust back into the Matrix. He’s inside of a therapist’s office and is recounting strange dreams and memories. Soon Neo runs into Trinity at a coffee shop which sees his former love interest asking: “Have we met?” Set to the tune of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, the trailer recalls all the visual spectacle that made the franchise a hit, which includes Neo’s transformation into his former self as a shot of blue pills spill into a sink. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II soon appears in a match that recalls Neo’s former training with Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne).

Per the film’s official synopsis, “In a world of two realities—everyday life and what lies behind it—Thomas Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. Choice, while an illusion, is still the only way in or out of the Matrix, which is stronger, more secure, and more dangerous than ever before.“

The Matrix Resurrections is produced, co-written (with David Mitchell & Aleksander Hemon), and directed by Lana Wachowski. The film marks the fourth installment of The Matrix franchise and will see the return of Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith Daniel Bernhardt, and Lambert Willson while they will be joined by new faces that include Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, Jonathan Groff, Neil Patrick Harris, Priyanka Chopra Jonas Telma Hopkins, Eréndira Ibarra, Toby Onwumere, Max Riemelt, Brian J. Smith, and Christina Ricci.

Do you feel more at peace knowing The Matrix Resurrections is rated R? The movie hits screens and HBO Max on December 22, 2021.