The Tailgate Society

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An essential need for the new Matrix movie

An essential need for the new Matrix movie

After the release of The Matrix Revolutions in late 2003, fans of the trilogy were left with endless questions. “How did they shoot all of those incredible fight scenes?” “Is Neo really dead or will he return in some other form in the future?” “What, exactly, was the plot of the last two movies?” All valid inquiries, no doubt. I’d argue, however, that the most pressing question on the minds of viewers regarded the fate of two other characters besides Keanu Reeves’ famed computer hacker-turned-revolutionary savior.

“The Matrix” contributed a great deal to the action film genre in the late ’90s/early 2000s. Rip off movies sprang up left and right in the wake of its success, with varying degrees of success. Nevertheless, the most notable accomplishment of the film series has to be its introduction of two of the most iconic characters in film history. I am speaking, of course, of the Twins.

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White. Dreadlocked. Hookah smoking. These two titans of cinema made their debut in “The Matrix Revolutions”, and movies would never be the same. Remember right before “Revolutions” came out and everyone was saying how these two were the dopest part? We had waited four years since the first “Matrix” movie, and the pressure was on the Wachowskis (directors of the franchise) to deliver something bigger, better, and more complex than their 1999 phenomenon. When “Reloaded” dropped in May 2003, the public knew why it had taken so long for the “Matrix”, and it was more than worth the wait. A pair of villains this memorable needed an extended period of time to be developed. Perfection is hard to attain, but given the right amount of patience, it can be produced. These two are the best thing in the Matrix trilogy by a wide margin. Their first fight scene displays their formidable skills:

At this point you have to wonder—will any of our heroes be a match for them? Where did they come from? There’s a Twins backstory in the movie that I won’t get into (because it’s not important or interesting, and also I don’t remember it, and if I did I’m guessing it doesn’t make sense) but the point of the Twins is for them to keep an air of mystery. Maybe they’ll pull a gun on you in a parking garage. Maybe they’ll invite you to a Matisyahu concert and offer to smoke weed with you afterwards. Maybe they’re actually eccentric CEOs of a start-up tech company and the shootouts with Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity were just a bizarre job interview that neither of them knew they were on (Google does this, I’ve heard). You just never know with the Twins, and that’s what makes them so dangerous.

The Twins’ last appearance in “Reloaded” (and the franchise) is when they are seemingly defeated by Morpheus, who blows them up inside a car:

Despite this grim fate, it must be admitted that their ending is somewhat ambiguous. We know they can become ghost vampires with horrible teeth; couldn’t they have just phased out of the car before it exploded? There are many more questions to be answered, which leads me to a simple thought—the new Matrix movie must continue the story of the Twins. It could be a nine part prequel series that focuses solely on the origin of the Twins for all I care, just get it done. The world needs to know how the Twins started, and what their future holds. We could see environment that they grew up in and what led them to become the hardened criminals (or certified yoga instructors) they eventually became. This would give us a richer context of their story arc, and we could see what made them decide to go with the male pattern baldness, dreads-that-start-in-the-middle-of-your-head-a-la-Raiders era Jerry Rice look:

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Whichever Hollywood producer that makes these decisions has their work cut out for them. There can be no shortcuts taken; this new film and these characters are too important. After nearly 15 years, the viewing public is ready for the next “Matrix” movie. We ask, we demand, only one thing: BRING BACK THE TWINS.

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