Cyberpunk

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What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.

Cyberpunk characteristics include:

Dystopian city setting where mega-corporations rule
Full integration of technology into society, featuring cybernetic implants
Outsider protagonists (punks) who often are very familiar with the technology around them
Hard boiled detective and film noir vibes and influence
Themes dabbling in trans-humanism, existentialism, and what it means to be human.

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Do you consider Matrix Resurrections to be cyberpunk? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by Hammerjack@lemmy.zip to c/cyberpunk@lemmy.zip

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The Matrix is one of the most well-known cyberpunk movies; I'm not going to argue its cyberpunk qualities. But 20 years after The Matrix was relevant, we got a cash-grab sequel in Matrix Resurrections.

My question to you is: Is there anything cyberpunk left in Matrix Resurrections? Or has the franchise been so diluted that what's left is no longer cyberpunk? For example, in the first movie Neo was a hacker. By this movie, I really wouldn't call him a hacker anymore. But maybe the themes of "what it means to be human" still remain?

Here's a trailer. You can still watch it on Max.

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[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Resurrections is an interesting movie in that I think it's the only one I've seen that agrees that it shouldn't exist. Lana Wachowski definitely did not want to make it and does nothing to hide that fact.

As for whether it's cyberpunk? I say no, because it shed most of the cyber aesthetic of the first 3. It being a movie that all but grabs you by the collar and shouts "I shouldn't exist!" does make it punk, however.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Resurrections had a point?

Funfact: The Matrix actually has one of.my favorite moments in foreshadowing. See there's this scene where Agent Smith bends over backwards to dodge a bullet....

See this foreshadows the bullet Hugo Weaving dodged by not reprising the role of Agent Smith in Resurrections!

[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

The point from WB's perspective was to milk a dry teat.

The point from Lana's perspective was to poison the brand in the hope that WB won't do it again.

Also Agent Smith isn't shown dodging bullets. He's torturing Morpheus in the office while Trinity and Neo are on the roof with a different agent, who dodges all the bullets but one. I wouldn't count the subway fight because every bullet misses in that one, his and Neo's, and neither is doing much in the way of actively dodging.