Review: 'Matrix Resurrections' rewrites its programming

How deep does the rabbit hole go

How deep does the rabbit hole go? Deep enough, it turns out, to accommodate at least four movies, several videogames, a comic and countless pairs of sunglasses.

In the 22 years since the “The Matrix” debuted, it has never left us — or depending on your pill of choice, we have never left it. Despite two largely disappointing sequels, “The Matrix” still hasn't quite gone out of style — neither its long leather jackets nor its sci-fi vision of an illusive reality beyond what's in front of us. It's gotten easier and easier to think maybe Morpheus really was onto something about that whole simulation business.

So when green lines of code again rain down across the screen in the opening of “The Matrix Resurrections,” it's a little like a warm bath. If we're going to be stuck inside a simulation, at least we have one with Keanu Reeves.

But much has also changed in the 18 years since the last big-screen chapter, “The Matrix Revolutions.” This is the first one directed solely by Lana Wachowski, without her sister Lilly. They both had long resisted the idea of another “Matrix” movie, but the death of their parents left Lana craving the comfort of Neo (Reeves) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), she has said. The movie is dedicated to mom and dad.