I don't think it took a dump at all.
I think that may just be the way you recieved/interpreted it because maybe you regard the first film as sacred since it is so timeless. If anything it could be taken as admiring the originals and the "comfort of nostalgia" as new morpheus put it. A movie that wants to break away from what came before it doesn't weave scenes from the original into it. It goes and does a Last Jedi and has the old hero denounce the ways of the Jedi. Here they acknowledged the sacrifice of Neo, and the showed difference it made in the world since. And it upholds the romantic connection between the two leads that was at the core of the first film as well.
If anything it takes a dump on the notion of rushing into sequels or making them just for the sake of it, which kind of translates to "I loved the story we told with the original trilogy". And we know Wachowski did this one based on inspiration from the turmoil of her parents passing.
Morpheus reciting old morpheus' lines with "blah blah" was the only time I think it showed disrespect, and that was about shaking Neo out of this belief in his mind that it was all a functional story that he designed for a video game.
I think once they broke away from the illusion and re-acqainted Neo with his old life it was handled tastefully and respectfully and was faithful to the continuity.
I can see why it would rub some people the wrong way though. I cherish the original like few movies but I also appreciate the creativity they brought to this one to keep it mind-bending in ways like the first film. They could've been much lazier with this story. It was risky and ambitious in some ways, and I can't hate on Wachowski trying, even if all of it didn't hit.
|