Nostalgia Bait Movies: Why 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and 'The Matrix Resurrections' Are Dominating the Box Office
With the recent releases of "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "The Matrix Resurrections," the box office is awash in nostalgia. With both movies heavily referencing the films that came before and becoming box office hits, I couldn't help but try to draw a connection.
Making a film takes a long time with pre-production often taking months or years at a time. The Wachowski siblings famously took a long time before deciding to take on making fourth film in the "The Matrix" series. The long filmmaking process makes these two movies an interesting touch point on studio filmmaking trends and what societal needs they may be addressing. This got me thinking.
What is this trend of "nostalgia bait" movies and why are they popular now?
I have a theory.
Why "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "The Matrix Resurrections Are Dominating the Box Office
1. They Actually Know How to Use Nostalgia
While "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "The Matrix Resurrections" are not the first films to use nostalgia to appeal to audiences, I do think that they are the first films in a long time to actually use nostalgia effectively. Often, when film franchises attempt to use nostalgia as fan service, iconic characters are brought in as a wink-and-a-nod to audiences, and they rarely serve more purpose than loudly announcing, "Hey, do you remember this great thing? Well, this makes this movie great, too!" An example of this would be the inclusion of Orlando Bloom's Leglolas in "The Hobbit" trilogy when his character isn't featured in the book.
However, in "Spider-Man: Now Way Home," returning characters actually serve a purpose beyond a fun cameo. (SPOILERS!) In this latest installment in the Jon Watts' directed "Spider-Man" trilogy, iconic Spider-Man villains like Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, and Jamie Foxx's Electro enter the MCU, in addition to both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective Peter Parkers. What makes their use of nostalgia amazing is not the fact that these actors came back - it's more in how they came back. I respect that the filmmakers considered where the characters have grown past their respective movies, and then came up with ways to incorporate the characters into the plot in a way that not only moves Tom Holland's Spider-Man story forward, but also continues and resolves story beats from the previous "Spider-Man" trilogies.
Similarly, in "The Matrix Resurrections," plot points that hearken back to the original "The Matrix" trilogy are built upon and used to forward the story. (SPOILERS!) Within the first act, the audience learns that Keanu Reeves' Thomas Anderson has become a game developer, who used his memories in the Matrix as Neo to create a smash hit video game. Because of this framework, there are several sequences where "The Matrix Resurrections" recreates sequences from the original trilogy. While some might view this as a retread, these sequences help Neo work his way back to remembering who he is, reestablishing what reality is, and are used in a way to move the story forward and create meta commentary on film franchises and studio mandates.
2. We All Want to Go Back to the "Good Times"
With the pandemic, old ways of life seem really far away. When I watch movies and there are scenes of characters gathered together, hanging out, these scenes feel surreal after being in lockdown and practicing social distancing. By reaching back into franchises that have been around in the 1990's, early 2000's, and the 2010's and are from a more hopeful time, filmmakers are reaching back to the "good times" and playing wish fulfillment to audiences who want to return to a simpler era.
3. They Could Be Healing a Generational Rift
Another interesting effect of reaching back into the vault and reviving old film franchises is the possibility of inadvertently healing a generational rift. "The Matrix" and Spider-Man are both stories that have resonated with people in my generation and older. By bringing back these well-worn stories and characters, older generations are reaching out to a new generation and making them relevant again. Similar to how societies pass on mythologies and oral history, there's a passing of the baton as these stories are continued into the current time.
(SPOILERS!) You can see this with how Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parkers comfort Tom Holland's Peter Parker after he loses Marisa Tomei's Aunt May. As they teach him how to handle his grief, they pass on the knowledge they've learned through their struggles to the newest Spider-Man.
(SPOILERS!) Similarly, in "The Matrix Resurrections," there feels like a passing of the torch from Reeves' Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity to Jessica Henwick's Bugs and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's new Morpheus. As we watch the new characters kick butt in actions scenes reminiscent of those in the original "The Matrix," it feels that the franchise is in good hands if the story needs to ever leave Neo and Trinity behind.
4. They Were Actually Made with Love
Finally, while both "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "The Matrix Resurrections" traffic in nostalgia, they both have a sincerity and respect for the films that have come before them. When watching both films, the love for the characters shone through, as if the directors of both films had the chance to revisit old childhood friends. With the onslaught of blockbusters that seem to be spat out of a machine or determined via algorithm, audiences miss that sincerity and love that these movies have for telling a good story with beloved characters.
In her Q&A after the advanced screening of "The Matrix Resurrections," Henwick revealed how director Lana Wachowski was so determined to bring this newest story of Neo and Trinity to screen despite the COVID-19 pandemic, that she considered every option for continuing "The Matrix Resurrections" shoot, including shooting with a skeleton crew. Additionally, Wachowski approached the movies out of love of Trinity and Neo after losing her parents and good friend in a short span of time. She credits with working on "The Matrix Resurrections" with helping her grieve.
(SPOILERS!) Similarly, director Jon Watts gave Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man a redemptive arc that wrapped up an emotional beat that had been left untouched when Garfield's "The Amazing Spider-Man" trilogy never received its third installment. Watts also treated Tobey McGuire's Spider-Man as an elder and gave him the pivotal plot point of stopping Holland's Spider-Man from killing the Green Goblin, affording Maguire's Peter Parker the proper respect.
So, what do you think? Do you agree that these factors contributed to the warm reception that "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and "The Matrix Resurrections" received? Let us know! For more entertainment news and commentary, check out Enstarz! We bring you the latest on your favorite celebrities, TV shows, and films.
