I feared the worst with all the negative reviews. However this is MUCH better than what the reviews suggest. Yes you will need to have watched the 1st Matrix film to understand/appreciate/enjoy it or you won't have a clue what is going on. I loved the original Matrix film when it was released 20 years ago so this is great nastalgia for me and I love the relationship between Neo and Trinity. Hope there is a follow up to Resurrections.