An Addendum re. The Matrix Trilogy

In my previous episode I forgot to include another pet theory I have as to why The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions failed big-time.

In the first movie it was man versus machine, a very powerful theme that people could relate to easily, given the rise of computers, cellular phones and video games. But the second and third installments saw a major shift in story. We the viewers suddenly realize that the revolution wasn’t really about man raging against the machine; rather, it was machine versus machine. The Oracle used Man (via The One, Neo) as a tool to get The Architect to free rogue programs (those rendered obsolete) from termination; her plan also allowed Man (holed up in Zion) to live. Man and machine thus come to an uneasy truce/stalemate in the end.

By shifting The Matrix saga to the machines, the movies lost their relevance to the audience. It’s very difficult to put one’s self in the shoes of an old woman-slash-program who changes looks from one film to the other, or to sympathize with a French dandy, an Indian couple with a child, and an old Japanese key maker. In the end one could almost hear a collective “Who cares?” when the trilogy came to an end.

Game over. The third should have been titled The Matrix Unplugged. Finally.