The last two weeks might be aptly named “The Time of the Trilogies.” Despite it being one of the busiest periods of the year for me at work, Abby and I shared both The Matrix movie trilogy and The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. As if that wasn’t enough, last night I dug up our DVD of Avatar, which we watched last night. The seven movies seem to go together due to similarities in plot elements: one seemingly week or uncertain character is tasked with the salvation of entire civilizations; one outnumbered group summons the assistance of similar groups far away; epic battles are waged interwoven with subplots; and the way we perceive the scale of these battles is challenged by CGI manipulation.
Basically, Jake Sully jacks into the Matrix to save Gondor.
Readers might recall from a comment or two that, like most people, I like The Matrix far better than its sequels, the main reason for be being that the movie plants the seeds of doubt in our own minds about a possible alternate reality: are we part of the Matrix? The Lord of the Rings wasn’t as engrossing as I’d hoped; I’m glad we watched it, but we probably won’t see it again soon. Maybe in five years when we’ve forgotten some of the plot.