Many articles articles have tried to explain why Matrix III (or will it become 6 in the future) has tanked. Too many special effects, too little philosophy, or too bad weaving or both.
I think the reason is not within the movie or the trilogy, but outside it.
The Matrix Online is going to be released shortly (via
Slashdot), it might become (or not) a blockbuster, and MMORPGs have much more money-making potential than movies. You can watch a movie at the cineplex, then maybe buy the DVD or rent it, maybe watch it again on TV. But you play a multiplayer game over and over, you live within it, and while you do it, you spend money.
Pictures and the videogames that are themed after them have been designed together for some time, but this seems to have changed now. As the
wired article says
The film borrows heavily from Superman, Japanese animé and Starship Troopers to produce a world that is much closer to a video game than a movie. Which is perhaps the point, as the film precedes a multiplayer game.
Matrix: Revolutions is not a failed movie. It's just a very good teaser for a MMORPG.
