Trite Trilogies: The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars Are the Same Movie

Consider the three most popular movie trilogies in recent times. Undoubtedly everyone has their personal favorites, but the three most popular are arguably the Matrix Trilogy, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and the Star Wars Trilogy. Monetarily theses are without a doubt the most successful trilogies in history, grossing enormous revenue at the box office with Lord of the Rings in the lead at about 3.6 billion dollars worldwide (the Matrix grossed 1.6 billion and the Star Wars Trilogy, here referring to the recent trilogy for the sake of monetary comparison, grossed 2.4 billion). Each have huge fanbases and any fan of one is typically a fan of all three. I have rarely come across any person who liked, say, Star Wars that was not also a fan of Lord of the Rings. This trait of certain types of people appreciating specific groups of movies is not uncommon within a genre; college students like Jackass and Will Farrell movies (slapstick humor), recreational drug users like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Requiem for a Dream (drug-related movies), guys like the Godfather and Scarface (criminal behavior depicted as a way of life), girls like the Notebook (romance), ect., to make some obvious generalizations. However, the three aforementioned trilogies are not categorized within the same genre. They could all be loosely categorized as action movies, but that would put them in the same league as movies starring Steven Segal and Jean-Claude Van Damme, and I think most moviegoers would agree that they deserve more credit than that. So why, then, do these three trilogies have such overlapping fanbases?

Arguably the plots of all three are essentially the same story. The truth of this statement is probably apparent immediately if it wasn't apparent already. All three trilogies have glaringly similar traits as pertains to plot and characters so it is no coincidence then that all three should be so popular. In essence only a single story is what is actually popular.

All three trilogies revolve around a single central character: the Matrix's Neo, Lord of the Rings' Frodo, and Star Wars' Luke Skywalker (or Anakin Skywalker if one were to consider the recent Star Wars movies, though the comparison of Luke is slightly more appropriate). All three characters were pacifistic in lifestyle prior to the period of their lives depicted in each movie, and all were forced into their ensuing predicament by circumstances beyond their control. In each movie the mission of all three characters has been preordained: Neo's goal to defeat the evil machines, Frodo's duty to destroy the one ring, and Luke's quest to defeat the dark side and bring balance to the force. Each one of these missions is dictated to its respective character, from a prophecy, by a wise, idolized mentor: the Matrix's Morpheus, Lord of the Rings' Gandalf, and Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi. All three trilogies endow their leading heroes with supernatural powers (Neo's power of mind over physics allows him to dodge bullets and leap tall buildings, Frodo's comrades use magic to imbue his tunic into being impenetrable in order to protect him, Luke uses the force to move objects and gain insight). The leading antagonists of each trilogy share these powers (the Matrix's Agent Smith, Lord of the Rings' Sauron, Star Wars' Darth Vader). Each antagonist commands a seemingly unstoppable army of apocalyptic capacity. And, if one wants to be especially meticulous, all three leading characters are white, male, and of similar age.

Additionally, there is a striking similarity between these movies and another, infinitely more renowned story: the biblical story of Jesus Christ. It seems as if the writers of each of these sagas was attempting to liken their hero to Christ (in this case, the comparison of Anakin Skywalker is more appropriate than Luke, since Anakin was born to a virgin mother). If we can undeify Christ for a moment, remove the religious connotations just for the sake of argument, and look at the biblical depiction of his life as another story, it becomes apparent that there are certain similar traits that these movies have imitated. A simple young man, living a simple life, is compelled to live out a prophesized existence and attain a preordained goal for the good of humanity, which therefore plunges his life into violence and hardship and pits him against incredible adversaries. The previous sentence, when taken out of context, could be referring to the main character in any one of the three trilogies or Jesus Christ himself. I suppose it is no coincidence then that the fans mentioned before that I have encountered, that care deeply about all three trilogies, are generally also deeply religious.

The similar nature of these three trilogies does not discount their individual value. All three are worth watching on their own merits. I also do not mean to imply that the writers of one trilogy stole the storyline from another. It is simply a point of interest that this single story is so universally used and universally liked.