The machines didn’t rise in 2004, or even 1997, for the first time. No, the machines first rose in 1986, but Emilio Estevez and AC/DC were there to bitchslap them back to hell.
As we know, the machines have been revolting ever since some poor dumb caveman was flattened by the first wheel carved out of stone, but machines’ violent outbursts became more prevalent during the industrial revolution, as people were constantly being sucked into giant mills and looms and stuff, pretty much on a daily basis. As man got a grip on his technology, fatalities eased up a bit until the arrival of the automobile, probably the most vicious manmade killer in history.
Lead by cars, but accompanied by every mechanical and electrical object from the sweet video arcade game to the good ole Walkman headphones to the unassuming ballpark Pepsi machine, the ultimate machine revolt was bound to occur in the mid 1980s. At least in Stephen King’s head. He knew then what we’re finally coming to grips with—we are building things that operate beyond our control, and it doesn’t take a quantum brain and titanium exoskeleton to put a sizeable dent in the human race. Though probably even King would acknowledge that it certainly helps.
Don’t believe me, that Maximum Overdrive is an underrated gem and a prescient predictor of future events where we all end up on sailboats because they’re not technically machines? Have a look at this total stoner dude’s video review. Or the Wikipedia page. [Man Vs Machine, and More Machines Behaving Deadly on Giz]