In "The Matrix Revolutions", when the Sentinels are massing to destroy the dock building, why do they curve away rather than directly attack?

Question

In The Matrix Revolutions at approx 67 minutes into the film, there is a battle against the Zion dock and the Sentinels attacking. The Sentinels get torn to shreds before they can touch the dock building, however after a while they get sufficient numbers and momentum in their forces to push forward and rush closer to the building. However, instead of taking the building immediately, they form into a meandering snake-like formation away from the building, and then curve back toward it to attack.

Is this some kind of battle strategy? Is it to divide the defending dock's firepower amongst a larger enemy body? Or perhaps is it some kind of Biblical imagery, they are going for of the enemy acting as one giant snake-like force?

Answer 1

Hey there fellow matrix fan! Vetaly here, great observation and follow up question and there is an answer I have! So the reason I think as to why the sentinels are using a indirect attack sequence, by snaking (or “curving” as you said) is because of the fact that the Diggers are still drilling inside the Zion dock and need to be protected at all costs! Due to the location of the Diggers relative to the insertion point made during their breach; and their subsequent trajectory when they landed from said breach point, it can be assumed that taking out the Zion control tower with a direct hit could have potentially destroyed the remaining diggers in the dock. Therefore a coordinated attack had to be communicated by the sentinels to one another in order to knock out the heavily equipped Zion Control tower without taking it down and it falling on a drill below. I presume at least one sentinel was used during the indirect attack sequence to communicate (with the sentinels deployed in communication position with its radio out) to the incoming swarm of the coordinates and speed at which the sentinels needed to hurl themselves at the Control Tower in order for them to take it down without destroying their offensive equipment (the Diggers)