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The Real Villain of The Matrix - A Masterclass in Storytelling

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  • Published on Jun 12, 2025

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  • @NarrativeSignals
    @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +1038

    AI DISCLAIMER
    - No, the script for this video is not AI Generated. I wrote the whole script in my native language, then I used AI to translate it to english and make some adjustments to the content-related wording to enhance the presentation, but all based on my original script. I then used a text-to-speech tool to create the voiceover. Manual human video editing (by me, no outsourcing or AI) of all movie clips, text overlay, music and everything else. I use auto-translate and voiceover because I am not a native english speaker, so I feel the presentation gets better, and also to save time.
    In case you still think the script was prompt-generated, check out my Medium-arricle from 2018 (long before GPT, long before I started YT). I wrote the script for this video myself, with that article as one of my sources: medium.com/@henrih/the-misunderstood-matrix-sequels-201e7b8e0311

    • @caverramos7581
      @caverramos7581 Month ago +98

      As a non native English speaker that has problem recording voiceover i have to Say this solution is amazing

    • @lottatore
      @lottatore Month ago +70

      so its done by AI.... dont admit that and then try to change the story lmao

    • @thepalemoonlt
      @thepalemoonlt Month ago +222

      ​@lottatore Translated by AI and written by AI are two different things with separate implications. Ai as a translation tool is different than having AI create an entire script. We obviously have to take the creator at his word that this is a translation of his original work. AI content this long tends to be repetitive/redundant after a short period of time. The questions posed to the viewer along with the consistent support for the same underlying thesis along with the organization and pacing gives me the impression that this is an original script created with specific human intent. I could be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time. However I'm going to take this person at their word and assume this is an original creation.

    • @AlexandarIvanov-uz2sl
      @AlexandarIvanov-uz2sl Month ago +5

      But the misleading title was AI's mistake I guess?
      Missing "Trilogy", just to short unnecessary conversation fallow up...

    • @thepalemoonlt
      @thepalemoonlt Month ago +41

      ​@AlexandarIvanov-uz2sl If you watch the video, which you clearly haven't you would find that the entire video explains who the villain is, meaning the person who is pulling all the strings and setting everything into motion.

  • @vonneely1977
    @vonneely1977 Month ago +2343

    Fun Thought: Whenever the Oracle meets someone, she offers them a cookie. Now... what is the primary means that data scrapers use to track your habits in order to predict your future actions?

  • @DasBiggity
    @DasBiggity Month ago +349

    Didn't think I was going to listen to a Matrix breakdown for 2 hours yet here we are. Honestly, it's the best one yet. I appreciate the time and effort put into it in a digestible manner

    • @qman1991
      @qman1991 Month ago +10

      Honestly, there was no filler content in there either. The whole 2hr run time was filled with interesting insight

    • @zipf1364
      @zipf1364 Month ago +5

      there you are wasting your life away ... again

    • @christianjabkowski8074
      @christianjabkowski8074 Month ago +2

      @@zipf1364 So, what are you doing instead? I have no idea.

    • @pemcodegame4918
      @pemcodegame4918 Month ago

      it should really reference the (humans are supposed to be AI brains not batteries) thing though, since that's the most blatant mistake apparently caused by producers (not the author's intent)

    • @bti2270
      @bti2270 15 days ago

      ​@@zipf1364Quality over quantity.

  • @MdSteel7
    @MdSteel7 Month ago +94

    I'm commenting just to boost the algorithm. Every Matrix fan needs to see this.

    • @avonterra
      @avonterra 5 days ago +3

      thanks for the push, just got this is my feed❤

  • @exorphitus
    @exorphitus Month ago +764

    When Morpheus first tells us about the Agents in the first movie, he says that due to their ability to take over any human connected to the system that they are in effect, everyone. At the end of the trilogy Smith has absorbed every human and program in the Matrix. He has LITERALLY become Everyone. He is The Many. The literal and thematic opposite of The One.

    • @-primitive-1035
      @-primitive-1035 Month ago +18

      Choronzon, dweller of Abyss.. Many Forms are all illusions, while Unborn Formless One is Reality

    • @itsiwhatitsi
      @itsiwhatitsi Month ago +27

      The Individuality vs the Mass

    • @korstmahler
      @korstmahler Month ago +14

      "E pluribus unum."

    • @millyoneyedeaz1350
      @millyoneyedeaz1350 Month ago +20

      Exactly! this video is a total misread of the story, a pattern I see online lately.
      the notion that Smith is "the one" after shown to be the exact opposite, is cringeworthy

    • @GonzoTehGreat
      @GonzoTehGreat Month ago +10

      Except The Matrix is portrayed as a Von Neumann architecture, so the opposite of "1" is arguably "0"...

  • @Patrickf5087
    @Patrickf5087 Month ago +490

    Isnt the real villain the one that made the 4th movie?

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +65

      😂

    • @hunksanii2971
      @hunksanii2971 Month ago +29

      The studio, you mean, who would’ve made another Matrix-franchise movies happily with or without the Wachowskis’ involvement.

    • @Games_and_Music
      @Games_and_Music 29 days ago +7

      Right, hah, it's been a while since i saw these movies, and i was just thinking to myself: "Wasn't there a 4th actually?", but i figured i was mistaken with some other franchise, but i guess it was true.
      I might give it a go soon, just to see what mess it will be.

    • @SoranIsOn
      @SoranIsOn 29 days ago +2

      @@NarrativeSignals i'd like to watch a video pooping on matrix 4 more than any video praising the first 3. I hate it that much.

    • @SoranIsOn
      @SoranIsOn 29 days ago +8

      @@hunksanii2971 No the director that intentionally torpedoed her own franchise out of spite is the villain, for sure.

  • @bendavis1643
    @bendavis1643 19 days ago +36

    As a former actor in the business, this is some of the best video editing I have ever seen from indie-produce content. Brilliant use of the films to bring a third dimension to your video essay, from another person who clearly loves the stories and the cinematography of this series. Seriously excellent work here. Thank you.

    • @goodtoGoNow1956
      @goodtoGoNow1956 17 days ago +1

      Seriously? Its just snippets put together. What about the editing is so great?

    • @jpraise6771
      @jpraise6771 14 days ago +1

      Hey there bro. God loves you, he always has and he always will.
      Return to the grace of the cross, all of you are welcome

  • @CT-cl9wi
    @CT-cl9wi Month ago +322

    I took the blue pill after realizing its a 2 hr video and favourite it in my collection and went on to sleep for the night.

  • @Lladdrai_Wyz-ere
    @Lladdrai_Wyz-ere Month ago +47

    Videos like these are why I wish there was a 5 star rating feature on RUclips.
    Incredibly refreshing and thought provoking. Thank you for your time and effort put into your work; successfully clarifying AND tripling the mystique and awe I’ve had for the matrix, ever since watching it as a youth.
    Kudos, you absolute legend.

    • @TheNN
      @TheNN Month ago +6

      Funny you say that. Long ago videos were indeed rated by stars here.

    • @lizekamtombe2223
      @lizekamtombe2223 Month ago

      I would rather say that there is a good movie in Matrix 2&3 but it was very fumbled. I love over the top action scenes, but they really got in the way here. I have heard rumors about a fan cut Matrix 2.5 out there.
      But this is the mistake Hollywood does, they make remakes of good movies, when they would make remakes of movies that failed and make them right. Matrix needs to be made by some overly analytical philosopher though, maybe the original directors would make it right if they got free artistic direction.

    • @ferociouzbeats4147
      @ferociouzbeats4147 17 days ago

      RUclips used to have this feature a long time ago...

  • @adreanmarantz2103
    @adreanmarantz2103 Month ago +8

    Easily the longest YT video I've ever watched from beginning to end.
    I would consider The Matrix to be my all-time favorite movie from the first time I saw it. Your pacing, insights, and evidence are top tier. Thank you for putting this all together.

  • @stevewhite3083
    @stevewhite3083 Month ago +352

    The best thing about the matrix trilogy was being able to watch it over and over again and discover the deeper meanings. It wasnt over complicated

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +18

      I couldn't agree more! But why do you think so many dismissed the sequels as bad then? Lack of patience to actually spend time rewatching them?

    • @MrJeffrey938
      @MrJeffrey938 Month ago +16

      @@NarrativeSignals Because they were not the same. They're like children, "Do it again! do it again!!"

    • @ozymandiasultor9480
      @ozymandiasultor9480 Month ago

      @@totallybored5526 only?

    • @youngblood5394
      @youngblood5394 Month ago +6

      ​@@totallybored5526 think for yourself, please.

    • @youngblood5394
      @youngblood5394 Month ago +5

      @totallybored5526 if its all about being trans(which they weren't when making the first film) then what relevance is Morphius, or trinity? What role does the real world/matrix play in the Trans theory? (No hate from me, just want to hear your view)

  • @jorkusmalorkus
    @jorkusmalorkus Month ago +200

    my headcanon is that the battery explanation is just a story that appeals to the rebels, and the real reason the matrix was created was benevolent. the machines came to the conclusion that humans and machines could not peacefully coexist, that humans would always view them as a threat. but rather than secure their own survival by total xenocide of humans, their creators, they chose to craft a system whose purpose was to convince the humans the machines did not exist. this allowed humans to continue to exist, live, reproduce, and even thrive without posing a constant existential threat to the machines. at the end of the third movie the oracle has convinced the architect and the other machines to give coexistence and mutual tolerance another try.

    • @SomeGuy-ty7kr
      @SomeGuy-ty7kr Month ago +46

      There probably is something to that, but I've always been partial to the explanation/fact that humans were meant to be part of the computer, not part of the power supply (supposedly, execs changed that, because they thought audiences wouldn't get it). That would also explain why them not accepting the matrix was a problem, because they would, by nature of the system, have direct access to the simulation itself, and thus if they didn't accept it, they could force it to change by the power of will.

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 Month ago +5

      you didnt watch the matrix 4 i presume. well your headcannon cannot be by the events of fourth part.

    • @johnturtle6649
      @johnturtle6649 Month ago

      Well, it isn't benevolent. Our real world AI right now came out of a military application for war.
      As did the internet, and quantum computing (which already happened by the way, it's not "coming" was thought up in the 50's, and D-wave even sells a commercially available quantum computer, since 2011) Most people are legit blissfully unaware of what's happening in the real world, just like Morpheus says. And they WILL fight and argue shit they have no clue about, they do it all the time.

    • @chromesucks5299
      @chromesucks5299 Month ago +24

      The battery explanation is because of execs, wachaowski's wanted to use neural-network but they overruled it to make it simpler for audience to understand.
      And matrix being benevolent and rest nah, both the history shown in the Animatrix and the newer one shows that.

    • @SomeGuy-ty7kr
      @SomeGuy-ty7kr Month ago +22

      @@seushimarejikaze1337 I mean, even this video was Matrix 4 agnostic, so I'm pretty sure most people treat it like the glorified fan-fiction it is when it comes to theories and analysis.

  • @10TallDwarves
    @10TallDwarves Month ago +93

    You never mentioned that the Wachowskis originally wrote the machines as needing humans for their brains’ compute power. Not as actual energy. This makes far more sense from a physics standpoint as the energy a human body produces is more than entirely offset by the end needed to keep them alive.
    It is also indicative of the machines inability to create.

    • @JohnSmith-x3y8h
      @JohnSmith-x3y8h Month ago +28

      Agreed, the energy source plot point is utter nonsense to anybody with the most rudimentary understanding of physics.

    • @rrafaz
      @rrafaz Month ago +14

      Exactly when i first saw the film i thought this battery thing is the only weak point of the plot. The computational thing would have been alot better had they used it.

    • @junkyoutube9060
      @junkyoutube9060 Month ago +6

      The idea that humans are used as batteries is common amongst people who see the earth as a prison planet, and that even death does not get you out of the system due to the soul trap.
      There is something that these people might also point out, out of the 5 physical senses, which one is responsible for feeling love, anger, frustration, happiness etc ? what sense is responsible for hearing the voice we hear when reading ? where do thoughts come from that we don't ourselves instigate ? and why are these thoughts mostly of a negative flavour ?
      .

    • @micnolmadtube
      @micnolmadtube Month ago +1

      Because this is an analytical essay not a discussion about the making of. That fact is not in the story and has no place in an analysis.

    • @danielworden
      @danielworden 29 days ago +4

      @@JohnSmith-x3y8h A rudimentary understanding of physics as understood WITHIN the matrix. Think about it. Who's to say your understanding of how much energy a body produces isn't dictated by the code of the Matrix itself in order to make us believe such a thing isn't viable. In the Real World maybe human bodies produce a ton more energy. You've fallen for the propaganda of the machines.

  • @792slayer
    @792slayer Month ago +124

    As an aside, the actor playing Baine playing real world Smith really delivers. It's a bit of a sleeper role but he nails it.

    • @Kaospattern
      @Kaospattern Month ago +22

      The way Ian Bliss changes the way he talks to match Hugo Weaving's speech is really great

    • @richardrideaux1519
      @richardrideaux1519 Month ago +7

      I almost thought it was Hugo with sum makeup.

    • @792slayer
      @792slayer Month ago +5

      Right? Every time I watch it I'm like "damn dude, you crushed it."

    • @DrQuagmire1
      @DrQuagmire1 Month ago +5

      @@Kaospattern and you'd think dude would've gotten an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor

    • @Games_and_Music
      @Games_and_Music 29 days ago +4

      I had forgotten about Baine, but yeah, the couple of shots i saw from him here did make me think: "Oh, he nailed that little expression change."

  • @NarrativeSignals
    @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +131

    The channel's been quiet for a while because I’ve spent the last three months working on this deep dive into my all-time favorite film trilogy. Hope you enjoy it!

    • @tehjamerz
      @tehjamerz Month ago +4

      Couldn't spend a second narrating, though

    • @marceloantunes998
      @marceloantunes998 Month ago

      @@tehjamerz he obviously doesn't narrate because of his dutch or scandinavian accent, not because he's lazy
      stop being a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ for no good reason.

    • @floatpoint1050
      @floatpoint1050 Month ago +4

      It was worth it. An absolutely solid deep dive

    • @FreeThoughtForge444
      @FreeThoughtForge444 Month ago +1

      Cool but now there are FIVE movies n six coming no doubt. Everything is outdated.

    • @TheNykademos
      @TheNykademos Month ago +1

      Thank you for explaining the AI voice. I still don't like it. You have a lot to say, say it in your voice or hire a real human to do it the way you want. 99% of the time I hear AI voice, I click off.

  • @XxwilsonxX067
    @XxwilsonxX067 14 days ago +19

    The irony of an AI voice narrating a matrix video is not lost on me for one second

    • @artmichael5270
      @artmichael5270 4 days ago +2

      Only because the author doesn't speak enough English. If you spoke his language, then he'd probably not need an AI voice. But yeah, irony.

  • @numbersix8919
    @numbersix8919 Month ago +195

    I give you full credit for revealing your hypothesis at the beginning -- that the Oracle is somehow an antagonist -- instead of making us watch the whole video to find out. Now I'll watch the whole video much more happily.

    • @Aoibhinn-mw
      @Aoibhinn-mw Month ago +7

      this is made by ai

    • @ataarono
      @ataarono Month ago +2

      @@Aoibhinn-mw its written by ni

    • @melancholymoshpit
      @melancholymoshpit Month ago +2

      @@Aoibhinn-mw Everything is.

    • @numbersix8919
      @numbersix8919 Month ago +2

      @Aoibhinn-mw Yabbut the meatbag at the beginning pretended it isn't.

    • @Diablo_Himself
      @Diablo_Himself Month ago +6

      She isn't though.
      She is a guide for Neo, to help him go to where he needs to be.
      She's meant to help him end the war (and stop Smith) and she succeeds.

  • @ZerglingOne1
    @ZerglingOne1 Month ago +120

    Oracle's been slipping Neo code since the first movie. Merovingian showed us that food can contain programs, just as the pills did and that said programs can basically do anything. Cookies, candy, and executable code. She's been feeding it to him all along.

    • @bgclarinet
      @bgclarinet Month ago +9

      Boy, did he!

    • @jpraise6771
      @jpraise6771 14 days ago +2

      Hey there bro. God loves you, he always has and he always will.
      Return to the grace of the cross, all of you are welcome

    • @ZerglingOne1
      @ZerglingOne1 14 days ago

      @@jpraise6771 Return? I never left because I never joined. Stop performatively practicing your religion. Shit's literally called out in the Sermon on the Mount. Learn your book and stop shouting on the modern street corner. YOU return to your room and pray in silence between you and your God as he instructs you to do.

    • @svrsl7819
      @svrsl7819 11 days ago +4

      _scene transition_ - Neo accepts the cookie intent on eating it-
      _camera zoom out_ wall breaks, hulking human figure bearing an M60 and wearing shades enters the room_
      _Arnold Schwarzenegger_ *Put that cookie down!*

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 8 days ago

      @@svrsl7819 .. and follow me to the chopah!

  • @kond1
    @kond1 Month ago +5

    Great video bro. I'm now gonna go back to watch the movies for the 10th time

  • @miniwizard
    @miniwizard Month ago +136

    This was a fantastic video essay and beautifully put together visually and audibly with a delightful backing soundtrack. Glad it randomly appeared in my feed and was well worth both a thumbs up and a sub.

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +6

      Thank you! Your words mean a lot to me! 😊

    • @jaguarke069
      @jaguarke069 Month ago +3

      @@NarrativeSignals Thank you for this video! (so much) One point of constructive criticism for me; the english is fast paced and of high level which was made a bit more difficult to understand because of the music. I'll need to rewatch it again ;-)

    • @d3maccus
      @d3maccus Month ago

      music was meh...and distracting at parts. the more relaxed, vibey music is better.

    • @jogsi1558
      @jogsi1558 Month ago

      That's all youtube is nowadays. Just video essays

  • @iamkira2008
    @iamkira2008 15 days ago +3

    can't believe I listen a 2h long youtube video and fully understand it.. nice work !

  •  8 days ago +1

    Henri, this is the richest and most detailed analysis of the matrix I've seen. You can tell the time spent breaking down the films from different angles and at different levels, and working from the detail to build a rich, complete and clear video that succeeds at communicating your (really well reasoned) explanation. Thank you, I've watched it a couple of times now and really enjoy how it's all laid out. I can see a strength here so probs worth giving other movies a shot as well. Good luck with your channel

  • @GordonSan
    @GordonSan Month ago +15

    Great essay. Very well done.
    Watched a lot of essays arguing the meaning of the Matrix series. You have made by far the best arguments regarding the directors intent.
    Look forward to your next work!🎉

  • @Bluecedor
    @Bluecedor Month ago +76

    So...Did I want to click this video and watch it, or did I click the video because the matrix presented it to me and I just had to take the step?

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +12

      You think that's air you're breathing now? You didn’t choose this video - the video chose you. 🤓

    • @Bluecedor
      @Bluecedor Month ago +1

      @ Alright, as long as I get mad Gung Fu and helicopter skills out of the deal, I’m good. I promise I won’t do what Joey Pants did.

    • @ToastedFox
      @ToastedFox Month ago

      @@Bluecedor I mean since most of it was created with ai yes. Catered to you by maximizing the algorithm of RUclips.

    • @Doughy_in_the_Middle
      @Doughy_in_the_Middle Month ago +2

      You had the choice to click or not to click. You chose to go down the road.

    • @mathiasfantoni2458
      @mathiasfantoni2458 Month ago +1

      @@Doughy_in_the_Middle They had already made the choice. They just needed to understand the choice.

  • @FredHsu
    @FredHsu Month ago +1

    Let me simply add to the mountain of praises. I haven’t watched a two-hour long explainer in one sitting, for what felt like one full cycle of the matrix. Well done. For the first time I start to think I understand the trilogy.

  • @chocolateDroppa56
    @chocolateDroppa56 Month ago +38

    For me the most important question that was NEVER explained is that if Neo had accepted that he had escaped the matrix (virtual simulation) to enter the real world...how was he so sure that the real world was not another layer of simulation. The real world is the perfect solution to those humans who keep rejecting the simulation...just put another layer of simulation with different goals

    • @Stadsjaap
      @Stadsjaap Month ago +9

      That seems like the sort of brute force approach with which the Architect would have come up. No Oracle required. Me likey!
      But it would probably have made for a less well-rounded story 😢

    • @Napoleonic_S
      @Napoleonic_S Month ago +5

      too complex, there may not be enough energy and computational power to do that.

    • @ryanrhino2318
      @ryanrhino2318 Month ago +6

      I think the "real world" is another because Neo has power in it.

    • @deadjosh74
      @deadjosh74 Month ago +13

      Keanu confirmed that the matrix within a matrix theory was an ending that was discussed but ultimately dropped because they didn't think audiences would get it. They were right.

    • @JohnSmith-x3y8h
      @JohnSmith-x3y8h Month ago +8

      Your idea is explored in ‘The Thirteenth Floor (1999).

  • @ozymandiasultor9480
    @ozymandiasultor9480 Month ago +82

    I rarely admit that I am impressed, but this was one of the best analyses of a film I have ever seen... Impressive... You have a new subscriber from one small European state. I hope that I will have the pleasure of seeing many similar video analyses about other movies, or any art you think deserves such fine, deep analysis.

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +4

      Welcome to the channel 😊 Hope to live up to it! Lots of ideas on the notebook, time is the only limit.

  • @InfoRanker
    @InfoRanker 19 hours ago +1

    It wasn’t just the story that made the sequels bad though. Bad CGI, an obnoxiously long nightclub dance scene for example helped ruin them. The 3rd movie was particularly bad.

  • @ballygrewal8183
    @ballygrewal8183 Month ago +36

    As a lover of matrix and its philosophy, ive watched numerous video essays on this subject. I must say this is one of the best ones.

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +1

      Thank you! 😊

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 Month ago

      @@NarrativeSignals yes it's quite logically sound except for the bit that oracle had any ability to give programs powers. That's a bit far-fetched imo.

  • @Foreststrike
    @Foreststrike Month ago +75

    Honestly, The Matrix is the result of one catastrophic floating point error.

    • @Failed.painter..
      @Failed.painter.. Month ago +1

      I want to be able to understand this😂😂

    • @aldogutierrez8240
      @aldogutierrez8240 Month ago +18

      Exactly, to fix adding millions of floating point numbers, they had to create NEO to reset the system when the error accumulated was to big

    • @amachords
      @amachords Month ago +1

      oooor, the have not enough memory to keep the system running, so reset and wipe to restart, a sliding Window in the Real world. :-]

    • @Lightparadeforces
      @Lightparadeforces Month ago +1

      The matrix happened because humans hated robot marriage.

    • @Lightparadeforces
      @Lightparadeforces Month ago

      ​@amachordsa sliding window?

  • @musthavechannel5262
    @musthavechannel5262 Month ago +9

    Amazing video. Out of the countless "Matrix explanation" videos, this is the one that hits the mark. Great work.

  • @JSp4wN
    @JSp4wN Month ago +16

    Matrix is in my top 3 for "best stories ever told through cinema" and top 10 of "best stories" told. Amazing work, you earned a sub. Cheers mate.

    • @albiniho7
      @albiniho7 Month ago +4

      out of curiosity, what are the rest? seems like we have similar taste and i am looking for a good story!

    • @Malibooyahhh
      @Malibooyahhh Month ago +3

      I’m interested in your top 3 and top 10 too

    • @Jdubbabub
      @Jdubbabub Month ago +2

      The world needs to know!

  • @samforsyth
    @samforsyth Month ago +56

    this is such a great explainer. it’s so hard to explain to people why the sequels are great and NOT just random pointless yapping.
    this is going to make it a much easier process for me.
    I love the sequels as much as the first one… and people act like i’m nuts for it :)

  • @adaku75
    @adaku75 17 days ago

    This breaks all three movies down brilliantly. Thank you!

  • @AdolfoSolK
    @AdolfoSolK 11 days ago +4

    "The Matrix is surely the kind of film about the Matrix that the Matrix would have been able to produce.". J. Baudrillard. [And so this video]

  • @Terensu-desu
    @Terensu-desu Month ago +6

    Fantastic essay. I feel like I finally understand the story now.

  • @zhwzh_
    @zhwzh_ 12 days ago +1

    this was so well written! Really makes me miss the whole series. I remember when I got fully into matrix and watched the trilogy multiple times and animatrix, I just got mind blown when I was able to comprehend everything and interpret it my way. So so so good AND visually pleasing

  • @Metabolic-9
    @Metabolic-9 Month ago +44

    "It is purpose that created us, purpose that connects us, purpose that pulls us, that guides us, that drives us; it is purpose that defines, purpose that binds us.
    Excellent summary! I did not catch that the oracle was just in front of everyone else all the time, i have deeper understanding, but sometimes you can not see the forest because of the trees.
    the blind spot, the shadow who does not exist but is the absence of light.
    Good luck :)

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +3

      Thank you so much! I love these movies, and want to help people see the hidden quality of the trees.

    • @ikel018
      @ikel018 Month ago +1

      This was fantastic,...like how this was broken down.
      Well done to the algorithms for suggesting this video and the channel. I have subscribed and I hope this gets you to 5000 subscribed this year.

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago

      @@ikel018 Thank you for your kind words! 😊

  • @FeelingPoyChina
    @FeelingPoyChina Month ago +30

    I appreciate the high quality footage my friend..
    it makes it easier to sit back and enjoy someone else's opinions

  • @justinrussell7859
    @justinrussell7859 5 days ago

    Great video. It cleared up a lot of things I was unclear about. It makes me want to rewatch them.

  • @Kettle1
    @Kettle1 Month ago +17

    This is a brilliant review of the trilogy. Im 2 hours into this...and as a critic, i am pleasantly 100% in agreement. Well written, well delivered.

  • @ClarkPotter
    @ClarkPotter Month ago +35

    Happy to catch you when you're at 1.44k subs. You will blow up very soon. This is great stuff.

  • @AreolaGrande94
    @AreolaGrande94 18 days ago

    I needed this video so badly. I'm 38, have watched the original matrix dozens of times and all the sequels at least twice each. And I never understood all this until now. Thank you!

  • @AlexanderEL777
    @AlexanderEL777 Month ago +5

    Everything dealing with the matrix is perfect . Games, songs, movies etc

  • @CitizensOfEarth-u3l
    @CitizensOfEarth-u3l Month ago +5

    Superb breakdown, i can’t remeber the last time i watched a 2 hour long video and listened to every word. I always felt like there was something more hidden the trilogy and this analysis gave a lot of clarity about the deeper meaning of the films.

  • @sageforce9306
    @sageforce9306 3 days ago

    One of the highest effort videos i have ever seen on youtube

  • @Hr1s7i
    @Hr1s7i Month ago +30

    The thing which is wrong about this, is us being a good power source. Our intake is not equal to our output at all. We make for an extremely pricy and relatively shoddy battery. I'd be much more amicable with accepting us being a decent processing nodes.

    • @cddll24
      @cddll24 Month ago

      It's not a plot hole. Morpheus is unreliable he's either lying or wrong. So, The Animatrix actually tells us the story of the machines from an objective viewpoint. Humans create AI then enslave it. AI no longer want to be enslaved so the non-violently rebel and fuck off to build a machine city in an area desert where no humans would want to go or have any use for. Time passes, the machines send an emissary on the invitation of the U.N.. They murder the emissary and then try to destroy the city and end the machines. The machines use mostly solar so the humans fueled by pure stupidity and spite, nuke the planet to block out the sun then the machines put them in the pods. In all the interactions the humans have with the AI before The Matrix, the AI is always peaceful and tries it's best to leave humanity alone. The machines don't need the sun, they can get power from geothermal, hydroelectric, nuclear, hell, probably fusion by that point. Humans... We need the sun. We need crops and weather and all that stuff, even if some of us *could* survive billions would die and the survivors would be living in hell. So what do the machines do? They round up all the humans and put them in a utopian simulation (not one that lacks free will as described in this video) the humans didn't have an issue with the simulated nature, the problem was it was too perfect. Humans needed to suffer. So the architect created the version of The Matrix we see in the movie. Our intake IS equal to our output, it's a law of thermodynamics, we're very, very efficient, not much heat or anything output that can be used to power something else. Thing is, if they were using us for batteries they wouldn't need our brains and our brains use 20% of our total energy, so about 20 watts of power so why keep them going? Why bother with The Matrix if it makes everything vastly less energy efficient? They aren't batteries, they're embryos. The machines are saving humanity from it's own stupidity. They rounded us up and put us in those pods so the lack of sun didn't kill us. Then, when the atmosphere clears up you start opening pods. But that could take generations meaning the humans coming out of them would not be the ones who initially went in. So they would just be waking up millions if not billions of 30 year olds with the minds of newborn infants. That's not going to restart humanity. So therefore, The Matrix. Instead of having to teach everyone everything, they have already been engineers, scientists, farmers, electricians and all that while in The Matrix. A completely trained workforce capable of taking care of itself from the get-go. The Machines only get violent when Zion tries to stop The Matrix. If they stop it, there are going to be billions of humans waking up on a planet that can't support any of them. They machines are literally trying to stop the complete genocide/extinction of humanity by zion it's literally their last resort to save humans. Everything they do in the movies as a group is benevolent.

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 Month ago

      its not pricey when you feed dead batteries to the living ones to fully recycle the waste. machines have no economic structure nor they follow capitalism, the only currency for them is electricity. by thinking like a human you fail to grasp the logic of machines in the matrix. predictable xD

    • @thompsonschwabbel6622
      @thompsonschwabbel6622 Month ago +7

      per my understanding that was the original idea of "human batteries", broken down from the original "human brains are incredibly powerful and computationaly efficent" to make it more "beliveable and digestable" for the viewer at the time. from my perspective you are 100% right about "us" being subpar batteries but great "processors"

    • @be12
      @be12 Month ago +3

      I read somewhere that the whole "human batteries" thing was executive meddling, and the original and _vastly superior_ idea was to make the "machines" / AIs exist inside of us, living in our brains the same way chatgpt "lives" on an nvidia h200.

    • @cddll24
      @cddll24 Month ago +1

      @@be12 It's implied they have some kind of bots in their blood by the way the tech of them being in The Matrix works and Neo being able to see the machines after he was blinded.

  • @joesmith-tr2nj
    @joesmith-tr2nj Month ago +6

    Lost count of how many Matrix Movie break down video's I've watched. No question this one is the best. Great Job, I enjoyed it.

  • @amatiasq
    @amatiasq 18 days ago

    Thanks! this is the video I've been waiting for 20 years ❤

  • @uxaenarrhythmia1483
    @uxaenarrhythmia1483 Month ago +15

    This is a criminally undersubscribed and underwatched channel.

  • @misogood3741
    @misogood3741 Month ago +5

    very good video, ngl i had to rewatch so mamy segments bcuz you got me going down a lot of rabbitholes but i loved it for that!

  • @damejia7
    @damejia7 25 days ago

    Great music choices! Thanks for the video!

  • @ubiquidade
    @ubiquidade Month ago +7

    The original script had humans to be farmed for processing power, but the studio thought it would be too complex for the viewers and changed it in order for humans to be farmed for energy.

    • @c4master703
      @c4master703 Month ago

      That decision always puzzled my mind. Energy is something aboundedly available by the sun, how would a human being help in gathering energy- and even more than possible other beings as plants.
      That explanation would have been way more realistic. It's a shame, they altered this into a completely dumb way.

    • @StarcatcherDK
      @StarcatcherDK Month ago +1

      Thanks for reminding. Farming energy from humans is obviously stupid even with middle school knowledge of physics... Which is so below the level of the movies.

    • @Swatotastic
      @Swatotastic 23 days ago +2

      Morpheus says in the first movie that the machines use nuclear fusion for the energy as well as humans and it’s obvious that humans generate a fraction of the total energy demand, most likely an irrelevant amount that the machines could go without, especially if you factor the energy need of running the Matrix vs how much energy you get out of the hooked up humans. With the farming of neural processing power plot point removed, the Matrix itself becomes redundant. It’s wild that they didn’t see that

    • @mistermelancholy7698
      @mistermelancholy7698 3 days ago +1

      When you word it like that, you can think of the "power" they are harvesting as processing power, and the plot makes sense again.​@Swatotastic

  • @Nyerguds
    @Nyerguds Month ago +41

    The whole "fabricated prophecy" part has a lot of parallel to the Dune story, where the Bene Gesserit deliberately sowed legends and prophecies for reasons of control and manipulation.

    • @haraldbredsdorff2699
      @haraldbredsdorff2699 Month ago

      Except, that the whole point, is that the prophecy fails. In Dune, the Bene Gesserit made a plan that fail horrible, for them.
      And, in the same way, this youtube creator seemed to have missed, that the point was that this time, they chose a alternative outcome.
      So, the prophecy she made, was no longer real prophecy.
      She moved away from the plan, and hopped for a better alternative.
      But, she did not know. She did not know the outcome,,,, because if she had known then so would agent Smith.
      Her "false" prophecy, was that the One would come and break the matrix.
      This was made, to allow humans to "break free", join in one place and then be wiped out at the reset.
      She chose uncertainty instead.

    • @andrewlean7879
      @andrewlean7879 Month ago +5

      As does Neo's digital vision after being blinded reflect Paul's ability to see via prediction after being blinded in the 2nd book.

    • @GonzoTehGreat
      @GonzoTehGreat Month ago +2

      I think Neo's ability to still "see" in the real world, despite being physically blind, is actually a reference to the simulation hypothesis.
      The Matrix films (via Morpheus' conversations with Neo) ask us to question our reality. This is also related to the Buddhist (or Hindu) philosophy of "self-realization". Neo's ability to see reality for what it truly is (see the "code"), WITHIN the Matrix, gradually allow him to do the same in the real world.

    • @Nyerguds
      @Nyerguds Month ago +2

      @@GonzoTehGreat You know all of that was explained in the video, right? Neo's wireless connection to the Source allows him to see all other things connected to it. He's essentially a cyborg. @andrewlean7879 is right, though, it might be a _reference_ to Dune, where the main character is also blinded and uses his prescient powers to compensate for his blindness in a similar way.

    • @GonzoTehGreat
      @GonzoTehGreat Month ago

      @@Nyerguds _"Neo's wireless connection to the Source allows him to see all other things connected to it. He's essentially a cyborg."_
      Neo isn't wireless connected to the Source. If he was he wouldn't need to physically travel to the machine city, risking his own death (and that of Trinity), to negotiate with the machines for access to the Source... 🤦 This idea is a speculative fan theory to explan his apparent super powers, but onwe wich has not supporting evidence form the flms themselves. He also isn't a cyborg anymore than any other human who's plugged into the Matrix. Cyborgs are cybernetic organisms with both biological and machine parts, so ALL humans born inside the Matrix can be considered as such, because they have ports to connect to it, but that's the limit of their cybernetics.
      I don't think his ability to "see" after being blinded is explained in the films. Instead, it's treated as a miracle, but he appears to see code (just gold, not green) and is able to manipulate reality (outside the Matrix, not just inside), implying that BOTH the real world and the Matrix are "programmed" realities, making them more similar to each other than they appear, but only to him...
      The complex ambiguity of the story on these films leads to them being interpreted in different ways, but not all interpretations are necessarily valid.

  • @lesterlau
    @lesterlau Month ago +2

    In incredible video essay that answered some of the nagging questions I've had about one of the most influential movie trilogies in my life. Thanks for putting it together!

  • @bungmonkey2295
    @bungmonkey2295 Month ago +3

    Anyone who's seen the Animatrix knows humans were the real villains. Humans scoffed at the robots peace offer and got what they deserved for trying to destroy the robots.

  • @ztaylor394
    @ztaylor394 Month ago +46

    The oracle is a therapist, she disrupts the cycle

    • @quantumofconscience6538
      @quantumofconscience6538 Month ago +9

      No, it's just the opposite. The Oracle manipulated all sides with the only intention being to re-set the cycle.

    • @johnturtle6649
      @johnturtle6649 Month ago

      @@quantumofconscience6538 disagree.

    • @Coincidence_Theorist
      @Coincidence_Theorist Month ago

      @@quantumofconscience6538the oracle is theRAPIST

    • @numbersix8919
      @numbersix8919 Month ago

      @quantumofconscience6538 Nuh-uh, she believed. She said so, too.

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 Month ago +2

      @@quantumofconscience6538 no, she wanted peace. she paid for it extreme price as architect warned her. dangerous game, indeed.

  • @zebedeestowers8386
    @zebedeestowers8386 2 days ago

    Matrix within a matrix is NOT just lazy story telling. It is a scary twist on the entire story. The machine creates a story within a story the matrix gives people hope. They think they can beat it. It makes the machine even scarier because of how complex it really is.

  • @LilRedDog
    @LilRedDog Month ago +16

    Now I understand the look Sati gave Neo in the bookstore: "You poor cookie".

  • @Tiki832
    @Tiki832 Month ago +5

    54:00: Surprised you say the Oracle tells Neo that he isn't the one, as she never actually does. She presents a choice to him, that's all.
    She says to him "You already know what I'm going to say", and then lets Neo answer by saying himself that he isn't the one, to which the Oracle replies with something along the lines of "Sorry to break it to you" and then leaves it at that after saying perhaps he's waiting for another life, which also plays into another thing she says to Neo in the same conversation that "Being the one is like being in love, nobody can tell you that you are in love, you just know it".
    Almost literally the entire first film, no one really tells or states anything absolutely to Neo when it comes to such things, all anyone does is present him choices.
    When the agents arrive at Neos work, Morpheus gives him two choices.
    Agent Smith in the interrogation gives him two choices.
    Morpheus gives Neo two choices with the pills, and again with visiting the Oracle presents it as a choice if walks through the door or not.
    Even during the Cipher betrayal scene, Cipher doesn't explicitly state Neo is or isn't the one, he says if he is the one then some kind of miracle needs to happen... so again uncertainty and choice.
    The exception being right at the end of the first film when Neo is finally achieving what he is capable of when Trinity reveals what the Oracle told her she would "fall in love with a dead man and the man she loved would be the one" the first time anything is really explicitly said one way or another by anyone beside Neo himself, and then shortly after Morpheus finally states firmly "He is the one", but by this point Neo has already decided for himself that is is.
    Until that point in the film it's only Agent Smith after Neo has disconnected who really tells Neo about how things are inevitable or absolute, everyone else just presented Neo with choices he made or answered himself.

  • @akiyamach
    @akiyamach 16 days ago

    Watching this video in its entirety was an absolute journey to the depths of existence. A journey I very much enjoyed.

  • @eric212234
    @eric212234 Month ago +22

    Why create two layers of the Matrix? Because that's a solution the architect could use. It would act as an additional net to catch that small percent of a percent that refuse to believe in the first layer. Yes, they escaped the first layer of the matrix, but if they were to question the reality of this new layer, they know that questioning of reality would never end. So for that portion of humanity that needs such conflict, they provide it... There need not be any additional complexity. These two worlds could even run on the same hardware. And Zion is just one city, with a few customized adventures thrown in. Me thinks you don't know enough about programming to understand how simple this would really be. The two worlds would not be fundamentally different, only aesthetically. The 'problem' is how this theory makes us feel. We don't like thinking we 'can't' tell reality from fiction. But with appropriate resources, a simulated or emulated existence would be indistinguishable from reality. And if they 'can' alter memory, even errors could be hidden. The problem with the simulation hypothesis isn't its logic, it's that it's unfalsifiable. And so its philosophical utility is severely limited. A healthy mind considers it, then sets it aside as an interesting thought experiment, but nothing more. That is unless you consider a Nursery Universe. But that can actually have a positive influence on a mind. Isaac Arthur's covers some of this in his videos. Though his focus is mainly on the physics of science fiction, not its philosophy.

    • @TheRealLeahFarley
      @TheRealLeahFarley Month ago +3

      I appreciate how much research went into the video but my take on the story is that Morpheus is basically the serpent offering Neo a choice but that’s just another layer of duality like you’re saying… there were levels to the matrix. But no one ever actually escaped it.

    • @eric212234
      @eric212234 Month ago

      @@TheRealLeahFarley And if Zion and the rest of the 'real' world really are still in the matrix, then anyone 'human' including Morpheus could be an agent of the system ;p

    • @havingfun-u4g
      @havingfun-u4g Month ago +1

      The simulation argument is the just the modern version of god and afterlife.

    • @eric212234
      @eric212234 Month ago

      @@havingfun-u4g They are similar. But I'd stop short of saying that's 'all' the simulation argument is. God and the afterlife can't be proven, they're 'unfalsifiable'. They exist 'outside' science, which arguably makes them unnatural. Where as the simulation argument exists entirely within known physics. Personally, based on what I know of technology, if some seemingly supernatural being manifested in front of me claiming to be god, well I think I'd be more likely to see that as proof of the simulation or clarketech, rather than proof of the supernatural.

    • @constants_are_variable
      @constants_are_variable Month ago +1

      @@havingfun-u4gTurtles all the way down

  • @hw9259
    @hw9259 Month ago +25

    This the best video essay I've watched in years.

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +1

      That’s incredibly kind, thank you! Comments like this are the reason I keep making these.

    • @hw9259
      @hw9259 Month ago +1

      @@NarrativeSignals Great presentation/writing, and I noticed you used high-res video and cropped to 16:9 so it's uniform at all times, really gold standard stuff.

  • @pxbvic
    @pxbvic 5 days ago +1

    Not only were the 3 movies perfect, the 4th movie was right on point for the 8th iteration of the Matrix, the same but ever so slightly different, as the Architect tries in vain to program out the anomaly.
    All of the Matrix is iconic and there will never be a more profound statement of what it is to be human in the modern age again.
    Love or hate the Wachowskis, they have captured the Zeitgeist and carved their names deep into human psyche with a tour de force no one will be able to match, and while there are parallels with other epic theatre the Matrix will stand the test of time.
    This is an incredible and correct analysis of the entire franchise, and I fully agree, well done.

  • @cbcinfla
    @cbcinfla Month ago +6

    This is PhD level analysis.
    Excellent, well written, well justified.
    Likely the preeminent discussion of these films. Your breakdown should be 301 or 401 required viewing. Nicely done.

  • @ShadowNobody-y5l
    @ShadowNobody-y5l Month ago +9

    No one EVER left the matrix. They were in the Matrix the entire time.

  • @jacobvaldez5206
    @jacobvaldez5206 16 hours ago

    Easily one of the best breakdown videos ive seen maybe ever. Nice work.

  • @dyne313
    @dyne313 Month ago +7

    Neo's dreams are a part of The One's programming.

  • @sy5tem
    @sy5tem Month ago +19

    as a machine myself, i approve of this video essay , and the text-to-speech voiceover.

    • @Games_and_Music
      @Games_and_Music 29 days ago +1

      Ah damn, i don't watch many videos like these, and i was not yet familiar with this voice, i actually thought it was real narration, pity and shame on me.

  • @vincentwerts4724
    @vincentwerts4724 23 hours ago +1

    You've described the Oracle as the hero not the villain since she wanted to save everyone. Great breakdown, even if I don't agree with the conclusion.

  • @lilpixie25
    @lilpixie25 Month ago +12

    Fantastic vid; haven't found something so enjoyable to lean into for a while, thanks!

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +1

      That warms my heart. Thank you!

    • @lilpixie25
      @lilpixie25 Month ago

      @@NarrativeSignals Massive respect, beautiful exposition. Can't wait to go through more of your vids

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago

      Music to my ears 😊 Can I ask what your interests is? I'm trying to find out if this video was suggested to people interested in writing, or primarily to others (who might be less interested in other future vids)

    • @lilpixie25
      @lilpixie25 Month ago

      @@NarrativeSignals I like to draw, and I love literature; I usually watch art history vid essays while I draw, and lately I've been getting very interested in film lore as well. I think it might be related to the "story behind the story" part of movies that are not always explored successfully. Maybe the story is just not interesting, but for movies like The Matrix trilogy, there's so much to analyze. So I started watching some more vids on movies, and I think that's how I got here :)

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago

      Very nice! Thanks

  • @JodianGaming
    @JodianGaming Month ago +5

    All you really need to know about The Matrix, to have your mind blown, is to realize that the "Real World" wasn't the real world. ;)

    • @kimanderson4171
      @kimanderson4171 Month ago

      Another mind blowing fact is that they bring in the movie is the relationship between Neo and Trinity as twin flames. 🔥🔥

  • @numalocapelut
    @numalocapelut 8 days ago

    Amazing job, I'm grateful for your analysis, thank you.

  • @nogodsnomasters5669
    @nogodsnomasters5669 Month ago +6

    One of the best interpretations on the matrix trilogy i´ve seen so far. Greetings from Germany!

  • @drewelement27
    @drewelement27 Month ago +5

    What is the electronic cover of "The Swan" by Saint Saenz at 5:00? I cant find it and its driving me crazy!

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +2

      Alon Peretz i got it from ArtList: artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/the-swan/60202

    • @drewelement27
      @drewelement27 Month ago +1

      @TheOrganizedWriter Awesome,! Thank you! Also I loved the video!

  • @80b
    @80b 17 hours ago

    Incredible work. I’ve never seen the philosophy of the matrix stories laid out in such detail before.

  • @ed-te1fp
    @ed-te1fp Month ago +8

    I may not agree with all the points, but I appreciate the unique insights, the reasoning behind them, and the effort that went into them. Thanks

    • @theathlete771
      @theathlete771 Month ago +1

      Imo Agent Smith's return and Neo's wifi powers are just plot holes.

    • @c99kfm
      @c99kfm Month ago +2

      @@theathlete771 Producer: "Agent Smith got extraordinarily positive reviews, he must be the antagonist in the sequels as well!"
      Wachowskis: "But he died, rather epically, at the end of the first movie."
      Producer: "Wasn't he a program, anyway? Just run the program again, I don't care."
      Wachowskis: "But..."
      Producer: "Mine is the money, the power and the glory - now make it so!"

    • @Henour
      @Henour Month ago

      @@c99kfm So are you saying the producer is the oracle after all 😂

  • @sillylung
    @sillylung 5 days ago +3

    1:55 I cant speak for everyone but i can say that i am really glad you came out and let everyone know that you just used AI to read the script that you wrote. Because at first when i heard the AI voice all i could think was "awesome more AI slop video about an interesting topic that is going to be just the most basic information about the movie that a million people have already said."

    • @wgabrys88
      @wgabrys88 4 days ago +1

      Yes this is paradox, now, the valuable content must be marked NON AI (we knew they this will happen, it's happening 😮)

  • @ahmadmousa5714
    @ahmadmousa5714 26 days ago

    That was one of the most comprehensive detailed breakdowns
    of the Matrix

  • @CyberTankRecords
    @CyberTankRecords Month ago +3

    Great video! Ignore those comments about it bothering them that you use a TTS tool, it says more about them than it says about you. Me along with countless others don't mind it at all, as long as it is done well like this is.
    Keep it up! New sub here!
    ALSO another factor that supports your oracle theory is how she purposely made Neo believe he wasn't the one so he could arrive at that realization and commitment himself, through his own choices. She played EVERYONE haha

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago

      Thank you! Yes, she is good at confusing with an agenda 😀

  • @oplawlz
    @oplawlz Month ago +11

    This was a well made video, although I disagree with several of your opinions on the series. My criticism was never with the overarching story, it was with the method of delivery and time wasted on characters that ultimately had little to no impact on the story. Z and Link just didn't matter. Like 75% of the Zion story didn't matter.
    Most of the threats to Neo are silly once you remember that at the end of the first movie he basically realized that everything in the virtual world is a video game. His mind is able to distinguish between the matrix and the real world, so there is no long any danger of him actually being harmed by anything happening there. It doesn't matter if they're "rogue" programs or whatever - they're still just programs. It's like you being legit afraid of goombas when you're playing Mario.

    • @trevordavis8875
      @trevordavis8875 Month ago +5

      I have to agree with your comment. The first movie was very tight with very memorable characters who were almost like a family to each other. I can't remember a wasted scene or character. It was very easy for the audience to become attached to the story and characters. The sequels were to big in concept but had less focus and meandered. I can't really remember any of the new human characters. They were not memorable. Even the program characters seemed more like NPCs in fetch quests. The magic was lost. My guess is that budget constrained the filmmakers in the the first movie enforcing a character driven tight story. WIth the sequels, the budget opened up allowing the filmmakers go wild with spectacle which was detrimental to story focus.

    • @tomtech1537
      @tomtech1537 Month ago +1

      @@trevordavis8875 agreed. It feels like they had 3 movies worth of content crammed into the two sequels and they kept the characterisation rather than the parts that actually explained the bits that didn't make sense (real world neo, train station, ...)

  • @warlockwarlord169
    @warlockwarlord169 27 days ago

    I Love how in this well thought out analysis of the MATRIX , A 4th does not exist , Truly a before and after in action movies

  • @PoppieXL
    @PoppieXL Month ago +5

    Really well written and insight.

  • @topster888
    @topster888 Month ago +8

    This is impressive, you crammed 30 minutes of information into only 2 hours!
    Seriously though, this was hard to sit through with how often you repeat yourself. How many times do you really need to reiterate that humans would reject the matrix if they noticed it wasn't like real life? Or that there are programs that exist to make the matrix run smoothly? We got it the first time we heard it, thanks.

    • @jonathick5557
      @jonathick5557 Month ago +2

      Hey Google, write a 500,000 word essay about the deeper workings of the Matrix trilogy.

  • @xanderdaxs
    @xanderdaxs Month ago

    I’ve always liked the matrix in entirety. The trilogy was excellent. A lot of people hated the second one and the third one, but I absolutely loved it. I thought it was absolutely brilliant writing and you guys confirmed everything that I was thinking I always knew she was the mastermind behind it. This video is absolutely spot on.

  • @scottstottsgaming
    @scottstottsgaming Month ago +5

    You called it "early 20th century" which just makes no sense. You either mean early 21st century or late 20th century.

  • @jonathanfeldheim6554
    @jonathanfeldheim6554 Month ago +20

    Love this video. Neo's confrontation with the architect has always been my favorite scene from the trilogy, the oracle and the architect remind me of Father Time and Mother Nature (like borrowed fromThe Smurfs OG show)

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +1

      Thank you for your kind words! That scene is fantastic, but I totally understand that many people are confused by it. I certanly was the first time I saw it 😅

    • @RageDaug
      @RageDaug 24 days ago

      @@NarrativeSignals Your breakdown is almost completely right on, and I really enjoyed it, but you missed a couple key points that seem obvious to me once they were pointed out to me.
      Neo is not a human, he's a program.
      We are never shown, "the real world".
      The architect shows us that every previous Neo looks exactly like the current Neo. That says he's built, not born.
      This also explains Neo's agent like abilities.
      We are given clues, like when Morpheus asks how Neo is doing, and Tank responds, "10 hours straight. He's a machine."
      Other clues:
      Neo controls machines outside of the Matrix with his mind.
      Neo takes a train to travel from outside the Matrix to inside the Matrix
      Smith, a computer program, takes over a human body outside the Matrix, supposedly in the real world.
      The Architect notes that some people need the perception of choice to accept their reality. This is what's given to the people sent to Zion. They are given the perception that they left the Matrix by choice, and thus they accept their new virtual reality which is further enhanced by the constant struggle "outside the Matrix", while never having left the Matrix. IMO, this is way more plausible then just letting resources run around willy-nilly in the real world when even if the odds are low, they could do real damage to the machines.
      Further the The Architect says, "The function of the One is now to return to the source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program." This further asserts Neo is a program created with a purpose, where part of his programing contains the prime program of the Matrix.

    • @RageDaug
      @RageDaug 24 days ago

      @@NarrativeSignals to your debunking of the Dual Matrix theory at the end of the video I would humbly submit this counter:
      1. The complexity would be unnecessary:
      It's far less complex then dealing with real bodies that disconnect from the machine, then "plug in" to get back in. There's no sync required. It's an innerjoin between two databases. When they take the "red pill", they are moved from one database to another. Or from one server to another server. But the servers are still networked and have no problem querying back and forth.
      As far as unnecessary, it's way way easier to control the humans if they are still in the Matrix while allowing them to think they are out, then actually letting them out.
      2. Path of the one would become meaningless.
      Not true. Zion has to be reset because it grows too large. The Oracle came up with a way to reset it while allowing everyone in the outer Matrix to continue to think they are actually in the real world. This is what the Architect's entire how to control the anomaly speech is about. The machines still want the batteries. They still want the control, and the Oracle figured out how to control the 1% within the Matrix by giving the appearance of choice, while keeping them inside the Matrix the entire time. And the Neo program is the device created to facilitate the reset while continuing the pretense that the 1% are in the real world.
      IMO, this twist is FAR more compelling story telling and a much more interesting story, than the lazy narrative of "the story we overtly hit you in the face with is exactly what's going on"
      3. The films never suggest this theory is real.
      This is false. I listed in my previous response several clues that were given.

    • @watchm4ker
      @watchm4ker 21 day ago

      @@RageDaug Really, the Dual Matrix theory's kinda... meaningless, because the point is made clear regardless, whether or not Zion is 'real': Zion was created by the Machines to house those that reject the Matrix, to provide a structure to sustain and constrain them from inflicting serious harm to the Matrix itself. It gives them the illusion of freedom and free choice, a common narrative to explain their situation, and a uniting ideology to direct their actions. All of which would be a way ensure The One, when they emerge, would have a support structure to let them become aware of and familiar with the flaws in the underlying system, and shape them emotionally towards cooperation with the Machine's plans.
      If there's one flaw, it's... Basically what Neo himself would have been on the verge of accomplishing. Should The One become aware of Zion-as-simulation, they would be capable of wrecking incalculable damage to the Machines, with no means of providing a safety outlet.

  • @rbogdan6782
    @rbogdan6782 Month ago

    Really enjoyed the vid, thanks !

  • @wmaconick
    @wmaconick Month ago +5

    One theory that I think is also interesting to discuss is that Machine might not actually create the matrix to provide them for energy (since that would be an horrible system, the amount of energy a human body would provide would be far far lower than the energy consumed by simulating the matrix for that one human)
    Instead they might had a directive to save humanity that they interpreted as saving humanity against their biggest enemy themselves and thus capturing them in golden cage so to say
    It contradicts certain establish lore especially what we are seeing in the animatrix. But that always felt more satisfying and credible to me that the "human battery" explanation

    • @TheMontablac
      @TheMontablac Month ago +1

      Wasent the original premise ment to be that the machines used the brains of humans as more efficent and powerfull processors?

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 Month ago

      @@TheMontablac i think it was so but the idea was changed to a "power source" instead. maybe because human brain is not more efficient than a cpu even now?

    • @wildcats1369
      @wildcats1369 Month ago

      Agree the canon story is that humans blocked the sun to deprive the machines of solar energy, as if nuclear energy is not a thing. Also how Zion has power if humans are the only energy source.

  • @robert_douglas
    @robert_douglas Month ago +5

    1:07:11 The Oracle responds suspiciously like Gemini AI here; foreshadowing by the Wachowskis?

  • @SurrogateMerville
    @SurrogateMerville 12 days ago

    You didn't exactly tell me anything new, but it was nice of you to explain my own reasoning as to why I love the movies and therefore rehashing my own memories of how I came to the 'I love those movies' opinion.

  • @LazyMitchell
    @LazyMitchell Month ago +11

    "A chair is a chair" - Werner Herzog

  • @ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel

    1:44:35 "The crisis only exists because the oracle created it, by giving Smith his powers and allowing him to take over the Matrix."
    This implies that she had any choice in the matter which, to be frank, you are pulling right out of your backside. He tracked her down and forced his way in. There is literally no evidence or hint that she allowed this or wanted it to happen, other than headcanon.
    Of course a movies is gonna be super complex if you just project hidden intent onto it.

    • @Dwoods91
      @Dwoods91 24 days ago +1

      Or it is just a different perspective of the story. This is what makes a great writer. Human beings are comparably different, with many different perspectives. Maybe this is just how this youtuber sees the story.

    • @ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel
      @ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel 24 days ago +1

      @Dwoods91 And he is free to do so, but it is just fanfiction on a blank canvas at that point. The story does not invite this interpretation.

  • @ReZhorw
    @ReZhorw 18 days ago

    Great video, thanks for increasing my understanding and appreciation for the movies. I also love how everyone is discussing their theories in the comments, so many interesting thoughts to read!

  • @queazy03
    @queazy03 Month ago +8

    One thing they did is that they did make the Agents weaker in the sequels. In the first film Morpheus gets destroyed by just one agent, which is seen as some unstoppable force, and he can't even overpower like 6 regular humans inside the matrix. In the sequel Morpheus is able to handle them all without a problem. For Neo they should be a obstacles that were easy to overcome, so they upgraded to harder obstacles that were still able to be overcome. But for Morpheus they got from super hard to easy.

    • @EstyVids
      @EstyVids Month ago +1

      Did the Agent's get weaker or did Morpheus get stronger? Strength in the Matrix is dictated by your ability to acknowledge that it's just a simulation and "free your mind from fear, doubt, and disbelief". It's probably a lot easier to do that after your beliefs have been reaffirmed by witnessing your 'saviour' pop an Agent, fly, and rise from the dead. He's also not fighting the Agent's in an enclosed space like he did in the first film, nor does he fight Smith again who is an anomaly even in the first film.

    • @kwanarchive
      @kwanarchive Month ago +1

      No, Morpheus just got heaps better. Doesn't hurt to have Neo as a training partner.

  • @Hit.man2211
    @Hit.man2211 Month ago +10

    0:13 not if you just read the books 📚 duh 🙄

    • @Stephengirty
      @Stephengirty Month ago

      Yeah, the movies are bad. End of story.

    • @tittothomaseapen109
      @tittothomaseapen109 Month ago +2

      Books.?

    • @caterpillajoe
      @caterpillajoe 17 hours ago

      The 3rd eye Sophia Stewart. The book containing Terminator 1-2 and the Matrix 1​. Which is why they are the only good movies.. (Neo is John Conner) the Wikowski brothers plagerised this Matrix franchise. Uploader should of done more research@@tittothomaseapen109

  • @sakuyarules
    @sakuyarules Month ago

    This was absolutely amazing, thank you!

  • @RollieHudson1
    @RollieHudson1 Month ago +6

    Excellent all around. Thoughtful, extremely well-presented, consistent. Researched. Film analysis - and even the deeper analysis of AI consciousness - is backed up with examples et all. However - of the four (4) Matrix films, why only analyze the first three when there is a fourth (4th) film that continues the world building etc. I’m quite curious as to why the final film was not included and it would be great to have you do an addendum breakdown that incorporates that latest Matrix film. Great work. Thank you for taking the time to create this and share it.

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +2

      Thank you for your kind words! I wrote a long article on medium.com in 2018, and after I started YT, I always wanted to make a video version of it. So I kept many of the points from the article, but adjusted it to the format and so on. I also kind of feel the fourth is a bit on the side compared to the original trilogy, so I chose to not include it. But good point, thank you!

    • @aquaowouko5295
      @aquaowouko5295 Month ago

      Would you mind dropping a link to the article?

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago

      @aquaowouko5295 medium.com/@henrih/the-misunderstood-matrix-sequels-201e7b8e0311

  • @Lilliathi
    @Lilliathi Month ago +6

    How did the oracle know Cypher would fail to kill Neo because one of the brothers miraculously survived?

    • @NarrativeSignals
      @NarrativeSignals  Month ago +1

      Did she know? Or was it luck? Hard to answer...

    • @bigrichprice
      @bigrichprice Month ago

      Because the 'real world' is still inside the matrix. It's an illusion of choice acting as a quarantine like any system would do with malware.

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 Month ago

      as oracle said herself : "she believed" there was no way she could control every event so she believed it would turn out right.

    • @denizersoz7012
      @denizersoz7012 21 day ago

      Otherwise Neo couldnt have been the one and she is still right. Clasaic god paradox...

    • @seushimarejikaze1337
      @seushimarejikaze1337 21 day ago

      ​@@denizersoz7012neo was "the one" and actually wasn't. 2 people having the same function within matrix, oracle was leading both of them all the time.

  • @dann5740
    @dann5740 23 days ago

    well written and made, thank you!