Symbolism of the Matrix | System Failure

[@bademantil6046]

Revolutionaries stared down into the abyss for to long, and they became the system itself.

[@trevorprimenyc]

That's how it always work.

[@ArchAngelWW3]

It is always interesting to see how limited an individuals viewpoint is when they do not have all of the information. This is a terrific presentation but without knowing the truth of our reality, you become stuck in overly complicated analysis that leads to a big waste of time. I would have loved this video 10 years ago.

[@disruptivetimes8738]

ArchAngelWW3 What then? In 10 Years from now, this video will be as valid as it is today, but maybe not usefull anymore. Thats how everything turns.

[@lmeza1983]

but the system was reset and it will be again eventually, thats the whole balance thing in a nutshell you cant have anarchy or fascism, none works for long.

[@VirginMostPowerfull]

But we can't just be anarchists lol. We need to think further here, revolt for the sake of revolt is ludicrous.

[@tensevo]

i love how "down the rabbit hole" is now attributed to the matrix, when it goes back way before, but to find out, you will have to go down the rabbit hole

[@victormatheusvictor8554]

My mind has been blown. I have watched many analyses of matrix, but this one has no comparison. It is the best i've seen so far. I love your work mr. Pageau, please keep up! Can't wait for your brother's book.

[@JonathanPageau]

Coming soon I hope. We will be putting up some videos when it happens.

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

Agreed, but my other top pick is the one that explains how they never actually leave the matrix the entire trilogy, and the other is about how it is actually Agent Smith that is "The One" and who fulfils the prophecy rather than neo. Those two are actually companion videos that cross reference each other. I see if i can find..

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

Neo isn't the one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJywhmSjgMmqhqs

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

I think this is the other: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYS5nYJ3pMihbqc

[@CeceliPS3]

What's so special about this analysis? He basically said - based only on the first movie - that Neo and his crew are revolutionaries fighting to take down the system and get chaos installed. I say 2 things about this, even though this was another amazing way to look at Matrix: first, there way more more profound insights about this movie out there and, second, this point of view becomes pointless in comparison to the next 2 titles of the franchise, partly because much greater questions - not distraction - surface.

[@AugustusBohn0]

fun bit of trivia: originally the machines were using the cognitive processing of people's brains rather than using humans as batteries but they decided that would go over the audience's heads at the time.

[@wakingthevillageidiot]

The fourth movie introduces that change.

[@heresmytake2782]

Are we all just going to ignore Neo's drivers license expiring on SEPTEMBER 11TH 2001?

[@jonathanmcniel6483]

Really?

[@freshli1]

@@jonathanmcniel6483 Yes, you can see it in the file presented by Smith in the scene in wich Neo gets his mouth shut and the bug into his belly button.

[@rivolinho]

Holy shit

[@marcuscato3599]

Look up the dancing Isrealis on 9/11. Celebration in New York during the blood sacrafice of Goyim

[@ConsistentCed]

@@rivolinho watch Mark Passio. Neo represents our neocortex, the seat of care and conscience. They ATTEMPTED to destroy that on 9/11, but failed. It was predictive programming, for sure

[@marfin4325]

I think the movie "The Truman Show" is the counter to the "Matrix". In that movie Truman seeks to free himself from his overly ordered system at his own expense, not at others. Truman is given a choice to accept the reality presented to him or to put himself at risk and exposure for trying to leave that society.

[@SuperCulverin]

They think we are sheep. They think we will follow the stars. Public awareness is their greatest fear.

[@isaiahdesjarlais1454]

That's fucking scary

[@RochesFan]

19:16 Notice what's on the screen: as we zoom in on the "SYSTEM FAILURE" message, eventually our view glides _between_ the space between M and F-Male and Female, the Masculine and Feminine. The Wachowskis included "Switch"-an androgynous woman who seems to identify as a male-as part of the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar, and the Wachowskis themselves eventually "switched," didn't they? Their internal feelings must have been at odds with their male biology-hence their eventual transitioning. Their perspectives must have been ones that had been moulded by this fundamental contradiction: that if their subjective experience wasn't morally "wrong" per se, then the standard cultural systems of gender categorization (which over 99% of people have no issue with at all) are to blame for the lack of cultural guideposts to explain their inner contradictions with their outer selves. I can understand how such an experience could spur a profound revaluation of all systems, recasting them as oppressive constructs as a rule unless proved otherwise. (Though even the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar needed a captain and division of labour, implying they couldn't dispense with all hierarchy and order.) As much as I flipped for this film as a young kid, I'm somewhat more jaded about this film's message, now that I can perceive its fundamental revolutionary stance against nearly all order as such. That was a great commentary, Jonathan-one of my favourite things you've done so far.

[@airbornmartin3238]

I still believe they only switched for media PR fluff

[@rathelmmc3194]

You really need to look at the story as the whole trilogy. This analysis is correct for the first movie, but by the third movie Neo does sacrifice himself to re-order the system. So it's not like the Wachoskis don't see value in order.

[@gymnast2890]

@@airbornmartin3238 Clearly you've never seen Sense8, which they ruined with their overzealousness towards gender. It had great potential had they made their point, but it dwindled until the gender issues were the only thing left. They didn't even bother to wrap up the storyline of one character....well, if you consider the MOST UNREALISTIC CHOICE IMAGINABLE for the character "wrapping up the storyline". It's like the entire show existed only to support gay rights. Even when it made no sense to what the concept of the show was, which was really good, & even CONTRADICTED the concept & I'm not the only one disappointed/disgusted. One of them left in the 2nd season, but they are HIGHLY overrated. I beg to differ. You don't throw a great concept down the toilet to promote gay people & transgender...unless feel so deeply it ruins your objectivity.

[@gymnast2890]

Did you watch Sense8 & how it was butchered to promote the gay/transgender subplot?

[@TheJeremyKentBGross]

@@gymnast2890 I liked the first season, never saw the second. However i had an old friend transitioning at the time, and the connectivity in the show seemed to mirror aspects of social media, so i just really liked it for capturing my general feelings/experience around when it came out, despite LGBT being a bit heavy for my preferences. But the world is big enough for such perspectives, i thought... However i have completely lost patience with the transgender thing. Mainly because my acceptance was based in a libertarian, live and let live, I actively support your right to live as you wish without persecution, etc frame of reference. But it turns out that isn't good enough. If i don't deny biological sex, consider people not sexually attracted to trans folks to be bigoted transphobes, or am understanding that some people will react negatively or even violently upon discovering they were being tricked and deceived into sex on false pretenses (so just don't play that way and be honest and upfront), well I'm apparently a hateful person who "supports violence against trans people", "literally shaking", "fear you for my life", etc etc bullshit, despite that i said no such thing. And nothing could be said to resolve ir clarify it except possibly outright lie to be complicit in lies, self deception, and attempted deception of others. I just wouldn't do it. Too bad too. One of my best friends for over a decade, whose transition I initially supported, unlike the outright personal rejected that came from both parents. I kinda suspect maybe alienation was actually the point. I've never had a friend willfully distort my words or position so blatantly before, especially not to end a friendship with an ultimatum over a blatant strawman. It was unreal, and makes me think the mental disorder critics might not all be off base.

[@danielburton1046]

Man. This is good. Just watching 4 years later. I love your cinematic symbolic explanatory videos. This one is great!

[@diemaehne]

It is so great to see the level of editing done here. Whenever the words spoken in the movie synch up with those by Jonathan it shows the love for details. Great video, thank you!

[@adomalyon1]

This analysis is spot on. Id just point out that, much like the Dune novels, the Matrix sequels were met with much disappointment and confusion, and for much the same reason. Why? Because they deconstruct the notion that a Gnostic/Nietzchean hero can prove sufficient to save the world simply by being 'the One'. In fact in the Architect (Demiurge/Nimrod archetype) scene, 'The One' is proven to be the most subtle and malevolent form of control, and only by choosing to save 'Trinity' from her fall, can Neo progress in his journey towards the 'bringing together' of man and machine, body and soul, in peace. Also I like the idea that the two senior programs on the Matrix are the Architect (modernism/consequentialism/Aristotle) and the Oracle (post-modernism/Oracle of Delphi/occultism). That leaves the only real way for the individual to escape this false dialectic as Plato (heirarchy of values, rationalism, acknowledgment of the uncertainty of physical observations/ logical deduction).

[@Xanaseb]

Flavius Belisarius interesting comparison with the Dune Series, I haven't read them since I was a teen, so I haven't looked at them in the deeper way in which I might be able to now. Do you have any more comments on it in terms of symbolism & meaning? I actually enjoyed reading the other books after the first book, just not to the same extent

[@adomalyon1]

Well obviously the worms are highly phallic. Thy also represent the Jungian dragon, the monster of the deeps that guard the pearl of great price (the spice). The fremen are the wild masculine that is forced to the boundaries by a decadent society, and made strong through their adversity. Think about the sandworms- what brings their wrath upon the traveller? Rhythmical footsteps and the activation of an energy shield. The shield is much like the wall in Pacific Rim, it is ultimately a terrible solution to hide from a dragon behind a wall! The rhythmical footsteps is more subtle. It represents the danger of society becoming unconscious, plodding rhythmically into the future and thereby inviting disaster. To avoid this the fremen walk arythmically, i.e. each step is a conscious act. Also each of the power groups represent a faculty of mind, taken to the extreme; Spacing Guild- Rational Prediction, Mentats- empirical modelling, Bene Gesserit- Intuition and self control, Ixians: Automation/machine reliance, Tleilax- Biological essentialist materialist. All of these groups show both the strength and the pathology/weakness of over-specialising these faculties of mind, i.e. becoming unbalanced.

[@Xanaseb]

Flavius Belisarius thanks this was decent. There's lots more besides, I would bet. Powerful story, Dune.

[@adomalyon1]

Absolutely. Frank Herbert was probably the strongest Jungian thinker I've ever seen, apart from JPB, of course! :)

[@Xanaseb]

Flavius Belisarius I read Dune before Jung, but now you say it, yes!

[@Carthangion]

The Matrix has been an all time favorite since I was a child and I'm a huge believer in mass societal deception, so based on those facts I think you did an amazing job analyzing this work and wish I could have articulated it this well myself. Love your work!

[@caseyl.9958]

It’s pretty cool how many movies are starting to function like literature. It’s almost like a new form of literature and I think it’s pretty amazing. I have a feeling many directors are going to go down in history as being as important as the great writers we already admire so much.

[@TheOGJeff]

Any updates for 2023? Lol

[@tensevo]

wut?

[@kingdomcome1617]

10:22, one of the most memorable (for me anyways) parts of the film followed this scene. Would he have knocked the vase over if she hadn't said anything? - Showing even the all seeing oracle has her limits. It also displays the effects of him being manipulated in to a specific direction, and what the "system" actually knows, as well as how he can be free. If he were "still" after being told that instead of naturally looking around for the vase, the oracle's limits and a piece of her truths would have been shown to him then and there.

[@obedbagona7402]

Much respect from the Philippines, Jonathan! Great work. Thank God for your life.

[@philliprowe9473]

Dude...this was amazing and original. I was always a fan of the matrix but this made me pause about what it really meant. As a humble suggestion, there is a collection of short animated stories called the Animatrix. I took as much profound and embodied relevation from the Animatrix as from the matrix. Well worth your time. Thank you.

[@blunttrauma5300]

This was excellent Jonathan, keep up the good work!

[@hlow1556]

it's just another inverted Biblical message. The occult do this all the time in media and movies, such as Star Wars. Neo was/is the representation of a normal person, a nihilist, seeking the meaning of life, as they flashed his philosophical interests with the book "Simulacra & Simulation" to show/establish his state of mind. They tell him to follow the white rabbit, can also be called the endless abyss(also known in black magic to initiate someone into their cult unknowingly). Morpheus says he's been searching for him his whole life(God you could say or Holy Spirit), and says but Neo you've been only searching for me for 2. Getting him to believe that the Agents(Satan) are trying to keep him from the 'truth'. The scene with the 2 pills( red vs blue symbolism )and mirror is the initiation ritual. The scene of him 'waking up' and sliding down the tube into the water represents baptism in water and rising out of the water he is received by the 'light'(baptized with the spirit of Anit-Christ). It's all INVERTED though, the 'Agents' are actually represented as (God/Christians) trying to keep humanity from 'waking up' or finding truth because these occultist hate God. Because thats what they believe, that Satan is the good guy and God is the bad guy. They claim you can receive enlightenment through secret knowledge, its called LUCIFERIANISM, or FALSE LIGHT. and they teach "Christ Consciousness", Gnostic bullshit. In conclusion, Neo was mind controlled into luciferianism and convinced that his reality wasnt real, and that HE was God and/or Christ within. I find it incredibly concerning that people are trying to extract truth from the same industries that try their best to keep you and your family sedated with filth and indoctrination, keeping everyone dependent on the system are the people that claim they are "awake" think they see the "true" meaning of this movie, but they fall folly to another mind control attempt by the occultic mfers that control media. understand that mind control works on multiple levels. Don't take anything from the imaginations of 'Men' as truth, please. God is who HE says HE IS. Same thing all these secret societies do, they have an outward doctrine(one taught to the masses), and an inward doctrine(only for the elect of them). Satan is the epitome of a liar. Btw, if you read this far, the red and blue pill decision is a deception, attempting to convince you that there is no other choice than the duality of that choice. There is a third choice though, find it in the true living word of God.

[@Hbmd3E]

hi pal

[@speccy4eyes853]

Hlow good point

[@MentalStillness]

Amen brethren. The Matrix is one of my favorite movies of all time but it definitely pushes the Free your Mind, Save yourself philosophy. This Beast system operates the Matrix through tv, internet, School, Church and jobs. It's not life it's just being a drone and a follower. Babylon is the Matrix and that's why we're told to Get Out of Her.

[@sunset3250]

"Find it in the true living word of God" You mean the bible? What's the 3rd choice?

[@chenugent]

Incredible analogy. Also not to mention the agents outfits. They just blatantly LOOK satanic with their all black patent leather suits.

[@IonelG56]

Wow, this was an exceptional video. I have seen many of the symbols in the Matrix myself but was never able to put them all together . Thank you!

[@angyangy970]

"Alice in Wonderland" and "Through looking glass" also inspired the director of mouvie, there are many symbols like the white rabbit, the cat, the dream and so on

[@markblocker3310]

As a very well read, deep thinker; may I say, WELL DONE! I am so impressed by the three analysis videos of yours that I have watched. Most brilliant and spot on.

[@marklefebvre5758]

It took 3 viewings, but I think I have it now. Just re-watched the movie for the 450000000 time and see new things again, thank you so much for this work!

[@dumanimjo609]

I do hope you are rewarded handsomely, as this is a mind-blowing analysis, and I cannot fathom the hours it took to put together.

[@feralsound]

Excellent video! Please dive into the sequels as well. I'd love to hear your take on them, as I feel they go several layers deeper than the original in exploring ideas like free will & faith.

[@JonathanPageau]

I will have to watch them again. The problem with the sequels is that they are so convoluted and mired in bad story telling.

[@feralsound]

I felt the same way when they first came out, but watching them a decade later as an adult found them very resonant. I think what you may have perceived as bad story telling is the scripts' intentionally being symbolic and obtuse, and not at all easy to digest. It probably took me 3 viewings before I understood what was even happening/being said in the second film. Although I guess one could make a case that is by definition bad story telling.

[@danielgradisar6817]

By the third Neo sacrifices himself to SAVE the matrix, so it resolves the fundamental order issue

[@andrewstallard6927]

I have to agree. (BTW, great analysis Mr. Pageau) In the third film Neo has to take on a rogue Agent Smith who no longer serves the Matrix, and Neo ultimately saves The Matrix. I tend to think Neo is taking the role of the modern social justice warrior who while posturing as a defender of the downtrodden will usually side with institutional power structures such as universities, tech companies and intelligence agencies in an attempt to crush rogue "racist and sexist" elements in society. The poor storytelling in that film is perhaps rooted in the ideology of the social justice brigade itself that thinks of itself as 'fighting the power' and even creating chaos (e.g. transgenderism) yet is in fact the goon squad for the existing authoritarian order.

[@bobmonk388]

Snap, after revisiting them found them easier to digest.

[@Autolykos38]

Wow this symbolism explanation was extremely good. I swear ever since I got into your work and Jordan Petersons its opened my eyes to symbology. More stuff like this please

[@donjuanfrogprince8421]

Dude you’re the best, please keep doing this, it’s such a joy to listen to your wisdom after a hard days work

[@Jacob011]

You can run Jonathan, but ya can't hide from LOTR! Nice analysis BTW. Matrix is one of my all time favourites. My take home message from it was always the all-encompassing pervasiveness of illusion in our world.

[@blazonbyrd5996]

Before watching The Matrix, the puzzle pieces I had could fit on a big kitchen table. After I watched it, the pieces could cover the entire ground of Central Park. You just added a few more pieces. Well done.

[@ClintLock1]

It's a conceited dream that salvation lies solely beyond the current order, in a chaos where only the self truly matters - a dream of those too arrogant to cooperate and build within the larger system. I believed in a form of this dream, that in the wild under the social order I'd find a power more real than God which could govern my life and humanity. I hung out under bridges, lived in a queer punk safe space (a place of such confusion, it was almost oedipal), and lamented the barriers to "resistance". But after months of terrified meditation I realized that mother nature offers us no purpose above instincts and feelings. Now I wonder how much The Matrix influenced the questions that drove me there... Great points in this video. I'm making my way through your older content, and experienced several epiphanies. Thank you for what you do.

[@alexandercamlin8889]

Damn, that was so beautifully written. I do so love to catch a glimpse of how someone else unfolded these questions into their life in a way so totally different, and yet fundamentally similar, to my own journey.

[@ClintLock1]

Thanks. I watched a bit of your channel and subscribed. To hear that you are contending with an upward path, a well overflows inside me. I'll be tuned in.

[@p52893]

Clint McCloughlan My goodness, you have a beautiful mind

[@whittakerdanielj]

Fantastic commentary. It hints at an in road into the way the mind works and how ideas can influence people. Presenting small ideas consistently or philosophies interconnecting with "social structures" that touch upon the struggles in Life, can bring the ideas presented in the movie as consistent with reality. Therein lies the issue. Creating a drama, a struggle of "realities" between truths as we are told all have their own truth. Thus an illusion of conflict, or an overblown idea a struggle in life.

[@alexkairis3927]

Great analysis! How about "The Tree of Life" next? I especially love the focus on the feminine and its connection with God.

[@MaricaAmbrosius]

I don't necessarily agree with the commenters who think it's Kabbalistic propaganda, but some of the color coding seems like it could be Kabbalah inspired.

[@evolvingerinb]

What a wonderful video. I have been using your methods in my life and am finding so much out, but as well identifying stuff that is just a story, and not taking it to far. This is a great practice one and your insight is truly valuable. Thank you so much.

[@A_massive_wog]

Great video John. I'd love to see you make a supplementary part 2 where you examine the 2nd and third films, because while they diverge significantly from the first, they bring new Symbolisms to the table.

[@truemark5899]

One reason I think there seems to be a dichotomy between getting out of the matrix presented in dream-like references though the matrix is more of a dream and getting out is real, is that reality can only be viewed from our observation point. Reality is our central being and what we experience. If we get out of the dream we must do so by accepting the way forward is a dream, because our starting point is or appears to be reality.

[@RunninUpThatHillh]

I am so stoked to find this cool channel. Jordan Peterson via Twitter directed me here!

[@dennisreiss8748]

Such good analysis! Thank you for explaining the various philosophical concepts.

[@Nanohachan]

What are your thoughts on the gnostic symbolism in the series? Like the demiurgic architect, the false material world, morpheus being a lucifer figure, etc.

[@XxMadermanxX]

Yep thats like what Jonathan said about platonic themes, spirit over matter, heaven over earth, chaos over order /femenine over masculine (also just the inverse depending on how you look at it), depreciation of form, its an umbalance, present in extreme asceticism, seen traces of it in the teachings of Lao Tse or Krishnamurti, they consider all form or order to be literally a lie, an illusion, dead (which is true) but theres this Christ form (also called Philosopher's stone in alchemy) through which reality/truth/beauty/light/the present constantly flows through form. I know that both Lao Tse and Krishnamurti are enlightened beings, and im mostly sure that they dont have that confusion or unbalance in their systems, its just that how they say what they say can bring about confusion and its a tricky and very subtle truth to be understood.

[@gymnast2890]

@@XxMadermanxX Or they suck as writers! They appear to have a talent for coming up with a great concept....then unraveling it by injecting too much of their personal feelings into it, even when it contradicts the main concept. That's what you're dealing with.

[@csabas.6342]

Yes. But I would say that the occult is there in general. You can find also a lot of Thelema in it.

[@LyubomirIko]

"The divine spark could be liberated by gnosis." (having knowledge) - To achieve salvation, one needs to get in touch with secret knowledge. (what Neo does) In Gnosticism - All matter is practically a trick of the evil Demigod and it is something - to be against. (the system, what reality is) The whole theme of controlling the matter is pretty common in Gnostic texts - Where bending matter, do unimaginable things etc. - is possible through gnosis. There is even many ideas in Gnosticism that resemble the situation in Zion. Both - choosing poor life of a hermit or/and sexual dissolute are totally acceptable in Gnosticism (because matter is evil - Gnosticism does not deal with "sin", only ignorance.)

[@MoviesAreDopeREACTS]

19:48 if you thought that was a funny joke... It wasn't

[@del-marmare1646]

Wow, changed my understanding of the movie completely. Coherently explained.

[@manufacturedreality8706]

"It is you mind that creates the world." - Buddha

[@eggheadusa]

What is mind, no matter. What is matter, nevermind.

[@heresmytake2782]

Buddha is dead

[@breatheeasily4013]

@@heresmytake2782 Simple but effective counter-argument. Well done.

[@echinaceapurpurea1234]

Yay, I've been waiting for a video from Jonathan! Made my day :)

[@JonathanPageau]

Happy I can make your day, even if it is talking about the dystopian dreams of revolution and absolute control.

[@glasnikov]

I found this channel when you commented on someone who ripped a video from you. Unsubscribed that one, then subscribed this one. Great videos, great subject matter. Thanks!

[@charlesvillarreal4705]

Wow that was a Incredible video, it was suggested to me after I reviewed my last video upload. I enjoyed it thank you very much for your presence of discernment. Namaste🙏😇

[@SP-ny1fk]

Originally the idea of humans being batteries was supposed to be humans = computation... Morpheus was supposed to hold up a circuit board - but the film execs thought no one would understand the symbolism, so they changed the script.

[@kalelmorrison8819]

Thank you thats it

[@Wingedmagician]

I’m going to have to rewatch this one. About a dozen times.

[@AugustasKunc]

Did you?

[@Duhdgijdsnk]

Hello Jonathan, can you please elaborate on the term 'Flux', used around 11:55 ? Used in dichotomy with 'Unity'. I haven't found this term before, at least in this context, and I would love to know more!

[@Paradox-dy3ve]

Well done! I found the inversion of concepts like "the rabbit hole" and "leaving Kansas" as gateways out of the dream world and into reality very interesting. Also, I wanted to throw out some suggestions for future symbolic interpretations. 2001: A Space Odyssey Akira Princess Mononoke The Dark Knight Psycho Vertigo Persona The Seventh Seal The Magician The Birds The Godfather Idk just some suggestions. I hope you'll especially consider 2001 or Akira. I think those films are ripe for symbolic analysis.

[@johnanon9907]

Most insightful analysis of The Matrix I have seen. I thought I understood it, until now. Thanks for the wake up call.

[@mr1bucho]

Anyone here in late 2023 and hoping in 2024 more people going to take the red pill?

[@highonnymphetamine6179]

This is the most interesting video I have ever watched and it was very helpful.

[@NevetsM]

I would love to hear your viewpoints on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Oddessy

[@Andreastheduck]

Just recently started watching you. Keep up the impeccable work, bucko!

[@michaelparsons3007]

Hey Jonathan love your videos and insight. Found out about you through JBP. Although you pointed out symbolism which had evaded me in countless viewings, its my opinion is that looking at the Matrix as only one movie may lead to inaccuracies. It was in Revolutions that Neo sacrificed himself like Jesus. I’d be interested to hear your comparison of the two and how they differ in your opinion. 🙏 Keep up the fantastic work. My mind had been opened by JBP, you and Vanderklay and am overwhelmed at the meaning and symbolism I am finding in my own life. Thanks again.

[@Tyler_W]

Agreed. You can take self contained thematic ideas from the first Matrix movie in isolation, but there are some conclusions you can't make without consulting the sequels. That is why I don't think that the first film or any of its sequels demonize all order and hierarchy. Such things even exist in Zion as exemplified by the military hierarchical structure of the hacker ship crews like the Nebuchadnezzar in which Morpheus is the clear and undisputed leader, the council of Zion and the military that is literally described as tasked to defend Zion, it's people and its borders. The final battle in Zion at the latter half of Revolutions is literally a military defending its borders from an invading force. It does preach "dismantle the establishment, fight the system", but the very nature of the real world human society in Zion completely upends the idea that all order is bad and inherently evil. Anarchy is depicted as better than tyrannical order, but at the end of the series, it is clearly described how a new established order is in place, one that the film portrays as more fair and just. Another commenter brings up V fir Vendetta which uses a lot of the same ideas. Both depict a need for the destruction of the system, but it doesn't leave it that way. As soon as the old order is undermined, the end of both The Matrix Revolutions and V fir Vendetta speak to the need of a new established order that values freedom and fairness. I think both are created originally from a left wing perspective. I think it is still perfectly fair and legitimate for the right to latch onto these stories and ideas because of how well both made their respective ideas universally applicable. If these ideas weren't universally applicable, they would be nothing more than partisan propaganda, which at their core they're clearly not. They wouldn't have been able to capture the minds and imaginations of so many people if that were the case and they would have been quickly forgotten.

[@AjaxNixon]

The cultural significance of The Matrix can not be overstated. Great analysis! I remember being glued to my friends television at 2am watching The Matrix at 10 years old and I felt like I didnt blink once during the whole movie. It has shaped my worldviee and to this day I use matrix analogies to ubderstand the world. Your analysis has helped me to see hoe I fell into the traps I fell into as the ideas worked themselves out in me and a giant chunk of my peers.

[@Frauter]

Brilliant as usual! I'd love to hear you talk to Vervaeke about this :)

[@KCCAT5]

I need to rewatch This, this weekend

[@MrMilla103]

The comment about conservatives revolutionary matrix analogies was very interesting. The world is inverted xD

[@JonathanPageau]

Upside down world, ready to be flipped back on its feet.

[@bellesarius]

We are definitely in the midst of the inversion... nice job on the video. Thank you.

[@alexandercamlin8889]

I watched, "Ready Player One" last night, and it strikes me that in some ways, that film is the antithesis to the Matrix, insofar as rejecting the pluripotentiality offered by the world of imagination unmoored from physical/social limitations in favor of the veil of tears of mundanity.

[@JonathanPageau]

Alexander Camlin Looking forward to seeing it for sure. Maybe next week.

[@randomonlineuser6401]

Dude speak English I don't understand the last half of what you said.

[@axelrosenberg5955]

Fantastic analysis. Just great. Love listening to your talks.

[@africlubguy6035]

"Coherence and Completeness", Sense and Wholeness, Understanding and Maturity, Knowledge and Character, Technology and Organism, Structure and Life, .. and ...

[@nergethic7759]

Amazing analysis as always! You've said that truly real is the world without order. Isn't this what postmodernists are all about? I see postmodernism as a subset of nondualism that is concerned only about language - dismissing other parts of the experience. And I know that this view of the reality is deadly when it comes to implementing it as a core philosophy because it doesn't see value in all-present structures, it doesn't recognize itself as a structure - like a typical paradigm. It's completely impractical to the perspective of human ego. But there is this weird religious experience called enlightenment and from what I understand it's like being in earth/potential/chaos without any grounding set of axioms, where boundaries aren't set and because of this everything at the same time has infinite value and no value at all. Somehow acquiring this non-human perspective on the reality is where I think postmodernism (or rather nondualism) theory is right, but this theory is just not feasible for humans to implement in their lives, because human ego is limiting everything to survive. What are your thoughts on this? Is Christian enlightenment experience the same thing that I just described or do you view it as something else? I just try to merge few ideas together :)

[@ironrobin]

nergethic I also got the feeling that postmodernism is nondualistic.

[@ironrobin]

Dude I love this comment.

[@1969plato]

Social justice and it's "movement" is not opposition to authority systems, rather it is another system of control perpetrated by evil beings. Great analysis, very timely.

[@rickbeckett9102]

Wow, Great video! Wish I could meet people like you in my life.

[@ichhasseamerika]

The greatest Science-Fiction-Film of all time. although it wasn't really science fiction, it was a documentary about future.

[@Greg400]

I really enjoyed this video Mr. Pageau. The Matrix series was amongst my favorite movies when I was growing up. My brothers and I would often have discussions about the series narrative but we could never get it quite right, I think because the story can be convoluted at times with contradictions as you stated. Your video has clarified some of the confusion I had. If you're looking for ideas for another video on a different series I think myself and others would like to hear your thoughts on the Dark Knight series! Thanks so much!

[@YouTubeComments]

OK, that ending gave me the chills. I feel like I just took a major red pill.

[@pledgestone]

Jonathan, this is a great video. Thank you, it was a pleasure to watch. Keep up the good work!

[@weltubergang356]

I rewatched The Matrix which was more fun, having watched your analysis. I hope to add two points. 1) According to the film hierarchies are bad. But within the revolutionaries there is actually a strict hierarchy. Morpheus is the leader, at least untill "the one" arrives. Also there is a "natural" order in which the members of the revolutionaries all do exactly that job in which their ability best serves the team. (we never see them voting on who gets to code or who gets to cook.) In the first movie when Morpheus is caught one team member says: „Morpheus, you are more than a leader to us - a father.“ Well, I thought we don't need leaders (by the way: Hitler was literally called "the leader"!) Also, even if revolutionaries admit the need for a leader, surely we should only ever chose him by rational means - calling him "a father" sounds almost like hereditary monarchy! 2) Faith is frowned upon and religion is named as a tool of oppression. Yet, Morpheus "just knows" that Neo is the one. Literally, an (irrational!) oracle guides the revolutionaries. It seems that the film cannot but contradict itself. Man and society cannot live without hierarchies and a somewhat unscientific system of meaning.

[@DJAqueous]

So much more , than, religious flavored symbolism. A lot of the technological references fly waaay over the head of the general audience. The Oracle's "cookies" is my favorite example:  An HTTP cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website and stored on the user's computer by the user's web browser while the user is browsing. Cookies were designed to be a reliable mechanism for websites to remember stateful information or to record the user's browsing activity.  Most people don't know what an internet cookie does, but for those who caught it, you're in the know very early on that the Oracle keeps tabs on neo. You'll also notice when Neo finally declines the offer. The interactions with the Oracle, Architect, Merv, & Deus Ex Machina give you an inside track throughout the films, but most of the important symbolism there goes unnoticed.

[@Reeso04]

Im very good with cpu terminology but OMG i never connected the two your a genius for this.....

[@MCSolaireBro]

Wow! Some of the best analysis I have seen of this movie, and on this channel, although the symbolic dissection is always great here.

[@lukecronquist6003]

I haven't heard anyone put the synthesis better than you did "[They think] the truly real is a world without limits, or in other words, one where there is no relationship between the categories of the world and our own possible engagement with it. . . But there cannot be a world without limits. For it would not be a world but chaos itself." I still struggle with God this way. Like we think of God as 'the one' which is drawing a circle around 'him'. But God not just limitless, but beyond limit and beyond transcension. I would LOVE to hear you take this concept to its end.

[@MariachiEntertainmentSystem]

You know, i found your channel today. The Moana video. I loved it, i thought it was brilliant. You all well-read and knowledgeable and extremely effective at making the connections you base your content on. But i have also found some of your perspectives to be somewhat misogynistic. Your seemingly Freudian erring at the end of this video over the Wachowski's first names is consistent with some commentary in your other videos were you describe the pop culture inversion of male and female roles with a disgusted tone. I am aware that i am not likely the well-educated scholar that you are, and again, i do appreciate the content you make, but this comment you made at the end of this video is basically crass. you're a scholar. i understand as a youtuber myself that your personality is a big part of how you build an audience, but so much of your videos and your presentation is based on your character of a well-spoken academic, interested more in the analysis than a personal agenda. i'd love to support you on patreon, and i'm gonna keep watching your videos with the hope i am wrong about this facet of your otherwise excellent work.

[@michaeladams6154]

I agree. Dead-naming the Wachowski's was a crass way to score some kind of political "point"

[@veilofreality]

@@michaeladams6154 cry us a river. It was intentionally done as a joke to hammer in a thematic point, not a political point.

[@alanlloyd4766]

I like that you welcome the challenge of you own thoughts that symbolism brings out

[@ma_junia]

Every video of yours I've seen has left me feeling overwhelmed

[@wilmaurer9767]

thanks for this idk why but the matrix sequels came up a lot in my thoughts lately. there's such obtuse movies, it's nice to watch videos like this more compelling than the films themselves. First one was gr8 doe a+++

[@rianork2712]

I'd have to agree with some of the other commenters about the need to include the other two movies. If I understand what you were trying to say correctly, Neo is shown a division between "real" world and "perceived" world and the latter is described as synonymous with the system of oppression, i.e. Power. He then fights against this Power, which is the message he then offers at the end of the film. However, the whole understanding of what this system of power means is then reverted in the next movie. You can see Neo in the first movie as changing from being helpless and blind against what is happening. Then casting away the veil of Maya and learning to stand o his own. This is depicted as him standing against the Power. However in the very next film it is revealed that this stance, his very personal fight against Power is itself part of the Power structure. In the first film he doesn't believe he has a destiny and in the second he finds out he indeed is a part of larger story. Then in the third film, he has to sacrifice himself in order to save both the "real" world and the Matrix and what is more, unites them. In opposition to the first movie, he helps solidify the power structure and keep it in place, however helps improving it. I'd be very interested in your take as I am sure there are lots of things I am missing and your unique perspective on the other two movies would be wonderful to see :) Good luck with doing what you do, I find it interesting and enjoy it.

[@iuliua]

Amazing analysis and channel! One thing also must be noted, that this promise of a world where everything is possible is just a deception similar to the one the Devil used in Eden to fool Eve: the promise to be like gods. It's amazing how the Devil is using the same lie over and over again in different forms and people still fall for it, people who are not reading the Bible that is(and that's why every totalitarian system's first priority is to destroy the church). This promise is perfect for it's purpose because of it's universality, it appeals to everyone's personal imagination. Two people with absolutely nothing in common will unite in purpose each one imagining that his version of the world will become reality. This way everyone is united under one goal, to destroy the existing order and replace it with God knows what. There is no indication of the future order in the deception itself; feminism, freedom, weak men this are all tools to destroy the current order and not the reality of the next order.

[@bham7bh]

The more subversive and "progressive" these stories become, the more I find myself siding with "the bad guys". I root for the empire in the new SW movies lol.

[@aanler]

The first thing most people miss about the Matrix is who the One really is. It's not Neo, it's Mr Smith.

[@frostatine]

Interesting how after the talk with the Oracle, the clock in the background shows the time as 6:42 which corresponds to this verse in the book of John: They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?" which is a really cool detail. They are doubting the divinity of Jesus and Neo was just told he is not the One.

[@bankiey]

If you were disappointed by the second two movies, check out the matrix redezionized, it’s the second and third movies with all the zion scenes taken out, edited into one movie. Without doing anything else, its a thousand times better. The story is clearer and it brings that matrix vibe back. There’s few fan-edits that aren’t gaudy or jarring, and while this one does have 1 or 2 amateur stitches, it doesn’t attempt to do anything silly or add anything. The “Waterworld - Ulysses Cut” is another such excellent fanedit that has 0 awkward transitions or additions. There’s two separate official cuts of waterworld that have scenes exclusive to themselves, and this edit simply puts it all together into one long movie, and it’s excellent. Anyways

[@clever5118]

Genius explanation of the movie.

[@NoahSteckley]

Stories really are structured dreams, I swear. A conservative order-lover can still watch the movie and love it. It's like Freud said about dreams using the imagery and connections in order to slip their meaning past the mind's internal "censor" that wants the message to be suppressed.

[@jeremybridges6015]

Nebuchenezzer also saw the writing on the wall. Also noticed Neo shattering the giant window (frame of reference)of the side of the building from the helicopter.

[@isthisapictureofmuhammad7254]

Escaping the Matrix is like solving a Rubiks cube that's fighting back. It's your very effort to escape the matrix that's keeping you even more stuck.

[@roxygreenwood8345]

So if I'm not trying to leave, how will i

[@thomaseverard6943]

Really an unexpected choice of thread, amazing.

[@crypto1509]

You're describing conflict which is the essence of all stories.

[@mjb91]

Lucifer, too, was a revolutionary.

[@maligjokica]

several years ago in our local orthodox church a big diverse congregatuion led by or priest show us the movie( and talk about it in a contex of how spiritual dead pesron can start to question the situaction he/she is in and be awaik from his/her spiritual death in a orthodx metanoja proces. greetings from Macedonia+

[@samxsara]

Wow this explanation is so deep and rich

[@PlanetTrainWreck]

You can't leave the Matrix you can only migrate to another part of the Matrix that's what I got from one and two.

[@veganrican606]

Reality is a perspective, everything we live in our lives is an indoctrination of reality. Humanity is capable of literally creating new realities.

[@stepmothership6455]

Very informative analysis. But I noticed you were focused on the main character and the system of the matrix as a whole and only talked briefly of the the Agents as the "henchmen" of the Matrix. Especiallly Agent Smith is set up to represent the Matrix as a singular person and makes for Neos personal antagonist. What I always perceived as one of the most vital scenes of the movie, is when Smith holds his monologue to the captured Morpheus. He gives the reason for the existance of the Matrix and in his rant about his contept for the human race shows a very human side of himself and even the Matrix as a whole. He even says the he (personally!) wants to get away from this place. It's the one time in the movie, where any of the Agents ever break character. Also he says that humans are a "virus" and a "plague". This always struck me as a sort of radical, misanthropic enviromentalism. Anyway keep up the great work, always fascinating getting your views on some of our more recent cultural artifacts.

[@paulmagnuslund7096]

Great work. I agree, it's just half the story. Please do the whole trilogi. There's so much more to say.

[@renatoferreira1802]

How a world without limits appeals to us... the rave in the second chapter confirms your analysis.

[@veilofreality]

Another great video, Jonathan, thank you!

[@ShaloneCason]

I never considered Matrix as a revolutionary story, but it makes so much sense with your explanation. It also makes sense considering the gender change of the writer/directors. Very interesting video 🤔

[@przemek6146]

Jonathan, the confusion can be resolved by cyclicality. The left hand unmakes and BECOMES the right hand that controls. On and on. The revolution... is endless.

[@veilofreality]

Great video Jonathan. Upon seeing it at the time, I hadn't really grasped how radical the philosophy behind the Matrix is, but I think you are spot on. I would love to see you do a video on the resurgence of gnosticism, which I think is really huge at the moment. In particular, relating to the narrative, which I continuously hear popping up everywhere, that the snake in the garden of Eden was actually the good guy...

[@JonathanPageau]

Yes, the solution to the problem is that God would have given Adam and Eve the fruit if they had not taken it by their own will.

[@veilofreality]

That is a great answer. If I may ask, did you come up with it, or does it stem from the fathers and Orthodox tradition?

[@JonathanPageau]

It comes from St-Ephrem the Syrian and other Fathers.

[@veilofreality]

I imagined that it might have come from the Fathers. Thanks for the insight Jonathan.

[@filipbook5605]

Thank you once again Jonathan for this enlightening analysis. I am very new to Symbolism and I'm trying to grasp my head around the fact that you can reference very very old stories (biblical ones in this case) from something as modern as The Matrix, I understand that that is possible and it sounds like many things are "taken" from these old biblical stories. Is the bible then the ultimate reference point for understanding western stories across time? Is the bible as you've referenced A reference point? or The reference point? I'm not sure if you follow what I'm trying to say but it's as if Symbolism as you've explained is the meta language of our language for stories, and if you can understand them you could see them everywhere like you are doing today with this analysis. It's like a higher order analysis of stories, I don't know how to explain this any better. The reason I'm asking is because I'm 25 years old and I'm nestled into this modern world without any real historical reference (especially because I have no religious background (I'm not even baptized), my parents wanted us to choose ourselves)). I was especially taken a back because of the observation that when Neo enters the real world @ ~14:00 he is baptized, is the symbolism that clear? Just because of the fact that he is in water and being carried out of it or something else too? I am genuinely curious. I'd love to hear your response, ask me anything if what I'm writing sounds confusing. Thanks once again, I have so many questions but one at a time! (Or a few perhaps).

[@AndyJarman]

You might find a book called The White Goddess by Robert Graves interesting. It is a compendium of mythology that includes the Christian and Pre Christian origins of contemporary myth and symbol. It was written 100 years ago, from the perspective of an English poet. It's meta-narrative is to seek the origins of British culture in a pan European religion pre-existing the Roman Christian take over of the third century.

[@cf6713]

Was already a big fan of the movie. After I read Rene Girard, it blew my mind.