The Matrix: 20 Things You Didn't Know

3. Morpheus' Explanation Of The Matrix Doesn't Make Sense

Will smith matrix thumb
Warner Bros. Pictures

Morpheus explains to Neo that the birth of AI caused the downfall of humanity. The Machines neutralised mankind and stored their bodies in a simulation while feeding off their bioelectric power.

Even if The Machines could theoretically do this, Morpheus' statement is gibberish. He says humans produce 25,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) of body heat, but doesn't say in what context.

That's like saying a car can move at 50 miles... but 50 miles per what?? Does Morpheus mean humans produce 25,000 BTU's per second? Per hour? Per day?

In case you were wondering, a human produces 356 BTUs per hour while resting. It would take nearly three days to produce the BTUs that Morpheus proposed. It's very obvious the filmmakers did an astounding amount of research while putting the script together, which makes it all the more confusing why they didn't get an expert to validate the numbers for Morpheus' speech.

Contributor

James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows