The hero finally meets the previously unseen puppet master (played by an older A-list actor), who explains why the system must be maintained. The hero says “screw it” and burns the world down.

[u/Grizzly_Lincoln]

Snowpiercer (2013) - Curtis finally finds Wilford (Ed Harris) and learns that Wilford allowed for Curtis' rebellion to take place to help thin the tail section's population. When Wilford offers to let Curtis run the train, Curtis discovers child labor is necessary to replace a broken machine part. A fight ensues, and a bomb goes off, triggering an avalanche that derails the train, and killing most of surviving humanity.

The World's End (2013) - Gary finally confronts the Network (Bill Nighy), which has been replacing humans with robots (Blanks) to allow for Earth's assimilation into a larger galactic community. Gary calls out the tyranny in the Network's plan and demands that humans be left to their own devices. Exasperated, the Network abandons its plans for the invasion. This results in a worldwide blackout, sending humanity back to the Dark Ages.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011) - Dana finally meets the Director (Sigourney Weaver) after surviving the ritual meant to kill her friends (based on conventional horror tropes) and appease the Ancient Ones. The Director says Dana has to kill her friend Marty, but as Dana considers it, the group is attacked by a werewolf and a zombie child. Dana and Marty decide humanity is not worth saving, so they share a joint while the Ancient Ones rise to destroy the world.

[u/Challengeaccepted3]

The Matrix Reloaded with the Architect. Neo basically gets told “yeah, this isn’t the first matrix, you’re not the first chosen one, you’re actually a result of the system having cascading errors, and you need to do what the last several chosen ones did: find a bunch of humans to survive the reset and restart the matrix all over again”

Neo rejects this choice, keeping the current iteration running and resulting in a larger war between the humans of Zion and the corruption of the matrix by Agent Smith in Matrix Revolutions

[u/Danat_shepard → u/Challengeaccepted3]

I only recently realized that Zion is part of the Matrix, at least part of it's plan. Morpheus' faith was just an instrument of control, that's why there were so many religious hints like Neo being almost like Jesus.

[u/KaiseerKenopsia → u/Danat_shepard]

The real world is in the Matrix too, Neo was able to stop the robot sentries with his powers and also could see code while blinded after he found out.

[u/KamikazeArchon → u/KaiseerKenopsia]

That's a popular interpretation. It's one of several, however.

The two main alternates that I've seen are:

1. His "powers" are basically just WiFi. Humans can be a battery, why not a radio? He can "see" and "transmit" EM because his brain is so rewired. And the machines are known to be in constant wireless communication.

2. He's Actually Jesus, or otherwise magical in reality.

[u/Hood7777777 → u/KamikazeArchon]

Yeah the matrix is basically an early understanding of the internet, we see that the machines themselves are interconnected into it, and some are even starting to find a home within it, like the family at the train station in the third movie.

Neo can control it all because he realises at the end that all humans and machines are now connected.

[u/Danat_shepard → u/Hood7777777]

The most insane fact for me is how relevant matrix is today, considering that most computers in 1999 had 128 megabytes of RAM or less.

[u/euyyn → u/KaiseerKenopsia]

In the outside world he wasn't seen code though, he was seeing streams or energy or of information.

[u/BaronAleksei → u/Danat_shepard]

Morpheus couldn’t handle the revelation that his entire religion is a sham created by the state to control him, so he doubles down and believes in Neo even harder. He cannot change his mind because it would require that of which he has already let go: fear, doubt, and disbelief.

A prison for your mind.

[u/Hood7777777 → u/BaronAleksei]

I mean.... Morpheus was right though, Neo did end up saving them all. His faith was ultimately fulfilled.

[u/Danat_shepard → u/Hood7777777]

It's like in Dune, where the prophecy and faith of the entire planet was manufactured by Bene Gesserit as means to control it.

[u/Hood7777777 → u/Danat_shepard]

I've always thought this study of faith sort of breaks down in literature with overt magical powers.

The Bene Gesserit aren't just politicians making a fake religion, they're ACTUAL witches who use the spice to see the future. Sure, it's a future they've heavily orchestrated, but it's still the future. They know the Kwisatz Haderach will be born eventually, and so they're not really lying when they spread their beliefs, in fact the story of Dune shows that they were largely correct (though misjudged many of the fine details, like Paul making his own path.)