Music Video Analysis

Initial reaction: 

At the beginning of the video, the cartoon artwork and simple lyrics made me assume that the song was just another song that had a rhythm and beat with rhyming lyrics but as kept watching my initial reaction was proved to be quite wrong. As the song and video progressed I began to realize how much meaning there was to the video and lyrics.
Analysis and interpretation: 

There are a few themes to this video. One theme is that one can do whatever they want if they put their mind to it. That humans can do such a wide range of things, whether it be good or bad. Another theme that can be associated with this video is that the pursuit of power can ultimately corrupt a person. The music video is conveying the message that two different roads that are taken in life can result in two very different outcomes.

Consideration of cultural context: 

Jamie Laurie, the singer of Flobots, was fascinated by the idea that humans are so capable of so many things. That humans can be so creative and peaceful yet we can also be so devious and destructive. The song and video was created based on this idea.

Expression of aesthetic judgment: 

The video quite well expresses the song. The scenes that are played corresponds to the song and sends the message across clearly to the viewer. At the beginning, the video starts off light-heartedly with two friends riding their bikes with no handlebars, then they part ways. As the song and video progress, the message gets clearer and the video conveys the lyrics well. As the song gets darker, the video becomes darker as well, with scenes of death and destruction that compliment the lyrics. The video and song then end with the light-hearted scene of the two friends on their bike and leaving the viewer with an eerie feeling. The video brought the lyrics of the song to life and made things more prominent. The usage of symbolism also shows the amount of thought that went into the production of the video and I admire the song quite a lot.
Ongoing reflection: 

A friend of mine made me listen to the lyrics but I never quite understood the song unitl I watched the video. Though I am not a fan of rap music I do like this song because there is so much meaning and thought that was put into the video.