A new video from Netflix explores the alternate history of the world of their new release, Bright. The fantasy cop thriller starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton is a certified smash for the streaming service, racking up 11 million viewers in its first three days alone. Its success comes in the face of some truly awful reviews; the critical consensus on the film is pretty terrible.

One of the chief criticisms leveled at Bright is its largely unexplained (but prominently featured) magical mythology. The world as we see it in the film looks very similar to the one we live in, just with orcs, elves, and magic thrown into the mix. Those elements seem to have had surprisingly little impact on the world itself, however. Throughout the film, three or four exposition-heavy sidebars are thrown in to keep the audience caught up on things, but by and large, the film's mythology takes a backseat to the LAPD-focused action.

Related: The Mythology of Netflix’s Bright Explained

We've taken a crack at diving a bit deeper into that mythology previously (check out the link above). But Netflix recently took things a step further, debuting a video on their Youtube page that explains just how much of an impact magic has had on Earth's history. As it turns out, it's played a bigger role than the film would have you believe. Having existed in the world since 2900 BC, magic has apparently been behind cornerstone events like the building of the pyramids and the invention of the nuclear bomb. Check out the video above to learn more.

Curiously, the video leaves a large gap in its timeline (between 2109 BC and 18th century AD) completely unexplained. It largely focuses on the the War for Every Soul and the events that led up to it. This ancient conflict, which saw the forces of the Dark Lord square off against Jirak and the Shield of Light, is referred to several times in the film, as it's seemingly the single most important event in this reality's timeline.

Again, a few more recent events like the Salem Witch Trials and invention of the nuclear bomb are mentioned, but the video's chief purpose seems to be laying out what precisely happened leading up to (and as a result of) the War for Every Soul. Should the rumored sequel for Bright end up happening, we can expect this mythology to be explored in further detail.

Next: Bright Reveals The True Goal of Netflix Originals

Source: Youtube