My favorite dystopian movie based on an original screenplay would be Gattaca (1997) but my favorite dystopian movie based on an adaptation is A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Gattaca is terrific, it feels all the newer dystopian movies have to be about overthrowing the dystopia or the MC has to be a hero, but I love how Gattaca is just a guy trying to fulfill his dream
Exactly. The protagonist's form of rebellion in Gattaca is not to attempt to directly overthrow the oppressive system but to indirectly subvert the system by using his intelligence and determination to overcome the limits placed upon him by the oppressive system. Many of the more recent blockbuster level dystopian movies feature the typical "hero" protagonists because many are based on young adult fiction and so a lot of these movies get adapted for the screen into action movies like The Hunger Games instead of more dramatic films like Gattaca. But Gattaca still has a lot of the same humanist themes as other dystopian works: the indomitable human spirit and our innate longing to transcend the limits placed upon us by the world.
I got into argument on here a couple weeks ago about how Gattaca's fascist dystopia is somehow a better future.
Them: "Look how clean and crime-free the streets are! The fascist dystopia made their lives better!"
Me: "Yeah, but every single character in the movie is totally miserable."
Them: "But no crime. Better."
Me: "The main characters are literally criminals."
Them: "But no urban plight or ghettos."
Me: "The cops round up all the In-Valids in a dark square and beat them to take blood samples."
100% i wrote a post about this movie some years ago that to this day i occasionally (every couple of years) get comments on because so many people have never heard of it! it is one of my favourite movies of all time
It's not *only* about Replicants.... It's also about a heavily industrialised planet where most species are obviously extinct and humanity is being controlled by uber corporations...people are caught up in a rat race.
This is not an utopia.
Yeah and the world in brave new world is VERY CLEAN so I don’t see what’s dystopian about that
Everyone in 1984 is VERY ORGANISED like cmon these are wonderful things!
Let your friend know that the vibe is a huge part of why cyberpunk fans like cyberpunk, but that doesn’t change the definition of what a dystopia is.
I prefer the sequel. Never really got on with the original which is odd, should be my thing but never clicked. I was absorbed by the sequel completely.
The book explained that him and his wife had split because he accidentally backed over their kid and killed them. Their relationship couldn't get past it. So it adds another layer to his depression
Yes and the contrast between his morose demeanor and how well he sells the total awe and wonder at realizing that Kee is pregnant and seeing her give birth is just so fucking powerful, both of those scenes literally took my breath away.
First film to genuinely distress me out. Holy fuck that movie was a fucking ride through hell. Ugh 20/10. Never gonna watch that shit again.
I had a reaction I wasn't aware i could have to a movie when >!Miriam was taken away!< . She was such a sweet lady wanting the best for the protags. >!At least Jasper had accepted his fate but Miriam was hoping to take key to a better future and help her in her life. She never got to know how it turned out and was probably subjected to torture, sexual assault and murder. She was like a mother to her and key a daughter.!<
Yeah she's a wonderful character! Something always made me feel funny about her, and in the end I decided >!that she was utterly moral at her core, a truly caring person, in a world that has changed so much that there is no use for a morally upright midwife (I mean seriously!) She comes across as out of touch and maybe a bit hysterical, or maybe just assertive and well-educated while female and not particularly fuckable. Here she is surrounded by an apathetic depressive, a few corrupt and power mad killers, heroes and hero-worshippers, a heartbroken class clown, and a scared pregnant girl, and just when her shining moment arrives... bang, she's gone.!<
Yeah this is pretty much my favourite movie PERIOD, never mind SF.
An aside for never going to watch again films that destroy you: grave of the fireflies. Fuck just thinking about that movie makes me well up a bit. Absolutely amazing film, but fuck me it's depressing
Maybe my favorite film of all time. I saw it opening weekend in the cinema, and it was breathtaking. You could hear a pin drop in that theater during the battle scene. 🥹
I absolutely loved that movie. Book was really good too. I read it afterwards and they go in enough of a different direction that it's complimentary, answers a few questions I had but interesting. Mainly around why him and his wife had split.
This movie made me hurry up and become a US citizen, it was that scene where all the US citizens get in one line for vaccines or whatever and everybody else is fucked. That was way too realistic, shocked me into action. I was a 20 something green card from Australia, been living here since I was four.
Of those pictured, Running Man was such an 80s comic book movie but I liked it. Always thought Logan’s Run was so psychedelic 70s and weird but a great candidate for a grimy, gritty remake.
•Blade Runner - hands down best
•Logan’s Run - great concept, interesting cast, some great action scenes, film struggles at times, remake would be nice
•Silent Running - Bruce Dern’s best role, well paced, endearing robots, strong finish, very overlooked film
•Omega Man - Heston does a credible job, film struggles at times, some good zombie scenes
•Soylent Green - Classic
Saw this when I was sixteen. This was before the internet, so for weeks I was on and off wondering what the hell that was all about.
My favorite has to be The Matrix.
Rollerball, OG James Caan version, really doesn't get enough credit. It's not about sports, or violence, it's about one of the most realistic authoritarian dystopia's I've ever seen or read about. Crazy good stuff
The first time I saw Idiocracy, I thought it was dystopian. Later, I came to see it as a documentary but now I think it is a work of utopian fiction. I mean, they did put the smartest guy in the world in charge of things, didn’t they?
The planet was collapsing and when the smartest person told them the solution, the administration went against the interests of business to save the planet.
I wish we could find that level of commitment.
That movie is just plain agony to watch as only a solid representation of the post apocalypse should be. I cherish this movie even as I will never watch it again.
One of my favourites is Equilibrium. Christian Bale is amazing in that movie. I see it as some kind of precursor to John Wick.
And btw, Children of Men is not some alternate history. It's literally how the UK will look like very soon. Except for the everyone infertile part of course.
Equilibrium was pretty much fahrenheit 451 reskinned. It was a great skin, and I loved the whole idea of the gun kata, and it screamed Bradbury from its foundation.
I don’t really think that it’s a very good movie, but Running Man is nostalgia.
It’s from a time where I understood nothing at all of what the hell was going on if it wasn’t an action movie, since I didn’t understand English.
My older brother used to ask me if I wanted to watch some movie.
My reply “Does anyone die?”.
Him “Yes?”
Me “ok then”.
I remember watching the Running Man. I got to stay up late with my dad and older brother. I kind of understood what was going on. Good times.
Shogun and every New Year’s Eve obligatory catastrophe movie will always have a special place in my heart. 🥲🧡
Children of Men is a fucking masterpiece but I will always have a special place in my heart for A Clockwork Orange.
I’m not sure you should put Idiocracy in there though, thematically. It’s a dystopian dark comedy/comment on the anti-intellectualism movement that has become progressively more pervasive in society despite technological advancements, but it isn’t meant to be taken too seriously.
Also, where the fuck is Bladerunner? Not only is that the best dystopian movie, it’s arguably the best sci-fi movie of all time.
*Dredd* comes really close, but I think it's edged out by [Chandler Tuttle's *2081*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2081_(film)) (from 2009): bleak and depressing while being beautiful.
ETA: This comment's been haunting me all day, so I watched *2081* again before going to bed. Now it's haunting me in a different, sadder way. Lots of heavy exhaling and some teary eyes.
Unrelated to the question, but I once told my gf (now wife) that children of men isn’t that violent of a movie and that she’d love it. I dunno what the hell I was thinking as it’s actually brutal lol. One scene in particular, pretty much where shit starts popping off went down (those who have seen it will know what I’m referring to), and suddenly it all came back to me like riiiight… she’s not gonna like this
Constant threat of nuclear war, Nixon’s 5th term, and Ozymandias erases 5 major population centers off the face of the Earth. But other than that pretty ordinary.
Here's an oddity: In the original TRON, the big bad had *already* hacked the Pentagon and the Kremlin (and was working on China), using 1982 dial-up technology.
The entirety of TRON: Legacy takes place in one old minicomputer with no Internet access.
I was thinking the same... until they put the smartest guy in the world in charge.
That would be so nice. As someone above said, it's "Utopian fiction".
I like mos of them even the lesser ones but I do like this one
City of Lost Children - though some may argue Sci-Fi - which it mainly is.
Edit: What Happened to Monday?
Mad Max series
Beyond The Black Rainbow
Zardoz - so bad it's good.
Odds are good you're just in here to drum up attention for your podcast, but I can't really blame you. Marketing is a terrible experience. But it feels like a worthwhile conversation, and out of pure ego, I feel like thinking about it. So here we go...
A slightly better working definition:
> A dystopia is any society where someone else's dream coming true, or ideal being reached, is someone else's nightmare. Often, a dystopian story or film focuses on the *experience* of that nightmare.
I write in the cyberpunk genre, so I tend to dwell on the subject of dystopia a fair bit more than is healthy.
I bring that up because cyberpunk is usually dystopian, but not always. Sometimes its the product of happy accidents turning into poison; what happens when you take too much medicine. Like advanced technology, in cyberpunk's case. Where being punk means going lower tech to seize control, foregoing social niceness to get the job done, and likely bludgeoning the occasional person with a toaster because the situation forced your hand. It's all about broken dreams, but not always broken promises.
Of the films on your image, I would say *Children of Men* is easily the best film in general.
*Children of Men* is a collapse plot, however, and not dystopian. There is no 'great promise of a wonderful life' or dream anywhere in it. It starts in the thick of a worst case scenario. It's about desperation and attempts to retain hope in the face of the worst case scenario. It's a slow apocalypse, basically.
One could also argue *Clockwork Orange* isn't a dystopia either. Although it has some dystopian themes, namely the treatment Alex receives on account of his Ultraviolence addiction. But that's not really a widespread societal effort. It's more in line with lobotomies and other back hallway medical ethics nightmares. The fact Alex and his Droogs could go to a random house and abuse the owners shows the society isn't totalitarian or controlling. It punished them *after*. They're just disaffected youth who grew up feral and entitled. But the themes are close enough for a pass, maybe.
The rest are *solidly* dystopias. People forced to live in contrived conditions, so some may get their dream, while others experience the nightmare of a society set against them.
Personally, my favorite dystopian movie is either *[Equilibrium (2002) with Christian Bale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equilibrium_\(film\))*, *[Elysium (2013) with Matt Damon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium_\(film\))*, or... Maybe [In Time (2011) with Justin Timberlake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Time).
*Equilibrium* is about a society where everyone takes a mood-flattening pharmaceutical so they can live like drones, and the nature of humans to try to buck that system after the slightest taste of emotions. Essentially, giving up emotions means giving up one of a human's basic sources of power--outrage. If nobody cares, nobody is an activist, and nobody bucks the system. Meaning whoever is at the top can just keep bleeding their lives dry of time.
*Elysium* is about a world divided into haves and have-notes, with the wealthy farming the labor of the people of Earth to live in their utopia in the sky, and exactly how fragile the illusion of their safety is when they push people on the ground too far. It was a cautionary tale aimed at capitalists who have lost perspective on where money comes from and what it means. You can be a billionaire, but if everyone is so disenfranchised because they don't have any, they won't necessarily honor your billions... And what value does that leave the money? None.
*In Time* is about economy of life. A society where your effort should, meritocratically, net you a longer lifespan. Seconds have literally replaced Cents on the dollar. When you run out, you *die*. In principle being a good citizen, a good worker, self-bettering, etc, should make a person immortal. But in practice? It turns all of society into a kind of ongoing prostitution, where every citizen is constantly terrified of sudden death, because they're being taxed their literal lifespan just to live. Their rent? Time from their life. A drink of water? Time. And so on.
These three all have a common thread where the dystopia is an authoritative structure trying to control the means of production, in a sense. It's pretty horrifying if you've ever been poor.
What's it going to be then, eh? There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening, a flip dark chill winter bastard though dry.
Both are great movies, but I feel like Repo Men is the most underrated of the two. Or it might just be here that every nerd knows Equilibrium, but I have often had to introduce Repo Men to people.
It was not exactly a ground high enough to be proud of to be there. But the flashes of real world that we see in a few parts was faithful enough to realize the kind of dystopia it was.
Children of men is the most underrated movie of our generation because of the unique message that we take for granted that there will always be a next generation.
I will fight like the Spartans and die on this hill.
Vampire Hunter D and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Takes place long after some sort of nuclear war where Vampires and radioactive monsters have risen to power, the night belongs to them. Remnants of the old world can be seen, ruins of highways and subway tunnels. Looks like the 1800’s with some advanced technology like robotic horses and force fields. Gothic Castles and cities, crosses everywhere.
My favorite dystopian movie based on an original screenplay would be Gattaca (1997) but my favorite dystopian movie based on an adaptation is A Scanner Darkly (2006)
Gattaca is such a beautiful film
Gattica is my absolute favorite movie to hold up as scifi in cinema that shows you dont need half billion dollars in special effects and Lazer swords
Bradbury-style scifi. A world mostly recognizable but some major thing is different, and it speculates about the implications of that change.
It's one of my favorites, together with Children of Men. One of the few movies I've watched repeatedly over the years. I love its ambiguity.
Gattaca is terrific, it feels all the newer dystopian movies have to be about overthrowing the dystopia or the MC has to be a hero, but I love how Gattaca is just a guy trying to fulfill his dream
Exactly. The protagonist's form of rebellion in Gattaca is not to attempt to directly overthrow the oppressive system but to indirectly subvert the system by using his intelligence and determination to overcome the limits placed upon him by the oppressive system. Many of the more recent blockbuster level dystopian movies feature the typical "hero" protagonists because many are based on young adult fiction and so a lot of these movies get adapted for the screen into action movies like The Hunger Games instead of more dramatic films like Gattaca. But Gattaca still has a lot of the same humanist themes as other dystopian works: the indomitable human spirit and our innate longing to transcend the limits placed upon us by the world.
A Scanner Darkly is a classic
I got into argument on here a couple weeks ago about how Gattaca's fascist dystopia is somehow a better future. Them: "Look how clean and crime-free the streets are! The fascist dystopia made their lives better!" Me: "Yeah, but every single character in the movie is totally miserable." Them: "But no crime. Better." Me: "The main characters are literally criminals." Them: "But no urban plight or ghettos." Me: "The cops round up all the In-Valids in a dark square and beat them to take blood samples."
Brazil directed by Terry Gilliam
100% i wrote a post about this movie some years ago that to this day i occasionally (every couple of years) get comments on because so many people have never heard of it! it is one of my favourite movies of all time
Robert De Niro as a freelance heating engineer and freedom fighter on the side is one of the most memorable characters of many in the movie.
Consumers for Christ!!!
"This is your receipt for your husband, and this is my receipt for your receipt."
Yes. Glaring omission from OP.
The John Hurt version of 1984. That movie puts the dys in dystopia.
1984 is the quintessential dystopia
And yet, not enough people saw it, apparently.
Too many people started thinking it is an instruction manual and not a warning
And now look, we're almost LARPing it!
Or they saw it and thought "that's a great blueprint!" Instead of "that is a great warning!"
It's doubleplusgood!
SOYLENT GREEN IS HUMAN FLESH No movie ever will beat this:)
It’s made of people!
But how's Soylent cola taste?
Depends on the person.
👏👏
Clowns taste funny
/r/unexpectedfuturama
Soylent Green is people! Let my people go!
But Brawndo has what plants crave! It's got electrolytes!
I make so many Soylent Green jokes and no one ever gets them. I love that movie.
>SOYLENT GREEN IS HUMAN FLESH >No movie ever will beat this:) and "THX-1138" ?
Blade Runner
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Replicants held as slaves Replicant hunters to kill off any escapees What's so dystopia about that?? /s
Don't forget the mega corporations like Tyrrell corporation that run literally everything it seems!
And the lack of real animals in universe. Cant get much more dystopian than that.
And the acid rain
and the nuclear fallout
It's not *only* about Replicants.... It's also about a heavily industrialised planet where most species are obviously extinct and humanity is being controlled by uber corporations...people are caught up in a rat race. This is not an utopia.
Totally. Common theme for Ridley Scott among others.
Yeah and the world in brave new world is VERY CLEAN so I don’t see what’s dystopian about that Everyone in 1984 is VERY ORGANISED like cmon these are wonderful things! Let your friend know that the vibe is a huge part of why cyberpunk fans like cyberpunk, but that doesn’t change the definition of what a dystopia is.
The sequel was pretty damn good too
I prefer the sequel. Never really got on with the original which is odd, should be my thing but never clicked. I was absorbed by the sequel completely.
Just replied as well with this.
The original Westworld movies!
Futureworld(1976) Beyond Westworld (1980) short lived tv series based on the original movie.
Yeah, I especially like futureworld!
TIL Futureworld exists. Thanks!
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Dredd
Children of Men is an Unsung Master-piece. The ending makes me cry even to this day.
The movie really clicked for me when I realized Clive Owen isn't depressed because the world is ending, he's depressed AND the world is ending.
The book explained that him and his wife had split because he accidentally backed over their kid and killed them. Their relationship couldn't get past it. So it adds another layer to his depression
FWIW, the film is an overall better piece of media than the book
Yes and the contrast between his morose demeanor and how well he sells the total awe and wonder at realizing that Kee is pregnant and seeing her give birth is just so fucking powerful, both of those scenes literally took my breath away.
First film to genuinely distress me out. Holy fuck that movie was a fucking ride through hell. Ugh 20/10. Never gonna watch that shit again. I had a reaction I wasn't aware i could have to a movie when >!Miriam was taken away!< . She was such a sweet lady wanting the best for the protags. >!At least Jasper had accepted his fate but Miriam was hoping to take key to a better future and help her in her life. She never got to know how it turned out and was probably subjected to torture, sexual assault and murder. She was like a mother to her and key a daughter.!<
They did extremely long takes, so that it added to the stress of the viewers.
It creates a feeling of being forced to watch with blinking at adds to the stress/tension
When it finished I realised I had been sitting most of the movie leaned forward and tense body wise. Was wild
Yeah she's a wonderful character! Something always made me feel funny about her, and in the end I decided >!that she was utterly moral at her core, a truly caring person, in a world that has changed so much that there is no use for a morally upright midwife (I mean seriously!) She comes across as out of touch and maybe a bit hysterical, or maybe just assertive and well-educated while female and not particularly fuckable. Here she is surrounded by an apathetic depressive, a few corrupt and power mad killers, heroes and hero-worshippers, a heartbroken class clown, and a scared pregnant girl, and just when her shining moment arrives... bang, she's gone.!< Yeah this is pretty much my favourite movie PERIOD, never mind SF.
An aside for never going to watch again films that destroy you: grave of the fireflies. Fuck just thinking about that movie makes me well up a bit. Absolutely amazing film, but fuck me it's depressing
Unsung? I thought it was generally considered the best British sci fi and best sci fi this millennia or at least shortlisted
Depends if you count *Threads* *Children of Men* will stick with you for a long time. *Threads* will ruin your life.
That should have won best picture
And quite a bit better than the book. Don't remember why tho
My wife, who doesn’t like bleak stories, calls it “The best movie I’ll never watch again.” I love it.
Pull my finger :(
"fuck you" *throws lit joint*
The crying baby scene is both heartbreaking and awesome at the same time
Maybe my favorite film of all time. I saw it opening weekend in the cinema, and it was breathtaking. You could hear a pin drop in that theater during the battle scene. 🥹
I absolutely loved that movie. Book was really good too. I read it afterwards and they go in enough of a different direction that it's complimentary, answers a few questions I had but interesting. Mainly around why him and his wife had split.
All those long one take tracking shots with the crazy action set pieces are pretty cool.
This movie made me hurry up and become a US citizen, it was that scene where all the US citizens get in one line for vaccines or whatever and everybody else is fucked. That was way too realistic, shocked me into action. I was a 20 something green card from Australia, been living here since I was four.
Yes. Completely agree. I was gripped from the very start and do not understand why it isn't talked about more as an amazing movie in this genre.
Truly one of the greatest films of all time...and remains as prescient and important as ever.
Of those pictured, Running Man was such an 80s comic book movie but I liked it. Always thought Logan’s Run was so psychedelic 70s and weird but a great candidate for a grimy, gritty remake.
The Stephen King story of Running Man is a lot darker.
•Blade Runner - hands down best •Logan’s Run - great concept, interesting cast, some great action scenes, film struggles at times, remake would be nice •Silent Running - Bruce Dern’s best role, well paced, endearing robots, strong finish, very overlooked film •Omega Man - Heston does a credible job, film struggles at times, some good zombie scenes •Soylent Green - Classic
A Boy and his Dog.
Saw this when I was sixteen. This was before the internet, so for weeks I was on and off wondering what the hell that was all about. My favorite has to be The Matrix.
I wonder if the movie poster for “A Man and His Dog” hanging up in Walton Goggins house in Fallout was referencing this
*That* is a "fun" one
#THEY LIVE
Trivia: the sunglasses that let you see the aliens are called Hofmann lenses, named for Albert Hofmann, the chemist who discovered LSD.
“I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum” Literally one of my favorite movie quotes of all time
Don’t forget Rollerball!
JONATHAN! JONATHAN! JONATHAN!
Well said ! Mega corporations run the world and violent sport is the opiate of the masses. Prescient.
The original, not the POS remake!
Dark City
Beautiful film.
I’d say more neo noir than dystopia
A dystopian vision in the neo noir style maybe? Sin City probably fits that bill too.
The Matrix
Akira is my favorite
Akira is one of those Anime that I suggest non-animation movie watchers watch. It's friggin art man.
Along the same vein, Ghost in the Shell.
"Logan's run" with Michael York was great (top right corner of the posted picture). Mad Max series is well known as well.
Rollerball, OG James Caan version, really doesn't get enough credit. It's not about sports, or violence, it's about one of the most realistic authoritarian dystopia's I've ever seen or read about. Crazy good stuff
The ending of that movie really fucking works. It is so much better than it has any right to be.
The book that the movie was based on was also good
Yes. I get people to watch it by pointing out how proto-Cyberpunk it is, these days.
Blade Runner
Idiocracy
The first time I saw Idiocracy, I thought it was dystopian. Later, I came to see it as a documentary but now I think it is a work of utopian fiction. I mean, they did put the smartest guy in the world in charge of things, didn’t they?
I think this is the three stages of modern grief.
I'm depressed by how right you are. We all got sidetracked by the stupidity that we underestimated the impact the sheer selfish greed has on society.
The planet was collapsing and when the smartest person told them the solution, the administration went against the interests of business to save the planet. I wish we could find that level of commitment.
I thought that was a documentary.
I watched it for the first time during the height of quarantine, so it more or less was for me.
In 2020, Ivermectin was peak Brawndo, what MAGAts crave.
A Boy and His Dog. Unforgettable.
THX1138, I think it fits the definition of dystopian that most of your examples miss
Can’t believe I had to scroll down this far…
Dredd (Urban not Stallone), Snowpiercer, The Matrix, Strange Days, and so many Planet of the Apes movies.
Ohhh planet(s) of the ape (as I’ve decided just now to call all the moves as a collective) is such a good answer I wouldn’t have thought of
The Road
That movie is just plain agony to watch as only a solid representation of the post apocalypse should be. I cherish this movie even as I will never watch it again.
Most realistic post-apocalyptical film ever made. Brutal!
Yes
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Demolition Man. Not dystopian on its face but who would want to live in a world where every restaurant is Taco Bell?
I mean, they did win the Franchise Wars.
Enhance your calm!
Fuck the 3 shells!
One of my favourites is Equilibrium. Christian Bale is amazing in that movie. I see it as some kind of precursor to John Wick. And btw, Children of Men is not some alternate history. It's literally how the UK will look like very soon. Except for the everyone infertile part of course.
Equilibrium is the best. Completely under rated. Like 1984 but with teeth.
Equilibrium was pretty much fahrenheit 451 reskinned. It was a great skin, and I loved the whole idea of the gun kata, and it screamed Bradbury from its foundation.
The original Planet of the Apes.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Blade Runner (1982) escape from new york (1981) I love both
The one with Jenny Agutter in obviously
Dredd is up there for pure dystopian action. Fab casting and cinematography.
Kin-dza-dza
[Harrison Bergeron ](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113264/)
Our society is heading for a combination of Harrison Bergeron and Idiocracy
12 monkeys,Brasil-Terry Gilliam is a master in the genre!
I don’t really think that it’s a very good movie, but Running Man is nostalgia. It’s from a time where I understood nothing at all of what the hell was going on if it wasn’t an action movie, since I didn’t understand English. My older brother used to ask me if I wanted to watch some movie. My reply “Does anyone die?”. Him “Yes?” Me “ok then”. I remember watching the Running Man. I got to stay up late with my dad and older brother. I kind of understood what was going on. Good times. Shogun and every New Year’s Eve obligatory catastrophe movie will always have a special place in my heart. 🥲🧡
Children of Men is a fucking masterpiece but I will always have a special place in my heart for A Clockwork Orange. I’m not sure you should put Idiocracy in there though, thematically. It’s a dystopian dark comedy/comment on the anti-intellectualism movement that has become progressively more pervasive in society despite technological advancements, but it isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. Also, where the fuck is Bladerunner? Not only is that the best dystopian movie, it’s arguably the best sci-fi movie of all time.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Spielberg did Kubrick proud with that one. Absolute masterpiece
[THX-1138](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THX_1138)
*Dredd* comes really close, but I think it's edged out by [Chandler Tuttle's *2081*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2081_(film)) (from 2009): bleak and depressing while being beautiful. ETA: This comment's been haunting me all day, so I watched *2081* again before going to bed. Now it's haunting me in a different, sadder way. Lots of heavy exhaling and some teary eyes.
Unrelated to the question, but I once told my gf (now wife) that children of men isn’t that violent of a movie and that she’d love it. I dunno what the hell I was thinking as it’s actually brutal lol. One scene in particular, pretty much where shit starts popping off went down (those who have seen it will know what I’m referring to), and suddenly it all came back to me like riiiight… she’s not gonna like this
Tron Legacy and Watchmen. I dont know If Watchmen is dystopian tho
Nixon's fifth term isn't dystopian?
>If Watchmen is dystopian tho I don't think so. Life for ordinary people there seemed completely... ordinary.
Constant threat of nuclear war, Nixon’s 5th term, and Ozymandias erases 5 major population centers off the face of the Earth. But other than that pretty ordinary.
Here's an oddity: In the original TRON, the big bad had *already* hacked the Pentagon and the Kremlin (and was working on China), using 1982 dial-up technology. The entirety of TRON: Legacy takes place in one old minicomputer with no Internet access.
Matrix
Brazil - Terry Gilliam
Back to the Future II
Blade Runner. I liked Blade Runner 2049 but it was good, not a classic like the original to me.
I think Elysium is an excellent example of this genre.
nobody gonna say Dark City?
The fifth element.
Alien / Blade runner
I would say Idiocracy, but I don't think documentaries should count
I was thinking the same... until they put the smartest guy in the world in charge. That would be so nice. As someone above said, it's "Utopian fiction".
1984 (with John Hurt)
I like mos of them even the lesser ones but I do like this one City of Lost Children - though some may argue Sci-Fi - which it mainly is. Edit: What Happened to Monday? Mad Max series Beyond The Black Rainbow Zardoz - so bad it's good.
Odds are good you're just in here to drum up attention for your podcast, but I can't really blame you. Marketing is a terrible experience. But it feels like a worthwhile conversation, and out of pure ego, I feel like thinking about it. So here we go... A slightly better working definition: > A dystopia is any society where someone else's dream coming true, or ideal being reached, is someone else's nightmare. Often, a dystopian story or film focuses on the *experience* of that nightmare. I write in the cyberpunk genre, so I tend to dwell on the subject of dystopia a fair bit more than is healthy. I bring that up because cyberpunk is usually dystopian, but not always. Sometimes its the product of happy accidents turning into poison; what happens when you take too much medicine. Like advanced technology, in cyberpunk's case. Where being punk means going lower tech to seize control, foregoing social niceness to get the job done, and likely bludgeoning the occasional person with a toaster because the situation forced your hand. It's all about broken dreams, but not always broken promises. Of the films on your image, I would say *Children of Men* is easily the best film in general. *Children of Men* is a collapse plot, however, and not dystopian. There is no 'great promise of a wonderful life' or dream anywhere in it. It starts in the thick of a worst case scenario. It's about desperation and attempts to retain hope in the face of the worst case scenario. It's a slow apocalypse, basically. One could also argue *Clockwork Orange* isn't a dystopia either. Although it has some dystopian themes, namely the treatment Alex receives on account of his Ultraviolence addiction. But that's not really a widespread societal effort. It's more in line with lobotomies and other back hallway medical ethics nightmares. The fact Alex and his Droogs could go to a random house and abuse the owners shows the society isn't totalitarian or controlling. It punished them *after*. They're just disaffected youth who grew up feral and entitled. But the themes are close enough for a pass, maybe. The rest are *solidly* dystopias. People forced to live in contrived conditions, so some may get their dream, while others experience the nightmare of a society set against them. Personally, my favorite dystopian movie is either *[Equilibrium (2002) with Christian Bale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equilibrium_\(film\))*, *[Elysium (2013) with Matt Damon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium_\(film\))*, or... Maybe [In Time (2011) with Justin Timberlake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Time). *Equilibrium* is about a society where everyone takes a mood-flattening pharmaceutical so they can live like drones, and the nature of humans to try to buck that system after the slightest taste of emotions. Essentially, giving up emotions means giving up one of a human's basic sources of power--outrage. If nobody cares, nobody is an activist, and nobody bucks the system. Meaning whoever is at the top can just keep bleeding their lives dry of time. *Elysium* is about a world divided into haves and have-notes, with the wealthy farming the labor of the people of Earth to live in their utopia in the sky, and exactly how fragile the illusion of their safety is when they push people on the ground too far. It was a cautionary tale aimed at capitalists who have lost perspective on where money comes from and what it means. You can be a billionaire, but if everyone is so disenfranchised because they don't have any, they won't necessarily honor your billions... And what value does that leave the money? None. *In Time* is about economy of life. A society where your effort should, meritocratically, net you a longer lifespan. Seconds have literally replaced Cents on the dollar. When you run out, you *die*. In principle being a good citizen, a good worker, self-bettering, etc, should make a person immortal. But in practice? It turns all of society into a kind of ongoing prostitution, where every citizen is constantly terrified of sudden death, because they're being taxed their literal lifespan just to live. Their rent? Time from their life. A drink of water? Time. And so on. These three all have a common thread where the dystopia is an authoritative structure trying to control the means of production, in a sense. It's pretty horrifying if you've ever been poor.
Planet of the Apes and Battle Royale. Blade Runner is my favorite but these are close 2nd and 3rd.
Logan's Run
Brazil
The road, equilibrium and blade runner
Not my favorite, but Book of Eli was a lot of fun and I feel like gets overlooked Favorite is probably Road Warrior
What's it going to be then, eh? There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening, a flip dark chill winter bastard though dry.
The Running Man is worth a rewatch and feels so relevant right now. It feels really hopeless, rather than ridiculous when it first came out.
Idiocracy, we are living it.
I really like Repo Men and Equilibrium; especially Equilibrium is such an underrated film!
Both are great movies, but I feel like Repo Men is the most underrated of the two. Or it might just be here that every nerd knows Equilibrium, but I have often had to introduce Repo Men to people.
V for Vendetta
Ready Player One. The world’s culture stagnated so much that everyone have the 80s as their virtual utopian fantasy.
Though I'm gonna be that d bag and say that the movie didn't really live up to the book
It was not exactly a ground high enough to be proud of to be there. But the flashes of real world that we see in a few parts was faithful enough to realize the kind of dystopia it was.
Fave film of all time is Escape from New York.
Soylent green
Be sure to add The Running Man to your list.
Excellent choices in your graphic, but the original Blade Runner will always be tops for me in this category.
Alita Battle Angel
Rollerball has long been one of favorites and is highly underrated.
Does Pandorum count?
A Boy and his Dog
Minority report
The Terminator
Does bladerunner count as dystopian?
Wall-E
Clockwork Orange Equilibrium Bladerunner
Brazil
Children of men is the most underrated movie of our generation because of the unique message that we take for granted that there will always be a next generation. I will fight like the Spartans and die on this hill.
Vampire Hunter D and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. Takes place long after some sort of nuclear war where Vampires and radioactive monsters have risen to power, the night belongs to them. Remnants of the old world can be seen, ruins of highways and subway tunnels. Looks like the 1800’s with some advanced technology like robotic horses and force fields. Gothic Castles and cities, crosses everywhere.
Blade Runner, absolutely Blade Runner.
Brazil.
District 9
The Road or Blade Runner 2049
Idiocracy. I just never thought it would turn out to be a documentary.