Dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος, alternatively, cacotopia,[1] kakotopia or anti-utopia) is a fictional society that is the antithesis of utopia. A dystopic society is characterized by negative traits the author chooses to illustrate, such as poverty, dictatorship, violence, and/or pollution.
This above definition was my basis for creating the top ten best ever list of dystopian movies. When creating this list I looked for movies that were the best at representing a true dystopian world.
This above definition was my basis for creating the top ten best ever list of dystopian movies. When creating this list I looked for movies that were the best at representing a true dystopian world.
1. THX 1138 (1971)The human race has been relocated to an underground city located beneath the Earth's surface. In the underground city, the population is entertained by holographic TV which broadcasts sex and violence and robotic police force enforces the law. In the underground city, society controls all life, all citizens are drugged to control their emotions and their behavior and sex is a crime. Factory worker THX-1138 stops taking the drugs and he breaks the law when he finds himself falling in love with his room-mate LUH 3417 and is imprisoned when LUH 3417 is pregnant. Escaping from jail with illegal programmer SEN 5241 and a hologram named SRT, THX 1138 goes in search of LUH 3417 and escape to the surface, whilst being pursued by robotic policemen.
I have just recently watched this movie and I must say it is amazing. A world controlled by drugs and strict controls is something that is not to far off of actually happening. The complicity of the inhabitants makes this movie even more interesting. What I found most interesting is the budget allotted to each citizen and once that budget is exceeded the person is disposed of. Capitalism at is worst. And a very good movie that is visually unique.
2. Dark City (1998)
John's life has become a nightmare. He is hunted by the police for a series of murders he knows nothing about, a woman who claims to be his wife is after him, and so is a mysterious "doctor". But his worst trouble is the strangers, a series of vastly powerful beings who seem to manipulate just about everything in the city, and want him because of the extraordinary powers he manifested. John decides to find out what is happening in his city; why is it always night? And why can nobody tell him a way to leave the city?
Dark City is one of my all time favorites. It keeps you guessing and only reveals the true nature of the city right at the very end. This is a great example of the allegory of Plato’s cave.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave
3. Soylent Green (1973)In the year 2022, earth's face has completely changed. New York's population, for example, has grown to 40 million mouths to feed. The greenhouse effect has risen the temperature into nearly unbearable regions, and the people are kept in the cities by law. The rich live in separated luxury apartments (with women as part of the rented furniture) but also experience the lack of natural food. Strawberries are at $150 for a glass of them. Police Detective Thorn investigates a strange murdering case of an official from the Soylent Corporation, which feeds the masses with a palette of their creations: Soylent red, yellow, or, even more nutritious, green.
I really enjoyed watching this one again for this review. When you look at the state of the world today with global economic crisis, energy costs increasing, and the destruction of the middle class, the differences between the current world and the Soylent Green world are minimal. This is a dystopian world that could actually come into existence.
4. Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)In the year 1984, rocket bombs and rats prey on the inhabitants of the crumbling metropolis of London. Far away on the Malabar Front, a seemingly interminable war rages against Eastasia. The Ministry of Truth broadcasts ceaselessly to the population via its inescapable network of telescreens. These devices, which pervade all aspects of peoples' lives, are also capable of monitoring their every word and action. They form part of an elaborate surveillance system used by the Ministry of Love, and its dreaded agents the Thought Police, to serve their singular goal: the elimination of 'thoughtcrime'. Winston Smith is a Party worker - part of the vast social caste known as the Outer Party, the rank and file of the sprawling apparatus of government. Winston works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth - the section charged with modifying historical news archives for consistency. When by chance Winston uncovers incontrovertible proof that the Party is lying, he embarks on a journey of self-questioning. In doing so, he becomes a thought-criminal. Winston begins to notice that a young Party member, Julia, is watching him. She wears the distinctive sash of the ultra-zealous Anti Sex League and Winston fears that she is an informant. However, to his surprise, she reveals herself as a subversive and they embark on an illicit and dangerous relationship. This prompts Winston to explore deeper the blur between propaganda and reality. Ultimately, it leads him to O'Brien - a member of the Inner Party who sets Winston on an irreversible course of discovery.
This is one of the most overtly controlling and disturbing movies on my list. Big brother on steroids! And even in an environment like this, there is still a black market and free thinkers. I enjoyed this movie because it showed the human condition not being crushed under a totalitarian government.
5. They Live (1988)John Nada is a man without job who walks around a big American city trying to find something to do. He finally finds a job as a worker and a place to spend the nights, but one day something terrible happens to him. John discovers a pair of sun-glasses through which he can see the true face of people. Many persons in this city are in fact aliens (from the Andromeda) and most of them are important members of our society. They keep humans in ignorance and they rule our world as they like. Nada must find the rest of the men that know what's happening (those who made the strange sun-glasses) and join them in the fight against the aliens...
This movie is over all is just fun to watch. It presents world right under our noses and yet doesn’t take itself too seriously.
I hope all the readers enjoyed this article. I know that many may disagree with the list and the films that did not make it. It will be interesting to see what the responses are to this article.
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