The Best Dystopian Movies for you to watch

In keeping with the hub I recently published 'Corporate To Do List', I watched 'Soylent Green' and thought I'd share some other views of what our world could look like in the near future if corporations are given everything that they ever wanted.

WARNING: As one of my readers pointed out, there are spoilers in the movie descriptions that I've posted. If you haven't seen the movie, skip that section.

1. 'Metropolis' Fritz Lang, 1937.

Still the one of the best visions of the upper and lower class separation. Sure, the acting is overdone and even the lower class minions are way too pretty, but the story is eternal, from the height of Rome where slaves kept the city running while the aristocracy ate while laying down to medieval Europe where a serf was basically a slave to the lord whose land he was born on until the day he died. In the mythical city of Metropolis the managers work and play in the elevated heights of the city while the workers toil and die in the darkness down below, not even being allowed into the areas where the managers and their families are located. The son of the main manager falls in love with one of the workers and even though his father attempts to destroy his feelings ultimately wins her love and saves her from the mad scientist that destroys the entire framework of the civilization for his own wicked purposes. If you get a chance to see the 2010 restoration of this flick, take the time and watch it, Fritz Lang was a visionary.

2. '1984' Michael Radford, 1984.

This is the version with John Hurt as Winston Smith trying to have some kind of life in the squalid existence that is allowed to him. When he and another thought criminal Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) dare to think 'outside the box' allowed to them, punishment is severe and total. Killing them, which is their ultimate fate, is not enough, they had to be broken and used as examples of 'rehabilitated' rebels. This is done by televising their confessions to the masses after they've been psychologically broken. And the rehabilitation is done by a person that they believed to be a friend and fellow thought criminal, another betrayal by the system. A deeply disturbing flick. Based on the book by George Orwell.

3. 'Death Race 2000' Roger Corman, 1975.

Every movie list should have a Grade B cult classic included and 'Death Race 2000' fits the bill on all accounts. It was cheaply made and the acting wasn't all that great but it's macabre humor combined with the violence and nudity made it a schlock classic. This was made before the big budget horror flicks like 'Jaws' and 'Rollerball' started cashing in on the same audience. You are in a near-future scenario in which a fascist government, formed after an economic melt-down and a military coup changed the face of the United States, entertains and distracts its citizens with "Death Race 2000". This is reality TV carried to the nth degree (before reality TV was even on TV). There are five costumed racers that drive personalized race cars cross-country from New York to New Los Angeles in a certain time limit. They score points with hit-and-run killings on citizens unlucky enough to be in their path. The points they get are determined by the age and sex of the victim scored, with highest points for hitting the youngest and oldest. No need to worry about Social Security or childcare under this system. Watching it then was entertainment, watching it now with it's overtones of costumes from the WWF, the reality TV craze and the state of the world economy is enough to give you nightmares. Who knew Roger Corman was such a prophet? The idea for this movie was based on a short story by Ib Melchior.

4. 'Fahrenheit 451' Francois Truffaut 1966.

In a futuristic city firemen start fires instead of putting them out. They start fires of books that have been banned by the government to ensure no independent or original thought. Information, which is controlled, is received from wall length screens in the home that are always on. All books have been banned but a resistance group exists that hides books and has whole libraries squirreled away. Part of the fireman's job is to find them and destroy it all. The hero, Guy Montag, finally starts to question his life when he meets one of the resistance, a young woman - Julie Christie, and another resistance member burns herself to death in her library rather than abandon it. As his doubts grow, so does his library which, ultimately, leads to his wife leaving him, his arrest and the destruction of the books. This film does end on a more hopeful note as the resistance members make their way to a hidden camp where they memorize their favorite books so that when opinion once again turns the classic books will be available once again. Based on the book by Ray Bradbury.

5. 'Soylent Green' Richard Fleischer, 1973.

All the doomsayer's worst predictions have come true in this movie, the earth is dying from the ravages of industrial needs, the climate is hot and getting hotter, over-population has crammed 40 million people into New York City (five times more than were there at the last census), everything is breaking and there's no supplies to fix anything. Or food to eat, unless you're one of the super rich and powerful. Instead of real food you exist on Soylant Corporation products, Soylant Yellow and Red and their new product Soylant Green. Supposedly processed from ocean plankton and algae and still in short supply. This movie is basically a murder mystery that leads to a government conspiracy. The world is dead, there's nothing left for food except the other people. When one of the rich and powerful can't live with this truth, he's murdered to keep him quiet which kicks off the chain of events and investigations that reveals the truth. Which doesn't do anyone any good. There's still no food except for the person standing next to you. Loosely based on the book 'Make Room, Make Room' by Harry Harrison.

6. 'THX-1138' George Lucas 1971

This film was a remake of George Lucas' film project as a student in 1967 at The University of Southern California. Drugs are mandatory for all citizens and sex is forbidden. Children are grown as clones or in artificial wombs, that part's not made clear. But they are not raised in a family unit. The citizens work keeping the civilization going and making androids that are the police force that controls them but the only outlet other than the TV screen in their rooms which are constantly on is the state run religion where they can go to confess any thoughts they may have. Which would immediately be reported. When two of the workers stop taking their drugs they find that sexual cravings have been repressed not eliminated and the female gets pregnant. All totally against the law. And so, arrest, incarceration, an attempt at rehabilitation, escape and a chase scene. The visuals on this movie make it well worth watching, everything is white, antiseptic, controlled. The way real life never is. Again we end with a note of hope as THX escapes from the underground city to find a beautiful sunset over birds flying in the distance and a new life.

If your favorite is not on this list, it's not that I haven't seen it or appreciated it but, as with most films, there are innovators and there are a lot of imitators. I consider these films to be innovators of the stories that are told and while other movies may tell the story with a different twist or take on the basic elements, it's just a rehash of the same story. 'Brazil' is a retelling of '1984', 'Logan's Run' is a retelling of 'THX-1138', and so it goes. Wikipedia has a list of dystopian movies for you to peruse the next time you decide to indulge.