The Top 10 Best Dystopian Movies
Dystopian Movies Give An Eerie Look at What Could Be.
Once upon a time, dystopian movies were something people would flock to theaters for in order to see how bad their life could be. That was before the Great Pumpkin won’t the 2016 election and came to power. Now dystopian movies aren’t a just a fanciful flight into what if, a lot of them are eerie predictions of what might come to pass. I wish I was a bit more optimistic about this list, but let’s face it, things have been better. Still, things could be a lot worse too. That’s why I’ve put together my list of the Top 10 Dystopian Movies (meaning futures I truly dread). Now, let me be clear that dystopian movies are different from post-apocalyptic movies. The films on this list feature dark futures in which society is still standing, but twisted standards of oppression, totalitarianism, overcrowding, intolerance, etc, are plaguing it. Life, liberty, freedom are things that are whispered about in the shadows out of fear of repercussions and humanity as a whole is right on the brink of doom. As bad as things might seem, they have yet reached the same levels shown in the films below. So, count your blessings and get ready to fight the machine, because these dystopian futures are going to show you a terrifying “what if” of the future.
10. Equilibrium
What would the world be like without all those liberal snowflakes and their “feelings” and “sensitive compassion for living beings”? Well, it would be a lot like the world Equilibrium portrays. This dystopian movie was heralded as “the thinking man’s Matrix,” for its action sequences, but for me, it’s a world in which showing emotion is a crime. Sorta like protesting the inhumane treatment of people is frowned upon by certain people in power these days. Here’s hoping those liberal snowflakes show another emotion before Equilibrium comes to pass, anger.
9. Minority Report
Imagine a future where you could be convicted of a crime you hadn’t yet committed… Or maybe held on suspicion and declared an enemy of the state for something you hadn’t done yet. No matter how you word it, being arrested and charged for something you hadn’t done yet is a terrifying notion. Minority Report was one of those dystopian movies that came to pass a little sooner than expected. Sure, we can go on and on about national security and all that jazz, but I kinda feel like people should be held for what they’ve done, not what they might do. I think Tom Cruise would agree with me on that one too.
8. V for Vendetta
Remember, Remember the fifth of November. This dystopian movie was one that showed what happens when a fascist state rises to power and people do nothing to stop it. Sure, I could point out the obvious warning and the direction our country is heading, but instead, I’m going to focus on the positive aspects of the movie. As the main character, V said, “People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.” It’s a movie that shows the power that people have when they stand together behind an ideal, an ideal that refuses to bow to corruption and an iron fist. Let’s hope we don’t come to a point where we’ll need such an ideal.
7. Twelve Monkeys
I had to put one of Terry Gilliam’s dystopian movies on this list, so I figured I go with the one that’s less of a satire. Plus, Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt were a winning combo in the 90s. Hell, they would probably be one these days as well. In this future, the world population is ravaged by a virus and a lone man is sent back in time to try to discover the origin of it. Unfortunately, time travel isn’t an exact science, even in 2035, and he’s sent back 6 years too early. So, he’s shoved into a mental institution for being a “future man” and we get to see first hand the kind of compassion he’s treated with.
6. Dredd
Dredd is actually one of my favorite comic book movies of all time and a perfect addition to this list of dystopian movies. Karl Urban stars as Judge Dredd, a member of a futuristic police force where officers are judge, jury, and executioner. Makes for a pretty streamlined judicial process, but it’s also a recipe for excessive force, especially given that the film takes place in the crime-riddled Mega-City One. Urban takes a trainee with him to go after a drug lord hold up on the top floor of an enormous apartment complex. The bad news is that pretty much everyone living there works for the crime lord and they’re looking to earn their paycheck. The good news is that these Judges are packing one of the most dangerous movie guns of all time, Law Giver MK II. Needless to say, the Judges have the upper hand here.