Dystopian films have become a bigger hit over the last couple of decades, as people find themselves questioning more often the rules, institutions, and systems of authority and power that have built our society (for better and worse). Writers and directors are very happy to provide a safe outlet for people to express their opinions on such unsettling topics. In the 2010s, the genre really took off with severalYoung Adult series getting adaptedinto elaborate movies that depict the corruption of society and how a few brave souls are willing to stand up for what is right. These films being aimed at a younger audience did not go unrecognized, as the younger generations are more curious about changing the way we live our lives and how we can better contribute to our planet as a whole.
Dystopian books, shows, short stories, and movies typically fall into the sci-fi and action categories as the technology in them is more advanced, the majority of people are more inclined to just do as they are told, and there are a few individuals who take action after seeing the reality behind the perfect world facade that authority figures so desperately try to paint. It is important to recognize that each dystopian world was meant to be a utopia at some point, where rules and laws were supposed to make life great for everyone. However, that clearly never works out, and certain individuals come out on top while many others struggle to see how horribly they have been effected by decisions they never even made.
These concepts are meant to teach audiences to question what is happening around them. Whether it be in the government, one’s home state, or even the workplace, it is important to be aware of slight changes that can have a much bigger (and possibly dire) effect on people. The dystopian films on this list are not exactly new, but they each present a message that we as a society need to learn before it is too late.
10The Hunger Games (2012)
The Hunger Games
Based on Suzanne Collins' first novel in her trilogy,The Hunger Gamesdepicts a world set 300 years in the future, where the government has divided its land and people into sections called “districts.” Within each district, the citizens are to primarily focus on one trade that supports the Capitol and each other. However, those closer to the Capitol seem to reap more benefits than the others that are farther out. In order to keep a sense of peace and remind people of the past, the annual Hunger Games are held each year. This is where one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to participate in a fight to the death with the other districts' tributes. The Games are an event people either look forward to, completely ignore, or absolutely loathe.
The Bigger Lesson to be Learned
To fully grasp the message ofThe Hunger Games, you would really need to see all the films in the original franchise. Audiences quickly catch on to the idea that no one should blindly accept a way of life just because the government tells them it is simply the way things are done.Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)becomes a symbol of hope as she refuses to enjoy her time at the Capitol and later joins the rebellion.
Through this dystopian series, we also see how propaganda is used to distract from very serious issues. Katniss and Peeta’s love story is heavily emphasized in the first two films, and then Katniss realizes that even on the opposing side, she is made out to be something she is not. This franchise reminds people that we need to be cautious of how stories are published, shared, and even warped in the real world and what exactly is being hidden when everything is made to seem perfectly okay.Stream on Starz
9Idiocracy (2006)
Idiocracyis a satirical dystopian film that follows a U.S. army librarian named Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson) through the year 2505 after he’s been in “hibernation” for 500 years. He quickly realizes that he is the smartest man in the world — though he was only considered “average” back in 2005 — due to other intellectuals not procreating over the years, and everyone else heavily relying on technology to think for them. Consumerism is at an all-time high, as people just want things to entertain them, and genuine connections and conversations are nowhere to be found.
“Dystopian” and “comedy” only go hand in hand when someone is trying to point out a wildly ridiculous concept in our own world and take it to the extreme to start a conversation. For screenwriters Mike Judge and Etan Cohen, they chose to comment on how technology is making people lazy and how smartphones and devices are starting to seem smarter than the people using them.
The film, in a rather hilarious manner, reminds all audiences that we need to be mindful of how we implement technology in our own lives. We need to be able to communicate with one another on an academic level and look for solutions to problems rather than rely on someone (or something) else to fix things.Rent on Apple TV
8A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A Clockwork Orange
Based on Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel of the same name,A Clockwork Orangefollows Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) through futuristic Britain as he and his gang, whom he calls “droogs,” commit gruesome and horrible crimes. He is eventually caught by police and locked away, but after just two years, Alex agrees to participate in aversion therapy.
He is taught to associate violence and sex with sickness, so that, when he is allowed back out in society, he will be a good citizen who obeys laws and rules rather than be a sadistic rapist and murderer like he was before. Some people found the Ludovico technique controversial and inhumane, but by the end of the film, Alex discovers that it was his ticket to freedom in all the wrong ways.
The key takeaway from this ratherdisturbing and controversial filmis that free will is imperative for humanity. No one — not Burgess, who originally created Alex DeLarge, not Stanley Kubrick, who brought the character to life on the screen, and not the millions of people who have seen or read the story — believed for one minute that Alex should have been allowed to reenter society. His actions proved he was a bad man and would forever be a bad man, and his aversion therapy was only able to mask that until it eventually failed. People will only change if they want to, not if they are forced to for the sake of others.Rent on Apple TV
7Divergent (2014)
Based on the first book in Veronica Roth’s trilogy,Divergentfeatures a futuristic society that is split up into five factions that all focus on different trades and dominant personality traits. During the Choosing Ceremony, Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley), and everyone else who is of age, choose which faction they will join for the rest of their lives. Rather than stay with the selfless citizens of Abnegation, she chooses to go with the fearless folks in Dauntless. However, over time, the perfect system begins to unravel, and Beatrice (who has renamed herself Tris) realizes she has to stand up for others and disrupt the system.
While no one expects our world to be overtly split up into factions or anything of the sort, it does beg the question about what people are or may be naturally good at depending on their personality traits. For instance, Tris finds that she is selfless at times, brave when she needs to be, honest to a certain degree, and incredibly smart — all while trying to bring peace to others.
She is a little bit of every Faction as far as the system is concerned, and that is exactly why the government feels threatened by her. We as everyday people need to be aware of how others naturally try to put us in a box with certain labels and judgments. We need to be able to express ourselves and show that we can be multiple things at once. Humanity is complex, and it needs to stay that way.Stream on DIRECTV
Related:10 Movies to Watch If You Liked Divergent
6The Giver (2014)
Based on Lois Lowry’s 1993 novel of the same name,The Giverfeaturesa utopian worldwhere everyone is considered equal. The world is literally black and white, young adults are given jobs when they come of age that the elders have deemed they are best suited for, sexual desires are suppressed, and, most disturbing of all, when an individual needs to be “released” from society, they are euthanized.
Only the Receiver of Memory knows about heartache, famine, war, death, and everything horrible that goes on in the real world. Luckily for audiences, the film focuses on Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), the next Receiver of Memory, and how he learns that his world is nothing but a cruel joke that masks real emotions, connections, and thoughts.
While watching Jonas' reality unravel right in front of him, audiences are both amazed and appalled at how everything in his world functions. Deep connections and passion are stripped from the citizens as the purpose of everyone’s existence seems to be to keep everything in order for the sake of the utopia.
Those who picked up Lowry’s book quickly learned the importance of individuality and expression, and when the film adaptation hit the screens, an even larger audience was reminded that people are meant to be unique. The lesson here is that everyone should express themselves and not be afraid to be different, even if those around us judge and think otherwise.Stream on Netflix or Hulu
5Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Based on George Orwell’s 1948 novel of the same name,Nineteen Eighty-Fourfeatures Britain in a dystopian future, where the totalitarian government monitors people’s actions and opinions. Winston Smith (John Hurt) works for the Ministry of Truth, but even he is not exactly truthful to his superiors. He does not fully agree with Big Brother’s ideas, and when he meets a colleague who expresses the same issues, they become a bit careless in their affairs. Eventually, Winston and Julia are caught, imprisoned, and tortured to the point where they lose their ability to think for themselves. They are then released back into society to continue to serve Big Brother.
“Big Brother is watching” is a phrase most people have heard, but to tie it back to Orwell’s novel is quite disturbing. The idea of people not being able to think freely, speak freely, and do as they please (if it does not break a law or harm others) is absurd to many. However, it happens in our world every single day. We need to be grateful for our ability to think, speak, and do certain things, but when someone or something begins to encroach on this freedom, we need to be aware of how to address it.Stream on Prime Video or Tubi
4The Maze Runner (2014)
Maze Runner
Based on the first book in James Dashner’sThe Maze Runnerseries,The Maze Runnerfeatures a futuristic and artificial remote setting, into which boys are brought up one by one each month through an elevator in the ground. They have established their own society, but when Thomas (played by Dylan O’Brien) arrives and asks a few too many questions, their world shifts. When the first and only girl arrives after him, everything changes.
The group realizes they need to escape, and they know it will be a deadly adventure. Over three films, audiences watch as the Gladers break free of their experimental world and learn of the horrors that have taken over the real world. Thomas and his friends have to decide how much of a sacrifice they are willing to make for the rest of humankind.
Like many teenagers, when Thomas first arrives in the Glade, he questions everything around him. Unlike his peers, he never stops questioning and refuses to just accept the reality before him. Over the course of three films, audiences realize the importance of never losing hope, even when facing the impossible. Between figuring out the seemingly unsolvable maze and making morally conscious decisions even when they hurt people he once cared about, Thomas does a lot to teach audiences that it is better to be kind and hopeful than lose one’s humanity and not care about the well-being of others.Stream on DIRECTV
Related:Why Teen Dystopian Movies Died Out
3Soylent Green (1973)
Set in the year 2022,Soylent Greenscarily hits home for many of its audiences. It depicts a dystopian world where overpopulation, scarce resources, and starvation seem to be in every direction you turn. Detective Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston) has been told to investigate the killing of William Simonson, a wealthy man and board member of Soylent Corporation, the only food processing company still in business. While making his rounds, it becomes clear to Thorn that whoever had Simonson murdered does not want him to know why. Eventually, the secret behind the latest and tastiest wafer-like food that people have been enjoying is revealed: it is made from people.
In a world where overpopulation is becoming a concern, the cost of living is rising, and nearly everything we eat is processed,the cannibalistic storylineinSoylent Greendoes not seem too far off, even if it is absolutely horrifying. A capitalistic economy is always going to find a way to make money and see to it that people are blind from certain truths. What we need to be aware of, in addition to nutrition labels, is how we are taking care of our world and each other. We cannot allow ourselves to have a state of mind where we no longer care about our planet or how we treat one another.Stream on DIRECTV
2In Time (2011)
InIn Time, Justin Timberlake andAmanda Seyfried staras Will Salas, a factory worker who finds himself with more time than he knows what to do with, and Sylvia Weis, a wealthy young woman who has never had trouble getting exactly what she wants. The two live in a world where currency is the time one has to live rather than actual money. Will grew up in poverty before being given 100 years by a man on the run, and Sylvia has always lived under the protection of her very wealthy father. The two become accomplices as they have to try to survive and escape some very bad men, and Sylvia gets to experience what it is like to fear death as her clock gets closer and closer to zero.
People say, “Time is money, and money is time,” but that phrase takes on a whole new meaning in Andrew Niccol’s dystopian world. While watchingIn Time, audiences are forced to think about how they choose to spend their time and money, since they are two different things in our world. Is a $7 coffee really worth the time it took to earn that money? What about a six-figure house? The lesson here is that we need to appreciate the time we have with the people we love. There is nothing precious about having all the money or time in the world if there is no one to share it with.Stream on Hulu
1Ready Player One (2018)
Ready Player One
Based on Ernest Cline’s debut novel of the same name,Ready Player Onetransports audiences to the dystopian future of 2045, where everyone seems to want to escape reality for one reason or another. Luckily, virtual reality has significantly improved, and people find themselves living as their alter egos in a fictional world more than they deal with their own lives.
When one of the creators of the biggest VR universe dies, a video is sent out explaining that a game has been created, and the person who wins will become the new owner. People come from all over to beat the game, but one young man with a good heart believes he can do the former creator justice.
The reason why so many people want to escape their world is because many are living in horrible conditions (from oppressive rules to financial instability). In a digital space, people find that they can become more interesting and make friends without having to disclose who they really are. Rather than focusing on advancing technology and creating an escape, we need to work on making our reality a better place to live. From taking care of our planet to forming genuine connections with people, we can reestablish a society that is helpful and welcoming, not one people are afraid to be a part of.Stream on DIRECTV
