We hope our futures are brighter than this! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most memorable and startling depictions of future dystopias in film.
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00:00 "Welcome to the desert of the real."
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most memorable and
00:09 startling depictions of future dystopias in film.
00:13 Spoiler alert!
00:14 "Oh?
00:15 And what's so stinking about it?"
00:21 Number 20.
00:22 Escape from New York.
00:23 "The once great city of New York becomes the one maximum security prison for the entire
00:29 country."
00:30 NYC was going through a very turbulent time in the late 1970s, with the city infamous
00:35 for crime, corruption, poverty, and violence.
00:39 Writer-director John Carpenter wanted to make a movie about the cynical tone of the decade,
00:44 being inspired by Watergate and gritty vigilante movies like Death Wish.
00:49 The result is Escape from New York, in which Manhattan has been converted into a giant
00:54 prison hosting the country's most undesirable elements.
00:57 The film takes place in an alternate 1997, in which the entire United States has been
01:03 taken over by urban decay and exceedingly high crime rates.
01:08 It's certainly a bleak depiction of the future, but people had few chances to be optimistic
01:13 in the late 70s.
01:14 "If you touch me, he dies.
01:15 If you're not in the air in 30 seconds, he dies.
01:19 If you come back in, he dies."
01:21 Number 19.
01:22 Gattaca.
01:23 "They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness.
01:29 They don't say that anymore."
01:30 Penned and directed by the Oscar-nominated Andrew Nicol, Gattaca explores the concept
01:35 of reproductive technologies and possible negative potentials for the future.
01:40 In the world of Gattaca, the use of eugenics is widespread, with parents having the ability
01:45 of choosing their child's genetic traits to ensure a good life.
01:49 These people are known as "valids," and they're widely accepted and welcomed in society.
01:54 Those who are naturally conceived have a short lifespan and are branded "invalids," meaning
01:59 they are widely discriminated against and forced into menial labor.
02:03 It's a brilliant concept for a movie, exploring themes of racism, classism, and discrimination
02:09 through the lens of eugenics.
02:10 "They have got you looking so hard for any flaw, that after a while, that's all that
02:16 you see."
02:17 Number 18.
02:18 V for Vendetta.
02:19 "People should not be afraid of their governments.
02:22 Governments should be afraid of their people."
02:24 This movie and its source comic takes huge inspiration from the mother of all dystopian
02:28 fiction, George Orwell's 1984.
02:32 Its version of the United Kingdom is controlled by a neo-fascist political party called Norsefire,
02:37 which discriminates based on race, religion, and sexual orientation, but also spies on
02:42 the populace, brainwashing them with relentless propaganda.
02:46 The use of video screens is widespread, and citizens are controlled with the use of mass
02:51 surveillance.
02:52 But the film also draws upon other themes relevant to a 21st century audience, including
02:57 corporate corruption, intelligence gathering, and dishonest media campaigns.
03:02 So yeah, not a great place to live.
03:04 "This is not one of their tricks, but I don't care.
03:08 I am me."
03:09 Number 17.
03:10 Snowpiercer.
03:11 "You ever been to the tail section?"
03:12 "Do you have any idea what went on back there?"
03:18 South Korean director Bong Joon-ho has established himself as one of the most eminent social
03:23 filmmakers, with his works often touching on themes of classism and discrimination.
03:28 Snowpiercer is no different, despite its fantastical setting.
03:32 The movie takes place in 2031, with the Earth decimated by a new Ice Age.
03:37 Said Ice Age was brought on by humanity when their attempt at stopping climate change backfired.
03:42 The few survivors live on the titular Snowpiercer, a train that segregates its population based
03:48 on wealth and power.
03:50 There are a ton of thoughtful themes to unpack in this bleak future, with elements of social
03:54 inequality, environmentalism, and revolution all explored to fascinating effect.
03:59 "We must all of us on this train of life remain in our allotted station.
04:05 We must each of us occupy our preordained particular position."
04:12 Number 16.
04:13 Brazil
04:14 "Information retrieval has got him down as inoperative.
04:17 Security has got him down as excised.
04:19 Administration has got him down as completed."
04:22 "He's dead."
04:23 Terry Gilliam is a masterful entertainer, who made us belly laugh with Monty Python,
04:27 while also hitting us with thought-provoking dramas like Brazil.
04:31 Another movie that was enormously influenced by 1984, Brazil also tackles themes of hyper-surveillance
04:37 and totalitarianism.
04:38 In fact, the movie was developed under the tongue-in-cheek title 1984 and a Half.
04:44 It's a world that is not only heavily decayed, but gray, lifeless, and full of outlandish
04:49 technology and government bureaucracy.
04:52 It all sucks the life out of protagonist Sam Lowry, who is a mere cog in the great machine
04:57 of industry.
04:58 It's hard to describe the absurdist drama that is Brazil.
05:02 It's just one of those movies you need to see to believe.
05:04 "I only know you got the wrong man."
05:06 "Information transit."
05:08 "Got the wrong man?
05:09 I got the right man."
05:10 Number 15.
05:11 WALL-E
05:12 "But life is sustainable now.
05:15 Look at this plant.
05:16 Green and growing."
05:17 Don't let the Pixar logo fool you.
05:20 WALL-E is a bleak movie, and it presents one of the most depressing dystopias in film.
05:25 By the distant 29th century, Earth is left a barren wasteland following some type of
05:30 environmental disaster.
05:32 The last vestiges of humanity survive aboard spaceships owned by a megacorporation, while
05:37 robots clean up the mounds of garbage on Earth.
05:40 WALL-E is one of these robots, and watching him work doesn't make for the lightest children's
05:45 entertainment.
05:46 In fact, WALL-E is quite a mature film, and it will likely introduce many kids to grown-up
05:51 concepts like environmental preservation, corporate greed, and even the end of the world.
05:57 "This is called farming.
05:58 You kids are going to grow all kinds of plants.
05:59 Vegetable plants, pizza plants.
06:00 It's going to be all right."
06:01 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:02 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:03 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:04 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:05 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:06 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:07 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:08 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:09 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:10 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:11 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:12 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:13 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:14 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:15 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:16 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:17 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:18 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:19 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:20 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:21 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:22 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:23 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:24 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:25 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:26 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:27 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:28 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:29 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:30 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:31 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:32 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:33 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:34 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:35 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:36 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:37 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:38 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:39 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:40 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:41 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:42 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:43 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:44 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:45 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:46 "I'm going to be a farmer."
06:48 Can't get any worse?
06:50 Think again.
06:51 Soylent's new product, Soylent Green, is actually made from, well, an ingredient that's revealed
06:57 in one of the most famous, disturbing twist endings in film.
07:01 "Listen to me, Hatcher.
07:02 You gotta tell 'em Soylent Green is people!"
07:07 Number 13.
07:08 Mad Max franchise.
07:09 "Their world crumbled.
07:10 The cities exploded.
07:11 A whirlwind of looting.
07:12 A firestorm of fear."
07:20 While it's full of fantastic action and thrilling set pieces, the Mad Max franchise also has
07:25 a vision, and it's a bleak one.
07:27 The films are centered around societal collapse, with each movie presenting some unique representation
07:32 of the horrible future.
07:34 The first movie takes place on the brink of collapse, with crime and murder running rampant.
07:38 The second is an even more post-apocalyptic film, with settlers and raiders fighting in
07:43 the barren wilderness of Australia.
07:46 And both Beyond Thunderdome and Fury Road present more fantastical stories, complete
07:51 with underground refineries, gladiatorial arenas, warlords, and war boys.
07:57 The franchise wonderfully blends the realistic with the outlandish, crafting one of the most
08:01 unique dystopias in the process.
08:03 "It was hard to know who was more crazy.
08:09 Me or everyone else."
08:12 Number 12.
08:13 Metropolis.
08:14 Perhaps the most influential science fiction film ever made, Metropolis is every bit as
08:18 relevant today as it was in 1927.
08:21 The titular Metropolis is a city divided by class, and powered by dangerous manual labor
08:26 with a high risk of death.
08:28 Powerful business magnates control the city from their high-rise skyscrapers, while the
08:32 poor live in underground bunkers and power the city with treacherous machines.
08:37 The visual language of the film is symbolic and highly influential, with the layout of
08:41 Metropolis serving as a metaphor for class distinction and industrialization.
08:46 The city was also influenced by biblical stories like the Tower of Babel and the turbulent
08:50 Weimar Republic that was the government of Germany at the time.
08:54 Number 11.
08:55 1984.
08:56 "There is truth and there is untruth.
09:01 To be in a minority of one doesn't make you mad."
09:04 Well, we've built it up enough, so here it is.
09:07 Written and directed by Michael Radford, 1984 brilliantly captures the gloomy horror of
09:13 George Orwell's seminal masterpiece.
09:15 In this alternate 1984, Britain has been renamed Airstrip One and has been incorporated into
09:21 the totalitarian superstate of Oceania.
09:24 Its citizens live in squalor and are subjected to propaganda and constant surveillance.
09:29 Big Brother watches over all, literally, and any behavior that goes against the status
09:34 quo of the regime is punished by the Thought Police.
09:38 Even history itself is rewritten to coincide with the concocted story of Oceania.
09:43 1984 and its concepts have widely influenced the dystopian genre, and names like Big Brother
09:49 and Thought Police have become a part of the cultural lexicon.
10:01 Number 10.
10:02 Robocop.
10:03 "Except there ain't nothing free, because there's no guarantees, you know.
10:06 You're on your own.
10:07 It's the law of the jungle."
10:09 Don't let the title fool you.
10:11 Robocop is a whip-smart action movie that punches way above its weight class.
10:15 Like many dystopian films, Robocop was inspired by a cynical reality, with writer Edward Neumeier
10:21 taking inspiration from the bleaker cultural aspects of the 1980s.
10:26 This included the introduction of Wall Street yuppies, the increasing power of megacorporations,
10:31 the urban decay of Detroit, and controversial Reaganomics.
10:36 The story takes place in a near future where Detroit has become an industrial wasteland,
10:40 filled with rampant crime and corruption.
10:43 The visual language of Robocop is powerful, perfectly portraying a dirty city filled with
10:48 rust, dust, smoke, and old machinery.
10:52 It's not pleasant.
10:59 Number 9.
11:00 The Hunger Games franchise.
11:01 "A little hope is effective.
11:03 A lot of hope is dangerous.
11:05 Spark is fine, as long as it's contained."
11:09 Adapted from the Suzanne Collins book of the same name, The Hunger Games franchise is undeniably
11:14 one of the darkest series of young adult fiction-based filmmaking.
11:19 It takes place in Panem, a dystopian nation composed of 12 districts.
11:24 These districts compete in the annual Hunger Games, in which tributes fight to the death
11:28 in a large gladiatorial arena.
11:31 The Hunger Games serve two functions.
11:33 They're meant as revenge against a failed rebellion, and they serve to entertain the
11:37 elite residing in the capital, who cover the games like a sporting event.
11:42 Like many great pieces of dystopian fiction, The Hunger Games embodies thoughtful themes
11:46 of classism and rebellion, and it contains more than its fair share of horrible violence.
11:52 "So what happens when we get back?"
11:55 "I don't know.
11:57 I guess we try to forget."
12:00 Number 8.
12:01 Logan's Run.
12:02 "You mean to say that those people know ahead of time when they're gonna die?"
12:07 "Exactly."
12:08 "What's your reason for that?"
12:09 "The way things are.
12:10 The way things have always been."
12:13 Are you over the age of 30?
12:14 Well, I'm sorry, but if you lived in the world of Logan's Run, you'd be dead.
12:19 Oh, sorry, renewed.
12:21 In this movie, the last remnants of humanity live in a sealed-off subterranean city.
12:26 Unlike other works of dystopia, the citizens seem quite content and live pleasurable lifestyles.
12:31 However, there's one major catch.
12:34 To prevent overpopulation, those who hit 30 are culled in a special rite called "carousel."
12:40 Those who don't accept the rite are hunted by the Sandmen and ultimately killed.
12:44 The film was inspired by many elements of the early 1970s, including the self-involvement
12:49 of the Me Generation and the counterculture movement that favored youth and abandon over
12:53 age and conformity.
12:54 "A friend of mine went on carousel.
12:57 Now he's gone."
12:58 "Yes, well, I'm sure he was renewed."
13:02 "He was killed."
13:04 Number 7.
13:05 Minority Report
13:06 "I was admitted to murder in six years.
13:08 There's nothing wrong with this system."
13:09 "It is perfect, I agree.
13:10 But there's a flaw.
13:11 It's human.
13:12 It always is."
13:15 Steven Spielberg really can do it all, and that includes adapting Philip K. Dick and
13:20 crafting a sci-fi dystopia.
13:22 Minority Report takes place in 2054, with premeditated murder becoming a thing of the
13:27 past.
13:28 That's thanks to three clairvoyants called Precogs, who receive visions of a future homicide
13:33 and notify the authorities.
13:35 They then arrest the perpetrator before the crime can occur.
13:38 This sounds great in theory, but there are numerous problems associated with the program,
13:43 including human rights infringements, loss of personal autonomy, and the titular "Minority
13:48 Reports," which is when one Precog experiences a very different vision.
13:53 Dick created his story to explore themes of authoritarianism, which he found worrying
13:58 at the height of the Cold War.
13:59 "We are arresting individuals who have broken no law."
14:01 "But they will.
14:02 The commission of the crime itself is absolute metaphysics.
14:04 The Precogs see the future and they're never wrong."
14:07 "But it's not the future if you stop it.
14:09 Isn't that a fundamental paradox?"
14:11 Number 6.
14:12 Planet of the Apes
14:13 "I'm back.
14:14 I'm home.
14:15 All the time it was."
14:20 We don't know that Planet of the Apes takes place in a future dystopia until the very
14:24 end of the movie, when the iconic plot twist recontextualizes all of what came before.
14:31 Three astronauts crash on a distant planet in the year 3978, and George Taylor comes
14:36 to live with a society of talking apes in the imaginatively named "Ape City."
14:41 Of course, we learn in the final seconds of the film that this isn't a distant planet,
14:45 but a decimated Earth.
14:47 A nuclear war ravaged our home thousands of years before, destroying most vestiges of
14:52 humanity and allowing apes to evolve into the dominant species, the aristocrats.
14:57 "You maniacs!
14:59 You blew it up!"
15:02 Number 5.
15:03 Akira
15:04 "Let's run away somewhere."
15:05 "Somewhere?"
15:06 "Somewhere.
15:07 Somewhere far away."
15:08 Regarded as one of the best movies ever made, let alone one of the best pieces of dystopian
15:17 fiction, Akira is a seminal piece of animation.
15:20 Loosely adapted from the manga of the same name, Akira takes place in an alternate 2019,
15:26 where Tokyo has been destroyed and replaced by Neo-Tokyo.
15:30 This city is an urban hellscape, populated by rampant crime, ferocious gang violence,
15:35 and societal unrest.
15:36 Futuristic technology is also heavily utilized by the totalitarian government, ensuring their
15:42 complete control over the oppressed populace of the city.
15:45 With individual freedoms constricted and dissent swiftly suppressed, there's not much to enjoy
15:50 about Neo-Tokyo, despite its rather flashy name.
15:54 "Forget your dignity.
15:55 Forget the civilization and science you built.
15:59 You've just made a hole in your own fear."
16:05 Number 4.
16:06 A Clockwork Orange
16:07 "We don't want to live anyway.
16:08 Not in a stinking water like this."
16:12 One of Stanley Kubrick's many masterpieces, A Clockwork Orange is a challenging film,
16:18 both in regard to its violence and thematic content.
16:21 Futuristic Britain is in a state of complete anarchy.
16:24 Urban decay and homelessness has set in, and roving gangs of violent criminals are a common
16:29 occurrence.
16:30 Enter protagonist Alex DeLarge, a gang member who gleefully partakes in, quote, "a bit of
16:36 the old ultra-violence."
16:38 But the authoritarian government certainly isn't innocent either, and the film raises
16:42 moral quandaries by highlighting the infamous Ludovico technique, a brutal form of aversion
16:48 therapy that is meant to rehabilitate criminals.
16:51 Kubrick himself referred to them as a totalitarian government that turns its citizens into little
16:56 more than robots.
16:57 "What we were after now was the old surprise visit.
17:02 That was a real kick, and good for laughs and lashings of the old ultra-violent."
17:07 Number 3.
17:09 Children of Men
17:10 "As the sound of the playgrounds faded, the despair set in."
17:14 It doesn't get much more dystopian than the complete extinction of the human race.
17:19 That's the issue facing humanity in Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men.
17:24 For some unknown reason, the world is facing an infertility crisis, and women are unable
17:28 to become pregnant.
17:30 This has naturally caused global pandemonium and widespread panic.
17:34 Making matters even worse is the horrid state of the world.
17:37 Many countries are embroiled in war, a massive depression has set in, and the United Kingdom
17:42 has turned into an authoritarian regime that throws refugees in cages.
17:47 The movie's brutal worldbuilding is second to none, as is the gritty way that Cuarón
17:52 captures it.
17:53 "The first baby in 18 years.
17:55 You can't call it 'froli.'
17:57 "Says who?"
17:58 Number 2.
17:59 The Matrix
18:00 "You take the Red Pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."
18:06 One of the most influential films of the last quarter-century, The Matrix is a fascinating
18:11 flick that blends mesmerizing action with deep themes.
18:15 The year is 1999, and humanity is flourishing.
18:18 Except, in reality, it's around 2199, and humankind has been enslaved by powerful machines
18:25 that harvest their bodies as an energy source.
18:28 The Matrix is a simulated reality that has been made by these machines to placate their
18:32 human subjects and keep them under their control.
18:36 A few humans have escaped the Matrix and now live underground, the surface having been
18:40 left a barren wasteland.
18:42 We can see why Neo puked upon learning the truth.
18:45 "I don't believe it.
18:47 It's not possible."
18:48 "I didn't say it would be easy, Neo.
18:52 I just said it would be the truth."
18:54 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
18:58 Waterworld
18:59 It's the world filled with water.
19:01 "Just came from an atoll.
19:04 Eight days east if you're interested."
19:07 "Two drifters meet, something needs to be exchanged."
19:11 "I know the code, but I'll give you this one for free."
19:14 "Nothing's free in Waterworld."
19:18 Dread
19:19 Mega City One is a post-nuclear wasteland infested with crime.
19:23 "This is the end for them.
19:26 This block operates under the same rules as the rest of the city.
19:31 Mama is not the law.
19:34 I am the law.
19:37 Mama is a common criminal."
19:39 Dark City
19:40 A dark biopunk hellscape controlled by the strangers.
19:43 "When was the last time you remembered doing something during the day?"
19:47 "What do you mean?"
19:49 "I just mean during the day.
19:51 Daylight.
19:52 When was the last time you remember seeing it?"
19:55 Twelve Monkeys
19:56 The few survivors of a deadly virus are forced to live in underground bunkers.
20:00 "Human beings."
20:01 "I think you're right, man.
20:07 I think you hit the nail on the head."
20:10 Fahrenheit 451
20:12 Firemen destroy all forms of literature in a government-sponsored book burning.
20:16 "Monday we burn Miller, Tuesday Tolstoy, Wednesday Walt Whitman, Friday Faulkner, and
20:22 Saturday and Sunday Schopenhauer and Sartre.
20:25 We burn them to ashes and then burn the ashes.
20:28 That's our official motto."
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20:45 #1 Blade Runner
20:47 "My birthday is April 10, 2017.
20:49 How long do I live?"
20:50 "Four years."
20:51 Ridley Scott's masterpiece sure looks cool, but we wouldn't want to live in it.
20:55 Another Philip K. Dick adaptation, Blade Runner takes place in a grubby 2019 Los Angeles.
21:02 The film's production design is simply outstanding, crafting one of the grungiest cities ever
21:07 put to film.
21:08 Supplied to be the result of some ecological disaster, the city is polluted, decayed, and
21:13 bereft of nature or animals.
21:15 It's also a victim of an omnipresent police force and an all-powerful corporation that
21:20 controls everything.
21:21 It's enough to send humans off-world to interstellar colonies, colonies that are run by synthetic
21:27 humans that don't have any rights and who can be chased down and killed by Blade Runners.
21:33 So no, we wouldn't want to live in it.
21:35 "She doesn't know."
21:38 "She's beginning to suspect, I think."
21:39 "Suspect?
21:40 How can it not know what it is?"
21:41 Which of these futures would you least want to live in?
21:44 Let us know in the comments below.
21:46 "What is the Matrix?"
21:49 "Control."
21:50 Did you enjoy this video?
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21:57 [Music]