The 15 Greatest Dystopian Films Of All Time
Dystopian films cover such a rich and wide variation of themes that picking the top 15 is just about impossible. Pretty much every film in which the future is shitty is considered dystopian, so that means everything from post-apocalyptic to corporate control to biological viruses. It’s a huge field, but here are doubtlessly some of the best!
15. Idiocracy
Idiocracy wins major points for concept, but fell flat in its execution. It tells of a future where the stupid have outbred the intelligent, and the world has fallen into ruin. It’s a feeling shared by armchair eugenicists and internet fanboys alike, who feel like they’re being outnumbered by the unwashed masses. The movie itself has a hilarious concept, and moments of comedic genius, but unfortunately it fails to maintain the humor throughout its entirety. Even given its minimal release and variable hilarity, it’s built up a cult following online. Because Brawndo—It’s got what plants crave! Seriously though, Mike Judge has done much better work.
14. A Scanner Darkly
Is it any surprise to see plenty of Philip K Dick on this list? A Scanner Darkly is one of the better Dick adaptations, of one of his more surreal stories. The entire film was hand rotoscoped, giving it an odd and dreamlike quality (which the director had previously used to great effect in the film “The Waking Life”, which was about dreams). Dick had severe drug problems for almost his entire life, and Scanner Darkly was part of his attempt to deal with his demons. Between the excellent performances by the film’s actors, and the tripped out narrative, you’ll find yourself scratching your head from the film but also feeling oddly satisfied. Honestly, how can you go wrong when you have Woody Harrelson, Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. playing a trio of drug addicts?
13. 28 Days Later
Dystopia distilled down to its purest form: zombies. Well, infected human beings running around and attacking people, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t feel like a zombie film. You have the classic hallmarks of a good post-apocalyptic story: wide spread desolation, few survivors, unbeatable enemies, evil and incompetent military. Plus screaming, sprinting zombies who want to eat your face! Oh man that was such a good movie. Screw Romero and his slow shamblers, sprinting zombies are way more freaking scary. Those things coming at you at full speed? That’s a real threat. It was admittedly odd to see Cillian Murphy in an action role, but he carried it well. Pity about the sequel.
12. Soylent Green
Released in 1973, Soylent Green is set in an era when rampant population has driven most of the world to unemployment, surviving on food rations called “soylent green”. The twist at the end of the story is now so commonly known that it loses much of its strength, but the setting of a world crammed with people is still resonant. The problem of feeding a growing population from a fixed amount of land is a real one, especially given the possible farming ramifications of climate change. Like much good sci-fi, Soylent Green plays with the possible to deliver a potent message. Though why waste all that protein? It wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
11. V for Vendetta
Writer Alan Moore has issues with his stories being transformed into Hollywood films, and any follower of his can see why. V for Vendetta rebels against the source material considerably, but emerges from the process as a good, but different, story. Where the original graphic novel was a treatise on the powers of anarchy, the film is more about liberal/neo-conservative splits. It’s an important distinction to realise, and one that alters the thrust of the movie. The cast of V for Vendetta is superb, with major points going to Hugo Weaving for playing a starring role in a film entirely behind a mask. Natalie Portman also deserves note for being willing to shave her head and lose a creepy amount of weight to take on the role of Evey.
10. Gattaca
As is often the case with dystopian films, the unpleasantness of the setting is hidden beneath the veneer of a functioning society. Gattaca’s tale of a future where children are genetically engineered from inception, and society is obsessed with genetic compatibility isn’t particularly far-fetched. Naturally born children—termed in-valids—are restricted to menial jobs and strictly monitored. The film is seeped in a futuro-noir aesthetic that marries the strict controls on people’s lives, with the inherent hopefulness of an in-valid pretending to be valid. Jude Law in particular has an excellent performance as a crippled valid, who lends his DNA to the driven Ethan Hawke. Interesting note, the name Gattaca is spelled using the four letters of DNA nitrogenous bases: G, T, C, and A
9. Brazil
Terry Gilliam could easily be on this list a handful of times, but I’ve decided to limit him to just one entry. 12 Monkeys came a close second, but the paranoia of Brazil is just too perfect to be ignored. The cruel nature of bureaucracy, the fleeting freedom of dreams, and the soul-destroying nature of repetitive work. Oh man, Gilliam’s eye for satire is unmatched, and Brazil remains one of Gilliam’s best works, and seeing Robert De Niro as a renegade air conditioning specialist is just amazing. It pokes fun at government, consumerism and vanity. Well worth a viewing, though it has a particularly downbeat ending.
8. Akira
This ground breaking anime remains a seminal work in the field, and is visually arresting and thematically engaging. The end battle between the hideously mutated Tetsuo and his once best friend Kaneda is terrifying to this day. Set in post-WWIII Japan, Akira’s cast of psychically boosted Government guinea pigs in a decaying crime-ridden Neo-Tokyo retains its power no matter how often it’s watched. The city is filled with rioting citizens, corrupt officials, rampaging street gangs, and shudders in fear over the name “Akira”. Watching it now, it’s a bit easy to forget just how influential and grounbreaking it was when it debuted, but the story retains its impressive strength of purpose. If you have the time and money, try tracking down the multi-volume manga, which deals with the plot in far more detail.
7. Mad Max
You know you’re looking at a good film when just about every post-apocalyptic story that followed steals a huge amount from it. The cobbled together raiders, violent society and the desert filled wastelands. Without Mad Max, we wouldn’t have the dystopian genre as we know it, nor we would we have a ton of good video games, like the Fallout series, or Borderlands. It’s funny to note that the first Mad Max film was set before the apocalypse of the latter two, but during a period of societal collapse, with gangs ruling the highway. It wasn’t till the later movies that the cities completely crumbled after an apocalyptic event, and everyone started wearing a mixture of football padding and fetishwear.
6. Clockwork Orange
Arguably Stanley Kubrick’s most visually distinct film, the aesthetics of Clockwork Orange have endured, even while the career of Malcom McDowell has not. Its striking visual style and use of the pidgin Nadsat language remain in the cultural mindset, and after you see this film, you’ll never hear “Singing in the Rain” in the same way again. Due to the intense violence, sexuality and drug use, this movie has been constantly banned or challenged in nations around the globe. The film tells the tale of a violent thug who is forced to reform via psychological conditioning. The main character is completely amoral, yet remains oddly compelling. It differs from the novel, in that the book has an odd sort of redemption for Alex at the end, where the movie finishes with him returning to his violent, lustful previous life.
5. Wall-E
I consider this Pixar’s greatest film, though it’s pretty close between this and The Incredibles. The first 45 minutes or so which are performed without any spoken words are a testament to Pixar’s abilities to convey emotion and story without relying on narration and dialogue. When Wall-E came out, there was even talk of it being nominated for Best Film, and while that didn’t happen, it was nominated for eight academy awards, and won one. Frankly, if you don’t see the beauty and optimism in Wall-E, despite its apocalyptic setting, then you’re an evil heartless human being. Between the beautiful characterization and stunning animation, the robots were far more human than the people could ever be.
4. The Matrix
Lets ignore the sequels, and just go with the first movie. Hard to believe it was put out a decade ago, given how freaking mind-blowing the special effects were at the time. Remember when you first saw Trinity jump kick? It’s kinda sad how cliché and tired those special effects were almost immediately, as they were picked up by so many other film makers. The first film in the trilogy blew minds worldwide, with its heady blend of gnosticism and esoteric religious views, and the nagging questions about the nature of reality. Plus, it had kickass fight scenes. It seamlessly blended Hong Kong action with philosophy 101, which made it feel intelligent, but with enough chases and fighting to appeal to a broader crowd. It also inspired a generation of loners to wear black trenchcoats. As if they needed encouragement!
3. The Ghost in the Shell Series
Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell has now been adapted into films, TV shows, multiple manga series, and an interactive CD. A live action version is even in the works.. Unfortunately, most take place in separate continuities, making it tricky to reconcile them with one another, especially for new fans. The manga are more action oriented, the TV show is a thought provoking police procedural, and the movies are intensely philosophical and deal with the nature of the soul. This is one of the few times where I think that the movie versions are better than the source material, and the original film and its sequel are both superb pieces of work, which meld intense action with thought provoking surrealism. Definitely worth getting hold of in every incarnation.
2. Children of Men
To call Children of Men harrowing would not do it justice. Seldom have I seen a film where brutality seems, so, well, brutal. In a future where humanity has stopped being able to have children, for an unknown reason. Adapted from a book by P.D. James, the main character has to protect an illegal immigrant, who is the first human in years to be pregnant. The film is remarkable in its long and detailed action shots, which pull you into the story as if it were a documentary. They stretch on for minutes, and were reported to take hours and hours of prep time for every take. Their seamless nature creates a far more realistic feel than Michael Bay-like quick cuts and shaky cams. Yet even set against a world of fierce Government control and brutality, in a society plagued with xenophobia and violence, it’s essentially a story of hope.
1. Blade Runner
Everyone admits Blade Runner is an absolutely fantastic movie, but it suffers from being available in dozens of different cuts. The central plot remains the same—the story of a private investigator trying to stop a handful of escaped robots who blend in perfectly with humans—but the implications of the story shift significantly depending on which version you watch. So much of your reading of the movie depends on a single dream sequence, and what it means. Regardless of which way you saw the film, its visual design is top-notch, and it’s just about the only good cyber-punk film ever made. In fact, it’s probably the pinnacle of the dystopian genre, painting a future LA bleak under its neon sky, yet still punctuated by the occasional brief busts of humanity and decency. It also has one of the best lines in cinema history ever “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… Time to die. “
Written by Tim on December 28th, 2009 | Tagged as: Popular Culture
On December 28th 2009, jordan wrote:
what a shit list doesnt even have T2
On December 28th 2009, Ken Miller wrote:
And here I was, thinking "Oh great, yet another chance for a bunch of stuch up fatheads to ignor bladerun… NUMBER ONE!"
Well done, sirs!
On December 28th 2009, hashbrown wrote:
There's a difference between dystopian and post-apocalyptic.
On December 28th 2009, xthevets wrote:
This list is a joke. Wall-E? Really? No THX-1138? No 1984?
On December 28th 2009, Kirby L. Wallace wrote:
Bladerunner has been my #1 favourite movie since it came out.
But I'm a bit disappointed to see 1990's "Hardware" not even make the list.
As for Blade Runner, stick with "The Director's Cut".
The Theatrical version has the lame "voice overs", and the newly released 'Final Cut" is just too far a departure from the originals to be taken seriously.
I mean, really, changing Roy's utterance from "I want more life, f*cker", to "I want more life, father" is just too big a bite to swallow. Even if it might make sense, and logically fit, it just doesn't work twenty years after the fact.
On December 28th 2009, Some Guy wrote:
You missed They Live and Falling Down.
On December 28th 2009, Alana Smithee wrote:
Cool list, but you left A Boy And His Dog out!
On December 28th 2009, Brandon wrote:
WTF 12monkeys? Get that MadMax BS off there and put 12 monkeys in its place.
On December 28th 2009, Schumacher Brian wrote:
I like this list, but like the author that is just my opinion.
I would disagree regarding Blade Runner in that the best quote is, "That's the spirit". Also, I would not rank Wall-E so high, but again just my opinion.
On December 28th 2009, Schumacher Brian wrote:
Also, why limit Terry Gilliam to one pick. 12 Monkeys does deserve a spot. Are you practicing directorism?
On December 28th 2009, Mark wrote:
This list is a sham! It has a pretty grandiose title to have maybe two or three actual contenders.
It's like the 60s never existed, not to mention the 50s, and 40s. No film noir, nor any bleak French new wave? Come on!
No Orson Wells? Your list needs fixing. Wall-E is on your list, but 'The Trial' isn't? Really?
On December 28th 2009, Brian wrote:
I would like to add Doomsday. I know it is cheesy but I still consider it a better movie than Idocracy,
On December 28th 2009, Brad wrote:
And Dark City beats Matrix by a mile for dystopian futures…
On December 28th 2009, tom wrote:
lol people hating on this list because it didn't include their favourite movies.
On December 28th 2009, MacMasore wrote:
And Equilibrium?
On December 29th 2009, Tim Cavanaugh wrote:
Dystopian? At least in Blade Runner's L.A. you're allowed to smoke.
On December 29th 2009, blola wrote:
anime? pffffffffffffffttt-….
On December 29th 2009, Richard wicks wrote:
AKIRA?
That's got to be the most over-rated overblown film ever to have come out of Japan. It's primary fame is that just about every pseudo intellectual has seen the film while stoned in college or late high school.
On December 29th 2009, Jombee wrote:
What about Back to the Future 2? That's pretty shitty.
On December 29th 2009, tman wrote:
You're missing a classic here: Metropolis.
On December 29th 2009, Matt wrote:
"And Dark City beats Matrix by a mile for dystopian futures…"
Dark City is not about a distopian future… *Spoiler* It is about an alien abduction and the experiments they are trying on the abducties.
On January 2nd 2010, Dystopian99 wrote:
You arer also missing a 2nd classic, :The Noah". Quite understandable, as very few have seen it: a 1975 film that was never released theatrically but now on DVD. No zombies, no effects, b&w, a one-man visible cast but WOW!!!
On January 5th 2010, Matt B. wrote:
I second the WTF to no THX-1138 or 1984. Neither are "perfect" films. 1984 was missing some elements of the book that I thought should have stayed & THX-1138 isn't the most accessable–no worse than a Scanner Darkly though. I haven't seen some of these though, so I can't say for sure if I would or which ones I'd trade in exchange for THX or 1984.
On January 16th 2010, distance between cit wrote:
nice collection of movies
On January 31st 2010, Tom wrote:
Idiocracy is number one. Why? Because that is the one that is actually happening.
On February 3rd 2010, Old Uncle Dave wrote:
Alana Smithee is right. A Boy and His Dog belongs on this list. Based on a story by the master Harlan Ellison, it is better than most on the list.
On February 24th 2010, crud wrote:
When Blade Runner was first out on VHS, I watched it over and over. Stunning. There was something unique about Rachael, Not to forget the death scene for Pris ( Daryl Hannah) either. Great cast.
On March 1st 2010, ReaderFilmWatcher wrote:
Blade runner is really overrated. I read the book before watching the film and I seriously did not care as much for the characters as I had when I read the book. There was no life to them.
On March 1st 2010, Trevor wrote:
good to see Blad Runner at #1. Even though it doesn't have the complex backstory of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", it is one of Scott's masterpieces and one of my favorite films of all-time. Glad to see a couple of other PKD greats made it on the list. I'm counting the Matrix because the first one was such a blatant rip-off of Dick's "Iron Empire" theory that the Wachowski brothers should be sued. Grant Morrison (who wrote the fantastic "Invisibles" series for Vertigo comics) almost did because of the roof-jumping scene. Directly from the comics. BOO Wachowskis Boo!
On March 27th 2010, Andy W wrote:
12 Monkeys should have been on this list as well as Brasil. They are very different dystopia's even if they do have the same director.
I applaud the decision to put Wall-E on the list, its a great movie (even if it does run out of steam before it finishes), yes its animated and yes its a 'kids' movie but its still a brilliant and moving dystopian movie.
On April 1st 2010, Joseph Ian Reschman wrote:
BULLSHIT./
On April 19th 2010, lillie wrote:
dude, where was tank girl?
On May 13th 2010, Upright wrote:
er…The Matrix, more action movie than anything else.
On June 3rd 2010, Fu wrote:
i made a variety of streetart about dystopia movies… maybe someone like to see it
http://www.urbanartcore.de/variety/10-dystopia-movie-streetart
On July 5th 2010, dfdf wrote:
Wtf is children of men doing on number 2.It’s crap…and where the hell is 1984.That’s like the grandaddy of all dystopia.Crappy list
On August 23rd 2010, Aliencubster wrote:
Wall-E? Seriously? In what universe would it qualify as a dystopian movie?
And as another person commented here before, please have a separate list for post-apocalyptic movies.. 28 Days Later and A Scanner Darkly, though good movies, don’t belong to this list..
Try some good old dystopian scifi.. Maybe Fahrenheit 451… or 1984.. THX-1138.. or if you’re running out of ideas.. even Aeon Flux..
On September 3rd 2010, Ryan wrote:
hey cool list, I love futuristic/distopian movies but being only 19 my generation of cinema has been fairly bleak so i am forced to google web pages for lists like this so i can enjoy them. although a lot of the 80′s flicks are hard to endure due to their lack of generational relavence(given that i was born in 91) It’s still cool to see lists like this with movies i’ve never seen or even heard of. thanks for helping me out and don’t mind those people who criticize your list just because they don’t grasp the concept that there is no privileged frame of reference in which to judge a piece of art. The entire point of it is that it’s not objective.
On September 24th 2010, mexiq wrote:
great :D wall*e is dystopia… thats true… damn
On September 25th 2010, Rachel wrote:
I’m not gonna hate on your list, top 15 is open to interperutation and personal choice
However extremely suprised you did not include any David Cronenberg as like Terry Gilliam many of his films could be on this list, I mean he did the original28 days type film with “Rabbid”
On September 25th 2010, Rachel wrote:
lol, Alana Smithee
I dont think many others got that, I like it!
On November 12th 2010, Phil wrote:
Not a bad list – I am happy to see Ghost in the Shell make #3, although I think Bladerunner, Ghost in the Shell, and Akira are in the wrong list – they should make the top three of the CyberPunk list.
Meanwhile, I would say I am disappointed that The Road did not make it in here – THAT one should have been number one.
But everyone has their own opinions, and you cannot please everyone.
On November 17th 2010, Kransky wrote:
T2 and Starship Troopers arenot really dystophian film.
Dystophian films are about fictional societies. There needs to be some depth, and originality, about the society.
A film that has people shooting other people, with the society just being in the backdrop, doesn’t count.
On November 25th 2010, oyvind wrote:
The Road ?
On February 11th 2011, joeri wrote:
28 Days Later… (2002)
2002: The Rape of Eden (1994)
After the Apocalypse (2004)
Akira (1988)
Atolladero (1995)
Blindness (2008)
Blood of Heroes, The (1989)
Book of Eli, The (2010)
Boy and His Dog, A (1975)
1990: I Guerrieri del Bronx (1982)
Carriers (2009)
Casshern (2004)
Cité des Enfants Perdus, La (1995)
Cherry 2000 (1987)
Children of Men (2006)
Class of 1984 (1982)
Class of 1999 (1990)
Crazies, The (1973)
Crazies, The (2010)
Cyborg (1989)
Damnation Alley (1977)
Day After, The (1983)
Day of the Triffids, The (1981)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Deathlands (2003)
Deathsport (1978)
Dead-End Drive In (1986)
Delicatessen (1991)
Dernier Combat, Le (1983)
Doomsday (2008)
Dune Warriors (1990)
Dust Devil (1992)
End of the World (1977)
Endgame – Bronx Lotta Finale (1983)
Hokuto no Ken (1986)
Fukkatsu no Hi (1980)
Hardware (1990)
Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
I Am Legend (2007)
Ice (1998)
Idaho Transfer (1973)
Last Border – Viimeisellä Rajalla, The (1993)
Last Man on Earth, The (1964)
Left Behind (2000)
Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (2002)
Left Behind: World at War (2005)
Logan’s Run (1976)
Kaze no Tani no Naushika (1984)
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max 2 (1981)
Mad Max beyond Thunderdome (1985)
Memoirs of a Survivor (1981)
Miracle Mile (1988)
Monsters (2010)
Neon City (1991)
Nuovi Barbari, I (1982)
Night of the Comet (1984)
Akira (1988)48
Omega Code, The (1999)
Omega Man, The (1971)
On the Beach (1959)
Panic in Year Zero! (1962)
Peut-être (1999)
Postman, The (1997)
Quiet Earth, The (1985)
Rats – Notte di Terrore (1984)
Reign of Fire (2002)
Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Road, The (2009)
Robot Jox (1990)
Screamers (1995)
Shatter Dead (1994)
Silent Running (1972)
Six-String Samurai (1998)
Soylent Green (1973)
Steel Dawn (1987)
Steel Frontier (1995)
Survivor (1987)
Hardware (1990)8
Tenshi no Tamago (1985)
Terminal Virus (1995)
Testament (1983)
Tooth & Nail (2007)
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
Ultimate Warrior, The (1975)
Warlords of the 21st Century (1982)
Waterworld (1995)
World, the Flesh and the Devil, The (1959)
Zombieland (2009)
Zone 39 (1996)