Hello everybody, glad to be back here with another collection of good movies. This time about the science-fiction genre that many of you (and I) like and want to see more of it.
“I think dystopian futures are also a reflection of current fears” Lauren Oliver
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A dystopia is defined as “a speculated community or society that is undesirable or frightening”. A dystopia is the total opposite of a utopia, a world where everything is perfect. Dystopias have gave a lot of great novels and movies in the past couple of centuries.
The movies of this list are all underrated movies that didn’t performed well at the box office, but found their way into the hearts of science-fiction fans in the video format.
So, without further ado, let’s begin:
5.Equilibrium (2002)
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“But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet. Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.’ I assume you dream, Preston”. – Equilibrium
The government of this dystopia has decided to suppress all kinds of feelings, that way there will be an eternal peace. All art, whether it is books, music or paintings, is forbidden and must be burned and destroyed, art leads people to have feelings. The people of this world also must take pills regularly in order to not feel anything. Children denounce those who look suspicious, even if they are their parents. The police is in charge of hunting and destroying works of art and throw in jail those who treasure it. Just a small group of resistance are the ones who preserve works of art.
After one mission, a police man starts caring about art and animals, and will use his authority to help the resistance in hiding. After refusing to kill a puppy, he will stop taking his pills and will become the leader of the resistance in their fight for art, freedom of speech and overthrowing the malicious government.
Christian Bale in Equilibrium (Via: filmblitz.org)
One of those movies made as a response to The Matrix, like Minority Report, back in the early 2000s. Although it’s not exactly a great movie, is a nice dystopian story for all of us who like this genre. The action scenes are great, filmed stylishly, and have the element of gun-fu added. The production design is nice, but could have been better and, like in many socialist and communist countries, you will see a lot of building made of concrete. Christian Bale is great in one of those outcast roles he does so well. Emily Watson does a good job and Sean Bean is again here in one of those roles where he gets killed. Art cannot be silenced, neither destroyed, and a former destroyer of art will become the force behind the overthrowing of a totalitarian regime. Like I said, it’s not great but it’s worth the watch.
Watch trailer here:
Equilibrium (2002) Official Trailer #1 - Christian Bale Movie
Fun fact: Writer and director Kurt Wimmer invented the martial arts style of gunfighting for this movie in his backyard.
4.In Time (2011)
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“You really don't know, do you? Everyone can't live forever. Where would we put them? Why do you think there are time zones? Why do you think taxes and prices go up the same day in the ghetto? The cost of living keeps rising to make sure people keep dying. How else could there be men with a million years while most live day to day? But the truth is... there's more than enough. No one has to die before their time. If you had as much time as I have on that clock, what would you do with it?” In Time
In a parallel future some genetic engineers decided to modify human beings so they can live only until the age of 25; from there, they have only one more year to live unless the buy more time and time is reflected in their forearms. Time is the new currency of this world, a world strictly divided in classes: The rich can live forever; the poor have to work, beg, steal, pawn and kill if they don’t want to die young. The police, which is called here Timekeepers, is in charge to maintain this strange system. One night, Will Salas, a young man of the low working class, saves the life of a brooding rich, man with enough time to live forever, from a guy named Fortis and his group of time-robbing thugs called The Minutemen. This rich guy tells Will how the system works and give Will all of his time. When Will is accused of murder he decides to use his new riches to go to the upper class zone and find out what life is there. A Timekeeper by the name of Leon goes after him.
Will Salas buys himself a new Jaguar and goes to a lavish casino where he sees rich men gambling time like is nothing to them. He meets the daughter of a rich man, called Sylvia, and goes swimming with her. But Timekeeper Leon and others arrive at the casino to apprehend Will for murder. He takes Sylvia as a hostage and escapes the rich people’s zone. Once they arrive to the low class zone, Will Salas will have to manage how break the bizarre system of this new world, elude the Timekeeper who want to arrest him and face the gang of thugs that are after his time.
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You have to give credit to director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Simone) for creating one of the most original concepts ever in science-fiction cinema. The idea of time as a currency, the rich having time to live forever, the poor dying young, and the cost of life rising every now and then, could be an allegory of our own day and age. Too bad the movie is not exactly great and has been accused of being a mediocre movie that wasted its great potential. The only good character is the rich man at the beginning, the other characters are kind of bland and lame. The production could have been better. Just watch it to have a good time and don’t expect nothing great. I have seen it like 8 times and every time I find it on TV I just watch it again, it’s a guilty pleasure! It has lots of running, lots of beautiful people and a reference to James Bond. It has old cars in a futuristic environment (a trademark of this director). It has its clichés, like the blond bad guy with a British accent. But in overall it’s a nice watch. It will become a guilty pleasure for you also, you will see.
Watch trailer here:
Official In Time Trailer [HD]
Fun fact: According to actors Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried, there is more running in this film than any other movies they have ever seen except for Run Lola, Run (1998) and Forrest Gump (1994).
3.Idiocracy (2006)
(Via: Collider)
“The #1 movie in America was called "Ass." And that's all it was for 90 minutes. It won eight Oscars that year, including best screenplay”. Idiocracy
This is one of those stories where a man wakes up in the future just to see that the world he knew is already gone. Joe Bauers, an American soldier, allows himself to be the subject of an experiment together with a black woman named Rita who works as a prostitute, an experiment that consist in getting sleep for one year. When the experiment is cancelled, they are forgotten only to wake up 500 years later in a future where intelligent people no longer exist, everybody is fat and dumb, and the president of The United States is a flamboyant clownish character with the name of Dwayne Elizondo Camacho. This POTUS will appoint Joe as his advisor to fix everything that is wrong with the country. But, how can Joe fix anything when everybody around him is so dumb and idiot?
Terry Crews as President Dwayne Elizondo Camacho. (Via: Collider)
A very underrated movie that even the studio that produced it tried to stop its release. It did poorly at the box office, and that’s bad because it is a nice and funny story. But the movie found an audience later and has become a cult classic of the sci-fi/dystopian genre. I strongly recommend you to watch it. Imagine what will happen if all the intelligent worthy people cease one day to reproduce and only the dumb and idiot populate the world? Isn’t already like that? A real allegory of our times. Don’t miss it.
The opening scene of this one it’s just too damn good, watch it here together with its trailer:
IDIOCRACY Opening Scene (2006) Mike Judge
Fun fact: Writer and Director Mike Judge came up with the idea for the film while he was visiting Disneyland with his family and saw two mothers, with kids in strollers, fighting and cursing at each other. He thought it would be horrible if humanity was like this in the future.
2.Children of Men (2006)
Clive Owen as Theo Faron (Via: Collider)
“The world was stunned today by the death of Diego Ricardo, the youngest person on the planet, the youngest person on earth was 18 years, 4 months, 20 days, 16 hours, and 8 minutes old”. – Children of Men
One day, suddenly, humans have lost the ability to reproduce themselves. The world descended into chaos and mayhem. All the other countries have collapsed. Only Britain soldiers on. Theo Faron, a boring bureaucrat is kidnapped one day by group labeled by the government as terrorists; Theo’s former wife, Julian, is a member of this group. They want Theo to use his connections in the government to protect a woman, who is the first to get pregnant in 18 years, and take her to a sanctuary at sea. Theo is reluctant at first, but finally agrees. Facing all the dangers of this new world in ruins, Theo must take the woman with him to the only place they can hide, a concentration camp for illegal immigrants where the living conditions are horrible. Once there, he must find a way to get the pregnant woman to the sanctuary.
Children of Men (Via: wallpapercave.com)
A movie I really repent not having watched on the big screen when it came out in 2006. Mexican director delivers a masterpiece of the sci-fi/dystopian genre in a great way and getting the best of each actor. Clive Owen, a frequent actor of the early 2000s that now seems to have disappeared, des his best as the cynical office worker turned into protector. Julianne Moore, a wonderful actress who really knows how to choose her roles, is great in a small but defining role. But the one who steals the show in this movie is Michael Caine, he is great as the old bearded cartoonist turned into pot dealer and who lives in a secluded cabin in the forest, away from the horrible society out there. The production team did a superb job turning London into a real dystopia. You will see a polluted city with dark smoke, damaged buildings, garbage everywhere, people dressed in rags and even auto rickshaws! I loved the flying pig over a factory, a reference to Pink Floyd’s album Animals. A classic dystopia with a bittersweet ending that will leave questioning where our world is going.
Watch trailer here:
Children of Men Official Trailer #1 - Julianne Moore, Clive Owen Movie (2006) HD
Fun fact: Almost every shot contains an animal, usually a dog.
1.Snowpiercer (2013)
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“Now, as in the beginning, I belong to the front. You belong to the tail. When the foot seeks the place of the head, the sacred line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe”. – Snowpiercer
After the stupid idea of releasing of a chemical in order to stop global warming, the whole planet Earth lies now frozen, covered in mountains of pure snow. All life has ended. The only survivors live in a train that needs to keep rolling no matter what. The train is the invention of a Mr. Wilford and is strictly segregated in classes: The rich travel in the front of the train, the low poor class has to travel in the tail of the train. It is back of the train we will first see in this story, where the poor have to endure in horrible conditions, overcrowding, have to dress in rags, low sanitation, and can only eat a gelatin-like substance they say it’s a protein bar. They cannot go outside their section of the train. When a man is horrible tortured after his son is taken away by the soldiers and the Minister of the Train, Curtis, a young man of the back section, will lead a mutiny with the purpose of getting to the front of the train and end this system of classes. Together with his best friend Edgar, Gilliam, a mutilated old man, Tanya, a woman whose son has been taken away, and others of the tail section, Curtis will start fighting the soldiers of the train. But first he must recruit the help of a drug addict man and bribe him with a drug named Kronol so this guy can open the doors of the many sections of the train. As they go through they discover that each section holds new surprises for them. And what Curtis doesn’t know is that a few terrible secrets also await for him.
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Based on a French graphic novel called Le Transperceneige, you will find this movie claustrophobic, depressing, violent and heart-breaking. But don’t let that dissuade you, you have to watch it, it’s a very good film. Director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) delivered here a powerful piece in his first English-speaking movie. There were production problems with producer Harvey Weinstein refusing to give it a large release and only releasing the film “in limited release”, what hurt its chances of reaching a bigger audience.
A very good cinematography and a magnificent production design. You will see the many sections of the train where sushi bars, saunas, dental clinics, tailor-made clothing, a night club and even an astonishing and beautiful aquarium are all perfectly crafted. The fight scenes are brutal and terrifying, I love the part where everybody stops fighting to celebrate the New Year only to start fighting again moments later. Chris Evans, in a very different role from the MCU crap, gives the best performance of his career. Ed Harris, as the train tycoon Wilford, is one of those actors that is always great in everything he does. John Hurt and Tilda Swinton are both excellent in their roles as the old wise mutilated man and the Minister of the Train respectively. Swinton won several awards for her role in this movie. And the movie itself won its share of awards and nominations in many festivals around the world. I discovered it in 2016 after a friend of mine told me “you have to see it, it’s amazing”. Yeah it has its clichés, like the rich white people as the bad guys and the diverse and poor group as the good guys, but if you can pass these you will enjoy an excellent film. As far as I’m concerned, Snowpiercer is the best dystopian movie of the 21st century, so far at least.
Watch trailer here:
Snowpiercer Official US Release Trailer #1 (2014) - Chris Evans Movie HD
Fun fact: Writer and director Bong Joon Ho explained that the protein block was made by combining seaweed, tangle, sugar, and gelatin. Jamie Bell hated it, while Tilda Swinton liked it.
Bonus movie:
Dredd (2012)
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“In case you people have forgotten, this block operates under the same rules as the rest of the city. Ma-Ma is not the law... I am the law. Ma-Ma is a common criminal; guilty of murder, guilty of the manufacture and distribution of the narcotic known as Slo-Mo, and as of now under sentence of death. Any who obstruct me in carrying out my duty will be treated as an accessory to her crimes... you have been warned. And as for you Ma-Ma... judgment time”. – Dredd
The United States as we know it has become a vast apocalyptic wasteland; only six territories, known as Mega-Cites, are all that remains. The Mega-City One is a crime infested hub with a crumbling infrastructure, there The Justice Department can answer only 6% of all emergency calls. The law enforcers here are the judges, who are at the same time judge, jury and executioners. One random day a judge named Dredd is assigned to reestablish order in a 200-story complex building of the lower classes where the villain, a woman they call Ma-Ma, is the leader of a dangerous gang that controls the complex. She is also behind the manufacturing and distribution of a powerful drug called Slo-Mo, a very addictive substance that reduces perception of time. Dredd will be assigned an apprentice judge named Anderson, a young pretty woman who has psychic powers, as his new partner. When Ma-Ma orders the closing of the complex building, Dredd will have to find Ma-Ma and face her gang. But things will get worse when a group of corrupt judges enter the building to hunt for him
(Via: Collider)
Dredd has been named “The most underrated movie of the 21st century” by some movie experts; it has also been described as "a movie audiences weren’t prepared for”. I, myself, only discovered it in 2016, four years after its release. Based on 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd, this movie is violent, tough, gritty, and has a great concept. The special effects are groundbreaking, and the whole direction and production design are excellent. It’s a crime this movie never has a sequel; actor Karl Urban has expressed his desire in returning for the role. There were plan for a TV series also, but, as to 2021, nothing has come to fruition. It wasn’t well received at the box office but, like many science-fiction classics, it found its cult-classic status later. I have lost count of how many times I have seen it, and I will definitely watch it again. If you grew up with the likes of The Terminator, Predator and Robocop, this is the movie for you. A mind-blowing movie that really surpass expectations. So, go and watch it as soon as you can.
Here’s the trailer:
Dredd 3D Official Trailer #1 (2012) - HD
Fun fact: Karl Urban said he refused to smile or take the helmet off at any point during the movie's filming or even in between takes. He spoke with an American accent and kept a scowl the whole time and stayed serious to keep in character. At one point, a cast member made a joke causing laughter on the set, and Urban gave him the 'Dredd' stare, prompting the person to immediately apologize.
You can watch the playlist of all the trailers of this post here:
This is my third science-fiction post here, check the others here:
@thereadingman/10-of-my-favorite-science
@thereadingman/blade-runner-deckard-is-not
And this is my third collection of movie recommendations, check the last two here:
@thereadingman/7-movies-about-women-every
@thereadingman/5-underrated-time-travel-movies
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So, what do you think? Have you seen any of these movies? Any other dystopian film of this century you would like to add? Well, my friend, that’s what the comment section is for, use it.
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Until the next post.
Take care.
Orlando.