List of dystopian films

This is a list of films commonly regarded as dystopian.

Many of the listed works are not controversial, in the sense that their dystopian character is generally acknowledged. However, some are not universally classified as dystopias. Critics do not always agree whether a particular work is genuinely dystopian or whether - despite the more menacing and dehumanising elements in the society it portrays - it is really an attempt to depict a heterotopia, a society that is neither utopian nor entirely bad, but different from our own.

Such debates frequently surround literary and cinematic works that do not show the classic characteristics of dystopian fiction, such as a government like entity that seeks total control of individuals' lives.

In addition, the following movie list is broken down into categories: those which display an obvious dystopia theme, post-apocalyptic (i.e. Hobbesian), those which ultimately follow a more cyberpunk theme, and those which are more miscellaneously categorized, being that they are in between dystopia/cyberpunk and something else, as previously noted, "not like our society." While the movies appearing under the miscellaneous theme "may" have dystopia-like qualities they do not focus on a dystopian society in their plot. Dystopian films usually display pivotal traits that most utopian societies would avoid. One common trait is mass dehumanization. Where nearly all individuals are required, voluntarily or by force, to eliminate some "natural" emotional, physical, or free will quality as to conform to a society's “unnatural" greater good goals. Movies like "A Clockwork Orange" may seem dystopian, but may not qualify since it is only one criminal individual who is voluntarily dehumanized and not the whole of society. This film then becomes a heterotopia. In "Blade Runner", it is rather ambiguous whether Los Angeles in 2019 is depicted in that film to be a dystopia, or a utopia, however evidence from the film suggests that it was a dystopia, due to the climate, pollution and over-population of the featured LA. Many of the movies under the miscellaneous heading are subjective and up for more careful scrutiny when considering the definition of dystopia.

Dystopia (governmental/societal)

* "Nineteen Eighty-Four" (based on the George Orwell novel of the same name), filmed on two occasions: in 1956 by Michael Anderson and in 1984 by Michael Radford
* "Aachi & Ssipak"
* "Æon Flux"
* "Batman Begins"
* "Battle Royale" based on the novel and manga of the same name.
* "The Beach" based on the 1996 novel by Alex Garland.
* "Blade Runner"
* "Brazil"
* "Children of Men"
* "Code 46"
* "Deathrace 2000" and the remake, "Death Race"
* "Demolition Man"
* "District 13"
* "Escape from New York" and its sequel, "Escape from L.A."
* "Equilibrium"
* "Fahrenheit 451"
*
* "Gattaca"
* "The Handmaid's Tale"
* "Harrison Bergeron", a 1995 made-for-cable film adapted from Kurt Vonnegut's 1961 short story of the same name.
* "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", based on Douglas Adams's eponymous novel, particularly "Vogsphere" (the Vogons' home planet), where independent thought is physically discouraged and nearly all aspects of life are controlled by an overgrown bureacracy.
* "Idiocracy"
* "The Island"
* "Judge Dredd", based on the comic Judge Dredd.
* "Logan's Run"
* ""
* "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang
* "Mutant Chronicles" based on the RPG series Mutant Chronicles
* "Pink Floyd The Wall (film) from the Pink Floyd album The Wall
* "The Omega Man"
* "The Prisoner"
* "Nowhere Man", a TV series.
* "The Running Man" loosely adapted from the novel of the same name written by Stephen King under the alias Richard Bachman
* "A Scanner Darkly" adapted from the novel of the same name written by Philip K. Dick
* "Screamers"
* "Serenity"
* "Sleeper"
* "Soldier"
* "Southland Tales"
* "Soylent Green"
* "THX 1138"
* "The Trial"
* "V for Vendetta", based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore.
* "WALL-E"
* "Z.P.G."

Cyberpunk/techno

* "Akira"
* "Avalon"
* "Blade Runner"
* "Ergo Proxy"
* "eXistenZ"
* "Ghost in the Shell"
* "Johnny Mnemonic"
* "Kin-Dza-Dza!"
* "The Matrix series"
* "Metropolis" by Osamu Tezuka
* "Natural City"
* "Strange Days"
* "Renaissance"

Post-apocalyptic

* "28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later"
* "A Boy and His Dog"
* "Cherry 2000"
* "Deathlands"
* "Def-Con 4"
* "Fist of the North Star"
* "Genesis II"
* "I Am Legend"
* "Jericho (TV series)"
* "Le Dernier Combat"
* "La Jetée"
* "Mad Max" film series
* "Night of the Living Dead"
* "On The Beach" and its 2000 remake "On the Beach"
* ""
* "Parasite"
* "Planet Earth"
* "Quintet"
* "Right At Your Door"
* "Shaun of the Dead"
* "Six-String Samurai"
* "Tank Girl"
* "The Matrix (series)"
* "The Postman"
* "The Quiet Earth"
* "The Stand (TV miniseries)"
* "The Ultimate Warrior"
* "Twelve Monkeys"
* "Ultraviolet"
* "Waterworld"
* "Zardoz"

Corporate based dystopias (nongovernmental)

* "Alien movies"
* "Charlie Jade"
* "The Final Cut"
* "Fortress"
* "Hardware"
* "The Island"
* "Johnny Mnemonic"
* ""
* "One Point O"
* ""
* "Resident Evil"
* "RoboCop"
* "Rollerball" (1975)
* "Soylent Green"
* "Super Mario Bros."
* "Tank Girl"
* "Total Recall"
* "The Truman Show"

Alien controlled dystopias (both governmental and societal)

* "Dark City"
* "They Live" adapted from " [http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/9412/8oclock.html Eight O'Clock in the Morning] " by Ray Nelson
* "The Tripods"
* "Battlefield Earth"

Miscellaneous

* "Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution"
* "The City of Lost Children"
* "Death Race 2000"
* "Encrypt"
* "Idiocracy"
* "Planet of the Apes"
* "Pleasantville"
* "Threads"

Disputed dystopias

* "A Clockwork Orange"
* "Double Dragon"fact|date=July 2008

ee also

* List of dystopian literature
* List of dystopian music, TV programs, and games
* Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction

References

* [http://snarkerati.com/movie-news/the-top-50-dystopian-movies-of-all-time/ A list of 50 dystopian films]