Dystopian Movies You Need to Watch
By Clarence
People have always had a fascination with stories of chaos, injustice, and suffering. That's why dystopian movies are always a good choice when it comes to films. It's different enough with our current reality that it keeps us entertained, but mirrors the struggles we face that we can relate on a certain level. If you're looking for a good watch, here's a list of great dystopian movies you've probably haven't watched yet.
Way before Bong Joon-ho gave us Parasite, he already gave us one of the best dystopian movies in 2014. Snowpiercer is post-apocalyptic movie where survivors are aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that runs all year round, all over the world. The train arranges its passengers based on a system. The poor people are placed at the back of the train, cramped, while the elite are at luxury in the cars nearer the front. The lower-class passengers fight their way towards the front, discovering how vastly different the rich and the poor live. This is a reflection of how our society operates today, despite the non-existence of a class system.
A TV series with the same name will be released on May 31, 2020 and will act as a prequel to the existing movie.
The Girl With All The Gifts (2016)
When talking about dystopian movies, zombies are usually a part of the story. The Girl With All The Gifts takes us to a future where people have become zombies after getting infected. A group of children who are infected yet immune undergo a series of experiments in an army base in England – until the base gets attacked. One of the children, Melanie, gets to escape with a teacher, a scientist, and two soldiers from the base and becomes the only hope for a cure that could save the human race. The film is based on a novel with the same name by M.R. Carey.
What Happened to Monday (2017)
Overpopulation is a problem that we are facing today. What Happened to Monday is a dystopian film that tackles this exact problem. Set In a world where one-child families are enforced, a man is suddenly faced with the task of taking care of his seven identical grandchildren – after his daughter died giving birth. Naming the children after the days of the week, he tells them that each of them can only go out on the day they are assigned to. Outside, all of them are only one person, Karen Settman. One day, one of their sisters, Monday, goes missing. This leads the remaining six sisters to investigate while trying not to get caught by the government.
Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
If we are talking about dystopian movies, we cannot miss the film adaptation of the classic dystopian novel, 1984 by George Orwell. The film is praised to be a "masterly adaptation" of the film compared to its 1956 counterpart. In a totalitarian government where everyone is being monitored by the Thought Police, the film tells us the story of Winston Smith, a government worker tasked with rewriting history, gets involved in an illegal love affair with Julia, a fellow government worker. The affair lasts for a few months until they are arrested by the Thought Police. The two are then separated and brought to the Ministry of Love to be "rehabilitated" and to once again, conform with the government's ideals.
Bird Box made its rounds last year as a dystopian movie with an added dose of horror. One look and you will take your life – that is the premise that starts off the story of Bird Box. It follows the story of a mother and her twins to a sanctuary where they can live peacefully, away from the unknown force that is killing people. However, to reach the sanctuary, they have to take a two-day journey through a forest and across the river – blindfolded. This film shows us the horrors of what it's like to have our sense of sight taken away.
Battle Royale (2000)
Arguably one of the best dystopian movies of all time, Battle Royale, is a horrifying film in its own right. A class of 42 students is forced to kill each other for survival in a remote island due to a new law the Japanese government passed. For three days, the students will have to kill each other until only one survives. If, by the time three days have passed and more than one student is still alive, the collar attached to their necks will explode – killing them all. The movie is full of gruesome and brutal deaths that play with the audience's mind and morale.
Battle Royale is a dystopian classic and is considered to be one of the most influential movies of all time. It has not only become the inspiration for films such as The Hunger Games and The Tournament, but it has also inspired games like Fortnite's Battle Royale.
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