List of dystopian films
This is a list of cinema and television films classified under the Dystopia genre .
A dystopia is the vision of a society that has developed into the opposite of a eutopia (often equated with utopia ). Dystopias often portray states that are characterized by poverty, dictatorship, violence, disease, hunger or extreme environmental pollution and in which the average individual must perceive life as very bad compared to today. Typical dystopias often show states or societies in which the government tries to gain extensive control over the freedom of thought, freedom of information and, in general, the way of life of its citizens. Other dystopias deal with issues such as systematic discrimination, genetics, fertility, intelligence or age, to name just a few examples.
The list of films below includes those that are generally considered dystopian because their story contains one or more essential features that are diametrically opposed to those of a utopian society or contain the features of dystopias mentioned above.
Political or social dystopias
Films in which the plot is mostly about political, social or general dystopian character.
- Metropolis by Fritz Lang (1927)
- Nineteen eighty-four (from 1956) and 1984 (from 1984), both based on George Orwell's novel 1984
- The Trial (1962), based on Franz Kafka's novel The Trial
- Fahrenheit 451 (1966), based on Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451
- Penal Park (1971)
- The Omega Man (1971)
- Silent in Space (1972)
- THX 1138 (1971)
- Births Prohibited (1972)
- ... year 2022 ... who want to survive (1973), based on Harry Harrison's novel New York 1999 (1966)
- The Sleeper (1973)
- Frankenstein's Death Race (1975) and the Remake Death Race (2008)
- Escape to the 23rd Century (1976)
- Sleeping Dogs (1977)
- Turkey Shoot (1982)
- Brazil (1985)
- RoboCop (1987) and the remake RoboCop (2014)
- Running Man (1987), loosely based on Stephen King's novel Manhunt
- The Handmaid's Tale (1990)
- Class of 1999 (1990)
- Delicatessen (1991)
- Judge Dredd (1995), based on the comic of the same name
- Harrison Bergeron - IQ Runner (1995)
- Screamers - Tödliche Schreie (1995), based on the short story " Variant Two " by Philip K. Dick, and the sequel Screamers: The Hunting
- The Rattlesnake (1981) and the sequel Escape from LA (1996)
- Demolition Man (1993)
- Fatherland (1994)
- Gattaca (1997)
- Star Force Soldier (1998)
- Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (1999)
- Jin-Roh (1999)
- Matrix , a film trilogy consisting of the films Matrix (1999), Matrix Reloaded (2003) and Matrix Revolutions (2003) as well as the animated episode film Animatrix (2003)
- Battle Royale (2000), based on the story Battle Royale and the manga of the same name, as well as the sequel Battle Royale II: Requiem (2003)
- Equilibrium (2002)
- Minority Report (2002), based on Philip K. Dick's short story Minority Report
- Code 46 (2003)
- Revengers Tragedy (2003)
- FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions (2004) by Carlos Atanes (2004)
- Ghettogangz - Hell before Paris (2004) and the sequel Ghettogangz 2 - Ultimatum (2009)
- Æon Flux (2005), loosely based on the MTV cartoon series of the same name
- The Island (2005)
- Serenity - Escape into New Worlds (2005), the film sequel to the series Firefly - Der Aufbruch der Serenity by Joss Whedon
- Ultraviolet (2006)
- V for Vendetta (2006), based on Alan Moore's comic novel
- A Scanner Darkly (2006), based on Philip K. Dick's novel The Dark Screen
- The Bothersome Man (2006)
- Land of the Blind (2006)
- Idiocracy (2006)
- La Antena (2007)
- Southland Tales (2007)
- City of Ember (2008)
- Babylon AD (2008)
- 2012: Doomsday (2008)
- Doomsday (2008)
- Dark Planet - Prisoners of Power (2008)
- 2081 (2009)
- District 9 (2009)
- Gamer (2009)
- Metropia (2009)
- Moon (2009)
- Repo Men (2010)
- Maximum Shame ( Maximum Shame ) by Carlos Atanes (2010)
- Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)
- The Coming Days (2011)
- All We Had To Give (2011)
- In Time - Your time is running out (2011)
- Dredd (2012)
- Looper (2012)
- Total Recall (2012)
- Cloud Atlas (2012)
- The Hunger Games (2012)
- The Hunger Games - Catching Fire (2013)
- The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)
- The Hunger Games - Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)
- The Purge (2013)
- The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
- The Purge: Election Year (2016)
- The Machine (2013)
- Snowpiercer (2013)
- Elysium (2013)
- The Zero Theorem (2013)
- Keepers of Memory - The Giver (2014)
- The Destiny - Divergent (2014)
- The Destiny - Insurgent (2015)
- The Destiny - Allegiant (2016)
- High Rise (2015)
- Where She Is (2017)
- Departure into the unknown (2017)
- Ghost in the Shell (2017)
- What Happened to Monday? (2017)
Economic dystopias
Economic dystopias are very similar to political and social dystopias, but the authority exercising power consists of one or more companies instead of governments. In these films, economic profit is often the main goal.
- … Year 2022… who want to survive (1973), original title: Soylent Green , based on Harry Harrison's novel New York 1999 from 1966
- Rollerball (1975) and Rollerball (2002)
- Alien , film series consisting of Alien - The uncanny creature from a strange world (1979), Aliens - The return (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien - The rebirth (1997) and the prequel Prometheus - Dark Characters (2012)
- Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)
- Blade Runner (1982), based on the story Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
- Death Watch (1980)
- Max Headroom (1987)
- RoboCop (1987) and the sequels RoboCop 2 (1990) and RoboCop 3 (1993)
- MARK 13 - Hardware (1990)
- Prayer of the Rollerboys (1990)
- Total Recall - Total Recall (1990) and the TV sequel Total Recall 2070 (1998)
- Fortress (1993)
- Escape from Absolom (1994)
- Networked - Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
- Tank Girl (1995)
- Resident Evil film series by Paul WS Anderson , consisting of Resident Evil (2002), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) and Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
- The Final Cut (2004)
- I, Robot (2004) loosely based on Isaac Asimov's Ich, der Robot
- One Point Zero - You Are Programmed (2004)
- The Island (2005)
- Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
- Daybreakers (2009)
- Gamer (2009)
- Metropia (2009)
- Surrogates - My Second Me (2009)
- Tekken (2010)
- Hidden Reserves (2016)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
World ruled by aliens
The following dystopias differ from general ones in that humans / humanity are oppressed by alien invaders.
| title | year | References |
|---|---|---|
| Battlefield Earth - battle for the earth | 2000 | based on L. Ron Hubbard's novel Battle for Earth |
| Body Snatchers - attack the body eater | 1993 | Film adaptations of Jack Finney's novel The Body Eaters are coming |
| Dark City | 1998 | |
| The 5th wave | 2016 | |
| The demonic | 1956 | Film adaptations of Jack Finney's novel The Body Eaters are coming |
| The three-legged rulers | 1984-1985 | a link to War of the Worlds |
| The body eaters are coming | 1978 | Film adaptations of Jack Finney's novel The Body Eaters are coming |
| Final Fantasy: The forces within you | 2001 | |
| La planète sauvage | 1973 | |
| Oblivion | 2013 | |
| Recyclo Transformers | 2007 | |
| Riddick: Chronicles of a Warrior | 2004 | |
| you live | 1988 | |
| Titan AE | 2000 |
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a dystopian branch of science fiction literature from the 1980s. In contrast to the classic utopias of other science fiction genres, the world of cyberpunk is not shiny and sterile-clean, but gloomy and characterized by violence and pessimism, with high-tech playing a major role. Classic cyberpunk characters are marginalized people living on the fringes of society whose lives are determined by rapid technological interventions.
| title | year | References |
|---|---|---|
| 12 monkeys | 1995 | |
| A scanner darkly | 2006 | Based on the novel The Dark Screen by Philip K. Dick (1977) |
| Aachi & Ssipak | 2006 | |
| Alita: Battle Angel | 2019 | based on the manga Battle Angel Alita |
| Akira | 1988 | some references to Blade Runner |
| Avalon - game for your life | 2001 | |
| Babylon AD | 2008 | is based on the novel Babylon Babies |
| Blade runner | 1982 | The literary source is the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? |
| Blade Runner 2049 | 2017 | Blade Runner movie sequel |
| Brazil | 1985 | The original title was "1984 and ½" - an allusion to both George Orwell's famous novel 1984 and Federico Fellini's film 8½ |
| Chrysalis - Deadly Memory | 2007 | The authors used the horror film Eyes Without a Face as a template |
| the rattlesnake | 1981 | |
| Equilibrium | 2002 | |
| existence | 1999 | Similar to the book Simulacron-3 , Cronenberg's film raises the question of what is reality and what is merely sensory input with which an individual is fed. |
| Freejack - hostage of the future | 1992 | based on the 1959 novel Immortality, Inc. |
| Ghost in the Shell | 1995 | based on the manga of the same name Ghost in the Shell |
| Ghost in the Shell 2 - Innocence | 2004 | based on the manga Ghost in the Shell |
| Ghost in the Shell (2017) | 2017 | based on the manga Ghost in the Shell |
| IKU | 2000 | the plot can be seen as a sequel to the American film Blade Runner . |
| Networked - Johnny Mnemonic | 1995 | is based on the cyberpunk short story The Mnemonic Johnny |
| matrix | 1999 | cites cyberpunk films like Blade Runner , Total Recall - Total Recall, and Brazil . |
| Metropolis of Osamu Tezuka | 2001 | |
| Minority Report | 2002 | is based on the short story The Minorities Report |
| Natural City | 2003 | clear parallels to Ridley Scott's Blade Runner |
| Nirvana | 1997 | |
| One Point Zero - You are programmed | 2004 | |
| Renaissance | 2006 | |
| Sleep dealer | 2008 | |
| Strange days | 1995 | |
| Surrogates - My second self | 2009 | is based on the graphic novel of the same name |
| Tank girl | 1995 | based on the cartoon series Tank Girl |
| Tetsuo: The Iron Man | 1989 | |
| Terminator | 1984 | see Terminator (film) #Screenplay |
| The 13th Floor - Are you what you think? | 1999 | It is based on the science fiction novel Simulacron-3 , published in 1964 . |
| Tron | 1982 | |
| Tron Legacy | 2010 | Successor to Tron |
| Videodrome | 1983 | |
| world on wire | 1973 | It is based on the science fiction novel Simulacron-3 , published in 1964 . |
Post-apocalyptic
Post-apocalyptic films are set after an event that destroyed large parts of humanity and the civilization it built. Old social orders no longer apply, and an archaic system of the stronger often prevails. Post-apocalyptic narratives are a dystopian sub-genre of science fiction and fantasy. They differ from dystopias through drastic, apocalyptic or grotesque doomsday scenarios as extreme cases of dystopia.
- Five (1951)
- The Last Shore (1959)
- The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
- Panic in Year Zero (1962)
- The Last Man on Earth (1964)
- The Bed-Sitting Room (1969)
- The Omega Man (1971)
- Genesis II (1973)
- The Boy and His Dog (1974)
- Zardoz (1974)
- Planet Earth (1974)
- The Noah (1975)
- New York No More Answering (1975)
- Quintet (1979)
- Mad Max (1979) and the sequels Mad Max II - The Executor (1981) Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome (1985) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- Malevil (1981)
- The Killer Parasite (1982)
- 2019, After the Fall of New York (1983)
- Rock & Rule (1983)
- The Last Fight (1983)
- The Last Testament (1983)
- The Day After (1983)
- Nausicaä from the Valley of the Winds (anime) (1984)
- Threads (1984)
- Quiet Earth - The Last Experiment (1985)
- Def-Con 4 (1985)
- Robot Holocaust (1986)
- Cherry 2000 (1987)
- Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988)
- Cyborg (1989)
- The Jugger (1989)
- Ultra Warrior (1990)
- 12 Monkeys (1995)
- Waterworld (1995)
- Tank Girl (1995)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) and the films Death and Rebirth and The End of Evangelion (both 1997)
- Postman (1997)
- Six-String Samurai (1998)
- Titan AE (2000)
- 28 Days Later (2002) and the sequel 28 Weeks Later (2007)
- Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and Terminator: Redemption (2009)
- Wolf Time (2003)
- Code 46 (2003)
- Casshern (2004)
- Land of the Dead (2005)
- Origin: Spirits of the Past (Anime) (2006)
- Ultraviolet (2006)
- Children of Men (2006)
- I Am Legend (2007)
- 20 Years After (2008)
- The City of the Blind (2008)
- City of Ember (2008)
- WALL E - The last one cleans up the earth (2008)
- Attack on Titan (Manga / Anime) (2009)
- Pandorum (2009)
- 9 (2009)
- The Road (2009)
- The Book of Eli (2010)
- Hell (2011) and the remake USS Charleston - The Last Hope of Mankind (2000)
- The Survivalist (2015)
- The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)
various
The following films contain dystopian elements, but these play a subordinate role in the plot compared to others such as science fiction or thriller elements or cannot be assigned to any of the above categories.
- Lemmy Caution gegen Alpha 60 (1965), also published as Lemmy Caution gegen Alpha 60
- Planet of the Apes - film series based on Pierre Boulle 's novel of the same name , consisting of the films Planet of the Apes (1968), Return to the Planet of the Apes (1970), Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) , The Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1972) and the remake Planet of the Apes (2003)
- The Millionaire Game (1970)
- A clockwork orange (1971)
- Wired World (1973)
- The Man Who Fell From Heaven (1976)
- The Warriors (1979)
- The City of Lost Children (1995)
- Pleasantville Too Good To Be True (1998)
- The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
- Encrypt
- Invasion (2007)
- Cargo (2009)
- Inception (2010)
- Steins; Gate (2011)
- Oblivion (2013)
- Transcendence (2014)
- Maze Runner: The Chosen in the Labyrinth (2014)
- Maze Runner: The Chosen in the Burning Desert (2015)
- Maze Runner: The Chosen in the Death Zone (2018)
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Postmodern Metanarratives: Blade Runner and Literature in the Age of Image. by Décio Torres Cruz. 2014. Cyberpunk section