Post by caitlen on Nov 30, 2008 12:57:26 GMT -5
10 MUST SEE DYSTOPIC FILMS
November 30th, 2008
This is the list of ten dystopic films everyone must see according to me. The fact that I’m a bit of a movie nerd and always compelled to give love to those things no one else pays attention to is probably what brought me to the compiling of this list. I hope you all enjoy–and as always feel free to comment to both your liking and disagreement.
Heavy Metal (1981)
A Canadian sweetheart is how I like to refer to this film. And like all Canadian sweethearts it never gets enough love or credit from the rest of the world. Luckily this animated gem has a unique cult following and despite its copyright issues upon initial release it found it’s way on television and cable stations for 15 years. In short it’s an edgy rock’n'roll futuristic depiction of the journey of a sphere that contains all the evil that’s ever existed. It features the voices of John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty you should really check it out-you won’t be disappointed.
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max is the film (I would argue) that brought Mel Gibson to the rest of the world. A dystopic film by definition it explores the rotting fabric of moral fibre against a wasteland Australia in a future with “no heroes”. This film really outlines a possible beginning of societal collapse as gang violence and crime is on the rise. Also, you see first hand how a very normal man when raped of the things he needs (wife and child) lose all sense of normality and disintegrates before your very eyes re-emerging as a dismal anti hero. A definite must see.
Millennium (1989)
This has to be one of my favorite movies that no one ever talks about. It features a younger (about 20 years younger) Kriss Kristofferson (handsome devil). It’s a film that makes sense of airplane crash phenomenon in a way that is almost plausible. If the future versions of us could go back in time and figure out a way to save the human race they probably would. It’s a dystopic future that goes back in time and shows how dystopic the past (present) really was (is). A future where water is precious and smoking can save lives. A really cool watch in terms of Sci-Fi and rethinking what’s important today; it’s as relevant now as it was in ‘89.
Serenity (2005)
Here is a film that didn’t do well in the box office for one simple reason: lack of an all-star cast. It cost 40 million to make and never made that capital up at the box office. That’s the trouble with great ideas and good production value-modern day audiences won’t give them the time of day unless a name they can recognize is attached to them. Joss Wheddon (Buffy and Angel) is the guy who put it all together but even his name wasn’t enough to make this baby fly. It’s a really good film in terms of outlining that we will in turn and inevitably be the ones who create our own worst enemies via genetic engineering. It’s a nice metaphor for how far science can go and how much you need faith and perseverance to go the rest of the way. Definitely worth watching.
Pitch Black (2000)
I really should name this “The Dystopic Films That Don’t Get Enough Credit List” because that’s apparently what it’s turning into. Pitch Black was the first time I ever saw a “Vin Diesel” movie. I did so on the suggestion of an individual who will remain unnamed. After watching this film I went on to have dream (of a nature I will not discuss) of the male lead for approximately (in and around) 3 months…if not longer. All that aside, it’s a great film that blends the evolution of the anti-hero and the possibility of a future where technology evolves but the perpetual struggle between good and evil does not. If anything they are heightened by technology. It is the depiction of a future where stranded individuals must put their trust in the hands of a killer in the hopes of surviving something that this killer coyly remarks to be something worse than he. Take a gander at this one you will not be disappointed.
Rollerbabies (1976)
Here is another one of my all time favourite movies no one seems to care about but me and a few other very intelligent people. Here’s a film where the water crisis coupled with the outlawing of sex takes you on a journey of young people trying to get away from the “man”. This film is a part sci-fi part coming of age story on wheels. It’s almost impossible to find and forget about being able to rent it. It would seem that the death of VHS has turned rental stores in to an of the moment versus an of the discovery place. Try and find Rollerbabies any way you can. It’s a film more people should get a chance to see.
Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) (1981)
The second instalment in the trilogy is perhaps the most bleak in my opinion. It’s the epitome of disintegrated society warring for petroleum in a lawless wasteland. Max, a former police officer, is now acting as a gun for hire for what seem to be the last of good honest people. He protects them from a gang that is trying to hijack their refinery and will eventually help them transport their fuel to a safe place. Watch this to see how dismal the future can get on the path we are currently on. It’s almost startling to watch a film like this when considering the kind of “talk” going on these days with regards to the world’s problems and how to fix them. Very interesting film to watch indeed.
Blade Runner (1982)
This movie had to be on the list, there simply isn’t any way around it. It’s a film that reminds you of a time when Harrison Ford could be a part of something that mattered to the average person just as much as it did to the cultural elite. If nothing else this film is like watching visual poetry unfold before your eyes and if that wasn’t enough it’s accompanied by some of the most delectable dialogue ever written. Ridley Scott really made something important with this film. It would seem that most of what was great about this movie has been lost on my generation. All that’s left of it were the warnings of genetics and cloning, none of which has really been rectified in any capacity.
[pink]Strange Days (1995)
This was a film that was so ahead of its time we still can’t get a firm grasp on it. Nor can we really appreciate it. It’s a film that incorporated a future where alienation meets virtual reality in the form of narcotics. Are we really that far off today? Set in 1999 it elaborates on a future where corruption can only be battled by an ex cop turned street hustler…if that isn’t enough to entice you it’s got Ralph Fiennes, Tom Sizemore, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Michael Wincott. Why don’t you know about this movie despite its incredibly cast? Because it’s an unjust world we live in-not to worry that’s why I’m here…to help you all along on the path to movie enlightenment.[/pink]
I, Robot (2004)
This one makes the list because heightened technology has brought about heightened paranoia, and not without good reason. Surveillance is the beginning of the implementation of a world much like the one described in I, Robot. And who better to bring this idea to life than Will Smith-the baron of the end of the world movies. What’s interesting in this film that the evolution of technology and free thinking robots isn’t exactly destroyed but rather modified-it transfers the blame onto humans more than onto their counterparts (the robotically inclined). It’s a film that offers more questions than it does solutions-but then again who would trust a film that gave all the answers? We’d probably destroy it before it even made it’s way to theatres.
ETA link: anniegmovies.com/blog/2008/11/30/10-must-see-dystopic-films/
November 30th, 2008
This is the list of ten dystopic films everyone must see according to me. The fact that I’m a bit of a movie nerd and always compelled to give love to those things no one else pays attention to is probably what brought me to the compiling of this list. I hope you all enjoy–and as always feel free to comment to both your liking and disagreement.
Heavy Metal (1981)
A Canadian sweetheart is how I like to refer to this film. And like all Canadian sweethearts it never gets enough love or credit from the rest of the world. Luckily this animated gem has a unique cult following and despite its copyright issues upon initial release it found it’s way on television and cable stations for 15 years. In short it’s an edgy rock’n'roll futuristic depiction of the journey of a sphere that contains all the evil that’s ever existed. It features the voices of John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Joe Flaherty you should really check it out-you won’t be disappointed.
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max is the film (I would argue) that brought Mel Gibson to the rest of the world. A dystopic film by definition it explores the rotting fabric of moral fibre against a wasteland Australia in a future with “no heroes”. This film really outlines a possible beginning of societal collapse as gang violence and crime is on the rise. Also, you see first hand how a very normal man when raped of the things he needs (wife and child) lose all sense of normality and disintegrates before your very eyes re-emerging as a dismal anti hero. A definite must see.
Millennium (1989)
This has to be one of my favorite movies that no one ever talks about. It features a younger (about 20 years younger) Kriss Kristofferson (handsome devil). It’s a film that makes sense of airplane crash phenomenon in a way that is almost plausible. If the future versions of us could go back in time and figure out a way to save the human race they probably would. It’s a dystopic future that goes back in time and shows how dystopic the past (present) really was (is). A future where water is precious and smoking can save lives. A really cool watch in terms of Sci-Fi and rethinking what’s important today; it’s as relevant now as it was in ‘89.
Serenity (2005)
Here is a film that didn’t do well in the box office for one simple reason: lack of an all-star cast. It cost 40 million to make and never made that capital up at the box office. That’s the trouble with great ideas and good production value-modern day audiences won’t give them the time of day unless a name they can recognize is attached to them. Joss Wheddon (Buffy and Angel) is the guy who put it all together but even his name wasn’t enough to make this baby fly. It’s a really good film in terms of outlining that we will in turn and inevitably be the ones who create our own worst enemies via genetic engineering. It’s a nice metaphor for how far science can go and how much you need faith and perseverance to go the rest of the way. Definitely worth watching.
Pitch Black (2000)
I really should name this “The Dystopic Films That Don’t Get Enough Credit List” because that’s apparently what it’s turning into. Pitch Black was the first time I ever saw a “Vin Diesel” movie. I did so on the suggestion of an individual who will remain unnamed. After watching this film I went on to have dream (of a nature I will not discuss) of the male lead for approximately (in and around) 3 months…if not longer. All that aside, it’s a great film that blends the evolution of the anti-hero and the possibility of a future where technology evolves but the perpetual struggle between good and evil does not. If anything they are heightened by technology. It is the depiction of a future where stranded individuals must put their trust in the hands of a killer in the hopes of surviving something that this killer coyly remarks to be something worse than he. Take a gander at this one you will not be disappointed.
Rollerbabies (1976)
Here is another one of my all time favourite movies no one seems to care about but me and a few other very intelligent people. Here’s a film where the water crisis coupled with the outlawing of sex takes you on a journey of young people trying to get away from the “man”. This film is a part sci-fi part coming of age story on wheels. It’s almost impossible to find and forget about being able to rent it. It would seem that the death of VHS has turned rental stores in to an of the moment versus an of the discovery place. Try and find Rollerbabies any way you can. It’s a film more people should get a chance to see.
Mad Max 2 (The Road Warrior) (1981)
The second instalment in the trilogy is perhaps the most bleak in my opinion. It’s the epitome of disintegrated society warring for petroleum in a lawless wasteland. Max, a former police officer, is now acting as a gun for hire for what seem to be the last of good honest people. He protects them from a gang that is trying to hijack their refinery and will eventually help them transport their fuel to a safe place. Watch this to see how dismal the future can get on the path we are currently on. It’s almost startling to watch a film like this when considering the kind of “talk” going on these days with regards to the world’s problems and how to fix them. Very interesting film to watch indeed.
Blade Runner (1982)
This movie had to be on the list, there simply isn’t any way around it. It’s a film that reminds you of a time when Harrison Ford could be a part of something that mattered to the average person just as much as it did to the cultural elite. If nothing else this film is like watching visual poetry unfold before your eyes and if that wasn’t enough it’s accompanied by some of the most delectable dialogue ever written. Ridley Scott really made something important with this film. It would seem that most of what was great about this movie has been lost on my generation. All that’s left of it were the warnings of genetics and cloning, none of which has really been rectified in any capacity.
[pink]Strange Days (1995)
This was a film that was so ahead of its time we still can’t get a firm grasp on it. Nor can we really appreciate it. It’s a film that incorporated a future where alienation meets virtual reality in the form of narcotics. Are we really that far off today? Set in 1999 it elaborates on a future where corruption can only be battled by an ex cop turned street hustler…if that isn’t enough to entice you it’s got Ralph Fiennes, Tom Sizemore, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Michael Wincott. Why don’t you know about this movie despite its incredibly cast? Because it’s an unjust world we live in-not to worry that’s why I’m here…to help you all along on the path to movie enlightenment.[/pink]
I, Robot (2004)
This one makes the list because heightened technology has brought about heightened paranoia, and not without good reason. Surveillance is the beginning of the implementation of a world much like the one described in I, Robot. And who better to bring this idea to life than Will Smith-the baron of the end of the world movies. What’s interesting in this film that the evolution of technology and free thinking robots isn’t exactly destroyed but rather modified-it transfers the blame onto humans more than onto their counterparts (the robotically inclined). It’s a film that offers more questions than it does solutions-but then again who would trust a film that gave all the answers? We’d probably destroy it before it even made it’s way to theatres.
ETA link: anniegmovies.com/blog/2008/11/30/10-must-see-dystopic-films/
