Top 5 Dystopian Future Movies

11th December 2014

By Kate Voss.

Cinema in the second half of the 20th century underwent a science-fiction renaissance. Some of the most memorable of these films cast light on modern society through the lens of dark, disturbing future scenarios. The following five are the best of that bunch.

5. I Am Legend (2007)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtKMEAXyPkg]

In this apocalyptic zombie flick based loosely upon Richard Matheson’s eponymous novel, Will Smith spends most of his time with only the company of his dog and a horde of nocturnal zombies that run at incredible velocities and demonstrate ferocity of the same magnitude. Apparently, in a bid to cure cancer, scientists inadvertently created the virus responsible for the zombies. In turn, it seems the zombies have devoured all human life and left Manhattan a ghost town, with the exception of our protagonist. His struggle to find a cure imbues the movie with a feeling of dread about the dangers of science and technology.

4. Logan’s Run (1976)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USADM5Gk9Gs]

At first glance, the future in this film looks great. Everyone is young, beautiful and dedicated to a life of pleasure seeking. In short, Logan (Michael York) lives in a utopia. The illusion loses its appeal when viewers find out that the fun runs out at the age of 30, when people get “renewed,” which turns out to be quite the euphemism. Reminiscent of Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World, the film takes the cult of perfection and youth to one logical extreme and marries it with hedonism to construct a thinly veiled critique of the era.

3. The Omega Man (1971)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkU18MrBzU]

Before Will Smith battled with his speed zombies in the remake, Charlton Heston starred in this adaptation of the book Matheson’s I Am Legend. The zombies in this version are slower and less terrifying than in the more recent movie, but still just as bloodthirsty. Also, they are called “the Family.” Their Luddite views drive their desire to kill the protagonist, as they believe he represents all the things that coalesced to knock civilization off the rails. Heston’s character has other plans, however. While the aforementioned film adaptation starring Will Smith really is striking, this is a far more nuanced film — and one that may get you thinking critically about the technology you’ve become overly dependent on in your own day to day life.

2. Soylent Green (1973)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LozJSTjrvek]

Heston came back to another dismal portrayal of the future to play Frank Thorn, a detective in this overheating, extremely polluted environment no longer capable of agricultural production. Most people now live in slum-like conditions. In order to feed the teeming masses, the government provides everyone with soylent green. The government boasts that their scientists have harnessed the energy of the ocean’s plankton to create a plentiful, nutritious foodstuff. The good detective finds out that the government’s intentions…well, let’s just say the ingredients may not be up to snuff. While a little dated aesthetically, it’s as relevant as ever topically: the average energy consumer is becoming more eco-conscious than ever before (more info here) and more and more energy producers, such as like First Solar Inc. and OhioGasCompanies.com vying to offer cleaner energy alternatives. In terms of agribusiness in the modern world, though…well, we’ve got a ways to go yet.

1. Planet of the Apes (1968)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6luDsjJqgjA]

This classic films still holds up, despite the costumes and special effects. In terms of social commentary, the series takes on everything from environmental destruction to racism to animal rights. That’s a lot to pack into one movie, but for the most part, the entertainment factor wins the day. The first part of the movie almost feels like an old adventure movie, as some astronauts find themselves on a mysterious planet and make their way through a world dominated by talking primates. That seems bad enough, but George Taylor (yep — Charlton Heston) finds that the apes are not the most disturbing thing about this place. The fact that Rod Serling worked on the screenplay should give movie buffs enough of an incentive to give this film a chance.

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