Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Distopia 'R Us

This is topic Distopia 'R Us in forum General Sci-Fi at Flare Sci-Fi Forums.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://flare.solareclipse.net/ultimatebb.php/topic/8/237.html

Posted by USS Vanguard (Member # 130) on :

Along the same line as my last thread. What are everybody's favorite distopias? From 1984 to a Handmaid's tale, to Brave New world.

------------------
"Life sucks, then you die"

Posted by Quatre Winner (Member # 464) on :

*in no particular order*

Blade Runner
1984
The Handmaid's Tale
Earth Abides
Warday
A Canticle For Liebowitz
Fatherland
Alas, Babylon

There's prolly more I like, I just can't think of em' right now.

------------------
"Okashii na... namida ga nagareteru. Hitotsu mo kanashikunai no ni."
(That's funny... my tears are falling. And I'm not sad at all.) - Quatre Raberba Winner

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

I recall liking Johnny Neumonic (sp?). Gattica was pretty cool too.

------------------
"You don't tug on Superman's cape.
You don't spit into the wind.
You don't pull the mask off the ole' Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim."
Aban's Illustration www.alanfore.com

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Cube

------------------
"That's your plan? Wile E. Coyote would come up with a better plan than that!"
- Crighton, Farscape.

Posted by The Talented Mr. Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :

Hmm... the Matrix was good. Again anime provides some excellent ones, Battle Angel Alita, Vampire Hunter D. Actually, many futuristic films present a dystopic view of the future, presumably because there is a good chance that the future is going to be bleak with pollution, overpopulation etc.

------------------
*Kenshiro gets off bed made from solid stone*
*Bed made from solid stone explodes*
Fist of the North Star

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

RoboTech?

�on Flux, anime without the bugeyes and nonexistent noses.

------------------
Here lies a toppled god,
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one.

-Tleilaxu Epigram

Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :

Blade Runner
1984
The Handmaid's Tale

- Yeah, these three qualify.

Earth Abides
Warday
A Canticle For Liebowitz

- More post-apocalyptic, surely? As in that other thread.

Fatherland

- Alternate universe fiction? Nah.

Alas, Babylon

- Don't know this one.

------------------
"Businesses used to be like Christianity; if you were faithful and obedient, you could obtain bliss in the afterlife of retirement. Now it's more of a reincarnation model. If the worker learns enough in his current job, he can progress to a higher level of employment elsewhere."

- Dogbert

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

I think he means Babylon 5.

------------------
"That's your plan? Wile E. Coyote would come up with a better plan than that!"
- Crighton, Farscape.

Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :

I think he woulda said "Babylon 5" if that's what he meant.

------------------
Star Trek Gamma Quadrant
Average Rated 6.83 out of 10 Smileys by Fabrux
***
"Oh, yes, screw logic, let's go for a theory with no evidence!"
-Forum Member Who Shall Be Nameless. 11:48am, Jan. 19th, 2001

Posted by Quatre Winner (Member # 464) on :

Alas, Babylon was written in the 1950's by Pat Frank is the story of life in a small central Florida town after World War 3 has occured.

And why I included "Fatherland" is because that alternate history CAN be dystopian and that any alt. history that has Hitler winning WW2 would be very bad.

------------------
"Okashii na... namida ga nagareteru. Hitotsu mo kanashikunai no ni."
(That's funny... my tears are falling. And I'm not sad at all.) - Quatre Raberba Winner

Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :

I'm rather suprised that no one mentioned Dark City (1998), Metropolis (1927) or Brazil (1985). All great films.

But then there is a whole slew of lesser flicks which includes but is not limited to the following:

Escape From New York (1981)
The Fifth Element (1997) (not top drawer, but I rather liked it)
Demolition Man (1993) (rather yucky)
Mad Max (1979)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) (these have post-apocalyptic overtones to be sure)
Waterworld (1995) (yes everyone hated it, but watch it again and it might be a bit better)
The Postman (1997) (everyone hated it, and they were right to do so)
The Terminator (1984)
------------------
"We're just going to have a lot of work. ... Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment."
~ George W. Bush, Deer-In-The-Headlights of the United States

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited January 30, 2001).]

Posted by ScottKey on :

Soylent Green is PEOPLE!!

Posted by The Talented Mr. Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :

I liked Brazil, alright, the ending was f*cked up. Actually, the whole film was f*cked up.

------------------
*Kenshiro gets off bed made from solid stone*
*Bed made from solid stone explodes*
Fist of the North Star

[This message has been edited by Gurgeh (edited January 30, 2001).]

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

Soylent Green
Planet of the Apes
Dark City
City of Lost Children

And the USA from 1992-2001.

And for a Utopia, Might I suggest "The Curious Republic of Gondour," by Mark Twain.

Twain came up with a true meritocracy. Universal suffrage, PLUS.

Everybody got one vote, but those who attained greater property ownership or a greater amount of education got extra votes. The property votes were ephemeral, and could be lost with a downturn of fortunes, and were harder to come by, but the education votes were permanent. A person with a full university education, but no property, got nine votes.

Learning being more prevalent and more easily acquired, learned men became a check on wealthy men, because they could outvote them. Grandeur became measured not by amout of money, but by amount of votes. The schools thusly filled with enthusiastic learners.

------------------
"My knowledge and experience far exceeds your own, by, oh, about a BILLION times!" -- Q

[This message has been edited by First of Two (edited January 30, 2001).]

Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :

1984
Johnny Mneumonic
Demolition Man
Waterworld
Max Max: Beyond Thunderdome
And if I can add it, Dark Angel

------------------
Chickety china, the chinese chicken, you have?

Posted by The Talented Mr. Gurgeh (Member # 318) on :

I thought "Beyond Thunderdome" was the worst of the Mad Max series.

------------------
*Kenshiro gets off bed made from solid stone*
*Bed made from solid stone explodes*
Fist of the North Star

[This message has been edited by Gurgeh (edited January 31, 2001).]

Posted by Fabrux (Member # 71) on :

You see, that's my problem. I like just about everything!

------------------
Chickety china, the chinese chicken, you have?

Posted by Quatre Winner (Member # 464) on :

I'm surprised nobody mentioned "Akira".

------------------
"Okashii na... namida ga nagareteru. Hitotsu mo kanashikunai no ni."
(That's funny... my tears are falling. And I'm not sad at all.) - Quatre Raberba Winner

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

Or "Vampire Hunter D"
Or... that one where the guy can make people's heads explode by punching them.

------------------
"My knowledge and experience far exceeds your own, by, oh, about a BILLION times!" -- Q

Posted by USS Vanguard (Member # 130) on :

well i'm surprised no one's mentioned Burgess's A Clockwork Orange.

------------------
"Life sucks, then you die"

Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :

I thought of Clockwork, but I'm not so sure it is distopian in nature. It uses a more present time frame for it's narritive. It was more of a character and a study of violence than a noir.

------------------
"We're just going to have a lot of work. ... Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment."
~ George W. Bush, Deer-In-The-Headlights of the United States

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Well 'Foist', Fist of the north star was the movie where he could fight with pressure points, so it's been in here in a way, by sig.

------------------
Here lies a toppled god,
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one.

-Tleilaxu Epigram

Posted by Quatre Winner (Member # 464) on :

Question: Would "Dune" be dystopian? I would think so to a degree.

------------------
"Okashii na... namida ga nagareteru. Hitotsu mo kanashikunai no ni."
(That's funny... my tears are falling. And I'm not sad at all.) - Quatre Raberba Winner

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Yes, I said that earlier.

Dune is 10000 years after thinking machines enslaved the earth and later was conquered, triggering the butlerian jihad, the cleansing of artificial intelligence.
They would have a handful in the Star Wars universe...

------------------
Here lies a toppled god,
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one.

-Tleilaxu Epigram

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Depends on who you are in it. Certainly, ten thousand years of feudalism isn't what I would call a good thing. But you never get to see much of any civilian population.

That's before Paul comes along and kicks everything over, of course.

------------------
I will shout until they know what I mean.
--
Neutral Milk Hotel
****
Read three (three!) chapters of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Then, go insane!

Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :

Hell, in that case, we should include Battlefield Earth.

Let the shuddering begin.

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

Well it WAS written by L. Ron Hubbard.

Sol: Well I think the rule of the Padishah Emperors from House Corrino all those thousand years up until Paul would seem like a walk in the park compared to what Leto III put them through for 4000 years to come.

------------------
Here lies a toppled god,
His fall was not a small one.
We did but build his pedestal,
A narrow and a tall one.

-Tleilaxu Epigram