Summary

• Dystopian films reflect on social concerns and explore worst-case scenarios for society, providing a controlled environment for viewers to confront real issues.
• The most heartbreaking dystopian films examine severe environmental damage, nuclear warfare, and resource scarcity, showing how humanity would react in these situations.
• Dystopian films may be dark, but they can also be hopeful, highlighting the brightness in humanity even in the bleakest futures.

The dystopian film genre explores dark and desolate futures for humanity, with some bleak movie worlds standing out as the worst of the worst. The dystopian genre reflects on pertinent social concerns, examining how current issues can lead to worst-case-scenario situations for society. They're "What If" scenarios based on the extremes of current reality, often shaped by technology and ideology. Dystopian media is an important form of critique for modern society, allowing viewers to confront and contemplate real issues in a controlled, fictional environment.

The most heartbreaking dystopian films examine the world after it's experienced severe environmental damage, nuclear warfare, resource scarcity, and more, often exploring how humanity would react to these situations. These times often suggest either harsh and violent governments where bureaucracy has tightened its grip on the lower class or the collapse of government in its entirety. Dystopian films explore dark times, but that doesn't necessarily mean the movies themselves aren't hopeful, as even in the bleakest futures, there's a brightness in humanity.

10 Blade Runner Franchise (1982, 2017)

A neon-lit Los Angeles with no vegetation or animals.

Blade Runner is known for its vibrant cyberpunk aesthetic, but the world depicted in the 1982 classic and its sequel is quite dark. Set in 2019 and 2049 respectively, the films see Earth in a world with significant technological advancements as well as severe environmental decay. Overpopulation and pollution are rampant in this world, there are no living animals, and many humans have resorted to moving to off-world colonies. Blade Runner's examination of dystopia and the human mind makes it one of the best sci-fi movies of all time.

9 The Hunger Games (2012)

A world with annual child death matches.

The Hunger Games takes place in the fictional nation of Panem, where the nation has been divided into the Capitol and twelve impoverished districts. The Capitol and its Peacekeepers exert careful control over the districts and force their participation in the annual games where teenagers are selected from each district to fight to the death. This is a world where child violence serves as a form of entertainment for the wealthy Capitol citizens, making for an oppressive, violent reality of fear for the districts.

8 Metropolis (1927)

The working class is forced to live underground.

Made in 1927, the silent film Metropolis still holds up as a beautiful examination of dystopia and class division. The film takes place in a futuristic city split into a luxurious upper city in the sky and a dark subterranean lower city for the working class. The classic explores this divide, where the lower class works in masses and lives an inhumane, slave-like existence to the structure of their society. Metropolis was way ahead of its time in exploring commentary on capitalism and industrialism in film and is still worth a watch for modern audiences.

7 Brazil (1985)

Bureaucracy is ever-watching.

Brazil is one of the most underrated science fiction gems in film, directed by the great Terry Gilliam and starring Jonathan Pryce and Robert De Niro. Brazil emphasizes surveillance and bureaucracy, as it's a world where people's homes live under the watchful eye of the state and where citizens can be arrested, tortured, and executed without any sort of trial. Citizens of this unnamed city are constantly exposed to propaganda and advertising, creating a consumerist culture to keep civilians complacent despite their controlled conditions.

6 Snowpiercer (2013)

The train isn't great, but the outside world is even worse.

Directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Chris Evans, Snowpiercer explores life on Earth during a second ice age, where the remainder of humankind lives on a perpetually moving train. Snowpiercer follows a similar pattern to usual dystopian films, where the wealthy elite has relegated the poor to the cramped back section of the train. While everyone, no matter their class, is stuck on a train, the wealthy have still managed to carve out a luxurious portion to themselves, which they enforce with strict rules. Snowpiercer is an exciting film about rebellion in a unique setting.

5 Soylent Green (1973)

You don't want to know what's in the food.

Soylent Green is another underappreciated sci-fi classic that stars Charlton Heston. The film is set in New York City in 2022, in a world where overpopulation, pollution, and a scarcity of natural resources have led to a bleak urban environment. The focus of the film surrounds the world's government-issued food rations, which come in various colors, with the most recent being "Soylent Green." The lead character is a detective investigating a murder in a Soylent Green factory, where he begins to uncover devious information regarding the food.

4 Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Constant fight for survival.

The franchise has had multiple installments, but Fury Road is the best Mad Max movie. The films are set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland in the Australian Outback where society has collapsed, resources are scarce, and the world is lawless and violent. Mad Max depicts a constant struggle for survival, as lands are occupied by ruthless warlords and gangs who terrorize and take what they wish.

3 The Road (2009)

The only thing left to eat is each other.

Based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, The Road is one of the darkest post-apocalyptic films out there. Following a boy and his father, played by Viggo Mortensen, the pair attempt to travel down south through the United States in hopes of finding a better life, scavenging for food and water along the way. The series explores its central relationship to The Last of Us though civilization is far more damaged, lacks vegetation due to climate issues, survivors are scarce, and many of those who do exist have turned to cannibalism.

2 Akira (1988)

A post-World War III anime dystopia.

Akira is considered one of the best anime movies of all time, exploring a world set in the aftermath of World War III. Devastating explosive blasts have wiped out many known cities, and the story of Akira takes place in the city of the rebuilt Neo-Tokyo. Political corruption is rampant, resulting in tense social unrest. The film explores the theme of unchecked human ambition, as not only has technology brought the world to its awful state, but humans are now beginning to develop unique psychic powers that could prove even more destructive.

1 Children Of Men (2006)

A world ravaged by infertility.

Directed by the great Alfonso Cuarón, Children of Men explores a world where infertility threatens global extinction. No one has been birthed for decades, leading to despair and hopelessness from the population. As governments have collapsed around the world, the United Kingdom is one of the final bastions of civilization, which must deny entry to floods of refugees. Trying times have resulted in a stricter, harsher government with a heavy military presence. The main character, Theo, is involved in a mission to protect the first pregnant woman in years, representing hope in a society teetering toward collapse.