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on 26 Mar 2008 05:39

 
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Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time

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People who added this item 1443  Average listal rating (712 ratings) 8.3  IMDB Rating 8.4 
1. Metropolis (1927)
Synopsis: In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predicts the coming of a saviour to mediate their differences.

Setting: 'Metropolis' - Sprawling cityscape.
Year: 2026
Review: Here
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People who added this item 4853  Average listal rating (3129 ratings) 8.2  IMDB Rating 8.4 
2. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Synopsis: In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and later volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the government in an effort to solve society's crime problem... but not all goes to plan.

Setting: 'London' - Anarchic cityscape
Year: Unspecified
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People who added this item 1749  Average listal rating (997 ratings) 7.8  IMDB Rating
3. Brazil (1985)
Synopsis: A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state.

Setting: Unnamed city
Year: Unspecified

People who added this item 685  Average listal rating (364 ratings) 8.4  IMDB Rating
4. Wings of Desire (1987)
Synopsis: An angel tires of overseeing human activity and wishes to become human when he falls in love with a mortal.

Setting: 'Berlin' - Modern day and wartime eras
Year: 1980s
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People who added this item 3389  Average listal rating (2210 ratings) 8  IMDB Rating 8.3 
5. Blade Runner (1982)
Synopsis: Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to earth seeking their maker...

Setting: 'Los Angeles' - Sprawling cityscape
Year: 2019
Review: Here
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People who added this item 2817  Average listal rating (1859 ratings) 7.5  IMDB Rating 7.9 
6. Children of Men (2006)
Synopsis: In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

Setting: 'England' - London, Kent, Coastal town ghetto
Year: 2027
Review: Here
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People who added this item 8328  Average listal rating (4949 ratings) 7.8  IMDB Rating 8.7 
7. The Matrix (1999)
Synopsis: A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against the controllers of it.

Setting: 'America' - Present Day, 'Subterranean Earth' - Apocalyptic future
Year: Present Day
Review: Here
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People who added this item 836  Average listal rating (576 ratings) 7.4  IMDB Rating 7.6 
8. The Road Warrior (1981)
Synopsis: In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich community escape a band of bandits.

Setting: 'Australia' - Desert wastes.
Year: Unspecified
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People who added this item 4038  Average listal rating (2826 ratings) 6.9  IMDB Rating 7.7 
9. Minority Report (2002)
Synopsis: In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.

Setting: 'Washington D.C' - Futuristic society.
Year: 2054
Review: Here
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People who added this item 986  Average listal rating (544 ratings) 7.6  IMDB Rating 7.7 
10. Delicatessen (1991)
Synopsis: Post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who creates cannibalistic meals for his odd tenants.

Setting: 'France' - Rural apocalyptic town.
Year: 1950s
Review: Here
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People who added this item 581  Average listal rating (356 ratings) 7  IMDB Rating 7.2 
11. Sleeper (1973)
Synopsis: A nerdish store owner is revived out of cryostasis into a future world to fight an oppressive government.

Setting: 'New York' - Sprawling cityscape.
Year: 2173

People who added this item 282  Average listal rating (127 ratings) 8  IMDB Rating 7.7 
12. The Trial (1962)
Synopsis: An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.

Setting: Unnamed City
Year: Unspecified

People who added this item 483  Average listal rating (259 ratings) 7.3  IMDB Rating 7.1 
13. Alphaville (1965)
Synopsis: Suddenly the word is Alphaville... and a secret agent is in a breathless race against the Masters of the Future.

Setting: 'Alphaville' - Sprawling cityscape.
Year: Present day
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People who added this item 3396  Average listal rating (2260 ratings) 7.7  IMDB Rating 8.1 
14. 12 Monkeys (1995)
Synopsis: In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.

Setting: 'Baltimore' - Sprawling cityscape, Underground civilisation
Year: Present day, 2035
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People who added this item 1530  Average listal rating (968 ratings) 7.5  IMDB Rating 7.9 
15. Serenity (2005)
Synopsis: The crew of the ship Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of their number who is telepathic.

Setting: Otherworldly planets.
Year: 26th Century

People who added this item 1610  Average listal rating (1030 ratings) 6.9  IMDB Rating 7.5 
16. Pleasantville (1998)

People who added this item 1057  Average listal rating (601 ratings) 7.6  IMDB Rating 7.8 
17. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
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People who added this item 1548  Average listal rating (978 ratings) 7.6  IMDB Rating 7.8 
18. Battle Royale (2000)
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People who added this item 1991  Average listal rating (1332 ratings) 6.6  IMDB Rating 7.5 
19. RoboCop (1987)
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People who added this item 1290  Average listal rating (784 ratings) 7.8  IMDB Rating
20. Akira (1988)
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People who added this item 712  Average listal rating (375 ratings) 7.5  IMDB Rating 7.6 
21. The City of Lost Children (1995)
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People who added this item 1269  Average listal rating (826 ratings) 7.5  IMDB Rating
22. Planet of the Apes (1968)
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People who added this item 5991  Average listal rating (3952 ratings) 7.7  IMDB Rating 8.2 
23. V for Vendetta (2005)
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People who added this item 480  Average listal rating (222 ratings) 7.1  IMDB Rating 7.2 
24. Metropolis (2001)
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People who added this item 1781  Average listal rating (1190 ratings) 7.2  IMDB Rating 7.8 
25. Gattaca (1997)
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People who added this item 597  Average listal rating (320 ratings) 7.2  IMDB Rating 7.2 
26. Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

People who added this item 102  Average listal rating (61 ratings) 6.7  IMDB Rating 7.3 
27. On the Beach (1959)

People who added this item 1313  Average listal rating (845 ratings) 6.8  IMDB Rating
28. Mad Max (1979)
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People who added this item 1798  Average listal rating (1250 ratings) 7  IMDB Rating 7.5 
29. Total Recall (1990)
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People who added this item 1237  Average listal rating (791 ratings) 7.5  IMDB Rating 7.8 
30. Dark City (1998)
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People who added this item 334  Average listal rating (199 ratings) 6.8  IMDB Rating 7.1 
31. The War of the Worlds (1953)
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People who added this item 429  Average listal rating (296 ratings) 6.8  IMDB Rating 7.1 
32. District B13 (2004)
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People who added this item 592  Average listal rating (413 ratings) 6.9  IMDB Rating 7.1 
33. They Live (1988)
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People who added this item 535  Average listal rating (271 ratings) 6.8  IMDB Rating 6.8 
34. THX 1138 (1971)
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People who added this item 1041  Average listal rating (700 ratings) 7  IMDB Rating 7.2 
35. Escape from New York (1981)
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People who added this item 1421  Average listal rating (796 ratings) 6.7  IMDB Rating
36. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
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People who added this item 177  Average listal rating (106 ratings) 6.6  IMDB Rating 6.7 
37. Silent Running (1972)
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People who added this item 3669  Average listal rating (2391 ratings) 6.7  IMDB Rating
38. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

People who added this item 615  Average listal rating (312 ratings) 7.1  IMDB Rating 7.1 
39. 1984 (1984)
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People who added this item 177  Average listal rating (86 ratings) 6.5  IMDB Rating 6.5 
40. A Boy and His Dog (1975)
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People who added this item 425  Average listal rating (241 ratings) 6.9  IMDB Rating
41. Soylent Green (1973)
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People who added this item 3537  Average listal rating (2464 ratings) 6.5  IMDB Rating
42. I, Robot (2004)
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People who added this item 323  Average listal rating (210 ratings) 6.7  IMDB Rating 6.8 
43. Logan's Run (1976)
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People who added this item 524  Average listal rating (316 ratings) 6.7  IMDB Rating 7.1 
44. Strange Days (1995)
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People who added this item 873  Average listal rating (570 ratings) 5.8  IMDB Rating 6.4 
45. Idiocracy (2006)
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People who added this item 232  Average listal rating (153 ratings) 6.3  IMDB Rating 6.2 
46. Death Race 2000 (1975)

People who added this item 204  Average listal rating (132 ratings) 6.4  IMDB Rating 6.5 
47. Rollerball (1975)
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People who added this item 1670  Average listal rating (1222 ratings) 6.4  IMDB Rating 7.1 
48. Starship Troopers (1997)
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People who added this item 87  Average listal rating (34 ratings) 6.1  IMDB Rating
49. Paranoia: 1.0 (2004)

People who added this item 1679  Average listal rating (1155 ratings) 7.1  IMDB Rating 7.6 
50. Equilibrium (2002)
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This list documents the greatest dystopian films humanity has to offer. It is taken from another website which can easily be found by searching the list name on Google. Each film synopsis is taken from Imdb.com.

dys·to·pi·a - An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror.

Recurring dystopian themes:

Human Misery
Poverty
Oppression
Violence
Disease
Pollution
Societal Collapse
Massive Dehumanisation
Apocalyptic Event



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Comments

Posted: 3 years, 11 months ago at Jun 13 19:57
Terrific list!

What about The Handmaid's Tale?
Posted: 3 years, 10 months ago at Jul 8 3:49
I suppose you got distracted by Sean Connery's sexy orange loincloth, how else could you forget to add "Zardoz"? ;) Otherwise an excellent list!
Avatar
Posted: 3 years, 4 months ago at Jan 8 18:49
What a cool list! I've seen some of them and really like the genre, will use it to choose what to watch from now.
Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago at Jun 24 12:03
u have chosen a nice genre for making list..

good choice great list
Posted: 2 years, 11 months ago at Jun 24 13:37
I will be writing about Dystopia and Utopia in Films for coursework later in the year and this has just reminded me of some great films!
Posted: 2 years, 7 months ago at Oct 18 5:41
Great, great list! I love these kinds of movies. Check out my most recent list for a somewhat similar different theme.
Posted: 2 years, 5 months ago at Dec 18 6:45
2004 cult dystopian movie “FAQ” is now available in a Special Collector’s Edition DVD!!!
[Link removed - login to see]

"FAQ" in Amazon.com:
[Link removed - login to see]
Posted: 2 years, 3 months ago at Feb 10 12:09
It is interesting how many of these I've seen. Great list!
Posted: 1 year, 10 months ago at Jul 11 13:04
how districtB13 is dystopian???
Posted: 1 year, 5 months ago at Nov 28 5:19
One of those "how have I gone so long without seeing this list" lists. Great job!
Posted: 1 year ago at May 6 14:10
Whoever made this forgot Godard's "King Lear"

art is dead, but it is also alive; a brilliant concept for a film, which strangely works on with Shakespere's "virtue vs power" concept
Posted: 1 year ago at May 7 11:55
Though I thought Metropolis was amazing, and I love older black and white movies, this is a good list. :)
I don't know if this counts, but The Devil's Arithmetic. She's having a bad dream about being in the Holocaust. Not an imaginary place, but she was dreaming, and horrible it was, but idk if it counts! :)
Posted: 11 months, 1 week ago at Jun 22 7:59
Good list overall but RoboCop as a dystopian film? It looks like present day Detroit to me. Only takes place in one city too with your average drug criminals running around.

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