Dystopian movies that show a dark and grotesque world generally have something that attracts movie lovers, since this type of film always shows a partial or possible truth ; taking a part of the current reality and deforming it or taking it to the extreme.
There are classics that should appear on any list of dystopian films, such as Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (1966) or Michael Radford’s 1984 (1984). However, in this case, we are going to focus on films where technology is the cornerstone of dystopia , being both the cause of the world’s problems as well as the solution.
The 12 best technological dystopias
Below we show from smallest to largest, our top films about dystopias related to technology.
12. Elysium (2013)
In our first movie on the list, we are introduced to a world, where technology is at the service of the rich and serves to enslave and keep the poor away. This is achieved by keeping the rich in a space station (Elysium) full of ostentation and luxury, while the poor are (surviving) living on a devastated Earth under the yoke of an anti-immigration law that prevents them from traveling to said station.
Therefore, technology in the feature film will play the dual role it has always had ., but more accentuated than ever, that of favoring those who own and dominate it, and harming everyone else. On the other hand, and in a more indirect way, it also shows how the world has not been devastated by chance, but by the disproportionate use of the same technology.
11. I, Robot (2004)
Will Smith’s well-known film has a classic plot among science fiction movies. A world where robots are everywhere and serve humans to perform almost any daily task.
When the time comes, one of these robots begins a rebellion that will lead to a social crisis and will call into question all the trust placed in these man-made machines.
10. In Time (2011)
Although this film presents a classic plot, made up of prototypical protagonists, it has an innovative idea that hooks the rest of the film. We are talking about a technology that allows infinite life to be given to a person, as long as they have enough time. This time, which is by no means metaphorical, has become the world’s new currency. A currency with which to pay, charge for everyone’s work and products.
If we analyze it well, the metaphor is still very real. Time is what we come into the world with, but what we spend on one thing or another. But in this movie, the technology that could give long life to most creates a world where a rich few get infinite amounts of time, while many poor die young .
9. Gattaca (1997)
Gattaca poses a futuristic dystopian reality for its time (1997) but increasingly closer. In a world where most children are conceived in vitro, children who do not have that possibility are destined to belong to the lowest class of society and to perform the most unwanted jobs. The reason: The genetic quality obtained by selecting the best genes from each parent.
The story will narrate the life of a child (and later adult) who was born naturally and all the problems that arise, but beyond this, the film shows us a reality where there is no room for genetic defects in humans. , since their presence implies social marginalization.
8. Wall-e (2008)
This apparent post-apocalyptic future, nice and carefree, that Pixar brings us, is nothing more than another reflection of the society to which we are apparently heading. A place where technology has finally managed to devastate the earth, and society, without giving up of course its innumerable and even absurd luxuries, lives in space, far from an Earth devastated by its passage.
Our protagonist, who is part of this technology built by humans, will try to change his life on earth and also that of humans in space. A film intended for the younger audience, which can only be fully appreciated by the most critical minds.
7. Gosht in the Shell (1995/2017)
The film, set in Asian culture, represents a super digitized world where it is already possible to transfer the mind of a person to a robot, thus turning it into a cyborg. Our protagonist is a police agent who , after suffering an accident, is subjected to this type of transplant . Her new mission will be to stop a hacker who has the entire network on alert.
The first version of this story brought to the screen was the 1995 anime version. Later, in 2017, an adaptation came out. That although it has received criticism for its “westernization” , it will continue to please more than one for the setting of the film and the plot twists.
6.Terminator (1984)
The Terminator saga should appear on this list for having marked a before and after in Science Fiction cinema. Being the only one that has 4 subsequent deliveries that develop a story located in two temporary spaces , before the rebellion of the machines and after.
An action and science fiction classic that also has a television series entitled: The Sarah Connor Chronicles where the adventures of the mother of the son who will lead the resistance of humans against the machines are narrated.
5. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Although this film does not focus as much on the chaos that technology can cause compared to the rest of the films on this list,if it is a reference movie for many reasons .
Interesting to highlight the narration that he makes about various periods of humanity, both past and future, with one point in common: a monolith. This monolith was first found by primates prior to homo sapiens , and later by humans on the moon.
4. Minority Report (2002)
In this case, technology plays a central role for the police forces, since it has been possible to design a system to arrest murderers before they commit a crime , giving a small margin of time to be arrested.
This technology, initially infallible, works thanks to three psychic beings called “precogs” who have visions about the murders. Over time, the viewer will begin to question several things about the functioning of this society and its infallible security method.
3. 12 Monkeys (1995)
This film, based on the French fotonovela La Jetee (The Dock) and recently turned into a television series, depicts a world devastated by a deadly virus that has forced the few survivors to live in underground communities. A prisoner is selected for a risky mission, travel to the past, get a sample of the virus and return to develop an antidote.
The approach of the film seems simple, but it ends up becoming a movie that forces the viewer to reflect on all the events that happen , due to time travel, the strange characters that cross the path of our protagonist since nothing is what it seems.
2. Blade Runner (1982)
In the very near future, there is a corporation called Tyrell Corporation, which created a robot called Nexus 6. This machine, also called “Replicant” because of its enormous resemblance to human beings, surpasses man in strength and agility . The initial function of the robots was to work in colonies located on other planets, until a group of Nexus 6 organized a rebellion.
The rebellion aroused the fear of the humans and their subsequent attack on all the replicants , who were expelled from the earth. The Blade-Runners took care of this, with orders to kill all the replicants they found. Some time later, when the situation had apparently been overcome and the replicants had been expelled, a former Blade-Runner named Deckard (Harrison Ford), is called back to duty after a serious incident.
1. Matrix (1999)
Regarding technological dystopias, Matrix or The Matrix, according to the original title, is the main reference. A film that shows to what extent technology can transform the world, not only real, but also perceived .
If we place the Matrix first, it is because of how it is perfectly shown, that technology has completely destroyed the known world and has served to subjugate humans by making them live an imaginary reality that allows machines to control them and obtain the energy that bodies normally generate.
Extra: Black Mirror
The series currently consists of 13 episodes, divided into 3 seasons of 3, 3 and 6 respectively, plus a special chapter that came out during Christmas 2014. In addition, Netflix will release a fourth throughout this year and new season with another 6 chapters.
Despite being a television series, Black Mirror, by its very nature, should or should appear on this list. If it is considered a television series, its chapters are independent , each one being an unconnected story with totally new characters. However, they all have a common point, which is to propose a possible dystopian future (usually very close), always related to technological elements.
From the dysfunctional use of social networks, propaganda and communication methods, to horror video games; These and many more elements appear in a series that can be used by anyone who wants to enjoy a short (60 minutes normally) but intense dose of psychotechnological drama from time to time.
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