Assignment: You will need to find an example of dystopia in a film, TV show, book, or song. Your piece must contain both a dystopian society and a dystopian protagonist. Choose something that you’re familiar with, that you’re interested in, or that you really enjoy.
Presentation: You may write an essay or prepare a Prezi/Power Point presentation. Either way, your presentation must include the following:
A synopsis of the film/book/TV Show/song
An explanation of which characteristics of a dystopian society are present and examples
An explanation of which type of dystopian control is at work and examples
An explanation of which qualities of a dystopian protagonist the main character possesses and examples
***The following is a list of dystopian films, TV shows, books, and songs. You are welcome to choose something that is NOT on this list.******
A list of dystopian films:
Title
Year
Comments
12 Monkeys
1995
A convict is sent back in time to gather information about a virus that wiped out most of the human population. Based on Chris Marker’s 1962 short film La Jetée.
2081
2009
Film adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Harrison Bergeron. “Everyone is finally equal”.
A Clockwork Orange
1971
Adapted from Anthony Burgess’ novella of the same name.
A Scanner Darkly
2006
Adapted from Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name. A dangerous new drug causes the users to begin to lose their own identity.
A.I.
2001
Alien
1979
Another Earth
2011
Antiviral
2012
Atlas Shrugged: Part I
2011
Based on a novel by Ayn Rand. An alliance forms fight the increasingly authoritarian government of the United States.
Automata
2014
Babylon A.D.
2008
Veteran-turned-mercenary Toorop takes the high-risk job of escorting a woman from Russia to America. Little does he know that she is host to an organism that a cult wants to harvest in order to produce a genetically modified Messiah.
Batman
1989
Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, directed by Tim Burton.
Battle Royale
2000
Based on the novel and manga of the same name.
Battlefield Earth
2000
film adaptation of the novel, starring John Travolta.
Blade Runner
1982
Loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
Book of Eli
2010
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.
Brazil
1985
A bureaucrat in a retro-future world tries to correct an administrative error and himself becomes an enemy of the state.
Cargo
2009
CHAPPiE
2015
The film was directed by Neill Blomkamp (who also directed District 9) and based on his 2004 short film Tetra Vaal.[39] In it the South African government purchases a squadron of high-tech, autonomous robots (AI) in response to a record high crime rate in Johannesburg and uses them as a mechanized police force. One of these police droids, “Chappie”, is stolen and given new programming which causes him to be the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
Children of Men
2006
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, based on P.D. James’ novel of the same name. In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.
The Congress is a late-capitalist dystopia in which a corporate media behemoth “Miramount” has effectively usurped control of all human consciousness.[48] In it an aging actress decides to scan her body to sign over to Miramount Studios which allows the company to digitize every trait that she possesses and use it in any movie they choose. The hallucinogenic live-action/animationfilm represents corporate interests taking advantage of the individual and was partly inspired by Stanisław Lem’s novel The Futurological Congress.
Dark Metropolis
2010
Mankind has lost a 300-year war against a genetically enhanced race that man created, abused and finally tortured. Now the descendants of that race – known as the ‘Ghen’ control the planet Earth from advanced underground cities.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2014
Daybreakers
2010
In the year 2019, a plague has transformed almost every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival.
Death Race
2008
Remake of the 1975 film Death Race 2000. Ex-con Jensen Ames is forced by the warden of a notorious prison to compete in our post-industrial world’s most popular sport: a car race in which inmates must brutalize and kill one another on the road to victory.
Demolition Man
1993
A cop is brought out of suspended animation in prison to pursue an old ultra-violent enemy who is loose in a nonviolent future society.
District 9
2009
An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent who is exposed to their biotechnology.
Divergent
2014
Based on the adaption of Veronica Roth’s novels of the same names, In a world divided by factions based on virtues, Tris learns she’s Divergent and won’t fit in.
The Divergent Series: Insurgent
2015
After the series of events and death of her parents in Divergent, Tris Prior tries to figure out what the Abnegation were trying to protect and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them.
Dredd
2012
Adapted from the comic book of the same name.
Elysium
2013
In this film wealth inequality, the alienation of the super-rich and class conflict are taken to the extreme: in the year 2154, the very wealthy live on a man-made luxurious space station while the rest of the population resides on a ruined Earth. A man takes on a mission that could bring equality to the polarized worlds. It explores political and sociological themes such as immigration,overpopulation, health care, exploitation, the justice system, and social class issues.[79]
Ender’s Game
2013
Based on the novel of the same name by Orson Scott Card.
Equilibrium
2002
In a otalitarian future where all forms of feeling are illegal and citizens are required to take daily drug-injections to suppress emotion and encourage obedience, a man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.
Escape from New York
1981
In 1997, when the US President crashes into Manhattan, now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.
Fahrenheit 451
1966
Based on Ray Bradbury’s novel of the same name.In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.
The Fifth Element
1997
Gamer
2009
In a future mind-controlling game, death row convicts are forced to battle. A convict controlled by a skilled teenage gamer must survive 30 sessions in order to be set free.
Gattaca
1997
In this biopunk dystopia genetic engineering creates an underclass. One of these so called genetically inferior “in-valids” assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.
The Giver
2014
A dark, quiet, but powerful futuristic political tale in which a 12-year-old boy must search the truth in the world free of war, crime, disease, poverty, unfairness, and injustice.
The Hunger Games
2012
Directed by Gary Ross, Based on Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name. Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister’s place in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to compete.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
2013
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Based on Suzanne Collins’ Catching Fire.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
2014
Directed by Francis Lawrence, Based on Suzanne Collins’ Mockingjay.
I Am Legend
2007
I, Robot
2004
Adapted from a series of short stories by Isaac Asimov.
Idiocracy
2006
An average man is selected for a top-secret hibernation program. When he wakes up 500 years later to discover he’s the smartest person in a radically dumbed-down society.
The Inhabited Island
2009
Based on the 1969 book Prisoners of Power by Strugatskies. The most expensive Russian science fiction film to date (2015) is set on another planet (hence the title), with a country that is ruled by a totalitarian regime that brainwashes its citizens by towers that send a special kind of radiation erected across the country.
In Time
2011
In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth.
The Island
2005
A man goes on the run after he discovers that he is actually a “harvestable being”, and is being kept as a source of replacement parts, along with others, in a facility.
Johnny Mnemonic
1995
Judge Dredd
1995
Based on the comic of the same name: in a dystopian future, Dredd, the most famous judge (a cop with instant field judiciary powers) is convicted for a crime he did not commit while his murderous counterpart escapes.
Looper
2012
In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits – someone like Joe – who one day learns the mob wants to ‘close the loop’ by sending back Joe’s future self for assassination.
The Maze Runner
2014
Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they’re all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow “Runners” for a shot at escape. Based on the first book of The Maze Runner Trilogy written by James Dashner.
The Matrix
1999
A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
Minority Report
2002
Based on Philip K. Dick's short story, The Minority Report.
Moon
2009
In 2035, Lunar Industries have made a fortune after an oil crisis by building Sarang, an automated lunar facility to mine the alternative fuel helium-3. Sam Bell, the astronaut who maintains operations at Sarang, nears the end of a three-year work contract as the facility's sole resident. His only companion is an artificial intelligence named GERTY, who assists with the base's automation.
Never Let Me Go
2010
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel of the same name.
Oblivion
2013
Based on Joseph Kosinski's unpublished graphic novel of the same name.
Pleasantville
1998
Priest
2011
The Purge
2013
In a futuristic America plagued by crime, the government sanctions a 12-hour period once a year in which all criminal activity is legal.
Repo Men
2010
Based on the novel The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia.
The Running Man
1987
Loosely adapted from Stephen King's novel of the same name.
Surrogates
2009
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
2002
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
2005
Total Recall
1990
Loosely based on Philip K. Dick's short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale.
Total Recall
2012
Remake of the 1990 film of the same name.
Transcendence
2014
V for Vendetta
2006
Based on Alan Moore's graphic novel of the same name.
WALL-E
2008
Watchmen
2009
Waterworld
1995
The Zero Theorem
2014
A list of dystopian TV shows:
Black Mirror, 2012–present. Created by Charlie Brooker, shows the dark side of life and technology.
Continuum (2012) - In the year 2077, the Corporate Congress has taken on the role of government after they bailed out the North American government. After a huge economic collapse, civil liberties were taken away to ensure a better future for the next generation.
Dark Angel, Fox, 2000-2002. A dystopian world set in Seattle after terrorists have set off an electromagnetic bomb which caused all electronic devices to stop working, disrupting life as we know it. A militaristic police force guards the "zones" which separate rich and poor.
Dollhouse (TV series), 2009-2010. Most of the series is set in the near future, where living dolls are filled with appropriate personalities and skills for the amusement and cathartic well being of the extremely wealthy. The two yearly finales, "Epitaph One" and "Epitaph Two" are set ten years in the future in a dystopian society as the technology runs rampant.
Electric City (web series). 2012–present. Created by Tom Hanks, the series begins after the world has ended. Electric City represents peace and security in the midst of rubble. Even though it seems to be an orderly utopia, there are still secrets, back-alley dealings, daring chases and murder.
Falling Skies(TV series), 2011–present. Set six months into a world devastated by an alien invasion. A former Boston University history professor Tom Mason becomes the second-in-command of the 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment which is a group of civilians and fighters fleeing post-apocalyptic Boston.
Fringe (TV series), 2012, season 5 is set 21 years after the world was invaded by a civilisation from the future.
Jericho, CBS, 2006-2008. It is a dystopian series set in a fictional small town in Kansas called Jericho after a nationwide nuclear disaster plunged the entire country and the town into mass anarchy.
The Tripods, BBC, 1984-1985. Humans are enslaved by an alien race via mind control devices. Culture and technology have been suppressed, and the alien masters are worshipped with a religious fervour. A small resistance movement must fight both the alien threat and the human society that serves it.
The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964. Many episodes are set in futuristic and dystopian settings, as a warning to viewers about the dangers of certain aspects of modern society or culture.
The Walking Dead, AMC, 2010–present, the United States is overrun by zombies.
Westworld, Amazon, 2016-present, A Western-themed futuristic theme park, populated with artificial intelligence, allows high-paying guests to live out their fantasies with no consequences or retaliation from the android hosts, until now.
A list of dystopian novels:
Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell
Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley[1][11]
1980s[edit]
The Running Man (1982) by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman[11]
The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood[1][11]
In the Country of Last Things (1985) by Paul Auster
When the Tripods Came (1988) by John Christopher[1]
Childe Rolande (1989) by Samantha Lee[66]
1990s
The War in 2020 by Ralph Peters (Pocket Books, 1991)[67]
The Children of Men (1992) by P.D. James (Faber and Faber, 1992)[11][68]
Fatherland by Robert Harris (Hutchinson, 1992)[69]
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Bantam Spectra, 1992)[70]
Underworld by Don DeLillo (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1997)[29]
Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (Ohta Publishing, 1999)[73]
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin, 1993)[74]
]
2000s
Feed by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick Press, 2002)[75]
Jennifer Government by Max Barry (Doubleday, 2003)
Asphalt by Carl Hancock Rux (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Sceptre, 2004)[77]
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber and Faber, 2005)[78][79][not specific enough to verify]
The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown and Company, 2008)[83][non-primary source needed]
Nontraditional Love by Rafael Grugman (Liberty Publishing House, 2008) [84][85]
World Made By Hand by James Howard Kunstler (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2008)
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (Viking Press, 2009)
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books, 2009)
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (McClelland & Stewart, 2009)[86][non-primary source needed]
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (Atheneum Books, 2002)
Among the Barons (Shadow Children #4) by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster, 2003)
Among the Betrayed (Shadow Children #3) by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster, 2003)
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (Random House, 2003)
Among the Brave (Shadow Children #5) by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn (Scholastic, 2004)
Knife Edge by Malorie Blackman (Doubleday, 2004)[89]
The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau (Yearling, 2004)
Checkmate by Malorie Blackman (Random House, 2005)[90]
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse, 2005)
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse, 2005)[91]
Among the Free (Shadow Children #7) by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Simon & Schuster, 2006)
Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn (Scholastic, 2006)
Genesis by Bernard Beckett (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006)[92][unreliable source?]
Life as we knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt Children's Books, 2006)
Specials by Scott Westerfeld (Simon & Schuster, 2006)
Extras by Scott Westerfeld (Simon & Schuste], 2007)
Gone by Michael Grant (HarperCollins, 2008)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, 2008)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, 2009)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Delacorte Press, 2009)
A list of dystopian music:
Both albums from The Buggles, which borrow heavily from the cyberpunk portrayal of dystopia. One of the most notable dystopic singles was “Living in the Plastic Age.”
2112, an album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. The title track is about a man living in a dystopian society.
"In the Year 2525", a song by Zager and Evans.
Operation: Mindcrime, an album by Queensrÿche.
Animals, an album by Pink Floyd. Borrows allegories of livestock from George Orwell's Animal Farm, especially the hierarchy of dogs, pigs and sheep on the farm.
"Kilroy Was Here" (1983) by Styx that features the song Mr. Roboto which portrays a strong corporate technological dystopian theme.
Thick as a Brick, an album by Jethro Tull.
Karn Evil 9 a song by Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Lifehouse, a semi-abandoned album and movie project by Pete Townshend and The Who which spanned many dystopia-themed songs like Won't Get Fooled Again and Let's See Action.
Rock band Dystopia
Deltron 3030 (2000) Del the Funky Homosapien, Dan the Automator, and Kid Koala work together on this Hip Hop CD about a future world of battle raps with aliens, government oppression, and space travel.
"Handlebars (song)" (2008) A single from Flobots album Fight with Tools, its music video features a dystopic setting.
Obsolete (1998) by the American band Fear Factory. Each song on the album successively adds to an underlying dystopian storyline.
"Eye in the Sky", a song by the Alan Parsons Project has a strong dystopian theme.
Dystopia album released by The Invisible 1987.
Diamond Dogs an album by David Bowie is loosely based on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four especially the songs "Future Legend" "We Are The Dead" "1984" and "Big Brother".
1984 by Rick Wakeman, based on the Orwell book.
1984 by Anthony Phillips, again based on the Orwell book.
"Brother Where You Bound", a song by Supertramp, is also loosely based on Orwell's 1984, even featuring some audio narration of the book in the intro.
Joe's Garage, a dystopian concept album by Frank Zappa, set in a world where music is illegal and crimes are punished preemptively.
"Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", a song by Mike + The Mechanics.
"Clones (We're All)" by Alice Cooper contains dystopian themes
Absolution and Black Holes and Revelations, albums by the band Muse have many references to the UK and USA becoming dystopian societies.
The 2009 album The Resistance by Muse has many songs that may be based on George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, such as "Uprising" and "Resistance."
The Unforgiven by Metallica portrays an ultra-conformist dystopian society.
Year Zero (2007) by Nine Inch Nails is a concept album with a strong dystopian theme and an accompanying story.
Brave New World by Iron Maiden alludes to Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel after which it is named.
"Perfect System", a song by Oingo Boingo, depicts a society ruled by a Big Brother-esque, totalitarianistic government.
Dystopia is the title of Midnight Juggernauts debut album.
"Brother" by The Organ alludes to a theocratic dystopia in the lyrics and conveys a sense of urgent unease through the music.
"Hook in Mouth" by Megadeth contains many themes from the book 1984.
The 1989 album Revolution by Little Steven references Orwell's 1984 in the songs, "Love and Forgiveness" and "Newspeak".
The album Wonderland by Forgive Durden
"2+2=5" by Radiohead, from Hail to the Thief, featuring lyrics about a future akin to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The Body, The Blood, The Machine, an album by The Thermals.
The Thrice album First Impressions features a song called Lockdown about a dystopian society.
Anti-Flag has a song called "Welcome to 1984" which directly refers to "Mr. Orwell." They also have a song "Anthem For The New Millennium Generation," which refers to 1984 also ("Orwellesque headlines; we have heard it all before. As the 21st century becomes 1984.").
Dystopia, (2006) a dystopian concept album by Betty X, based on Orwell's 1984 "Two Minutes Hate" rallies.
"Human Disease" and "Two Minutes Hate" from this album.
Fantastic Damage (2002), and I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007), two dystopian concept albums by hip hop artist El-P.
"Citizens of Tomorrow" by Tokyo Police Club is centred around a society in which computers rule the planet during the year 2009. The protagonist in the song ends up being killed by these computers, and the song ends with the line, "citizens of tomorrow, be forewarned."
"A Smart Kid" by Porcupine Tree tells the story of a child in a post-apocalyptic world who is visited by an alien spaceship. The song appears in the 1999 album Stupid Dream.
"Vertical Reality" by Eric Champion is a cyberpunk concept album that tells the story of a society living with complete government control of every aspect of their lives and the complete abolishment of religion.
Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, the latest album from American rock band My Chemical Romance is based on the future California in the year 2019. It features the four remaining band members as a gang of rebels known as the Killjoys, fighting against the seemingly brain-washing organization Better Living Industries (BL/ind).
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" by English progressive rock band Porcupine Tree.
"Mylo Xyloto" by English Alternative Rock band Coldplay is based on the concept of two lovers who are trying to survive a dystopian society.
"Dystopia" (2011), the tenth studio album by the heavy metal band Iced Earth.
"Another Way to Die" by American heavy metal band Disturbed, the first single off of the band's fifth studio album, Asylum, portrays our world decimated by pollution and poverty. The music video for the song visually and realistically depicts the seemingly-eminent dystopian society the song warns of.
"Black Ribbons" (2010), a concept album by Shooter Jennings featuring narration by novelist Stephen King.
Sole & the Skyrider Band's music video for their song, "D.I.Y." features the band on a mission against an oppressive corporate-controlled dystopia.
Janelle Monáe's albums Metropolis: Suite I (The Chase) and The ArchAndroid are concept albums about an android on the run from controlling authorities in a dystopian future.
Fol Chen's albums Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made and Part II: The New December are concept albums about rebels battling a controlling future dictator, and the resulting post-apocalyptic landscape.
Rick Masters' techno-folk epic ballad "Man Shall Follow" (2013) about an end-of-the-world climate change catastrophe is, at 16 minutes, among the longest of pop vocals.
