Dystopian Film Trailers

In preparation for our unit on George Orwell's 1984, I've posted a number of movie trailers of films that classify in the Dystopian Sci-Fi genre. Seen any of them? (NOTE: it pays to watch all of these trailers because you're gonna notice some music and actors that reoccur! Is that just a coincidence?)

1. 1984 (1984, dir. Michael Radford): This is a staggeringly literal adaptation of Orwell's novel, but it's better than most "movies of the book" because of its bleak, washed out set design and color scheme.

2. Metropolis (1927, dir. Fritz Lang): The first truly original cinematic vision of the future, Metropolis came out before even Orwell was thinking about things to come. It's a masterful, tense, frightening, and hugely influential movie that launched an entire subgenre.

3. Blade Runner (1982, dir. Ridley Scott): Sentient robots (called Replicants) escape from their prison and go on a killing spree in futuristic cyberpunk Los Angeles. Harrison Ford's Deckard is the cop who must hunt them down, unless they get to him first. A dark, beautiful, and philosophical film.

4. Children of Men (2006, dir. Alfonso Cuaron): A global infertility epidemic threatens to destroy the human race...no baby has born in 18 years. Until now. Cuaron directed the third Harry Potter film, but this one is in another league: it forces us to see what we would become if all social order collapsed around us.

5. V for Vendetta (2005, dir. James McTeigue): In this truly Orwellian dystopia, an all-powerful government suppresses individuality and personal freedom, until a masked vigilante named V starts wreaking havoc and inspiring the masses.

6. Brazil (1985, dir. Terry Gilliam): The closest of the original films to Orwell's story, Brazil is like a Monty Python version of what Oceania would be like, which makes sense considering that Terry Gilliam was an original member of the Pythons. But this film, while darkly comic, is nowhere near as silly as any quests for Holy Grails or meanings of life.

7. WALL-E (2008, dir. Andrew Stanton): This Pixar classic is like two dystopias in one: first, the wrecked and abandoned planet earth, populated only by the titular robot; and second, the floating spaceship where humanity has resided in total luxury for hundreds of years, with frightening effects. A beautiful allegory and a charming love story. And you've probably seen it already!

8. The Hunger Games (2012, dir. Gary Ross): My sense is that you've all probably seen this one, too. But if you haven't, it's a story about a dystopia where an all-powerful government maintains control over their population through ritualistic contests where boys and girls are thrown into an arena and forced to fight to the death. And there'll be a sequel in a few months.