How to Classify a Film as Dystopian
Dystopian movies are generally very thought of owning a theme that portrays a bleak future of mankind. The population is oppressed by some sort of tyrannical ruling faction, either openly or in as secret. Though a dystopian theme could be explained by using a handful of words, each subcategory has it's own definition.
OPEN THEMED, HUMAN - Ruled by a totalitarian government that functions much like a country under the influence of martial law. Any who disobey the laws are punished without trial to the harshest extent conceivable. While simply a handful of people at the very top, within the governing body, can live in luxury. The remainder of civilization is condemned to keep a home in misery and poor living conditions. A movie similar to this theme is the old film Nineteen-Eightyfour.
CLOSED THEME, HUMAN (the shroud of utopia) - A society that, at the surface looks like a thriving utopian society. It provides the ruse of freedom while oppressing its people with drugs or mind control. The population is typically so brainwashed that they cannot understand anything except what the propaganda tells them. Examples of this can be witnessed in the movie Aeon Flux and Brave New World. These films show societies that are highly advanced in technology and well defined in their societal ranks. They depict how a utopian world turns into a dystopia by the absolute control they have over the citizens.
[The above two are the most closely related to the dystopian theme, although many other films have been put into this category too.]
ZOMBIE THEME - This type of film normally doesn't wear this theme, although in some films there is a safe zone metropolis that may be considered dystopian. Ruled by greed, the top men in charge force others to go on suicide missions to collect supplies within the zombie wasteland. An example of this is the film Land of the Dead.
POST APOCALYPTIC DYSTOPIA - A few of these movies meet the requirements to make it a dystopian film. After a nationwide disaster, the remaining survivors rebuild. The governing of such new societies are usually very oppressive and dystopian. One movie is Tank Girl, built in a desert wasteland with W&P controlling all sources of water.
PLAGUE DYSTOPIA - The closest it is possible to describe it is the movie The Stand. Seeing how Sin City turned out to be after a plague. Usually after the fall of society from a planet wide plague, what is left of the human race begins from scratch. They join together in what would seem like small groups and make their own hierarchy. The different tribes tend to be in constant conflict to dominate the others.
A.I. DYSTOPIA - Such as the Matrix, where machines rule over the population without remorse. Usually because of the creation of artificial intelligence in a very technological and robotic county. The A.I. takes control of the world and enslaves the human race or conquers it.
There may be more categories, though these are by far the most common themes of dystopian movies.
About the Author
The author, a resident of Louisiana, has a career as an industrial maintenance tech. His favorite category is dystopian and post apocalyptic films and books.
For an example of the first 2 types of dystopian movies you can check here: http://www.squidoo.com/dystopian-movies
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