Specific Dystopias

[jmtorres]

So I had another damn multifandom vid bunny and as a result I'm collecting films that feature a specific type of dystopia: There has been some sort of world war or natural disaster and now all of humanity lives in one last protected enclave, beyond whose walls is a toxic world. Except that our heroes realized that either those in power are lying or the automated systems set up to protect them continued to do so when it was no longer necessary, and beyond the walls the world is perfectly fine, they no longer need to live in fear.

Putting list of films so far behind the cut because you know, if you haven't seen them, the above summary is fairly spoilertastic for the twist.


City of Ember (mislaid the message)
The Island (the entire catastrophe was a lie)
Logan's Run (automated systems)
Aeon Flux (lies by the people in power)
The Village (fruity maybe one, has the escape imagery though)


I'm culling wiki's list of dystopian films for more, but it's hard to do for ones I haven't seen! I welcome your suggestions.

Comments

[aris_tgd]

Okay, it doesn't really fit either "dystopia" or "world outside is fine after all", but The Truman Show definitely has an escape. I don't know if the visuals work at all for what you're looking for, but thought I'd toss that one out in case.

[kernezelda]

This isn't quite a match, more of a Time Machine homage, but this old movie came to mind: Genesis II.

It was written by Gene Roddenberry - notice anything familiar?

"Dylan Hunt, a scientist, puts himself into suspended animation in a NASA cavern in 1979 to establish if he could be brought back to life in a couple of days to research into extending the process to astronauts. However the cavern collapses during an earthquake and Dylan doesn't recover until the year 2133. During the 154 years he had slept, war has broken out and the world's scientists rebelled against the war-loving military and developed a society known as the Pax, whose goal is to keep the spirit of mankind alive. However there are also the mutant Tyranians who plan to be Nazi-like rulers of the slowly recovering world. Dylan is tricked by the Tyranians who plan to use his knowledge of the past to rebuild their nuclear generator and therefore make their plans complete. Can the Pax and Dylan stop them or will the man from the past destroy the future?"

[jmtorres]

*DIES*

[klia]

The Matrix is sort of like what you're talking about, except machines are controlling humans' thoughts as they breed and feed on them.

I haven't seen it in a long time, but I think the people in Dark City were being held and controlled by aliens? Hmm, I can't remember for sure.

I think Total Recall fits the bill, too, though again, I can't remember details because I haven't seen it in, like, 20 years.

[aris_tgd]

Dark City didn't have a "the outside is really okay" thing, though--the outside was really THE TERRIBLE SECRET OF SPACE. (If you haven't seen it in a while, I feel obligated to push the director's cut at you. *push push push*)

[jmtorres]

Not that I have seen it, but wiki reports the ending of Dark City as: Murdoch opens the door leading out of the city, and steps into sunlight for the first time. Beyond him is a dock, where he finds Emma, now with new memories and a new identity as Anna, with no recollection of Murdoch. They reintroduce and walk to Shell Beach, beginning their relationship anew.

[aris_tgd]

Ah, well, I have seen it. That's... ... ... ... ...

...

How spoilery do you want your description? And do you just want the visuals, or do you want the movie to actually match the theme you're going for? Because that visual is pretty good, but. There are internal complications.

[klia]

Thanks for refreshing my memory, and for the rec. I haven't seen that director's cut.

[heavenscalyx]

There's a suggestion in the Miyazaki Hayao music video "On Your Mark" that the world outside the giant habitat thing is actually fine, but there's no explanation -- just the suggestion.

[reginagiraffe]

There's several Stargate (SG-1 and SGA) eps that fit this. I'd have to look up the names.

[jmtorres]

Gamekeeper, um, yes, there are more, that's the first one popped into my head...