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In a time of great upheaval, audiences love imagining how things could be worse. These four films are among the most memorable depictions of such would-be dystopias.
‘A Clockwork Orange’ (1971)
A Clockwork Orange | Trailer | Warner Bros. Entertainment - YouTube
An ultraviolent vision of an authoritarian, near-future England that uses experimental brainwashing techniques on criminals still inspires heated debate. The movie is “astute and unsparing” in “putting the bleakest parts of human behavior under the microscope and laughing in disgust,” said Jeremiah Kipp at Slant Magazine. (HBO Max)
‘Gattaca’ (1997)
GATTACA [1997] – Official Trailer (HD) | Now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital - YouTube
A prescient, neo-noir warning about a society bifurcated between a genetically engineered ruling caste and a natural-born underclass is wrapped in a murder mystery. The superb thriller offers “sharp commentary” about how “human culture finds new and interesting ways to split itself into upper and lower classes,” said Tim Brayton at Alternate Ending. (Prime Video)
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A father and son walk through a lifeless landscape and dodge bloodthirsty cannibals in this take on Cormac McCarthy’s celebrated novel. The bleak adaptation “demands effort and patience from the viewer,” providing an “experience both rewarding and haunting,” said Brian Eggert at Deep Focus Review. (Prime Video)
Set in a postcollapse Los Angeles 30 years after the events of the 1982 classic, this gorgeous film revolves around the shocking discovery that “replicants” can now reproduce. With its “breathtaking” cinematography, the sequel is a “fantastic follow-up, as well as a fully engaging, impossibly gorgeous standalone entity,” said Vivian Kane at The Mary Sue. (Prime Video)
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David Faris is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of "It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics." He's a frequent contributor to Newsweek and Slate, and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic and The Nation, among others.
![GATTACA [1997] – Official Trailer (HD) | Now on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Digital - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NIIZ2P-fiyI/maxresdefault.jpg)
