Asthe concept of dystopia inspired not only film makers but also writers a small anthology of dystopian books which are the most famous and readable is by all means indispensable for my blog. And here it comes…
Since there are probably hundreds of dystopian movies and another thousand films that could be easily confounded with what is dystopia as such, I thought a little, condensed cinematic overview could help you to not get lost in the vast dystopian jungle.
Governmental/social
The main focus of such dystopian movies lies on governments and societies striving for overall authority and surveillance which are achieved through rigid censorship (denied access to information) on the one hand, and control over free thought on the other hand. Restrictions and disparities are created with respect to age and intelligence as well as genetics and fertility.
To spare you more bedlam than you will come across or have already encountered while dealing with the dystopian world, I briefly explain what Science Fiction is. Of course, the differences between dystopia and science fiction may be tiny, if not to say barely discernible… but they exist!
The industrial revolution gave not only rise to dystopia (due to the anxiety people felt because of extremely rapid technological changes) but also aroused science fiction as this era was largely shaped by scientific discoveries and technological inventions. Science fiction is set in a distant world full of new and fantastic technologies, if sometimes implausible, with imaginative, action-laden plots. It focuses on speculative scientific advances and, most often, considers the adventures that have become possible through such progress (e.g. travelling in space and time or encountering aliens). Nowadays, Sci Fi is a popular genre which often includes strong utopian or dystopian elements. However, equating it with dystopia would be misleading.
The most vivid and convincing creation of a fantasy world ever seen; thundering our way for more than a decade; dazzling and immersive, a ravishing techno-dream for the senses…
Well, this is how three newspaper reviews that I picked coincidently assess James Cameron‘s cinematic 3D masterpiece of the 21st century.
Don’t worry, this is not going to be another review ’cause there are tons of them out on the worldwide web. I wouldn’t even find appropriate words for such an epic journey this genius director and screenwriter is taking us on.
Anyhow, it is my favourite movie of all time and probably one of the best films ever made for movie theatres. Though Avatar isn’t considered to be overall dystopian, it still displays some insinuations:
entering and conquering new, remote spheres (Pandora)
mankind’s scrupulous thirst for power and prosperity
artificial growing of creatures (Avatars) by mixing human DNA with DNA of the natives (Na’vi)
clash of a highly advanced society and an uncivilized, nature-based tribe
utter destruction of what is known as paradise or comes close to it (Hometree)
extinction of the savage race
Maybe you’ll pay some extra attention on these points when you watch it again. And if you haven’t seen this visually stunning motion picture so far, go watch it – in 3D! Only in 3D because otherwise you would miss out on a lot. I will definitely go and get me the BluRay version or – if I’m patient enough – wait until the 3D version will be released (which can take another year). The bad news: I left my 3D glasses at home 😦
By the way, did you know that Pandora is a moon of the Alpha Centauri star? I didn’t 😉 However, enjoy this little teaser!
Nowadays, the vexed issue of human cloning does not only seem to separate scientists from churchmen but also to split the entire world into Asia, a strong proponent of stem-cell research and genetic engineering, and Western societies, who pretty much consider duplicating the human embryo crossing the line and therefore ban the asexual reproduction of human organisms.
Anyways, isn’t the very thought of having an identical twin scary? I mean, there are tons of people who barely manage to distinguish twins even if they know them for their whole life. And these twins still have quite different personalities. They probably do! But your reproduced twin wouldn’t just look like you from head to toe. He or she would think what you think and feel what you feel…
I would never favour a duplicate version of me even though it might be helpful, e.g. when it comes to curing diseases. I want to be unique! Normal but still different from other people.
Thus I believe that equating human cloning with recycling life through reincarnation isn’t justifiable. Cloning always remains a violent interference in nature and in the circle of life. And this point of view doesn’t depend on religion! I am not at all attached to the Bible nor do I go to church regularly. I’m not even baptised 😉
Dystopia 