“The Running Man” remake has hit theaters around the world, and it’s a dystopian sci-fi actioner that stars chisel-jawed Glen Powell as Ben Richards, attempting to survive for 30 days against hundreds of handgun-happy assassins.
By all accounts, it’s another high-adrenaline project from kinetic auteur Edgar Wright, as he showcases one man’s desperation to survive in a crumbling authoritarian world. The film is based on Stephen King’s thriller novel of the same name and joins the likes of “The Hunger Games,” “Squid Game” and “Battle Royale” as deadly game shows set amidst dystopias. And though they depict bleak locales scarred by societal collapse, post-apocalyptic events, oppressive governments or environmental disasters, we love these movies as they provide a safe space to dip our toes into these new worlds. All of the drama, none of the draconian.
So, if you’ve come back from the new “Running Man” movie and are eager to dive into even more terrifying totalitarian tyranny, we’ve rounded up five excellent dystopian movies and where to stream them.
Best picks for you
‘V for Vendetta’ (2005)
V For Vendetta (2005) Official Trailer #1 – Sc-Fi Thriller HD – YouTube
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It’s 2028, and the fascist Norsefire government rules over Britain with an iron fist, spreading propaganda and fear while disappearing undesirables for imprisonment or execution. One day, TV runner Evey meets V, a mysterious stranger in a Guy Fawkes mask with a penchant for V-words, vengeance, and very sharp knives. Renouncing the totalitarian government, the masked figure trains Evey to live without fear and encourages the U.K. to rise up against its masters and help overthrow them.
With its vivid comic book-inspired visuals, extremely topical social commentary, and “Matrix”-style action setpieces (the screenplay was penned by the Wachowskis, after all), James McTeigue’s “V for Vendetta” works as a thought-arresting movie that reminds us that tyranny only wins if we let it. The motion picture may simplify the characters and story of the 1984-esque comic book, but its black and white anti-establishment message stays steadfastly loyal to the source material.
Rent/buy on Apple TV or Prime Video
‘Children of Men’ (2006)
Children of Men Official Trailer #1 – Julianne Moore, Clive Owen Movie (2006) HD – YouTube
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The human race can endure much, but what happens if there are no more babies? That’s the grim future of “Children of Men,” where humans are infertile and mere decades from extinction, sparking worldwide collapse. Britain hangs on the precipice with terrorist attacks and migrants being rounded up and sent to concentration camps.
Former activist turned office jockey Theo has grown disillusioned with life, but his worldview is shattered when he meets Kee, the world’s first pregnant woman in nearly 20 years. Tasked with shepherding the unborn baby to a research vessel, they have to contend with corrupt law enforcement and a militant group wishing to wield the baby as a political weapon.
“Children of Men” hits home as one possible version of humanity’s future, but one that comes with a spark of hope for a better tomorrow. One notable one-shot within a refugee camp beset by a military onslaught will move you to tears.
Rent/buy on Apple TV or Prime Video
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‘Brazil’ (1985)
Brazil (1985) Official Trailer – Jonathan Pryce, Terry Gilliam Movie HD – YouTube
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While many dystopian films feature a protagonist who overcomes all odds to bring down their benevolent oppressors, sometimes it’s the established system that emerges victorious. In Terry Gilliam’s black comedy “Brazil,” that system is bureaucracy, where inhabitants live in ambivalent denial, transacting with one another through reams of paperwork and never striving for human connection.
All that changes for Jonathan Pryce’s Sam Lowry, a lowly clerk who catches feelings for truck driver Jill, now wanted by the feds for challenging the incompetent bureaucracy. Aided by terrorist Archibald Tuttle, Sam commits treason to help his new love and escape from their absurd existence. But what can one person do when you share a dystopia with apathetic and inept people obsessed with their good standing and credit scores?
“Brazil” is a goofy black comedy that explores escapism and heroism amid an unstoppable, dehumanizing, and pencil-pushing system. And it’s got one hell of a catchy theme tune. You’re humming it right now, aren’t you?
Rent/buy on Apple TV or Prime Video
‘Snowpiercer’ (2013)
Snowpiercer Official US Release Trailer #1 (2014) – Chris Evans Movie HD – YouTube
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The Earth has frozen, and the last vestiges of humanity survive on the Snowpiercer, a train forever circumnavigating the icy planet. While the rich live in comfort in the front carriages, the poor flood the rear and eat jellified protein blocks. One “tailie,” Curtis (Chris Evans) sparks a revolution so his people can escape a life of squalor. What follows is a violent struggle against the regime that threatens the delicate balance of the train and all of humanity.
South Korean director Bong Joon Ho helms this not-so-subtle take on inequality and class struggle wrapped in a unique, post-apocalyptic vision. The movie is stacked with action setpieces, climaxing in a harrowing discovery that makes you question whether a system that serves so many at the cost of just a few is worth preserving. Revolutions may come and go, but the cycle of violence and oppression always continues.
Watch free on Pluto TV
‘Twelve Monkeys’ (1995)
12 Monkeys Official Trailer #1 – Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt Movie (1995) HD – YouTube
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It’s 2035, and the last humans live underground after an airborne virus has ravaged the world, leaving billions dead. Convict James Cole is given the chance to reduce his sentence if he can locate the source of the virus outbreak via time travel so scientists can develop a cure. With the aid of Dr. Kathryn Railly, Cole must investigate an organization calling itself the Army of the 12 Monkeys and race against time before humanity’s end.
With a fiendishly twisting narrative and ambiguous plot threads, Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys” bombards you with information, red herrings, and an ambiguous ending that you’ll be crafting conspiracy boards about paradox theories, time loops, and fatalism till the simians come home. A bleakly dark tale about predetermination and free will, the film asks whether running from our fate in the past simply becomes the catalyst for meeting it in the future.
Rent/buy on Apple TV or Prime Video
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