Welcome to Tomorrow: 5 Dystopias That Remain Strikingly Relevant

The mid-20th and early 21st centuries marked a golden age for dystopian storytelling. These works emerged from a deep reflection on history’s totalitarian experiments, seeking to avert similar fates in the future. Many films, with their grim visions—be it the reign of machines, the rise of digital surveillance, the grip of dangerous ideologies, or rampant consumerism—still serve as vital creative warnings, inviting us to measure our world against these unsettling futures.

Idiocracy, 2006

A comedic dystopia is a rare beast—laughter is scarce in most visions of the future. Mike Judge’s Idiocracy defies this norm. It paints a world where unchecked stupidity, ignorance, and consumption run rampant. The intelligent dwindle, while the idle and unthinking multiply. This nightmare becomes reality for Corporal Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson), who awakens after 500 years to find humanity in steep decline. Much like Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head, Idiocracy is a parade of dark humor and absurdity, yet it’s grounded in sobering insights. When scientists warn that digital technologies and waning attention spans are dulling our minds, this film’s cautionary tale demands serious consideration.

The Lobster, 2015

In the world of The Lobster, solitude is outlawed—a stigma and a threat to society’s continuity. David (Colin Farrell) is forced into a hotel to find a partner within 45 days, or face transformation into an animal. Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Lobster is less absurd than it seems: society’s prejudice against the unattached persists, often marginalizing those who choose a solitary path. Lanthimos, a sharp and detached satirist, critiques not only the oppressive champions of romantic unions but also a band of militant loners hiding in the woods. In their extremism, both sides mirror each other’s flaws, revealing the folly of rigid dogmas.

THX 1138, 1971

In a coldly efficient technocracy, dehumanized workers—shaved, nameless, and reduced to codes—serve as cogs in the machine. One such worker, THX 1138 (Robert Duvall), rebels against the system and its android enforcers, with nothing left to lose. THX 1138, George Lucas’ debut, produced with Francis Ford Coppola’s backing, lacks the bombast of his later blockbusters. Instead, it captivates with retrofuturistic minimalism—stark designs and lifeless spaces that amplify the protagonist’s fight for emotion, passion, love, and freedom. This early work from the Star Wars creator is a poignant reminder of human values and a vivid snapshot of 1970s dystopian fears.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1984

The second adaptation of Orwell’s seminal dystopia, directed by Michael Radford, arrived fittingly in 1984. Often hailed as the definitive version, it features John Hurt as an unforgettable Winston Smith—a Ministry of Truth worker crushed by the Party’s totalitarian grip. While Orwell’s novel may feel less urgent in today’s context, its warnings about pervasive surveillance, censorship, and information manipulation remain chillingly relevant. Nineteen Eighty-Four stands as a stark lesson in the fragility of the human mind against orchestrated control.

Children of Men, 2006

Alfonso Cuarón’s thriller, released in 2006 but set in a 2027 plagued by infertility, migration crises, and anarchy, transforms the rescue of a pregnant woman into an almost biblical saga. Children of Men lays bare the cracks in European security frameworks, the neglect of environmental crises, and the dominance of criminal networks. Can fortified borders and military camps save the world? Cuarón searches for more humane answers, placing faith in individuals driven to nurture life rather than cage it. The film’s relentless pace underscores its urgent questions about our collective future.