When is a Utopia not a Utopia? When its good intentions actually lead some really unfortunate outcomes. They may not call themselves dystopias, but they certainly look like that when you get down to the basics. Sometimes we get lucky and our protagonists figure it out, and sometimes they don’t.
But we, as movie viewers, are always here to admit the truth and call out those Utopias that actually suck when we see them. So here are a few sci-fi societies we hope we never see in real life, even if they were sometimes fun to watch when they were on the screen.
Logan’s Run
Logan’s Run is a 1976 movie based on the novel of the same name by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. The utopia of the movie is a giant domes city that is run (surprise surprise) by computers.
The great thing about the computers and their automation is it means all the citizens have their time and their lives free to just enjoy themselves. There are no jobs and no criminal activity. Could be a utopia, right? Except for the fact that everyone has to die at the age of 30, you know, to keep the utopia going.
The World of Rollerball
Another pseudo utopia of the 1970s offered viewers a world without war or poverty, along with the new sport of rollerball and its many stars. With all the streaming services available today, who are we to begrudge this society its favorite entertainment?
It seems like corporate control has been a lot better for the world than government control ever was. That is until it isn’t. There are still powerful overlords who pull the strings not just to keep the peace but to keep their power. The idea may hit a little close to home these days, which makes it even clearer that this is the type of utopian society that really would suck if it came to pass.
The Axiom in Wall-E
Remember watching Pixar’s adorable computer-animated film, Wall-E? It was a kids movie, right? When it presents a utopia it should be just that. Well, the Axiom is one of the space ships that humanity took when it abandoned the polluted earth.
The Axiom is like a luxury cruise line in overdrive. It has all the food and entertainment anyone could want, and you don’t even need to walk! Most people just ride around in hover chairs getting very fat and very unhealthy. On second thought, not something we want.
Pandora from Avatar
Not only is Pandora a beautiful jungle filled planet it’s now also an incredible Disney World ride. So, human invaders sort of ruin some of the tranquility, but let’s imagine for one second that unobtanium isn’t an issue.
Would that leave us a fantastic utopian planet of peace and harmony? Probably not. The planet is also crawling with killer creatures like the viperwolf. That’s right, a viperwolf, and it’s only one of many. Not so peaceful as it sounds.
Divergent’s Chicago
The idea of this new Chicago in Divergent was to keep the peace by dividing people into factions based on their most important personal value. What could make things better than spending all your time with those around you who have the same common interests at heart?
Everyone would have a place and a role in society, no more mid-life crises. Except that being taken from your family as a teenager is probably not great developmentally and, well, obviously conflict arises.
Seahaven Island on The Truman Show
The idyllic seaside town of Seahaven should be everything a man dreams of, it was designed that way. The houses are adorable, the shops friendly and well-stocked. You live near your family and all your best friends and the weather is particularly well controlled.
But a utopia will always be problematic if it isn’t real. Truman Burbank can sense that there’s something just a little bit fabricated about his life, and that’s not something anyone really wants.
In Time’s New Greenwich
If you live in New Greenwich you’re basically immortal. The world’s currency is time and you have bought as much as a person could ever need. Isn’t that the dream? To be rich and live forever? Perhaps it shouldn’t be. Especially in a world that literally kills the poor to line the pockets (and lifetimes) of the rich. This one may hit a little too close to home these days.
Washington DC in Minority Report
Preventing crimes before they happen should make any world a utopia. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live your life without fear because no one will ever be able to reach the point where they rob or murder you because they will be arrested ahead of time?
Well, that’s not how the new technology or the new world really plays out. Surveillance, whether of the technological or precog variety, isn’t really going to produce the bright and beautiful utopia anyone should strive for.
The World of the Giver
Conflict, pain, and suffering no longer exist in the world of The Giver. Everyone seems content, even though it’s a world without emotion or individuality. But contentedness should be a good thing.
That is, except for the fact that this peace is only attainable because the elders in charge don’t care at all for human life. They remove babies from their mothers and take part in the murder of their aging population. It’s certainly a utopia most of us could say “no thank you” to.
The World of the Matrix
Compared to the world of the Nebuchadnezzar the digital world of the Matrix seems like a utopia. There’s steak after all. “I know that this steak doesn’t exist … after nine years, you know what I realize? Ignorance is bliss.” And ignorance could be bliss, certainly, if you’re programmed with the right sort of life.
But can a life that’s completely be made up and nonexistent really be satisfactory? Can it really be a utopia? Yeah, probably not something anyone really wants to try.
