The Best Dystopian Movies Made in the Last Two Decades, Ranked

The dystopian society

1

V for Vendetta

Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, Stephen Rea
James McTeigue
2006

In a world in which Great Britain has become a fascist state, a masked vigilante known only as “V” conducts guerrilla warfare against the oppressive British government. When V rescues a young woman from the secret police, he finds in her an ally with whom he can continue his fight to free the people of Britain.

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8.2 IMDB
2

Mad Max: Fury Road

Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
George Miller
2015

An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.

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8.1 IMDB
3

Blade Runner 2049

Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas
Denis Villeneuve
2017

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

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8 IMDB
4

Children of Men

Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Michael Caine
Alfonso Cuarón
2006

In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.

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7.9 IMDB
5

District 9

Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt
Neill Blomkamp
2009

Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens' welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.

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7.9 IMDB
6

Battle Royale

Takeshi Kitano, Tsuyako Kinoshita, Eri Ishikawa
Kinji Fukasaku
2000

In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

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7.6 IMDB
7

Minority Report

Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Steven Spielberg
2002

John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.

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7.6 IMDB
8

Equilibrium

Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Angus Macfadyen
Kurt Wimmer
2002

In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

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7.4 IMDB
9

The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Gary Ross
2012

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The world will be watching.

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7.2 IMDB
10

I Am Legend

Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan
Francis Lawrence
2007

Robert Neville is a scientist who was unable to stop the spread of the terrible virus that was incurable and man-made. Immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and perhaps the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone.

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7.2 IMDB
11

The Lobster

Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux
Yorgos Lanthimos
2015

In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.

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7.2 IMDB
12

The Road

Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron
John Hillcoat
2009

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there.

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7.2 IMDB
13

Never Let Me Go

Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightley
Mark Romanek
2010

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy spend their childhood at an idyllic and secluded English boarding school. As they grow into adults, they must come to terms with the complexity and strength of their love for one another while also preparing for the haunting reality awaiting them.

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7.1 IMDB
14

I, Robot

Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk
Alex Proyas
2004

In 2035, where robots are common-place and abide by the three laws of robotics, a techno-phobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may be in danger.

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7.1 IMDB
15

Snowpiercer

Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Ed Harris
Bong Joon-ho
2013

In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.

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7.1 IMDB
16

Dredd

Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
Pete Travis
2012

In the future, America is a dystopian wasteland. The latest scourge is Ma-Ma, a prostitute-turned-drug pusher with a dangerous new drug and aims to take over the city. The only possibility of stopping her is an elite group of urban police called Judges, who combine the duties of judge, jury and executioner to deliver a brutal brand of swift justice. But even the top-ranking Judge, Dredd, discovers that taking down Ma-Ma isn’t as easy as it seems in this explosive adaptation of the hugely popular comic series.

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7.1 IMDB
17

Oblivion

Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko
Joseph Kosinski
2013

Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

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7 IMDB
18

The Book of Eli

Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis
Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
2010

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

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6.9 IMDB
19

The Maze Runner

Dylan O\'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Ki Hong Lee
Wes Ball
2014

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, young Thomas is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow “runners” for a shot at escape.

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6.8 IMDB
20

The Island

Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou
Michael Bay
2005

In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly "Utopian" but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island — reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.

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6.8 IMDB
21

Divergent

Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet
Neil Burger
2014

In a world divided into factions based on personality types, Tris learns that she's been classified as Divergent and won't fit in. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late.

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6.7 IMDB
22

In Time

Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy
Andrew Niccol
2011

In the not-too-distant future the aging gene has been switched off. To avoid overpopulation, time has become the currency and the way people pay for luxuries and necessities. The rich can live forever, while the rest try to negotiate for their immortality. A poor young man who comes into a fortune of time, though too late to help his mother from dying. He ends up on the run from a corrupt police force known as 'time keepers'.

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6.7 IMDB
23

Elysium

Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley
Neill Blomkamp
2013

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes (Jodie Foster), a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max (Matt Damon) is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that, if successful, will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

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6.6 IMDB
24

The Congress

Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm
Ari Folman
2013

More than two decades after catapulting to stardom with The Princess Bride, Robin Wright decides to take her final job: preserving her likeness for a future Hollywood. Through a deal brokered by her loyal, longtime agent and the head of Miramount Studios, her digital doppelganger will be controlled by the studio, and will star in any film they want, with no restrictions. In return, she receives healthy compensation so she can care for her ailing son. Twenty years later, under the creative vision of the studio’s head animator, Wright’s double rises to immortal stardom. With her contract expiring, she is invited to speak at Miramount's "Futurological Congress". However, a group of terrorists plot an attack on the convention.

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6.5 IMDB
25

The Giver

Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Odeya Rush
Phillip Noyce
2014

In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.

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6.5 IMDB