Children of Men

“Children of Men” directed by Alfonso Cuarón, takes place in a dystopian world where woman have become infertile. The world set in the year 2027 and after the youngest person on the planet is killed, the world turns to chaos as humanity becomes on the brink of extinction. Our story takes place in London, a police state and also the last country that hasn’t fallen completely to ruins. London is heavily monitored with surveillance as it keeps its borders closed from anyone trying to enter the country. Those that enter illegally are locked up based on London’s “Homeland Security” Act. With sterility already being an epidemic, there is also an internal war between the government and guerilla forces that support illegal immigrants. Immigrants are used as scapegoats as to why there is sterility in the world. Fortunately, the group of rebels who support these immigrants, take it upon themselves to fight the system. Monica Martin states how government controlled media incite a “permanent state of alert” into society. Illegal immigrants are being blamed but media propaganda alert civilians how illegal immigrants are the cause of the epidemic, not the solution. Our unlikely hero, Theo, is in fear when London starts rioting after the death of the world’s youngest person. He is captured by a rebel group called “The Fishes” where he also meets his former lover and leader of the group, Julian Taylor. The plan is to smuggle a pregnant woman called Kee out of the country, as she remains the last hope humanity has to offer. Overall, the movie was surprisingly good. I would never have thought a dystopian world would be based off of sterility. Although Theo dies tragically in the process to save humanity, the viewer can be left thinking whether his sacrifice was for a noble cause. Will humanity still survive on the hopes that Kee will be safe from harms way?

“Children of Men” shows an interesting side what government does to protect its people. By blaming the innocent immigrants and keeping everyone controlled, they could have been able to find a solution as to why woman were infertile through Kee. I have never seen a dystopian film like this before and I absolutely loved it. What’s also interesting is the title, “Children of Men” which is derived from the Old Testament that means human frailty. Overall “Children of Men” stood as a significant film to watch because it shows how serious sterility is. If women were to become infertile, mankind would become extinct. 

The Hunger Games

“The Hunger Games” directed by Gary Ross and based on the best selling series by Suzanne Collins, is a dystopian world that is divided into 13 districts. Set in the totalitarian world of Panem, the people are governed by the Capitol, a well off city that cares less about its districts living in squalor. Every year, the Capitol hosts the “Hunger Games” where two members from each district are selected to fight in a death match arena until one person remains standing. The victor will then have their place in the Capitol where they can reap the benefits of the elite. Our heroine, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers as tribute when her sister is picked to fight in the games. Peeta Mellark, another member, is selected and the two head off into the capitol where they are guided by personal trainers on how to survive the games. Katniss and Peeta learn by working together, they can survive the games. Their perilous journey and hardships together create a bond between the two and they defy the Capitol by threatening to kill themselves instead of killing each other.

The movie is a great dystopian film to watch because it discusses what power does to people. The Capitol hosts these gladiatorial like games for their own amusement and punishment for the Districts having revolted years before. The film also addresses how those that are in power always abuse it. Rather than helping the districts and giving them enough supply of food, water, and shelter, the Capitol spends the money on themselves with lavish gifts, clothing, material items etc. “The Hunger Games” reveal that those who are not in power, such as the 13 Districts, do more good than those who have it. Katniss takes care of her family by going out hunting since they practically live in poverty. Her responsibility serves not only as a good role model but also as someone who takes power upon herself in order to save those who are helpless. These Districts don’t have enough money as the Capitol does but they are able to demonstrate what power they have and are able to demonstrate their worth at the games.

“The Hunger Games” deals a lot with how we perceive reality. The “Hunger Games” are similar to a reality TV show with cameras being able to capture everything single moment that is happening in the arena. What’s disturbing is how audiences aren’t bothered by the gruesome deaths that are being displayed. Is the Capitol simply amusing themselves or are they brainwashed into thinking the participants deserve to die based off their low-status? “The Hunger Games” was truly a remarkable dystopian film to watch since it showed how even those without power can stand up to those with it.

V for Vendetta

“V for Vendetta” is a dystopian film directed by James McTeigue and based on the graphic novel written by Alan Moore. “V for Vendetta” is set in the year 2020, where London is under control by a fascist dictator. With camera’s watching your every move and police forces patrolling the city streets, the city is more concerned with it’s people’s safety that they forget they are also taking away the rights of their citizens at the same time. The fascists called “Norsefire" use censorship and spread propaganda to try and win over the public in order sway their opinion. Norsefire is trying to diminish the people’s culture by creating one that they see fit. By wiping out people’s sense of identity, there is more room to control and manipulate people into giving you what you want. As the saying goes, if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. However, people are being denied their culture, knowledge and their own liberties. V states how “Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it”.

V (Hugo Weaving) is a man who dresses up in all black and wears a Guy Fawkes mask to conceal his identity. You never see his true identity because the mask he wears makes up the identity of his people. He is not just one man but also a representation of everyone who is tired of being controlled by the government. V is the masked superhero who is a lot more than sending a message to the government. He is a man with principles that wants to destroy the dictatorship and set his people free. V comes across a young TV reporter called Evey (Natalie Portman) and saves her life from being raped by the hands of London’s police force. Evey becomes a citizen turned supporter for the cause after being held hostage by V. V reveals his plans on blowing up the dictatorship and Evey becomes part of his entourage of supporters to see his plan fall through. V may be seen as a vigilante and branded as a terrorist to the government but his actions go beyond that. He wants change for the better and give back the people what they want most. Dystopian societies often have corrupt governments that see nothing wrong with what they are doing, even though they are the ones causing the problem. Some governments try to control to prevent any problems from occurring but don’t realize by taking control, it creates problems and restricts people from expressing what they believe. Overall this movie was a great one to watch, absolutely brilliant.