What’s the next wave of dystopia in popular culture?
I think the classic CRTs, mirrorshades, and black synthleather look of cyberpunk doesn’t really work with our expectations in 2024.
In the 70s and 80s, we expected acid rain, ozone holes, and lawlessness to fill our future, as companies took over from (relatively) responsible governments and civility/civilization collapsed. The outfit fit with that: keep the burning rain and sun off, while protecting against looters and raiders. Meanwhile, writers didn’t see how technology would shrink and get better.
In 2024 we expect our dystopia to be hot: the world is heating up, so black synthleather is out. Maybe mirrorshades stick around. Corporations aren’t taking over any more, governments are becoming corrupt/evil (e.g. Hunger Games). And technology is tinsy tiny, verging on invisible.
I’m thinking of the Hunger Games and Upload. (And the first five episodes of Fallout)
There’s this movie called Reminiscence that takes place after the ice caps have melted. The world-building is phenomenal as everything is just slightly flooded and all the streets have basically become canals. But the story they decided to tell in this world was so boring I can’t remember any of the details. I just remember loving watching Hugh Jackman’s character move about the city.
You can watch it on Tubi and Max.
Also, to re-iterate a previous rant, I think Elysium is a great cyberpunk movie which uses the current cultural fears of climate change, wealth gap, and access to healthcare as the backdrop for the story.
It is interesting though how in the 80s we thought the world would be covered in clouds/pollution/smog and we’d never see the sun. Yet it’s more likely we’ll make the world so hot and dry that it’ll become more of a desert wasteland than a dark and gloomy rain-filled world.
Thanks for the links! I enjoyed Elysium. I’ll give Reminiscence a shot.