The Ultimate Dystopian & Post/Apocalyptic Films List (1300+ TITLES!)

From the list, another from Hong Kong Cinema:

2046 (2004)



[The women who enter a science fiction author's life, over the course of a few years, after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.] www.imdb.com...

[2046 is a 2004 Hong Kong romantic drama film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. It is a loose sequel to the 1991 film Days of Being Wild and the 2000 film In the Mood for Love. It follows the aftermath of Chow Mo-wan's unconsummated affair with Su Li-zhen in 1960s Hong Kong but also includes some science fiction elements and makes frequent references to the date of December 24 or Christmas Eve, on which many significant events in the film occur.] en.wikipedia.org...(film)

Now this is interesting:

THE SAND STORM (2014)



[In a dystopian future, water is running short. A man has taken to smuggling water to keep it in supply.] www.imdb.com...

[“When the air is toxic and your lead actor is under surveillance, you make a SHORT film and you shoot it FAST.”

The Sand Storm is a short film directed by New York filmmaker Jason Wishnow that was shot completely under the radar in China, starring none other than iconoclastic artist Ai Weiwei in his acting debut. I would like to call The Sand Storm the most anticipated sci-fi short film of the year, but I can’t. If you haven’t heard about it, you are not alone. It was a secret. The existence of The Sand Storm was kept heavily under wraps while shooting in Beijing. A balsy and risky endeavor considering the heavy amount of surveillance surrounding the artist. Ai Weiwei has been closely watched by the government since his 2011 imprisonment.

AI WEIWEI has been called “The Most Powerful Artist in the World” and “China’s Most Dangerous Man” for his massive art installations and his vocal political criticism. In 2011, the police kept him in captivity for 81 days, then held him under house arrest; he remains without a passport.] muzecollective.com...

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Let us know your thoughts on Hanna!

I loved that film. Most do not.

Super curious on your thoughts.

a reply to: Lucid Lunacy

Alright, I'll see...


Not very many dystopian films made in Hong Kong it would seem. Rather surprising given Hong Kong is the bridge between "the East" and "the West" (as India only has 2 titles as well), and plenty of tech around to stoke visions of the future, that whole pesky Communist Dictatorship laden heritage, a vibrant film culture, and so on.

Here goes another I had on the list, which happens to be Hong Kong "Category 3" (which means it would be classified as NC-17 here [er somewhere in between Rated R and Rated X]). It's essentially their "exploitation rating'. This piece sort of creates its 'own genre', which might be called "Brutal Fu". It's very comic book like the special effects, as it was based upon its comic book series. For all of the films flaws, going by what we'd call a low budget, for its time I'd say they managed to capture the feel of 'comic book special effects' rather well.

RIKI-OH: THE STORY OF RICKY (1991) [aka Lik wong]


[This offbeat action drama from Hong Kong stars Bin Shimada as Riki, a new prisoner at a high-tech penal institution of the future. Riki finds himself challenged by the prison's violent, corrupt guards, and when one of his friends is murdered by the jailers, Riki explodes into a fury of violence as he seeks bloody vengeance against all who would cross him. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky has won a cult following for its deliberately outlandish martial arts violence, in which Riki displays the remarkable ability to punch through his victims -- and even blow them up.] www.rottentomatoes.com...

Full film (in English):

Film highlight reel:


[A young man with superhuman strength is incarcerated at a prison run by corrupt officials and seeks to use his martial arts to clean up the system. ] www.imdb.com...
[Incarcerated for assault and manslaughter, a man (Siu-wong Fan) survives in a futuristic prison by resorting to more extreme violence.]
[The plot closely follows the events depicted in the original Japanese comic and its anime adaptation, with some minor modifications in certain instances.

By the year 2001, all correctional facilities have been privatized. Lik Wong/Ricky Ho (Fan Siu-wong), a martial artist and former music student, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter after killing a crime lord who was indirectly responsible for the death of his girlfriend Keiko/Anne (Gloria Yip). Flashback scenes reveal that a group of thugs had captured her after she had witnessed their heroin deal. Anne was so scared in captivity that she ran upstairs and then leapt off the roof to her death.] en.wikipedia.org...:_The_Story_of_Ricky

[It was alleged that a sequel titled Dint King, Inside King (aka, Story of Ricky 2 or Super Powerful Man) was released in Hong Kong in 2005, however, the plot does not follow the events that supposedly occur after Ricky breaks out of prison, and is set in the distant future as opposed to 2001 for the first film.]
www.imdb.com...
Super Powerful Man (2005)
www.youtube.com...

Next up: Indonesian Cinema!

THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011)

www.sonyclassics.com...

All that needs to be said about this crime syndicate dystopia is if you like martial arts and haven't seen it yet you need 'go see it' RIGHT NOW.


[In Jakarta, Indonesia, Lieutenant Wahyu organizes the invasion of an apartment building that is the safe house of the powerful and cruel drug lord Tama and his gang. The SWAT team breaks in the building but one lookout sees and warns the gangsters and the police force is trapped on the seventh floor.] www.imdb.com...
[The Raid (Indonesian: Serbuan Maut, lit. 'The Deadly Raid'; Japanese: ザ・レイド; released in the United States as The Raid: Redemption) is a 2011 Indonesian martial arts action survival film written and directed by Welsh filmmaker Gareth Evans and starring Iko Uwais.

This is the second collaboration of Evans and Uwais after their first action film, Merantau, released in 2009. Both films showcase the traditional Indonesian martial art Pencak Silat, with fight choreography by Uwais and Yayan Ruhian, who also worked on Merantau. The U.S. release of the film features music by Mike Shinoda and Joseph Trapanese.] en.wikipedia.org...(2011_film)

THE RAID 2: THUG (2014)




[After surviving a bloody fight with powerful gangsters, rookie Jakarta cop Rama (Iko Uwais) thinks he can resume a normal life. However, his exploits during that fateful incident have attracted the attention of criminals even more deadly than the last. His family at risk, Rama has no choice but to go under cover. He gets himself thrown in prison, where he befriends the son of a prominent crime kingpin. Rama must lay his own life on the line to finally destroy the criminal empire.]
[Only a short time after the first raid, Rama goes undercover with the thugs of Jakarta and plans to bring down the syndicate and uncover the corruption within his police force.] www.imdb.com...
en.wikipedia.org...

This looks to be some original plays on dystopian 'techniques' (both past and present tense that is)...

ASSASSIN'S CREED (2016)

SURVIVAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES (SRL)
Mechanized Dystopian Industrial Performance Art of the Shock and Awe Varieties!

Love this stuff from industrial artist Mark Pauline. Really love this guy! A libertarian minded hardcore kind of dude. One of his dreams is to inspire the sorts of engineers that do DARPA / weapons contractor work to turn from the dark side and into the art side.

Show / film titles include "A Calculated Forecast of Ultimate Doom: Sickening Episodes of Widespread Devastation Accompanied by Sensations of Pleasurable Excitement", and "The Deliberate Evolution of a War Zone: A Parable of Spontaneous Structural Disintegration".

Tons of videos in youtube, their films / from their many shows over the decades, but I'm trying to keep it down to one video per post in this broad based thread, so I just made a new full length thread with more / different content here: www.abovetopsecret.com...



DVD's and other SRL schwag available in the SRL shop:
www.srl.org...

www.youtube.com...
www.srl.org...
en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Personally, I was sorely disappointed in 31. Something seemed to be seriously missing, compared to his other films, which I love!

OP, what a wonderful thing for you to post! While I have seen many on your lists, there are many I have not seen. As shameful as it may now be to admit, Night of the Comet (1984) was the start of my love of all things PA. I even own it today.

Two new 'New Studio' direct to video films worth mentioning: Spectral (2016) [Netflix] & The Thinning (2016) [YouTube Red]! I liked them both. Both great examples of direct to video (i.e. low budget) that look and feel like they meant it. Syfy could take some lessons here. Spectral actually features a great cast whom actually act (too often on direct to video the actors dont even try), set in a PA kind of combat zone situation in a near (possibly dystopian) future. It starts off with a more low tech feel but advances into some cool high tech'ery with the art dept. on que delivering both 'proper' D & PA art all in one world. Custom crafting the tech in the battlefield against the 'ghosts' was a nice touch. The Thinning is good too: a proper dystopian film set in a high school. Not so annoying in regards to that over-cheesy attempts appeal to trendy Millennial's feel like in The Hunger Games & The Divergent series'.

SPECTRAL (2016)


[A sci-fi/thriller story centered on a special-ops team that is dispatched to fight supernatural beings. ]
www.imdb.com...
[In Virginia, DARPA researcher Dr. Mark Clyne is informed by his supervisor that he is to be flown to Moldova, where the US military is currently deployed in the ongoing Moldovan War, as his expertise is required regarding a line of hyperspectral imaging goggles of his design that have been issued to troops there. After arriving at a US Military Air Base on the outskirts of Chișinău, he meets with General Orland, the leader of US troops in the region and CIA officer Fran Madison, who runs the Delta Force missions alongside the military. He is shown several pieces of footage captured by the goggles worn by troops in the field, each showing a mysterious translucent apparition that is humanoid in form, and is able to kill almost instantly. Knowing it is something other than interference......]
en.wikipedia.org...(film)

THE THINNING (2016)



["The Thinning" takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where population control is dictated by a high-school aptitude test. When two students (Logan Paul and Peyton List) discover the test is smoke and mirrors hiding a larger conspiracy, they must fight the system to expose it and take it down.]
www.imdb.com...
[The Thinning is a 2016 adventure, science fiction, thriller film set in a dystopian future in which population control is enforced through a school aptitude test. Those who fail it are euthanized. Two high school students learn, to their horror, the tests are rigged. They face many challenges and eventually make the ultimate sacrifice. The film stars Logan Paul, Calum Worthy, Lia Marie Johnson and Peyton List.]
en.wikipedia.org...

A CURE FOR WELLNESS (2017)

A Cure for Wellness is an upcoming 2017 American-German psychological horror thriller film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe. The film stars Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth and Jason Isaacs. The film is scheduled to be released on February 17, 2017, by 20th Century Fox.

[An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps but soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem. ]
www.imdb.com...
[An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests there longing for the cure.]
en.wikipedia.org...

ATTRACTION (2017) [aka Prityazhenie]



[After an alien ship crash lands onto a Russian city, many who have saw the inside and the occupants start to question their own existence while there are those who demand the aliens to leave Earth.]
www.imdb.com...

This one looks like it might have a place on the list:

IRON DANGER (2017)

Iron Danger is an action film inspired by the Finnish folklore epic Kalevala.



www.imdb.com...
irondanger.com...

This 'institutional dystopia' retro surreal flick is a top notch production (from 'New Studio' Magnet Releasing). goes down best while mind-expanded...

I love the background inspiration for this one too!

BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW (2010)


[Held captive in a specialized medical facility, a young woman with unique abilities seeks a chance to escape her obsessed captor.

Set in the strange and oppressive emotional landscape of the year 1983, Beyond the Black Rainbow is a Reagan-era fever dream inspired by hazy childhood memories of midnight movies and Saturday morning cartoons. From the producer of Machotaildrop, Rainbow is the outlandish feature film debut of writer and director Panos Cosmatos. Featuring a hypnotic analog synthesizer score by Jeremy Schmidt of “Sinoia Caves” and “Black Mountain,” Rainbow is a film experience for the senses.]
www.magnetreleasing.com...
[Despite being under heavy sedation, a young woman tries to make her way out of the Arboria Institute, a secluded, quasifuturistic commune.]
www.imdb.com...

This films inspiration:
[As a child, Cosmatos frequented a video store named Video Addict. During these trips he would browse the horror film section looking at the boxes although he was not allowed to watch such films. During such times he would instead imagine what the film was. He would later reflect upon this experience when making Black Rainbow where one of his goals was "to create a film that is a sort of imagining of an old film that doesn’t exist." The year 1983 was chosen for the story as it's the first year he went to Video Addict. Additionally he thought the idea of setting such a film one year before 1984 was funny. The film's genesis was an overlap between two projects Cosmatos wanted to do. One of these was a film about a girl trapped in an asylum while the other was an installation promoting a research facility that didn't exist. Eventually Cosmatos realized that he could use both ideas in the same project. en.wikipedia.org...]
www.crazedfanboy.com...
flashbak.com...

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

I've seen Beyond The Black Rainbow. Perhaps too slow-burning for many, I was impressed with it.

I've been looking forward to a Cure for Wellness for some time now.

I've downloaded Spectral and The Thinning already. Spectral i'm about halfway done with. I think it's alright. It has not really grabbed me, but its kept me interested enough.

a reply to: Lucid Lunacy

Spectral seems run of the mill the first half, and but then it ripens out.

Black Rainbow, like psychedelics, isn't for everyone (although it should be)!

Magnet Releasing is one of these what I call a "New Studio" film houses, although as a whole, in 'functionality' its more along the lines of the Criterion Collection. They're not putting out the 'best' movies', yet it's got to be my favorite film house I can think of. Definitely worth checking in there every few months to see what they're up to. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010) is one example, and many who liked that might also enjoy John Dies at the End (2012). For being a small house you'd be surprised many of the A List faces you see gracing their line-up, such as with Grand Piano (2013). Another good one is The ABC's of Death (2012), from which the Japanese short, Z is for Zetsumetsu from the end, as bizarre and silly as it is, that Japanaese parody of American culture meets Japanese fits the List (which can be seen in YouTube but I wont embed as it contains nudity). Zetsumetsu is Japanese for "annihilation, extinction, elimination". The last one I'll mention here, but furthest from the least, is the Chinese saga "Red Cliff (2008)", which this based-on-a-true-story ancient era battlefield epic is easily one of the finest films ever made.

Browsing them just now its cool seeing them bringing home this 'old' dystopian Parkour film from France, District 13 aka Banlieue 13 (which it and its sequel District 13: Ultimatum (2009) are on the list). This one was 'made' by the original "Traceur", David Belle, and is a must for martial arts action film fans.


DISTRICT B13 (2004) [aka Banlieue 13]

[In the near future, the worst ghettos of Paris, France are literally walled off and among the worst is District B13. Controlled by the ruthless crime lord, Taha, a young righteous punk named Leïto is determined to bring him down. When the boss retaliates by kidnapping his sister, Lola, a rescue attempt by Leïto is destroyed by betrayal that gets him arrested and Lola kept in the clutches in Taha. Six months later, a crackerjack undercover cop named Damien is given a urgent mission: a neutron bomb has been stolen by Taha in District B13 which has an automatic timer function engaged and set to detonate in less than 24 hours. Now with time running out, Damien and Leïto must work together to find and stop the bomb, but there is far more to this crisis than any of the field players realize.]
www.imdb.com...
[District 13 (French title Banlieue 13 or B13), is a 2004 French action film, directed by Pierre Morel and written and produced by Luc Besson. The film is notable for its depiction of parkour in a number of stunt sequences that were completed without the use of wires or computer generated effects. Because of this, some film critics have drawn comparisons to the popular Thai film Ong-Bak. David Belle, regarded as the founder of parkour, plays Leïto, one of the protagonists in the film.]
en.wikipedia.org...

Here goes a Paul Walker remake of District 13 (2004) I didn't even know about until just now... also features David Belle:

[Paul Walker was clearly working quite hard before his untimely passing as he was recently seen in Hours, will still be seen in Fast & Furious 7 and before that he has a new film titled Brick Mansions coming out on April 25.

Now this one is more of a limited release kind of feature that will likely feature that has the outward appearance of a limited release accompanied by an On Demand showing, but it seems Relativity may take this District B13 remake wide as it tells the story of an undercover cop (Walker) who tries to take down a ruthless crime lord (RZA) with access to a neutron bomb by infiltrating his gang. www.comingsoon.net...]


BRICK MANSIONS (2014)


[In 2018, in a dystopian Detroit, abandoned brick mansions left from better times now house only the most dangerous criminals. Unable to control the crime, the police have constructed a colossal containment wall around this area to protect the rest of the city. For undercover cop Damien Collier (Paul Walker), every day is a battle against corruption. For French-Caribbean ex-convict Lino (David Belle), every day is a fight to live an honest life. Their paths never should have crossed, but when drug kingpin Tremaine Alexander (RZA) kidnaps Lino's girlfriend, Damien reluctantly accepts Lino's help and together they struggle to stop a sinister plot that involves a stolen bomb set to destroy the entire city.

Eventually, with the help of Lino and Tremaine, Damien realizes that his father was killed by his fellow officers and that the mayor was behind the plot. Damien, Leïto and Tremaine confront the mayor and manage to prove his true intentions and have him arrested. Brick Mansions is welcomed back into the city, with Damien and Lino continuing their friendship.]
en.wikipedia.org...
www.imdb.com...

DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM (2009)

[Three years after the events of the original film, the authorities are attempting to return law and order to ravaged District 13. However, their efforts so far have failed to do so. The death of gang overlord Taha Ben Mahmoud has left a power vacuum, and total control of the area is now being fought over by five rival territorial gang lords who want to step into Taha's position. Leïto tries demolishing the walls surrounding the district on a daily basis, but is told to stop by African gang lord Molko, who sees the walls as protection from outside the district.]
en.wikipedia.org...:_Ultimatum
[Damien and Leito return to District 13 on a mission to bring peace to the troubled sector that is controlled by five different gang bosses, before the city's secret services take drastic measures to solve the problem. ]
www.imdb.com...