Idiocracy

3:12 PM



Idiocracy is probably one of the most recent mainstream movies to deal with the contemporary cultural crisis. And let me tell you, it is not an easy watch.

The movie tells the story of a mediocre guy (Luke Wilson) who participates on an army experiment. He was supposed to hibernate for a year but things go wrong and he gets frozen for 500 years. When he comes back, the world is a quite different place. People are incredibly dumb and stupid and by comparison he is a genius.

The movie has a rather grotesque atmosphere but I think it is supposed to be grotesque, to make the viewer alert and…. shocked.


The viewer is presented with a lot of bad aspects from our own culture and their logical (and scary) consequences. For example, in this dystopic future there is a “Violence Channel” – a very popular channel, mind you.

Isn’t this the logical consequence of the current trend of explicitly violent movies? When I say that, I mean not only movies with explicit violence, but movies that do not offer any type of story or context that would require this violence (i.e. Saw, Dexter, most of Tarantino’s movies). This increasing demand for violence for the sake of violence will make people so desensitized to it that they’ll actually consider it fun.

Another reason to like Idiocracy is that, unlike other dystopic stories (1984, Brazil or Blade Runner), it focuses more on the cultural level and not on the political or technological level.

In this cultural dystopia, much of popular culture (tv, movies, video games) destroyed language and, with it, people’s abilities to think and learn. A definite eye-opener.

Have you seen Idiocracy? Which aspects seem most present in today’s world? The beginning of the movie always bothered me (smart people having no kids etc) - what do you think?

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4 comments

  1. PageAndLeafJune 9, 2012 at 11:12 AM

    This sounds like a very interesting watch. I have to admit, the subject disturbed me a little bit but thinking that this is the main point; it looks like a good one. Added to my To-Watch list! I'll send a post about the review when I see it. xx

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  2. PaulaJune 9, 2012 at 3:28 PM

    Some parts of the movie are indeed grotesque, so be prepared for that. Despite being labeled as a comedy, I think it's more sad than it is funny. But it serves its purpose. I hope you like it!

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  3. Kelly @ Fashion or FictionJune 21, 2012 at 4:28 PM

    I've had this recommended to me before, now I'm going to have to put it on the list for this weekend! I'll let you know what I think. It sounds like my cup of tea.

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  4. PaulaJune 21, 2012 at 6:14 PM

    I confess I'm a bit scared of having recommended this movie. Keep in mind it's not an easy watch, the treatment is kind of gross. Do let me know what you think, specially about that first scene! xx

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