Dystopian fiction presents a problematic, often bleak and/or future world. It calls into question the legitimacy of the practices of societies traditional guardians and governors. (Eg. Police, government, education systems) By portraying contemporary aspects of society in a distorted or exaggerated fashion dystopian fiction is both protest against the unquestioned authority of traditional institutions and a rally cry for change. Often, dystopian fiction will illustrate the future consequences of our present day lives. It will portray an opportunity for choice as well as tipping point where societies oblivion is assured.
Dystopian authors use cinematic and narrative devices such as governments and technology to show us their vision of the worst possible future. The point that they are trying to get across is that this could happen. If we are not careful we could fall into this dark and sinister future. Movies that this world is represented in can be found everywhere; the Matrix, I-robot and V for Vendetta are just a few of this style of film.
Technology is most likely the device that scares us most. The fact that our own creations can be turned and use against us such as in “I-robot” where a human creation has turned against us using our own logic. This technological threat is also represented in the matrix. In the matrix we got too smart for our own good. We created machines so advanced that they began to think for themselves and eventually try to rule over us. in the war that followed we blocked out the sun as a desperate bid to stop the power going to the machines. But the machines found a substitute for the sola power, humans. And so now they breed humans and keep them in “power plants” where they harvest energy from us whist we live in a fantasy computer generated world. This vision from the matrix is possibly the most startling because it could be happening right now. We could be inside a computer world while machines harvest