Movie Review: Idiocracy
Rating: Men Only.
Genre: Utopian sci-fi
Normally, I've had no interest in sci-fi. The fact that the rapture is coming within our lifetimes (as every Christian has known for 2000 years now) hasn't seemed to have gotten through the thick skull of these "Heinliens" and "LeGuins" of the world (why couldn't they become brewers instead? Their names sound so beer-y).
Lately though I've been thinking that sci-fi isn't so much about the future, as a colorful way of looking at the present. Maybe when the title card says "500 years in the future" I can just say to myself "no, 500 days in the future" and then just enjoy the show.
So, when I heard that there's a movie that predicts America voting for a black man because they've all become idiots, I knew I had to see it. The movie is called Idiocracy.
Amazingly, this movie is no distopia. In fact, it's the first optimistic sci-fi in America in the past 40 years.
Quote:
The islamic world still has opiministic sci-fi. "Once we Islamize America, you'll be able to crash a plane into a Manhattan skyscraper without even needing to take off!"
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You see, the black president in Idiocracy is not Obama, it's Mr. T.! And people aren't stupid, they're humble, and reject elitism. They're business friendly, as you can see by the corporate logos they all wear. They like money. I didn't managed to catch many details, or much of the storyline, because I was too busy laughing and re-laughing at the funny parts - there's a TV show called "Ow, my [loins]" and a movie called [back part] with farts and...I can't even write about it because I'm still laughing. Also there's car crashes. And stuff explodes.
I'm not holding my breath, but I'm hoping that Idiocracy will be an inspiration to the rest of Hollywood to make optimistic sci-fi once again. Most of us are too young to remember the golden age of sci-fi optimism:
In an optimistic future, statues of buff white men in speedos can't ever be too big. Everybody knows who is in charge, but it doesn't hurt to remind 'em!
The conquest of nature by man. Not a blade of grass in the entire picture - in fact, sunlight doesn't even reach the ground!
Two thumbs up.