Utopia: A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, 
laws, customs, and conditions. 

 

Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and 
the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, 
technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated 
worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or 
political system. 

Characteristics of a Dystopian Society 

• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. 
• Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. 
• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society. 
• Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. 
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world. 
• Citizens live in a dehumanized state. 
• The natural world is banished and distrusted. 
• Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad. 
• The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world. 


Types of Dystopian Controls 

Most dystopian works present a world in which oppressive societal control and the 
illusion of a perfect society are maintained through one or more of the following 
types of controls: 

• Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through 
products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report 
and Running Man. 
• Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through 
a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government 
officials. Examples in film include Brazil. 
• Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through 
computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples include The Matrix, 
The Terminator, and I, Robot. 
• Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or 
religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic 
government. 


The Dystopian Protagonist 

• often feels trapped and is struggling to escape. 
• questions the existing social and political systems. 
• believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he 
or she lives. 
• helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world 
through his or her perspective.