Dystopian movies are their own brand of fiction. They are usually set in the future and are more relatable than regular fantasy plotlines as they are based around real life characters, especially teenagers. Mixing young adult angst with a society that plots against its people tends to produce a successful movie series. Book trilogies that turn into movies prove to be the most popular choice in this genre. The holy trinity, as acknowledged by most audiences, of dystopian series are Divergent, The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games. This article will summarize the holy trinity of dystopian books and talk about a recently published dystopian series which is likely to become the next big thing.
Divergent
Divergent is a book series that was written by Veronica Roth in 2011 and made into a movie franchise by Neil Burger in 2014. The films follow Tris Prior, a 16 year old girl, who lives in this society that is also divided into five factions, much like the houses in Harry Potter. The factions are based on character traits possessed by each person. We are shown a ceremony called the Choosing Ceremony where every 16 year old from this dystopian city is made to give an aptitude test and act out on their result. Some of them, however, choose to go against their result but they have to earn their place in their new faction.
We have ‘Abnegation‘, the selfless, who are the governing body. Tris was born into it but decided to switch out into ‘Dauntless‘, the brave, who consist of the city’s security force. There is ‘Erudite‘, the intelligent, who are made up of the Scholars. The jury lies in the hands of ‘Candor‘, who are the honest. The last faction is that of ‘Amity‘, the peaceful, who are considered the farmers. I think this is a good way to engage an audience as it makes them curious as to what their faction would be. There are many quizzes online if you’re curious to find yours!
Most of the factions are categorized by solitary traits but there are some individuals who rise above and come out as divergent. Being divergent means that one doesn’t belong to any particular faction but multiple factions. Erudite, the scholars, see this as a threat and try to hunt out and kill them. Chaos ensues in their city because of this but their subversion is ultimatley proved wrong. Divergents are the solution, not the problem.
The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner was made into a movie by Wes Bell in 2014 and written by James Dashner in 2009. The plot follows our protagonist, Thomas, who mysteriously ends up in this place called ‘The Glade’. The Glade is a grassland protected by a wall and surrounded by a Maze. Thomas is sent up by an elevator to this grassland which is only populated with other men who have reached there the same way he did. None of them remember who they are or where they came from. However, they’re desperate to find a way out. Alby, their leader, explains the intricacies of living in the glade to Thomas. It is then we learn about the concept of runners. A runner is someone who goes into the Maze to dissect it and find a way out. Their leader is a boy named Min Ho.
The Maze
One can only enter the maze safely during the day, as no one seems to have survived a night in the maze. After a runner gets stinged, Alby and Min Ho try to go and investigate the maze. Alby get stung in the process and Min ho tries to drag them back before nightfall. After being unable to do so, Thomas impulsively runs into the Maze. They manage to make it through the night as Thomas kills a Griever. After they make it back to the glade, the mysterious elevator brings up a girl. The first of her kind and with her, they send a note which says she’s the last one. On arriving, she faints but right before loosing conscious she utters Thomas’s name.
Later on, she reveals that her name is Teresa. Her and Thomas both seem to have known each other before arriving. This is when they have flashbacks which make them realise that they worked for the people who put everyone in the maze. When the maze goes into self-destruct mode, most of the survivors decide to go and find a way out. Which they eventually do. They discover that the planet was hit with a pandemic called the Flare. These survivors seem to be immune to the pandemic which is why a company called WCKD puts them into the maze. For experimentation, they have to go through numerous trials as they try to find a way to freedom.
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games trilogy is an extremely popular dystopian series written by Suzzanne Collins in 2008 and turned into a movie series by her and Gary Ross in 2012. The film in set in Panem, which is supposedly somewhere in North America. We are first introduced to a Panem which is divided into 12 districts and a capitol. Each district represents a particular profession. There were previously 13 districts but district 13 got destroyed in the war which led to intense hostility among the districts. This war led to the capitol punishing the districts by taking a boy and a girl under the age of 18 from each district and putting them in a games arena where they fight to death till there is one victor. This torturous event of killing children is considered a sport to the capital which they turn into a reality show.
This is a story, not just about war but also about love, glamour and justice. Following the story of Katniss Everdeen from district 12, who volunteers as a tribute in place of her younger sister. She fakes a relationship with Peeta Mellark, her male counterpart in the games, and manages to get them both out alive. This causes a threat to the capital and makes Katniss a beacon of hope for the districts. For their Quarter Quell, the capital collects a pool of victors to fight again, showing that nobody is safe. This causes a revolution with Katniss as its face. The Games are cruel and harsh, employed by the antagonist, President Snow to feed his power. There is a prequel of the Hunger Games called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which gives the viewer a backstory on the origin of the games.
The Next Popular Dystopia
Having seen intense success with dystopian series, it is important to point out the appeal. There is a high demand from audiences for creating new dystopian films. Right now, the next big thing in dystopia is likely to be the Shatter Me series which was written by Tahereh Mafi in 2011. There are rumors going around the internet that 20th century Fox has bought the movie adaptation rights. If you’re looking forward to more dystopian themed movies, you should definitely go through this book series. It might just become the next big thing.
