Some dystopian movies defined the genre while others nearly ended it. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the five best and five worst teen dystopian films.
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00:00I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER! I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE!
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at 5 teen dystopian movies that define the genre,
00:12and 5 that were just ridiculous.
00:14I didn't exactly send out the welcome committee for you, Sif.
00:21We thrive thanks to the unbounded capacity of our mighty generator.
00:25Beating our very center like a magnificent heart.
00:28It certainly wasn't a huge film, grossing just $18 million on a budget of $55 million.
00:34But City of Ember is definitely worth a watch for those who love a good teen dystopia.
00:38Like many films on this list, it was adapted from a book.
00:42This one about a post-apocalyptic underground city and the young protagonists who try to escape.
00:47Ember's been here a long time.
00:50Blackouts are no blackouts.
00:52Generator hasn't failed us yet.
00:54The production itself is fantastic, featuring eye-popping visual effects,
00:59some gorgeous sets, and beautiful costume design.
01:02The cast is also absolutely stacked, featuring the likes of Saoirse Ronan,
01:06Bill Murray, and Tim Robbins to name but a few.
01:09It is original, it's engaging, and it's certainly one of the better dystopian films out there.
01:14Who built our city, dear?
01:16The builders?
01:18That's right. And the builders will come again and show us their way.
01:23Just ridiculous. Uglies.
01:25No matter how beautiful they make you,
01:29the ghost of that giant nose will haunt you forever.
01:34Based on a novel by Scott Westerfeld, Uglies has a rather bizarre premise.
01:38Basically, this dystopian world seeks perfection,
01:41so ugly people are given mandatory cosmetic surgery when they turn 16.
01:46It's a decent enough idea, and it could have been used for some great,
01:50if not exactly fresh social commentary on our ideals of beauty and conformity.
02:02Unfortunately, the script isn't nearly deep or fun enough to care,
02:06let alone generate a serious discussion.
02:08Aside from that, it's just your usual run-of-the-mill dystopian film,
02:12with bland characters, cheap production design, and horrible CGI.
02:16So, they got the name right at least.
02:20It's locked.
02:21So?
02:24How are we not already friends?
02:28When the enemy first invaded, we were not ready.
02:31Millions of innocent lives were lost.
02:34That must never be allowed to happen again.
02:37Orson Scott Card wrote a dystopian masterpiece with Ender's Game,
02:41a novel that won both the Nebula and Hugo,
02:43and now finds itself on the reading list of the United States Marine Corps.
02:47Writer-director Gavin Hood had a lot of great material to work with,
02:51and he adapted it wonderfully for the big screen.
02:54I asked for a replacement for O'Reilly, and this is what I get.
02:57A useless, skinny, untrained snot.
03:01All the big action set pieces are here,
03:03brought to life with convincing special effects and bombastic sound design.
03:07But it also adapts the novel's larger themes and philosophical quandaries,
03:11like turning people, specifically children, into mindless war machines.
03:15It's hard sci-fi with a brain, and we are here for it.
03:19Top test scores in class, highest battle room ratings.
03:23But you have a habit of upsetting your commander.
03:25I find it hard to respect someone just because they outrank me, sir.
03:29Just ridiculous.
03:30The fifth wave.
03:31In the third wave, the others modified it, made it unstoppable,
03:37and the birds spread it across the planet.
03:39Chloe Grace Moretz deserves better than this.
03:42She plays Cassie Sullivan,
03:44a teen trying to keep her brother safe during an alien invasion.
03:47Even in a genre that often borrows liberally from itself,
03:50the fifth wave is a derivative mess.
03:53Adults, please move to the mess hall for a briefing.
03:56Children, please move to the buses for transport.
04:00It's what would happen if you asked Chat GPT to write a teen dystopian story
04:03and pepper it with aliens,
04:05and the filmmaking does nothing to overcome its uninspired writing.
04:09Bad performances and sloppy action scenes abound,
04:12not to mention the sci-fi channel-tier special effects.
04:15It's no surprise that the other two novels in the trilogy were not adapted.
04:19This one was bad enough.
04:21This is our world.
04:23It is our home.
04:25They will not overrun it.
04:27Defined. Divergent.
04:29Did you finish your test?
04:35What was your result?
04:39It was yours.
04:41Released at the height of the YA dystopia craze,
04:44Divergent made a star out of Shailene Woodley,
04:47and honestly, that alone warrants a spot on this list.
04:50It borrows more than a little from Harry Potter,
04:52with people being divided into factions based on their traits and ideals.
04:55Candor value honesty and order.
04:58They tell the truth,
05:00even when you wish they wouldn't.
05:02But hey, it's a fun idea, so why not run with it?
05:05The story allows a number of interesting themes and questions to develop,
05:09and the plot remains compelling throughout its rather lengthy runtime.
05:12And that's not to mention the juicy performances from Woodley,
05:15Theo James, and a scenery-chewing Kate Winslet,
05:18all of whom keep the movie compulsively watchable.
05:21You know what to do.
05:23What?
05:25If you want to be dauntless.
05:27No.
05:29Do it.
05:31Just ridiculous.
05:33The Divergent Series. Allegiant.
05:35I guess I didn't think that it mattered.
05:37Why doesn't it matter?
05:39Because it doesn't make a difference if you're pure or if you're damaged.
05:44You're still the same person to me.
05:48Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
05:50It's amazing how quickly The Divergent Series ran off the rails,
05:53with Insurgent being a disappointing follow-up,
05:56and Allegiant a famous disaster.
05:58Everyone looked bored in this,
06:00including the once-great Woodley,
06:02who earned a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress.
06:05It is a pleasure to finally meet you.
06:07You must have so many questions.
06:12I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm still processing it all.
06:15She later spoke out and criticized the film,
06:18as did her co-star Zoe Kravitz.
06:20Aside from the uninteresting story and horrible special effects,
06:23the film was also plagued with major pacing issues,
06:26as the decision was made to split the film into two parts.
06:30While that backfired, the movie bombed,
06:32and all future plans for the series were cancelled.
06:39We're gonna be okay.
06:43Every morning when those doors open, they run the maze,
06:46mapping it, memorizing it, trying to find a way out.
06:50There are certain movies that help elevate genres,
06:53and The Maze Runner did that for the young adult dystopias.
06:56The plot immediately grabs your attention and never lets go.
07:00With imaginative elements and fun mysteries
07:02involving the main character and the titular maze.
07:05Director Wes Ball also makes a heck of a debut,
07:08imbuing the film with an engaging tone full of intrigue,
07:11riddles, and more than a few creeps.
07:13Why can't I remember anything?
07:14It's okay.
07:16Hey, relax.
07:18Relax.
07:20It's normal.
07:22It happens to us all.
07:24And of course, there's the brilliant cast,
07:26with the likes of Dylan O'Brien,
07:28Thomas Brody-Sangster,
07:29and Will Poulter giving great performances
07:31and crafting their characters into people we actually care about.
07:35The Maze Runner didn't get lost in the endless barrage of YA films.
07:39It was a clear standout.
07:41You're curious,
07:43but you're one of us now.
07:46You need to know what that means.
07:48Just ridiculous.
07:49The Mortal Instruments City of Bones.
07:51You can't trust anyone,
07:53even people you think you know.
07:56So why should I trust you?
07:57Some stories are so derivative,
07:59they should be sued for plagiarism.
08:01This is the case with The Mortal Instruments City of Bones.
08:04You've got your everyday hero who finds out she's special,
08:07your demons and vampires and werewolves,
08:09your missing parental figure,
08:11and blah, blah, blah.
08:12You've seen this all before and done much better.
08:15I don't get it.
08:16Mundanes can't survive the process.
08:17The runes are too strong for them, so...
08:19Well, now we definitely know you have Shadowhunter blood.
08:21It was clearly meant to capitalize on other popular movies of the time,
08:25but was made without an ounce of their craft or originality.
08:29It was also poorly adapted,
08:31making the story very confusing and unapproachable for non-readers.
08:35A sequel was planned,
08:36but eventually scrapped owing to City of Bones' poor reception.
08:40Too bad.
08:41We would have loved to see Sigourney Weaver as the Inquisitor.
08:44The stories you were told as a little girl
08:47about monsters, nightmares,
08:49legends whispered around campfires...
08:53They're all true.
08:58Happy Hunger Games!
09:00And may the odds be ever in your favor.
09:04Ask anyone to name a teen dystopia movie
09:07and chances are they will say The Hunger Games.
09:09A cultural phenomenon,
09:11the movie grossed nearly $700 million at the worldwide box office
09:15and made a star out of Jennifer Lawrence.
09:17Not too shabby.
09:19And to get sponsors,
09:21you have to make people like you.
09:23The Hunger Games has it all,
09:25including an interesting premise influenced by Greek mythology
09:28and Roman gladiator battles,
09:29mature themes,
09:30a fantastic cast,
09:32and great directing from Gary Ross.
09:34It's also a pitch-perfect adaptation of the novel
09:37as Suzanne Collins helped write the script
09:39and translate her ideas to the big screen.
09:42The genre doesn't get much better than this.
09:44Well, maybe catching fire.
09:46Everybody who's anybody is here
09:48and they all want to meet you.
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10:06Just ridiculous.
10:07The host.
10:14Saoirse Ronan certainly does what she can
10:16and we have to commend her efforts.
10:18But she's like Atlas desperately trying to carry
10:21the general ineptitude of the host.
10:23For one thing,
10:24the script is just fundamentally awful
10:26and even Meryl Streep couldn't make it work.
10:37The dialogue is laughable,
10:39often unintentionally hilarious,
10:41and the general alien storyline is ripped straight
10:43from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
10:45Ronan is also surrounded by subpar performers,
10:48none of whom give their characters
10:50any sense of life or intrigue.
10:52It's just a bland soulless husk of a film,
10:55which is ironic considering its themes.
11:02What is your opinion on these movies
11:04and the genre as a whole?
11:06Let us know in the comments below.
11:11Do you agree with our picks?
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