Trending: Just in from dystopia watch

Cinematic dystopias are having a big year. The biggest, in fact, since 2009, when The Road and Terminator: Salvation both warned of a bad future. Now, we have The Hunger Games, which takes place in a US ravaged by some sort of (yes) "apocalyptic" event. Then there's the remake of Judge Dredd called Dredd. Finally, another dystopian remake, of Total Recall, set in a Fascist future where "Euroamerica" and "New Shanghai" vie for global superiority.

Dystopias dipped in popularity when the Cold War ended and with it the threat of atomic devastation. Now that nuclear panic is back in vogue, along with climate change, they're all the rage again. Need more proof that the end of the world in nigh? A new Hollywood adaptation of George Orwell's 1984 has just been mooted, and Ridley Scott is even working on a sequel to Blade Runner.

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