e Future Ain’t Bright, But it Also Ain’t Boring

New York as a Setting for Dystopian & Post-Apocalyptic Films

Dystopian and post-apocalyptic films may seem like a modern subset of the science fiction genre but have in fact been around since the early 20th century, almost as long as movies themselves. Whether just for action-packed fun or for purposes of social commentary, these films provide a playground for us to explore the many possibilities—and worries—about the future. Often set in fictionalized versions of real cities (such as New York, Los Angeles, and London), these films wrestle with themes related to urban, technological, socio-economic, and environmental anxieties. While we may feel like the logic of these films is farfetched, the use of familiar locales and landmarks directly connects our very real present with a possible (if very improbable) future.

One might suppose, then, that selecting New York as the epicenter for a dystopian narrative would be an offensive gesture towards the city. But one may also interpret these films as sort of warped love letters to New York and as testaments to the city’s ability to incite imagination. New York has always compelled people to ask What if…? What if New York turned into a prison, or was overtaken by zombies, or ran out of food, or was submerged in water, or employed Bruce Willis as a flying cab driver? Regardless of how one chooses to interpret these movies, it’s fun to imagine New York as a place that will adapt and endure, regardless of what the future brings. Because even in a future where the world is headed for ruin, New York is still the best place to be.

*Some decades-old spoilers ahead Escape from New York

(Dir. John Carpenter)

Year Released: 1981

Year Set: 1997

Ahhh. A classic “bro-savesthe-president” movie. Set in 1997, the island of Manhattan has become a self-contained, maximum security prison for the world’s worst criminals (coincidentally also how I feel when fighting traffic in midtown). When the president’s plane crashes in Manhattan, ex-soldier and recently convicted felon Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is offered a deal: save the president and receive a pardon. But to do so, he’ll have to go head-to-head with a cannibalistic gang known as the “Crazies” and the formidable Duke of New York, a crime boss operating out of Grand Central Terminal. But if anyone can do it, it’s Snake Plissken and that smoldering jawline of his.

I Am Legend

(Dir. Francis Lawrence)

Year Released: 2007

Year Set: 2012

Virologist Robert Neville (Will Smith) is the last man in New York. Or at least the last one who isn’t undead. Set in the then-futuristic year of 2012, a rampant, genetically engineered virus has swept through the world, turning most of Earth’s population into nocturnal, vampiric zombie creatures known as Darkseekers. When Neville isn’t working to find a cure to save the human race or isn’t busy staving off violent Darkseeker attacks, he spends his days hunting deer in lush and grassy Times Square, driving golf balls off an aircraft carrier at Pier 86, and gazing at the remnants of an obliterated Brooklyn Bridge.

Soylent Green

(Dir. Richard Fleischer)

Year Released: 1973

Year Set: 2022

The year is 2022 (yikes) and virtually all of Earth’s natural plant and animal life has been destroyed due to human overpopulation (double yikes). Earth is experiencing a perpetual heat wave. Everyone is very sweaty. The human race has only managed to survive thanks to the Soylent Corporation’s mass production of meatless food substitutes, the newest of which is called “Soylent Green.” But when a wealthy member of the corporation’s board of directors is assassinated, rough-around-the-edges NYPD Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) picks up the case. Thorn is determined to find out the truth behind the murder and the Soylent Corporation—a queasy, horrifying, and somewhat darkly funny truth.

The Fifth Element (Dir. Luc Besson)

Year Released: 1997

Year Set: 2263

It’s 2263 and New York is a futuristic metropolis with a dash of cyberpunk, crowded with flying cars and extraterrestrial visitors.

Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) is a Special Forces-majorturned-cabbie just trying to make a living when he has a chance encounter with Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), an orange-haired woman embodying the elusive and ancient “fifth element” necessary to combat a great evil bent on destroying Earth. Whew. From there, things only get weirder. Futuristic priests. Alien opera singers. Space hotels. Unhinged villains. And costumes by French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. This film is a wild ride from start to finish and may leave you with whiplash by the time the credits roll.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Dir.

Steven Spielberg)

Year Released: 2001

Year Set: 2142

In a world ravaged by overpopulation and global warming, intelligent androids—aka “mecha”— have become sources of companionship, entertainment, and labor. A young android boy named David (Haley Joel Osment) is unique among AI because he has been programmed with the ability to love. He embarks on a journey to become a “real boy” so that humans will love him back. His quest eventually takes him to a beleaguered Manhattan half-submerged in rising seawaters, to the headquarters of his maker. The audience is subsequently treated to some very cool and very creepy shots of iconic New York landmarks underwater— Radio City Music Hall, Coney Island, and Lady Liberty.

Planet of the Apes (Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner)

Year Released: 1968

Year Set: 3978

Astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston, again) and his astronaut buddies crash land on a mysterious planet after almost two millennia of space travel. The astronauts subsequently discover a society of apes that have evolved as the planet’s most intelligent life form, with their own cities, culture, religion, and science. To the astronauts’ horror, they find that the apes hunt the planet’s primitive human population and keep them locked in cages for study and experimentation. But the famous twist comes at the very end of the film when Taylor discovers the crumbling remains of the Statue of Liberty half-submerged on a deserted beach, revealing that he has been on Earth the entire time (and in the tri-state area no less!).