Off Script: The Revolution Generation - Dystopia and Gen Z

The fourth entry in the column Off Script, written by Lola Carver-Broome.

Illustration by Esther Fontes

When I look back to the cinematic landscape of my tween years, a nostalgic view of the  dystopian films comes to mind. From about 2010 until 2014 our screens were  overwhelmed with dystopian stories. The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner  all offered audiences a coming-of-age tale of teenage protagonists realising the injustices  that pervade their fictional society and forming a youth opposition against them. At the  time, I was so swept up in the world building and love triangles I didn’t really consider the  impact it might have been having subconsciously. Now that I think about these films, I realise they were actually quite profound and dark, and very much applicable to the world  we live in today. Why then has the genre seemingly disappeared and what impact has it  had on those who grew up with them? 

The genre established itself in mainstream fame during a period which was embracing novel adaptation on screen. 2011 saw the end of the Harry Potter series leaving an opening  for the young adult franchises to come. Whilst it shared some key features of the dystopian  films that followed, such as its reluctant ‘chosen one’, the fantastical elements perhaps separates it too much from the political groundings of the world building we see in later series.  

The dystopian films we see in the mid 2010s provided a direct lens for political unease and  corruption using fictional worlds to question themes of authoritarianism, war, and child  exploitation. Unlike Harry Potter, it has just the right amount of fantasy that allowed for audiences to examine the possibility of our own societies progressing into the ones we see on screen. Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games, found inspiration for the series when flicking between channels showing reality TV and news coverage of the Iraq War, forming her ideas for the books which are rooted in an exploration of the sensationalisation of violence. Whilst these franchises are fictional, they dramatise and, to some extent, prophesise towards the futures of our own society, allowing audiences to  consider the nature of our own particular political situations.  

Still from The Hunger Games (2012)

I think that this was particularly impactful for young audiences towards which these films  were aimed. The protagonists that we were offered time again were teenagers, forced to  rebel against the authoritarian regimes in which they lived. Although played by slightly  older actors (Jennifer Lawrence was 20 when playing a 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen), we  saw how the younger generations had the potential to successfully revolt against their  oppressors. Rewatching the films now, I am struck by how violent they are and how  fearless these protagonists are presented as. 

Not to be overly general or romantic in my view of my own generation, but I genuinely do  believe that the overwhelming popularity of these films in our formative years has had  some impact on our political engagement. The fictional depiction of young political heroes,  using violence and organised resistance to take down repressive regimes, perhaps created a subconscious confidence in our solidarity amongst our peers. Whilst it’s not uncommon  for younger generations to be more politically engaged and have different investments than those who came before them, there seems to be a general view that Generation Z (1997- 2012) is a distinctively ‘progressive generation’. The internet certainly plays a factor,  allowing groups to form and organise and information to be spread easily. Interestingly  though, this digital upbringing is also a factor in the rise of other more regressive sub cultures, such as incels, who combat the notion of younger people as being more forward thinking.  

Still from Divergent (2012)

It is interesting to consider the fact that as a large majority of Gen Z people reach  adulthood, a time when we can have even more of a political impact, why these films have  declined in mainstream popularity. Whilst they have frequent nostalgic reappearances on  TikTok, we haven’t seen a franchise hit the big screen in the same way as we did in the mid  2010s. Perhaps it is because the romantic view of resistance has been lost? As social  media continues to grow, we are overwhelmed with images and stories of destruction and  oppression. Being bombarded with fictionalised versions of what many experience in real  life on-screen may feel exhausting rather than escapist after all. Another factor might be  the genre’s failure to innovate. When Collins cracked the formula with the Hunger Games  and paved the way for Divergent and more to follow, the mold of houses/factions/districts  and a downtrodden hero becomes slightly repetitive.  

Either way, there is no doubt that 2010s dystopia was a defining moment in 2000s cinema.  Though the genre has faded from mainstream popularity, I would argue that its influence  lingers, shaping a generation that grew up seeing young people fight back.