Idiocracy Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A horrifying vision of the (probable) future...

Review: This is one of those movies where you don't know whether you're supposed to laugh or weep for humanity. The film's story is a combination of numerous dystopian works but done in such a way to present a comical and satirical approach. However, I feel as though the sheer plausibility of the scenario creates a disturbing outlook for the world especially the USA. I've read every spin of criticism laid against this film, and I do understand why it bombed, but most problems simply boil down to the comedic aspects. Any of the political analyses are meaningless since the vast majority of people have a normalcy bias. For the most part, I think this film does succeed, but it certainly has noticeable problems.

So what exactly is going on here? A prototypical average Joe, conveniently named Joe, and a hooker are placed in experimental pods to test the effects of suspended animation. Instead of waking up one year later as planned, they are accidentally awoken 500 years later. In this future humanity's dumbest individuals bred like rabbits while the intelligent disappeared. All of society's systems are maintained through old technology designed to be operated by the lowest rung of intelligence. Joe's arrival coincides with humanity reaching a point where they are about to starve to death due to their inability to figure out how to grow crops. Although arrested initially, Joe is deemed the smartest person in the world and tasked to fix all the problems. With the help of the hooker love interest, Joe manages to figure out that the main problem was that they were watering the crops with a futuristic Gatorade. While Joe appears to save the world and set humanity on a path of recovery, the film ends with the implication that the stupefying of humans is inevitable. Obviously I'm leaving a lot out, but you get the gist of it.

The element they truly nail is in regard to the degradation process of society. Mega corporations and conglomerates as the root cause of the idiocy is something many viewers gloss over. I love how almost all clothing and items are laced with logos and people even speak using corporate slogans. Humans' inability to speak coherently is something this film has firmly predicted well in advance. Although we could lump it all as newspeak from "1984," Orwell explicitly said newspeak was to limit the ability to communicate and process big ideas that could result in resistance. In "Idiocracy," the newspeak is simply the natural effect of people not caring about how to read or write properly mixed with this bizarre hazing of the intelligent at the hands of idiots. What I mean is that there are often fools who claim someone is acting arrogant due to simply speaking intelligently. Now, granted, there are pretentious, hipster retards plaguing the world, but you know what I mean. Just look all over the internet with people unable to spell basic words even with most programs having internal spellchecks! Likewise, the horrendous abuse of any language coupled with moronic slang and texting lingo isn't helping. And let's not forget the most important aspect of all: the internet has allowed every person in the world access to the collective knowledge of all humans throughout time! Yet, this gift is squandered completely so people can spend time broadcasting their fake, hollow lives through shit like instagram and facebook as if their "friends" care. Not to mention the relentless barrage of advertisements and other rampant bullshit. My goodness gracious...

There may be a lot to praise regarding the forward-thinking nature of the plot, but I can't ignore the problems. The jokes can fall incredibly flat considering many of them are designed to appeal to the type of people this film is ironically mocking. The running time is unforgivably short; there was ample opportunity to expand the ideas further. The ending is somewhat abrupt and cliche when there was a chance to throw the audience a curve ball. Sure, there is a post-credit scene, but it's dumb and pointless. Lastly, I'm okay with the actors here, but I don't think a lot of them were right for these roles; few roles stand out in a movie this over the top.

Overall...we're fucked. If anything, this film should be viewed as a cautionary tale or a learning tool of some sort. There are many horrible truths demonstrated in the story, but it is more than capable of casual entertainment. The material is not taken seriously, of course, but it does boast a sci-fi setup worth examining. I would definitely recommend tracking this down for at least one viewing whether you like it or not. You can approach the film from the raw, satire angle or you can explore the visionary aspects and how they coincide with reality. It is important to acknowledge the film's shortcomings so be aware that this is far from a classic in the way "1984" should be read by any and all people.

Notable Moment: When Joe visits the doctor. I like Justin Long in these goofball roles, and it was amusing enough.

Final Rating: 7/10