Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Argument: General sense of Zen calm, complete respite from the twenty-four/seven news cycle, rule of law intact, zero nationalism
Potential Drawback: That pointing and shrieking thing is a tad unsettling
Blade Runner
The Argument: Cultural diversity celebrated, most of the 1 percenters have already left for the off-world colonies, shoulder pads are back in a big way
Potential Drawback: Passive-aggressive origami
Planet of the Apes
The Argument: Sciences receive adequate funding, atmospheric CO₂ levels at their lowest point in nineteen centuries
Potential Drawback: The only human who can talk is Charlton Heston, and he may try to kiss you
They Live
The Argument: Special glasses are capable of persuading low-information voters to withdraw their support for plutocratic ghouls
Potential Drawback: Putting glasses on may involve a ten-minute fistfight
The Matrix
The Argument: Machines provide universal health care, cool leather jackets are readily available, you can get a lot of extra mileage out of your B.A. in philosophy
Potential Drawback: The Red Pill crowd absolutely won’t shut the fuck up
The Hunger Games
The Argument: The nation’s youth receive powerful incentives to be physically fit
Potential Drawback: Newspapers of record are now made up entirely of think pieces about coal country
Zardoz
The Argument: Sean Connery in cherry red diaper-suspenders with sensible thigh-highs
Potential Drawback: Sean Connery in cherry red diaper-suspenders with sensible thigh-highs
Escape from New York
The Argument: Pause in gentrification leads to cheap and plentiful Manhattan real estate, Harry Dean Stanton is still alive, vaudeville theaters reopen their doors
Potential Drawback: Traffic on Queensboro Bridge further complicated by minefield
Snowpiercer
The Argument: Hey, they followed through on Infrastructure Week
Potential Drawback: On the wrong side of history when it comes to arming teachers
The City of Lost Children
The Argument: Kids in cages are regularly rescued by Ron Perlman
Potential Drawback: Yellow-green-filter fatigue (see also: The Matrix)
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
The Argument: Government in essence a Tina Turner-ocracy, kink-shaming on the decline, your eighteen streaming services have been replaced by a single Thunderdome
Potential Drawback: Life is now basically day eight of Burning Man but with more Mel Gibson
The Running Man
The Argument: Sadistic game show host who runs the country is launched into oblivion by a rocket sled
Potential Drawback: None