Idiocracy

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Idiocracy

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Idiocracy

Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, Terry Crews, Anthony 'Citric' Campos

When a man wakes up 500 years in the future, he discovers that world is so dumbed down that he's the smartest person on earth.

Id: 10890786

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Idiocracy Recent Reviews
  • MovieGeek13
    October 12, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    Idiocracy is a film with a concept. Humans are devolving into a bunch of idiots. And if you really think about it, this could happen. Yes, the film is utterly stupid. It would be so easy for an audience to throw up their hands any be done with this movie. But I'm willing to ...( read more)bet that the same kind of people who don't get this movie are the same kinds of people this film is ridiculing. We are becoming a nation of dumbed down idiots. We have to have everything spelled out for us. We don't want to think for ourselves. We hate reading, or anything that forces us to be creative. I can only look to the success of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as proof that no one really wants to understand what they're watching. A scene doesn't have to make any sense; as long as there's a big explosion happening, it's got our attention.
    I certainly see a bit of anger in Mike Judge's film. His film viciously condemns the dumbing down of society. We laugh at these people. Sometimes, we can't even laugh, because they are so stupid we almost pity them and their utter stupidity.
    If you've never seen the you tube clips advertising Brawndo and Powerthirst, check it out. They are incredibly funny. The Brawndo advertisements seem like they are tie-ins to Idiocracy, completely stupid, ludicrous, yet hilarious. Idiocracy works because it makes you laugh at these characters. It's all in the name of good satire. .
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 29, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "As the 21st century began, human evolution was at a turning point. Natural selection, the process by which the strongest, the smartest, the fastest, reproduced in greater numbers than the rest, a process which had once favored the noblest traits of man, now began to favor dif...( read more)ferent traits. Most science fiction of the day predicted a future that was more civilized and more intelligent. But as time went on, things seemed to be heading in the opposite direction. A dumbing down."


    As Idiocracy commences, we're presented with a fairly convincing theory regarding the future of the human species. For centuries, science fiction stories have usually portrayed a future world as a crisp utopia of science and advanced learning with flying cars and phenomenal technology. The future has also been illustrated as a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland. These are perfectly believable theories. However, Idiocracy - a film helmed by Mike Judge, a man also responsible for Beavis and Butt-Head and 1999's Office Space - tosses these theories in the toilet and offers an alternate vision of where mankind is headed. According to Judge, in the future humans may have a lower IQ than a muffin.


    Judge's theory may appear outlandish, but think about it... the Jackass flicks are able to reach #1 at the box office while intelligent, provocative movies such as Michael Clayton and Children of Men perish at the box office (still earning a modest profit, but very slowly). One factor Idiocracy brings to the fore is that destitute, dim-witted families screw and breed like rodents while smart, well-off families restrict themselves to one or two offspring. Hence, the smart population may develop into an endangered species before ultimately becoming extinct. Judge's savage attack on American idiocy (which went through many title changes, originally being known as 3001 and Amerikwa) takes the form of an eye-wateringly hilarious hybrid of sci-fi and comedy. Judge's script is pervaded with endless wit and creativity, never becoming preachy in its depiction of the future but ensuring it'd be quite possible to ponder Judge's message about modern man. Mike Judge is simply the perfect guy to produce a movie about a future overrun by morons, as his entire career is built on mining the stupidity of North America for laughs. Idiocracy is loaded with a frighteningly realistic concept...but it's in an amusing wrapper.


    "The years passed, mankind became stupider at a frightening rate. Some had high hopes the genetic engineering would correct this trend in evolution, but sadly the greatest minds and resources where focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections."


    Private Joe Bowers (Wilson) is the dictionary definition of an "Average Joe". So incredibly average, in fact, that the Pentagon selects Joe to be a guinea pig for their latest experiment - labelled the "The Human Hibernation Project" which will test whether the best men in the military can be frozen indefinitely until they're needed the most. Joe - along with a hooker named Rita (Rudolph) - are cryogenically frozen for the military experiment...only to wake up to a 26th century in which morons have inherited the planet. Suddenly it's discovered that Joe is the smartest person alive, and is recruited to solve all the world's stupidity-caused problems.


    "Comin' up next on The Violence Channel: An all-new "Ow, My Balls!""


    When Idiocracy is boiled down to the essentials, it's an uproarious comedy and a potent bitch-slap of a social commentary. After initially conveying the alarming concept that America's future has fallen into the hands of the moronic and irresponsible, Judge's script begins to attack not only America's commercial sponsorship culture, but the entertainment tastes of the citizens as well. In this future the most popular show on television is called Ow! My Balls!, which is precisely what you'd expect - a string of scenes showcasing a character being repeatedly hit below the belt. Everyone's favourite channel is The Masturbation Network. Winner of eight Oscars in 2505 (including Best Original Screenplay) is Ass - which is just 90 minutes of a flatulent bare butt.


    Judge also proceeds to criticise Gatorade (labelled "Brawndo" here), using the general futility of sport drinks to accentuate the misleading nature of predatory corporations as well as the gullibility of consumers who will believe anything they read. Conversations are now sponsored as well. 2505 is a world where it has become commonplace for citizens to be named Hormel and Beef Supreme. Starbucks is now an establishment that only sells hand-jobs, Butt-F**kers is a restaurant which hosts birthday parties for children, and if a topic doesn't pertain to sex, balls or farting, nobody wishes to discuss it. Idiocracy eventually ventures into the political realm, transforming a presidential address into a wrestling main event and revealing that positions in the White House can be won in competitions! As a satire, Mike Judge's gem is a cold steel blade to the gut. Judge is a brilliant satirist, relishing his opportunity to expose our insatiable need for stupidity.


    This tour de force of satiric savagery is bitingly hysterical, shooting arrows at the Jackass crowd and highlighting the general dumbing down of humankind. Once a viewer tunes into Judge's jaundiced wavelength, one will recognise how drop-dead hilarious this flick truly is. There are levels to the humour here - broad + subversive, and scatological. These two levels are incredibly proficient in allowing a viewer to accept the premise. When, say, a fart joke occurs, the real gag isn't the actual passing of gas but how funny the stupid population finds it. Virtually every scene is full of genuinely hilarious moments, not to mention it's packed with little details, from hairdos to the colossal futility of the law system in 2505 to the latest technological advancements. Subtle visual gags are also hysterical - unfinished highways where cars keep driving off before piling up at the bottom, appalling misspellings everywhere, and a Costco the size of a city. Stupid characters are usually a turn-off, but Idiocracy features characters so completely and surrealistically brainless that it's practically impossible not to laugh.


    "Don't worry scrote. There are plenty of 'tards out there living really kick ass lives. My first wife was 'tarded. She's a pilot now."


    Luke Wilson's laidback style has never suited him better. As the poor schmuck accidentally sent five hundred years into the future, Wilson is impeccable and oddly appealing. His introductory scenes - establishing him as the laziest, most under-achieving average bloke in the army - are some of the best-written segments of the screenplay. Dax Shepard is also excellent as Joe's astonishingly dumb, dim-witted best friend Frito. It's hysterical watching Dax giving Joe a look of total vacancy. Even Maya Rudolph, who usually signifies the end of all things good (Duplex, American version of Kath & Kim), is a riot as a hooker from 2005 who's convinced her pimp will manage to come forward in time and kick her ass.

    Terry Crews, as well, is an absolute hoot as President Camacho. Also look out for cameos by Judge regular Stephen Root, and even Justin Long.


    As enjoyable as Idiocracy is, it most certainly isn't without its faults. The low budget couldn't accommodate state-of-the-art special effects...and the film is stuck with awful, cartoonish CGI creations (interestingly, some of the special effects were done for free by Robert Rodriguez). The low budget is frequently obvious. Despite being enjoyable, the film is also unable to conceal the almost lethal plot holes. In the future, the technological advancements are frankly amazing; from identities tattooed onto citizens to gigantic cars with advanced gizmos, and even special effects in television programs...not to mention televisions are huge and impressive. But this begs the question: with the world populated entirely by idiots with no knowledge of how to create such technology, how the hell could these technological advancements have occurred? And how could they be so widespread when the morons wouldn't know how to manufacture more of them, let alone repair them when one is broken? In addition to these faults, there are some minor pacing issues. There's also too much narration which indicates plain lazy filmmaking.


    "Unaware of what year it was, Joe wandered the streets desperate for help. But the English language had deteriorated into a hybrid of hillbilly, valleygirl, inner-city slang and various grunts. Joe was able to understand them, but when he spoke in an ordinary voice he sounded pompous and faggy to them."


    Here's what happened to Idiocracy: Fox test screened the movie with a reportedly catastrophic reaction. Unsure with what to do with Judge's little film, Fox granted it a tiny theatrical release - not even bothering to create posters or a trailer - before dumping it on DVD (even though legions of Mike Judge fans were highly anticipating it). As audiences began watching it on DVD, conspiratorial murmurs were sparked, talking about how good the movie is and that the studio just didn't get it. Or perhaps Fox grew nervous on account of Judge skewering big commercial industries. Fox is the pet of Rupert Murdoch, after all, who's the captain of industry and baron of big business. Nevertheless, studios release dozens of indefensible films every single year. Especially when compared to some of the diabolical dirge rushed into cinemas each year, Idiocracy was undeserving of its treatment. It isn't the unfunny flop one would expect...the jokes are usually dumb, but the final result is subversively intelligent. Funny? Yes, and it's also a potent wake-up call to a very probable future. Be sure to stay until the end of the credits.
  • phubbs1
    April 5, 2009
    phubbs1
    Weird, rubbish and ultimately not funny, dont bother.....ever.
  • Gx7
    March 29, 2009
    Gx7
    Late Post:
    "You think Einstein walked around thinkin everyone was a bunch of dumb shits?"


    I have mixed feelings about this movie.

    For one it has managed to tackle a lot of the thoughts that Ive had about people and so...( read more)ciety, and how horribly gruesome and migrane triggering some people can be...

    Whats cool? Whats in? Whats hip? Do the masses dictate what those things are? Or is this kind of thinking coming from someone with an inflated ego and a bit of superiority complex?

    In the business sector, company take overs, product alterations and its impact to its consumers. Advertising propaganda that say "BIG! MONDO! MEGA! ULTRA! GIGANTIC! JUMBO! COLOSSAL! IS A WHOOPING GREAT THING!" -- "Its good for you! Buy It!" and people buy a chuck load of it... The bandwagon effect.

    And theres those cretins who do nothing but procreate.. procreate.. and procreate...

    "Now you know why he built that bomb."Referring to Einstein and the Atomic Bomb

    From a director that created King of the Hill and Beavis and Butt-head, this movie had suprisingly exceeded my expectations. It grabs a hold of those thoughts you try to push at the back of your head and gives you this movie as a visual exaggeration of the world. The story says this is 500 years in the future, and a couple of flix buddies have stated that this is the possible future, I say, wake up... Its already happened, were already there.

    Mike Judge's works had always had an odd taste to them. Idiocracy however, is half smart and half dull for a dark comedy. Its definitely another guilty pleasure movie, as the good things about the movie really isnt even visually IN the movie, but inside the viewers head!

    The story is so high school, but if youre tolerant enough to get past thru some of the "crude" scenes in this film, you might just find yourself amused and mind raked afterwards.

    Director: Mike Judge
    Rated R
  • hypathio7
    March 9, 2009
    hypathio7
    From the maker of Beavis and Butthead and Office Space. Funny concept! My favorite character, the smartest one, is the narrator. It is illustrated that there are no predators of man. Intelligent people tend to delay having babies till it is the right time, then there might be...( read more) medical difficulties. People with low IQs just have sex, maybe with multiple partners, without concern for the outcome. So, the less bright people reproduce and affect evolution negatively for mankind. It is just really difficult to watch such stupidity for even two hours.
  • bassmaster51392
    January 3, 2010
    bassmaster51392
    This movie is pretty funny but it is also absolutley one of the MOST retarded movies ive ver seen.
  • Sebdinovitch
    January 1, 2010
    Sebdinovitch
    Luke Wilson was fun. But the scenario was poor...
  • paulanthonynelson
    January 1, 2010
    paulanthonynelson
    Often funny, always scary (if heavy-handed) satire occasionally revels in the behaviour it decries, but mostly hits the target.
  • melissalynn224
    December 28, 2009
    melissalynn224
    I hated this movie when I first watched it. However it is funny, and by the second time I saw it I was cracking up. A look into the dark, stupid future of humans
  • HeroPK
    December 26, 2009
    HeroPK
    I love the concept of this movie and it has some good ideas.
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