Hmmm, I guess that's a matter of interpretation. I read that as a 'sign of the times' kind of thing. You know, like an Old West picture, or "In a world, where love is against the law..... they found each other" kind of thing.

So, Allen, I just watched two different versions of Max, and I must differ with you. It IS true of the opening of Road Warrior which used clips from Mad Max in a re-write of if it's story. The only part of Mad max (at least in the versions I have) that's even SF is the opening card which reads "A few years from now...."

The version I'm citing is the widescreen AI edition. I understand that versions from MGM were re-dubbed in American, but this is the original Aussie.

>>Well, I'd somewhat beg to differ about "Mad Max," long one of my favorite films, not being dystopian. There is very clear mention and demonstration in the movie about the social order breaking down, that small towns are isolated and relatively defenseless, and that the roads are increasingly lawless. It's the reason that the MFP get a new nitro-injected cop car and that many people are armed or cautious.<<

And Shakesperian actors are forming motorcycle gangs and naming themselves "The Toecutter".

I love Toecutter, his performance was so over the top, I don't see how the actor could have kept a straight face while hamming it up.

Which one Dustin?

The Running Man or Blade Runner?

Well, the original ST was Heinlein's "stick it to the man" book. He was hired to design weapons for the government during WWII (I think), and his family was held as pseudo hostage as he got pictures of them sent to his office from sniper positions. So, he came up with powered armor, scads of weapons, and transports. He then sorted out the stuff that could be made to work from the stuff that couldn't. He discarded the really obvious stuff and submitted all the failures. Then, to insure that NONE of his ideas were used, he submitted the workable stuff publicly in the form of Troopers. He set it in the federalist backdrop that he saw coming as the countries' attitude slid from liberal to conservative to meet the war effort. All the stuff in the movie came in later books in the series, all based on the Fed future he came up with in ST.

So, the original book, no. He was LIVING in distopia, and his writing reflected that. The later series were based and expanded on that attitude, and they -were- distopic. Since the movies were based on the series as a whole, and not just that first book, then yeah, I think they meant it that way.

>>Anbody read John Steakley's "Armor"? It's a great book about the horrors of war, and very much inspired by Heinlein's "Troopers." <<

ANTS! ANTS EVERYWHERE!

I'm guessing that the reviewer/editor/whoever is responsible for this list is defining dystopia as the prescence of any sort of tyrannical state, in which case I suppose it's only a matter of time before The Empire Strikes Back makes the list (a shame, since the dying Republic seen in the prequels would probably make a better setting for a dystopian work than the Empire would...ah well.)