I think this is mostly waste of a great idea. The main premise and the obvious message are somewhat clever and really promissing, but the script almost totally consists of needless and meaningless encounters that the main character experience, which don't build on anything on the solid base. It's content with only showing similar exaggerated examples of today's dumbness projected to that future society over and over again through an uninspired survival plot and unfortunately doesn't move on to any deeper level. As a result, it's just a fool adventure-ish comedy that gets less and less interesting, in which the protagonist runs from getting arrested, put into jail or being killed along with a totally repetetive shallow social commentary. Some limited bright humourous moments or lines here and there, but after the initial introduction part, the movie felt just slightly better than that nuts kicking show aired on future tv. This would be much much better if only they took the idea seriously, but obviously they didn't. 5/10
It baffles me how this film came and went from screens in 2006 with barely a whisper - it's a bracing, genuinely funny satire with a very serious point to make. Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph are perfect as Joe the dimwit army private and Rita the prostitute chosen to take part in a hibernation project which goes wrong and sees them woken up 500 years in the future when the human race has devolved through the increased reproductive rates and dominant genes of the laziest, stupidest people on the planet. It's a world where the president is a pro-wrestler, Starbucks is now a sex shop, oscar winning films are just 90 minutes of farting, the most successful TV show is "Ow, my balls" on "The Violence Channel" and vitally world crops are failing because all the water has been replaced by corporate endorsed energy drinks. Joe becomes the smartest man on the planet and has to help fix the world before finding a way to get back to his own time.
It's all extremely low brow and the stupidity of the future human race, mostly swearing and fart jokes, can get up your nose, but that is entirely intentional. You only need to look around you to see the early signs of what Mike Judge is poking fun at and simultaneously fearing. It's a surprisingly depressing film for a ridiculous sci-fi comedy, but worth seeing nonetheless.
below.
Could humanity really survive with everyone being so unbelievably stupid? Loved the subtle mention of a leaking nuclear plant. :)
Andrew Wilson as 'Beef Supreme' stole the show!
Like uritibon I am somewhat perplexed about what this film is trying to convey. At first there seems to be something of a serious message underneath the light hearted comedy,
describing how humanity could eventually evolve into a majority of dumb people or, well, idiots
. It doesn't take long though before the film itself descends into idiotic slapstick and stays there. Perhaps the makers were trying to make a point, but then had so much fun that they forgot about it. Or perhaps the point was that living in an idiocracy is okay. As it stands though, it seems that the introductory part of this film is an insult to the target audience of the rest of it.
I liked this movie a lot more than I expected to. It's funny on the surface, but incredibly depressing if you think about it. I probably won't watch it again because it made me sad, but still a very good film.
I don't think the film deserves its cult status. It is only one joke and it is already right there on the premise. No stakes or actual characters, incompetent effects and editing, some big laughs and that's about it. In fact it's almost as stupid as the people in it, which makes its borderline pro-eugenics POV all the more obnoxious.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 21
Astragalus
I think this is mostly waste of a great idea. The main premise and the obvious message are somewhat clever and really promissing, but the script almost totally consists of needless and meaningless encounters that the main character experience, which don't build on anything on the solid base. It's content with only showing similar exaggerated examples of today's dumbness projected to that future society over and over again through an uninspired survival plot and unfortunately doesn't move on to any deeper level. As a result, it's just a fool adventure-ish comedy that gets less and less interesting, in which the protagonist runs from getting arrested, put into jail or being killed along with a totally repetetive shallow social commentary. Some limited bright humourous moments or lines here and there, but after the initial introduction part, the movie felt just slightly better than that nuts kicking show aired on future tv. This would be much much better if only they took the idea seriously, but obviously they didn't. 5/10dombrewer
It baffles me how this film came and went from screens in 2006 with barely a whisper - it's a bracing, genuinely funny satire with a very serious point to make. Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph are perfect as Joe the dimwit army private and Rita the prostitute chosen to take part in a hibernation project which goes wrong and sees them woken up 500 years in the future when the human race has devolved through the increased reproductive rates and dominant genes of the laziest, stupidest people on the planet. It's a world where the president is a pro-wrestler, Starbucks is now a sex shop, oscar winning films are just 90 minutes of farting, the most successful TV show is "Ow, my balls" on "The Violence Channel" and vitally world crops are failing because all the water has been replaced by corporate endorsed energy drinks. Joe becomes the smartest man on the planet and has to help fix the world before finding a way to get back to his own time.It's all extremely low brow and the stupidity of the future human race, mostly swearing and fart jokes, can get up your nose, but that is entirely intentional. You only need to look around you to see the early signs of what Mike Judge is poking fun at and simultaneously fearing. It's a surprisingly depressing film for a ridiculous sci-fi comedy, but worth seeing nonetheless.
God
life imitates artdpanter
Better than expected.Possible
Could humanity really survive with everyone being so unbelievably stupid? Loved the subtle mention of a leaking nuclear plant. :)
Andrew Wilson as 'Beef Supreme' stole the show!
Longomontanus
Like uritibon I am somewhat perplexed about what this film is trying to convey. At first there seems to be something of a serious message underneath the light hearted comedy,Mortelle
I liked this movie a lot more than I expected to. It's funny on the surface, but incredibly depressing if you think about it. I probably won't watch it again because it made me sad, but still a very good film.Falcaster
Surprisingly true movie...ucuruju
I don't think the film deserves its cult status. It is only one joke and it is already right there on the premise. No stakes or actual characters, incompetent effects and editing, some big laughs and that's about it. In fact it's almost as stupid as the people in it, which makes its borderline pro-eugenics POV all the more obnoxious.TeaDrinker3000
I watched this January 20th 2017, the day Donald D. Trump was admitted into office. Take from that what you will.Eddyspeeder
If not for this movie, I could have said "I celebrate Mike Judge's entire catalogue." Bums me out that I profoundly dislike this one.Boff
That was hilarious!uritibon
Maybe this was a sort of Ars Poetic idea, but it seems that this movie could only have been made by complete idiots!Katt
LOL "Toliet water?"katybliss
Hilarious! Brawndo FTW!Thief
Surprisingly funny.Showing items 1 – 15 of 21