The Revival of 1980’s Technological Dystopias

Bradley Van Rooy; Ayu Sutriasa, Bradley Van Rooy, and Luqman Rom

"all ideology represents in its necessarily imaginary distortion not the existing relations of production (and the other relations that derive from them), but above all the (imaginary) relationship of individuals to the relations of production and the relations that derive from them." (Althusser)

A ProductTechnology Then & Now ● 1980’s

o 1979- the CDo 1980- the Walkmano 1981-first launch of

the Space Shuttle, the IBM PC computer and the rise of Apple

o 1983- the camcorder and digital capturing

o 1984- the cell phoneo 1980 to 1987- the

“Boom” of AI

● Todayo 2004- Google goes

publico 2006- motion sensing

control gaming system (Wii)

o 2007- Apple iPhone and App Store

o 2009- social media boom

o 2011- Apple’s Siri, Google Now, and Microsoft’s Cortana introduced (popularized AI’s)

An Imagined RelationshipWith Technology

● 1980’so Fear of Future

Technologyo Hope in

Technology

● Todayo Fear of Future

Technologyo Hope in

Technology? of humanity

o Anxiety of Current Technology

Franchises● 1980’s Box Office Successes ● Multiple sequels ● Movies Originally Released in the Late

1970’s-1980’s● 2014-2015: a sudden revival of

franchises ● Technology leading to future dystopia

Ideology and Film"anxiety and hope are two faces of the same collective consciousness, so that the works of mass culture, even if their function lies in the legitimation of the existing order-or some worse one-cannot do their job without deflecting in the latter's service the deepest and most fundamental hopes and fantasies of the collectivity, to which they can therefore, no matter in how distorted a fashion, be found to have given voice." (Jameson 144)

What Does This Mean?● The revival of these technologically

driven dystopian movie franchises continue the reproduction of the relations of technological production (Althusser’s argument), and shifted the focus of hope in technology to the more underlying anxiety people have with technology.

Plot● Mad Max (1979)

o Max takes revenge on a motorcycle gang that creates chaos through rape, destruction, and looting.

o Civilization has very nice, flashy vehicles

o “Hey Mister! What happened to the car?”-Kid“What do you think happened?” - Bubba Zanetti“Looks like it was chewed up and spit out.”-Kid“Perhaps its the result of anxiety.”- Bubba Zanetti

● Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)o Max is ambushed and

imprisoned, but brought along an expedition to supply blood for Nux. He escapes and helps 5 women try to find a childhood homeland.

o Dictators control the vehicles (rusted, but added attachments)

o “Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence.” -Immortan Joe

Themes● Mad Max (1979)

o Revengeo Greedo The Lawo Family

● Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)o Survivalo Ecological Collapseo Moralityo Homeo Redemption

(Biblical)

Setting● Mad Max (1979)

o Anarchie Roado Civilizationo Police & The Law

(Halls of Justice)o The Oceano Highways and Roads

● Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)o Fury Roado Wastelando Dictatorshipo “The Green Place” o Desert

The Vehicles Evolution in Mad Max

Characters ● Mad Max (1979)

o Max

o Jessie

o ToeCutter

● Mad Max: Fury Road(2015)

o Max

o Imperator Furiosa

o Immortan Joe

MaxMel Gibson Tom Hardy

CharactersJessie Imperator Furiosa

CharactersToeCutter Immortan Joe

End