At Anorak - Bread and Circuses: The Six Most Savage Games of the Near Dystopian Future

My newest article is up at Anorak, and it gazes at "bread and circuses" science fiction dystopias. The films discussed include Death Race 2000 (1975), Rollerball (1975), The Running Man (1987), Battle Royale (2000), Gamer (2009) and The Hunger Games (2012).

Here's a snippet of "Bread and Circuses: The Six Most Savage Games of the Near Dystopian Future:"

IN Ancient Rome, the poet Juvenal coined the term “bread and circuses” (panem et circenses), and to his credit, it is one that remains pertinent to this day, especially in our  21st century pop culture and entertainment.

Specifically, the idea of “bread and circuses” involves an artificial means by which the government or ruling class of a nation distracts or appeases “the common man.”  In Rome, for example gladiatorial games in the Colosseum fit the bill, distracting and diverting people from significant issues such as poverty, war, and corruption.

In the modern science fiction film, the palliative of “bread and circuses” has also commonly been highlighted.

In other words, many films involving dystopian cultures also depict bloody games that keep the masses entertained. In fact, the bloody games in these films serve a double purpose, often.

First, they distract the common folk from everyday problems of life, and second, many of the games at the same time (violently) remove dissidents or rebels, who have spoken out against the regime in power.

The latest such film of this type is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), but that popular franchise is far from original in depicting man’s easily-distracted nature.

With that in mind, below are six of the most savage “bread and circuses” games of the near dystopian future, as imagined by filmmakers.