RANKED: The 17 best dystopian movies of all time

In future Los Angeles, human-like robots known as replicants have been deemed illegal, and a division of police known as the Blade Runners is in charge of finding and destroying them. Former Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), is asked to come out of retirement to find four replicants who revolted and stole a ship.

Deckard, while on his quest to destroy the four delinquent replicants, meets a replicant that makes him question the level of humanity that replicants can possess.

The universe created in "Blade Runner" is impressively detailed and dark. The battle between humans and replicants begs the question of how we are truly able to assess sentience.

When notable gang leader Alex (Malcolm McDowell) is arrested and put into jail for his crimes, he volunteers for an unconventional science experiment that promises to correct his sociopathic tendencies in exchange for a shorter jail sentence.

"A Clockwork Orange" dissects the replications of violent and sinister punishments, no matter how well-deserved they are.

Humanity's extinction looms in a world where war seems endless and nearly everyone is infertile. A guerilla group known as the Fishes happens to have found the first woman to become pregnant in 20 years, and rushes to get her to a safe area unoccupied by war.

"Children of Men" offers a dim look at the future of a world that has wholly succumbed to war, and both Clive Owens and Julianne Moore deliver perfectly raw and emotional performances.

In a society that demands all adults to couple up, David (Colin Farell) is left by his wife for another man, and heads to The Hotel where he must find a romantic partner within 45 days. Should David be unable to find a partner, he will be turned into the animal of his choosing to live out the remainder of his life.

Beautifully crafted, with pockets of deeply funny moments, and a bit of violent gore, "The Lobster" is sure to be one of the most memorable films you've ever seen.

In the year 2022 (this film was made in 1973 mind you), the earth is overpopulated and resources are scare, forcing the general population to ration and get their nutrients from a mysterious food product known as Soylent.

When a member of the board on Soylent Industries (the company that produces Soylent) is murdered, Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) uncovers the disturbing secret ingredient used to make Soylent.

"Soylent Green" is a dystopian classic, and will likely make you inspect the nutritional facts label on all of your packaged goods for years to come.

"Snowpiercer" is set in the future, after a failed experiment to eradicate global warming causes the world to freeze over, killing all life except for those aboard the Snowpiercer train.

The Snowpiercer is divided by class, with the wealthy at the front, and the poor in the back — until Curtis (Chris Evans) heads up a rebellion to disrupt the class divide.

"Snowpiercer" offers a poignant look at the negative impact of a sharply divided class system.

Water is the main form of currency in the post-apocalyptic world depicted in "Mad Max: Fury Road," where nearly everyone is malformed from disease, and gratuitous war is always on the menu.

"Mad Max: Fury Road," while light on dialogue, delivers one of the most visually captivating films, with a surprisingly feminist message.

Waste-collecting robot WALL-E wheels around an abandoned, garbage-filled planet earth, eventually making his way into space aboard a US spacecraft containing all of the humans who fled earth.

Humans on the spacecraft are sedentary, overweight, and plugged into television screens, with fast food always within arm's reach.

The endearing and sweet WALL-E takes us on a journey to show us what fate lies ahead — should humans fully give into their worst habits. WALL-E is also one of the least depressing dystopian films, and deserves praise for that alone.

Mike Judge's satirical take on the decline of American intelligence follows Joe Bauers (Luke Wilson), who gets chosen by the Pentagon to participate in a hibernation program and ends up waking in the distant future.

The new America is in a state of despair.

Resources are suffering as vegetation and livestock rely exclusively upon a green sports drink akin to Mountain Dew called Brawndo (It's got electrolytes!) for nutrients, the intelligence level has dwindled severely, and the president (Terry Crews) wears a shirt with cut-off sleeves.

This crude and farcical tale leans on the lighter side of dystopian films, and as goofy as it may be, it deserves a watch.

Haunted by a recurring dream where he goes to Mars, Douglass Quaid purchases a holiday experience at Rekall Inc. (where memories are implanted into customers' brains). While Quaid has his holiday memories implanted, he is faced with the realization that his dreams may not just be dreams.

This nightmarish film will keep you guessing throughout its entirety, and could severely impact your ability to comfortably sleep (but it's still worth seeing).

In a society that ranks its members by how perfectly composed their DNA is, a genetically inferior man Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), attempts to alter his fate by stealing the identity of a man deemed genetically superior, in order to live a better life.

"Gattaca" questions the benefits and usefulness of genetic engineering.

In the nation of Panem, two children from each of 12 districts are selected by lottery to battle to the death in an elaborate televised game show. The last living child is crowned as the victor of the "Hunger Games."

"The Hunger Games" is all at once visually captivating, thrilling, and disheartening. It is based off a series of young adult novels, and has several sequels based off the other books in the series.

A man in a Guy Fawkes mask, who goes by "V," enlists Evey (Natalie Portman) to help him overthrow the corrupt British government of the future.

"V for Vendetta" is a powerful reminder of the power that citizens have over their government.

"Minority Report" takes us to a future where the police are allowed to arrest someone before they commit a crime, based on future-predicting technology. When it is predicted that Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) will commit a murder of a person he doesn't know, he tries to uncover why.

"Minority Report" proves to be an excellent warning against surveillance, and is an action-packed film that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

Hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) meets wanted terrorist Morpheus (Lawrence Fishburne), and is told the reality he lives in is not what he thinks it is.

The special effects used in "The Matrix" were groundbreaking, and the concept of the Matrix toyed with this important question: What happens when the technology we create becomes smarter than us?

Monica (Frances O'Connor) is given a mecha-prototype called David (Haley Joel Osment), a robotic boy programmed to feel love, in order to cope with her son Martin being put in a medical coma. But Martin eventually wakes from his coma, and is cured of the disease that put him in it. Things don't go smoothly from there.

"A.I.," while heartbreaking at moments, doesn't provide the most nuanced take on human-robot relationships.