Idiocracy
An average soldier awakens five centuries after a hibernation experiment to find himself the reluctant savior of an absurdly anti-intellectual America.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- sardonic
- bleakly comic
- cult movie night
- political comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film sharply observed and often hilarious as dystopian satire, while noting its loose logic and deliberately lowbrow execution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The 500-year time jump transforms declining plant life, anti-intellectualism, corporate branding, and political spectacle into the dominant structure of American society.
Joe Bauers is selected as an average soldier, then becomes the smartest person alive after awakening in the future.
The film uses intentionally lowbrow jokes and catchphrases to criticize a culture that rewards lowbrow entertainment and rejects expertise.
The future United States is governed through branding, advertising, celebrity politics, and commercialized public life.
Films like Idiocracy, and why
RoboCop
dystopian science fiction satire using an absurd future society to critique contemporary politics and consumer culture
Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers
irreverent, lowbrow comedy built around a protagonist navigating a bizarre authoritarian future
Network
darkly comic social satire about institutional stupidity, media spectacle, and collapsing civic norms
Back to the Future Part II
fish out of water science fiction comedy centered on an ordinary person confronting an irrational future
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Judge
- Release Date
- 2006-09-01
- Runtime
- 85 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (3825)
Cast
- Luke Wilson
- Maya Rudolph
- Dax Shepard
- Terry Crews
- Anthony 'Citric' Campos
- David Herman
- Sonny Castillo
- Kevin McAfee
- Robert Musgrave
- Michael McCafferty
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Idiocracy about?
- An average soldier awakens five centuries after a hibernation experiment to find himself the reluctant savior of an absurdly anti-intellectual America.
- What is Idiocracy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Idiocracy as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Idiocracy violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Idiocracy as mild.
- What did critics think of Idiocracy?
- Critics broadly found the film sharply observed and often hilarious as dystopian satire, while noting its loose logic and deliberately lowbrow execution.
- Which films are like Idiocracy?
- Films with a similar feel include RoboCop, Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, Network, and Back to the Future Part II.
- How long is Idiocracy?
- Idiocracy runs 85 minutes.
- Where can I watch Idiocracy?
- In United States, Idiocracy is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
