Review of Idiocracy (2006) by Kai82 — 06 Aug 2021

It is a science fiction comedy with a lot of satire that many say will become a documentary. Sadly I agree more and more with this statement. Over the years it became a cult movie for some and is widely know for its idea or statements.

It deals with the idea that intelligence is not or no longer a benefit for survival of the fittest. In short the smart people have more objections in getting and raising children while the other less intelligent do not object in having more children.

The story starts in the year 2005 with an army experiment for suspended animation. The (army) librarian Joe Bauers is chosen as he represents the average American with an IQ of 100. Because they did not find a female volunteer in the army they hire the prostitute Rita.

However after the start of the project some events happen and they end in the far future of 2505 and Joe is the smartest man in the world by a far margin. So starts the story. It is a great comedy with a lot of satire, cliches and stereotypes.

When I first watched it I think it was unrealistic and silly. Over the years it becomes more and more realistic (and this is scary). Many say that this will become a prophetic vision of our future or even a documentary and in the year 2021 I have seen a lot of stupidity that points in this direction.

I hope we are all wrong but the science deniers, conspiracy theories and **** people believe is increasing (Or those always existed but are now louder and more visible). They put a lot of effort into creating an environment were all the cliches, stereotypes and ideas flourish.

So the story and world building are really good and deliver an experience that makes you think a lot about it. Then there is the humor and this can be a bit dumb for some. For me it works mostly as I like the satire, ideas, and jokes.

A 70 to 30 ratio for good to bad seems fair. The characters do a good performance. Lets start with Luke Wilson as Joe Bauers and Maya Rudolph as Rita. Both deliver the role of a stranger in a strange land (or dumb land?).

Excellent performance and they made it worthwhile. Terry Crews as President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is entertaining and a hidden gem of the movie. The name is not a typo and should give you a glimpse of the humor.

Then we have Dax Shepard as Frito and Andrew Wilson as Beef Supreme who are also really entertaining. A good cast for genre standards. The visuals are amazing for creating a fitting representation of the premise and ideas.

They took again a lot of effort into this. Lastly I want to thank director Mike Judge and the writer Ethan Cohen (Mike Judge is also credited as writer) for this idea and movie. Overall this became a cult movie and must see.

The ideas become more and more unsettling as we see more and more dumb things happen with our society. I hope it will not become a documentary or be a prophecy. I recommend it for the ideas and for the potential of having lot of good debates with friends and colleagues about it (It is a fun and interesting topic by the way).