Each title needed at least 1,000 IMDb user rating votes to qualify, and in the case of a rating tie, the title with more votes ranked higher on the list. To compile a list of the best dystopian films of all time, Stacker used IMDb advanced searches, in-depth film journalism, and academic research. In turn, these dystopian films cultivate a sense of unsettling familiarity, as if today's peaceful civilizations are just a few disastrous events or decisions away from the stuff of nightmares.

Springing from the collective well of human experience, each holds up a foreboding mirror in its exaggerated depiction of a potential reality. Hence, the best dystopian movies present societies in a state of great suffering or injustice. Stacker ultimately qualified a dystopian movie by the OED definition.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines dystopian as: 'An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.' Merriam-Webster, meanwhile, offers a second definition: 'Anti-utopia.' Also worthy of consideration is the word's Greek origin, which loosely translates to 'not-good place.' Clearly, you can develop endless interpretations of what makes for a 'dystopia' and, by extension, a 'dystopian' movie. The word 'dystopia' might conjure a range of associations, but as a standalone concept, it remains somewhat elusive.

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