Loved ‘A Clockwork Orange’? Here are 10 more dystopian films that’ll mess with your mind

A Clockwork Orange is a film set in a near-future world– a world beset by rampant youth violence and moral decline. The story revolves around a guy named Alex who takes his gang on violent rampages. When Alex is betrayed by his gang, he gets arrested. While in prison, he volunteers for a psychological treatment named the Ludovico Technique. It functions on the premise of associating his thoughts of violence with physical illness, so whenever he has violent thoughts, he becomes sick.

After the treatment is successful, Alex loses the ability to be violent and also his free will.

What follows next makes viewers question free will, individual liberty, and social order– or at least, the illusion of it.

The audience soon feels torn as they end up sympathizing with him.

It forces you to question important things — can "good" actually exist if the one performing it has no idea what it is? Can a person be good if they aren't capable of choosing evil? Is free will needed in order to choose good over evil?

Now, if the concept intrigues you — or you've already seen A Clockwork Orange — here are 10 more movies that tackle similar themes and ideas.

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Disclaimer: The following list is based solely on the author's personal opinion.

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List of movies similar to A Clockwork Orange

Brazil (1985) - Amazon Prime Video

Brazil is a cult classic dystopian science fiction set in a retro-future, in an anonymous city. The place is suffocated by a totalitarian regime, dysfunctional bureaucracy, and pervasive surveillance.

The film follows the life of Sam Lowry, a Ministry of Information clerk. Sam has fantasies about his romantic life and wishes to break free from this cruel system. However, he becomes the target of the state after attempting to correct a bureaucratic mistake.

If you enjoyed the themes of totalitarian authority and a protagonist trapped in a system in A Clockwork Orange, Brazil is also a must-watch.

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Blade Runner (1982) - Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube Movies, Google Play Movies

Blade Runner is a sci-fi film that takes place in 2019 Los Angeles and revolves around a man named Rick Deckard. He is a retired police officer, and his work is tracking down special robots known as replicants.

These replicants are just like human beings, but are manufactured in a lab. They are designed to perform perilous tasks on other planets. But a few of them escape and try to return to Earth.

Rick is entrusted to hunt them down. While on his mission, Rick encounters Rachael, a replicant who thinks she is human due to implanted false memories. As he progresses along his way, he ends up questioning what being human truly means.

Like A Clockwork Orange, the film offers a biting criticism of a system that benefits just the chosen few.

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The Lobster (2015) - Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube Movies, Google Play Movies

The Lobster is a satirical dystopian film that depicts society making outlandish rules for love and relationships. The plot revolves around a man called David, who is deserted by his wife. He is then sent to a hotel where single individuals are required to find a partner within 45 days.

But the hotel rules are really strange. Individuals must match up with someone else based on unusual characteristics. If they cannot find a match within the time limit, they are transformed into an animal of their choice, in this instance, a lobster. If a person doesn't wish to live at the hotel, they are sent to the forest, where they become known as loners.

David gets sent to the forest and falls for a woman there, but what transpires next leaves us questioning the rules set by society when it comes to love.

The Lobster and A Clockwork Orange both explore societies that impose strict rules on individuals, leaving them with no choice.

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Dark City (1998) - Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, YouTube Movies, Google Play Movies

Dark City is a mystery science fiction movie that is centered on a man by the name of John Murdoch. He awakens in a bathtub without remembering who he is. He later finds out that he's being chased as a wanted serial killer, but can't remember committing any murders.

As John struggles to clear his name and understand what's happening, he discovers he's also being pursued by a mysterious clan known as the "Strangers." In his quest for answers, he discovers some mind-bending facts.

The film delves into profound questions such as: Are we merely the sum of our memories? Is memory human? Or is there something else out there, perhaps manipulating what we remember, and we're just responding the way they want us to?

If you like A Clockwork Orange's idea of the state controlling us, Dark City is an excellent follow-up.

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Battle Royale (2000) - Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Apple TV, Kanopy, Tubi

Battle Royale is a Japanese dystopian movie regarding escalating youth crime and a shocking government scheme known as the BR Act. According to this act, every year, a batch of ninth-grade students is selected and taken to a secluded island. There, they are compelled to fight one another in a fatal game that continues for three days.

There is room for only one to live. If more than one is left standing at the end, their explosive collars will detonate, and they all die. Shuya Nanahara and Noriko cheat the system and escape, but they are forever changed.

The movie examines how stringent rules can bring out the best or worst in individuals. It also condemns a system that prioritizes obedience over individuality.

Just like A Clockwork Orange, it criticises authoritarian rule and youth violence.

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High-Rise (2015) - Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Hulu, Pluto TV

High-Rise takes place in a high-rise 40-story building on the outskirts of London during the 1970s. It appears classy from the outside, with all the amenities of modern life. But within society, society is split by class—the wealthy reside on the upper floors, and the poor remain on the lower floors.

First, minor issues such as electricity failure occur. The wealthy ignore it, but the poor are affected. Dr. Robert Laing, who resides on the 25th floor (in the middle), attempts to remain neutral and maintain a balance between both sides.

But things quickly deteriorate. Individuals cease being civil and turn into wild beasts, fighting one another over various issues. The building becomes mayhem, and nothing appears to cure the mounting tension and violence.

The movie is a reflection of actual society, demonstrating how inequality can result in conflict and complete breakdown.

In A Clockwork Orange, we saw the story revolving around a disillusioned protagonist, and in High-Rise, Dr. Laing ends up with an identity crisis amid a collapsing society.

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1984 (1984) - MGM+, fuboTV, Hoopla, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

1984 is a dystopian movie adapted from George Orwell's novel of the same title. It is about a man named Winston Smith, a low-ranking employee in a war-torn world dominated by a totalitarian government. The state is ruled by Big Brother—nobody knows who he is, but he is everywhere.

Citizens are monitored around the clock by heavy surveillance, and even their thoughts are dictated to them by the Thought Police. History is constantly revised, and only the version of truth told by the Party is permitted.

When Winston becomes infatuated with a woman—an act that is considered a thought crime—he begins to revolt against the system. But eventually, he is apprehended, brainwashed, and made to accept whatever the state says.

1984 is the struggle of one man to maintain his identity in a society where the government dictates everything, similar to the theme used in A Clockwork Orange.

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Fight Club (1999) - Hulu, fuboTV, Amazon Video, Apple TV

Fight Club is a psychological drama from the perspective of The Narrator, whose name is not mentioned. The narrator is not satisfied with his life and has insomnia. To escape, he attends support groups only to kill time. There, he meets Marla, who is also faking to belong there.

During a business trip, he crosses paths with Tyler Durden, a defiant soap salesman. When the narrator's apartment unexpectedly explodes, both he and Marla end up moving in with Tyler. They all begin an illegal "fight club" in the basement of a bar. It is a secret organization in which men fight to get in touch with their emotions and break free from their monotonous existence.

However, soon things go horribly wrong, and the narrator learns some bone-chilling realities. The movie touches upon issues such as identity, liberty, and the consequences of rebellion.

While Alex loses his identity in A Clockwork Orange, in Fight Club, there wasn't any to begin with.

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Children of Men (2006) - Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

Children of Men is a science fiction film set in a dystopian future in the year 2027. The premise of the story is that no children have been born in the past 20 years. However, when Theo Faron is requested by his former wife to assist a refugee named Kee in obtaining travel documents, they find out that Kee is pregnant—she is carrying the first child in 18 years.

Initially, the wife’s group, named The Fishes, seems to be assisting Kee. However, Theo realizes that they intend to exploit her for their own political ends, so he makes up his mind to assist her in her escape. Both Theo and Kee now have to get to the Human Project, a clandestine organization that retains hope for mankind.

The movie depicts a society where people are dominated by the government through fear, violence, and propaganda, particularly against refugees. The notion of people's domination by the government is equally found in A Clockwork Orange.

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Metropolis (1927) - Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV

Last but certainly not least is the German silent film Metropolis. It is considered to be the first epic science fiction film. The setting is in a futuristic dystopia where there is a wide gap between the classes—the wealthy reside in skyscraper buildings, while the poor have to work underground.

Things change when Freder Fredersen, a wealthy young man, falls in love with Maria, a woman from the working class. Freder's father attempts to suppress the budding relationship between classes and commissions the services of Rotwang, an inventor.

The primary theme of the film is the gap between the dominant ruling class and the downtrodden workers, just as A Clockwork Orange does, power, and its aftermath.

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All of these films, in some way, encourage us to question authority and reject conformity. While raising significant issues, they also demonstrate how thin the line between reality and a purportedly apocalyptic future is.