Talk:Idiocracy: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 00:08, 13 May 2022 editDthomsen8 (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers498,600 edits Assessment (C): banner shell, Film, 20th Century Studios (Low) (Rater)← Previous edit		Latest revision as of 20:58, 8 October 2024 edit undoCenterone (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users1,733 editsm →Categorize under Films about time travel: adding a bracket to my own comment
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			== A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion ==
	== Film intro in the plot? ==
			The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:
			* ]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion \| 2022-12-12T18:22:37.961162 \| Idiocracy (30639266695).jpg -->
			Participate in the deletion discussion at the ]. —] (]) 18:22, 12 December 2022 (UTC)

			== Should be protected? ==
	It's arguable a synopsys of the first 5 minutes of the film should go into the Plot section. While they don't form part of the main story arc, they set the background for rest of the film, and without this the conclusion makes less sense. A potential paragraph is below that, if consensus is found, could go into the article ''mutatis mutandis''. Viewing the film itself will show that there is no analysis, evaluation, interpretation or synthesis here, and we should continue to respect ]. ] (]) 05:20, 29 May 2021 (UTC)
	:'''Oppose''': I don't see how this is necessary to describe the primary thrust of the plot. ] (]) 06:44, 29 May 2021 (UTC)
	:'''Support''': It's a memorable part of the film. It sets the trajectory from the contemporary society to the future world where the bulk of the film occurs. Without this context the rest of the plot makes less sense. The theme of this intro is dysgenics, and 'different types of people'. These themes may be unpleasant, and it is because of this that there should be straightforward summary so readers can understand what the debate is about. Indeed, some of the points elsewhere in the article already reference these themes, which are writ large during the intro. This part of the film is significant. The writers and director felt the inclusion was worthy. Despite the constrained budget, the producers of the film spent money on this part . It should be included in the plot. ] (]) 10:35, 30 May 2021 (UTC)

			Reverted a defacement claiming it was a 'documentary'. How do I propose locking a page? ] (]) 20:16, 2 August 2023 (UTC)
	====potential paragraph====
	{{Quote\|
	Human evolution is at a turning-point. ] was no longer rewarding the usual traits of strength or intelligence, and instead was dumbing-down, rewarding those who reproduced the most. A case study: Trevor and Carol (IQ 138 and IQ 141 respectively) remain upbeat while at first delaying, then later struggling and failing to procreate. By contrast, Clevon (IQ 84) cheats on his wife Trish (mother to their several children) with the neighbour Britrney, and later Mackenzie, fathering more children. Even an accident involving a jet ski, an iron gate and his crotch didn't curtail Clevon's reproductive function. Clevon's son, Clevon Jr. (IQ 78) had success on the football pitch and with his female fans, leading to yet more children. Meanwhile Trevor apparently dies of a heart attack in the course of producing sperm for an artificial insemination. Carol's hopes for motherhood seem desperate. However Clevon, through a complicated family tree, was father or grandfather to dozens then hundreds as shown.}}

	: ] ~~recommends~~ ~~400-700~~ ~~words.~~ As ~~such~~ ~~there~~ is no ~~room~~ to ~~include~~ a ~~long~~ ~~preamble~~ ~~like~~ ~~this,~~ at ~~least~~ ~~not~~ in ~~the~~ ~~plot~~ ~~section~~. -- ] (]) 05:36, 8 ~~June~~ ~~2021~~ (UTC)		:] is over thataway, but FWIW when I look at the edit history I'm not seeing a very strong case for protecting it at this time. Cheers. ] (]) 02:58, 3 August 2023 (UTC)

			== Character list ==
	== How does this article NOT reference "The Marching Morons" ==

			Why do the characters' descriptions describe their positions at the end of the movie? ] (]) 15:05, 12 April 2024 (UTC)
	Seriously - ] wiki specifically mentions Idiocracy <!-- Template:Unsigned --><span class="autosigned" style="font-size:85%;">— Preceding ] comment added by ] (] • ]) </span>

	:]? But notably, the part of the TMM article that mentions this film has no references, and I've tagged it accordingly. ] (]) 19:47, 13 August 2021 (UTC)
			== Categorize under Films about time travel ==

			While there is no ''actual'' time travel in Idiocracy, it is an important part of the plot and a prevalent theme of the film. The phrase "time machine" is currently used in the article four times.
			Given that ] is described as listing "the titles of films that include the theme of time travel," Idiocracy belongs in the category. ] (]) 14:40, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

			:It's difficult for me to believe that that category is intended to include films in which no time travel occurs. That said, are there other films within that category that feature no time travel? ] (]) 17:46, 9 September 2024 (UTC)
			::I don't know if there are others in the list that don't include time travel (or only include suspended animation). But I don't see how that should exclude a film from a list, given that the list is described as "This category lists the titles of films that include the theme of time travel." If that description is inadequate, and the category should only include films in which time travel occurs, then maybe the description should be revised. Though, of course, then we'd really want to be sure that there are no others on the list, and that's not really the subject to discus here.
			::I just wanted to mention that Idiocracy takes the #2 spot on .
			::It also makes top 10 in a poll of . That's user generated, but shows that many people think of Idiocracy as a time travel movie.
			::And it's #9 in . ] (]) 03:40, 8 October 2024 (UTC)
			:::If another reasonably experienced editor chimes in supporting the inclusion of the category (you're welcome to consider asking at ], I won't push back against it, but until that time I maintain that time travel isn't so much a theme of the film as it is a plot device used to get to the point in time that the majority of the plot focuses upon. ] (]) 05:23, 8 October 2024 (UTC)
			::::I'll try asking there. But just to clarify for anyone else reading this, my argument is not that it should be included because time travel (actually, suspended animation) is a "plot device used to get to the point in time." If that were all, I would agree that it's not a time travel movie. It's because once they're in the future, they spend a majority of the film on an adventure trying to go back in time. ] (]) 13:34, 8 October 2024 (UTC)
			:::::FWIW, I agree with you that the underlying issue may be that the category itself needs clarification. But I see we're now discussing at ] (though it might have been better to link to this discussion), and will continue the discussion there. ] (]) 16:35, 8 October 2024 (UTC)
			::::::I guess the question is... is sleeping really time travel? Is the story of Rip Van Winkle time travel? Is the story of Sleeping Beauty time travel? Futurama... is kind of borderline, as Fry sleeps due to a cryogenic accident (later ] to have been intentionally caused by an alien, Nibbler, who knew they needed Fry in the future to prevent destruction), but also because in it the professor actually invents real time travel. My initial feeling is that Idiocracy isn't really a time travel film, especially as the time travel isn't intentional -- it was only supposed to be a short-term experiment.. waking up in the distant future is due to a comedy of errors and neglect. ] (]) 19:57, 8 October 2024 (UTC)
			:::::::Again, I don't think the suspended animation is what makes Idiocracy a time travel film. As I said above:
			:::::::"But just to clarify for anyone else reading this, my argument is not that it should be included because time travel (actually, suspended animation) is a "plot device used to get to the point in time." If that were all, I would agree that it's not a time travel movie. ''It's because once they're in the future, they spend a majority of the film on an adventure trying to go back in time.''" ] (]) 20:02, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

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To-do list for Idiocracy: edit · history · watch · refresh · Updated 2007-04-12

There are no active tasks for this page

Add a few small screenshots to illustrate the plot.
Expand the review section including the reviewers' analysis of the film.
Somehow dig up more production details - FilmFX?

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

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Idiocracy (30639266695).jpg

Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 18:22, 12 December 2022 (UTC)

Should be protected?

Reverted a defacement claiming it was a 'documentary'. How do I propose locking a page? Fredirc (talk) 20:16, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

WP:RFPP is over thataway, but FWIW when I look at the edit history I'm not seeing a very strong case for protecting it at this time. Cheers. DonIago (talk) 02:58, 3 August 2023 (UTC)

Character list

Why do the characters' descriptions describe their positions at the end of the movie? Daytman (talk) 15:05, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

Categorize under Films about time travel

While there is no actual time travel in Idiocracy, it is an important part of the plot and a prevalent theme of the film. The phrase "time machine" is currently used in the article four times. Given that Category:Films about time travel is described as listing "the titles of films that include the theme of time travel," Idiocracy belongs in the category. FriendlyPedant (talk) 14:40, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

It's difficult for me to believe that that category is intended to include films in which no time travel occurs. That said, are there other films within that category that feature no time travel? DonIago (talk) 17:46, 9 September 2024 (UTC)

I don't know if there are others in the list that don't include time travel (or only include suspended animation). But I don't see how that should exclude a film from a list, given that the list is described as "This category lists the titles of films that include the theme of time travel." If that description is inadequate, and the category should only include films in which time travel occurs, then maybe the description should be revised. Though, of course, then we'd really want to be sure that there are no others on the list, and that's not really the subject to discus here.

I just wanted to mention that Idiocracy takes the #2 spot on The Guardian's 2023 top 20 list of time travel movies.

It also makes top 10 in a poll of time travel comedies on IMDB. That's user generated, but shows that many people think of Idiocracy as a time travel movie.

And it's #9 in Screen Rant's 2023 top 15 time travel movies list. FriendlyPedant (talk) 03:40, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

If another reasonably experienced editor chimes in supporting the inclusion of the category (you're welcome to consider asking at WT:FILM, I won't push back against it, but until that time I maintain that time travel isn't so much a theme of the film as it is a plot device used to get to the point in time that the majority of the plot focuses upon. DonIago (talk) 05:23, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

I'll try asking there. But just to clarify for anyone else reading this, my argument is not that it should be included because time travel (actually, suspended animation) is a "plot device used to get to the point in time." If that were all, I would agree that it's not a time travel movie. It's because once they're in the future, they spend a majority of the film on an adventure trying to go back in time. FriendlyPedant (talk) 13:34, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

FWIW, I agree with you that the underlying issue may be that the category itself needs clarification. But I see we're now discussing at WT:FILM (though it might have been better to link to this discussion), and will continue the discussion there. DonIago (talk) 16:35, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

I guess the question is... is sleeping really time travel? Is the story of Rip Van Winkle time travel? Is the story of Sleeping Beauty time travel? Futurama... is kind of borderline, as Fry sleeps due to a cryogenic accident (later retconned to have been intentionally caused by an alien, Nibbler, who knew they needed Fry in the future to prevent destruction), but also because in it the professor actually invents real time travel. My initial feeling is that Idiocracy isn't really a time travel film, especially as the time travel isn't intentional -- it was only supposed to be a short-term experiment.. waking up in the distant future is due to a comedy of errors and neglect. Centerone (talk) 19:57, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

Again, I don't think the suspended animation is what makes Idiocracy a time travel film. As I said above:

"But just to clarify for anyone else reading this, my argument is not that it should be included because time travel (actually, suspended animation) is a "plot device used to get to the point in time." If that were all, I would agree that it's not a time travel movie. It's because once they're in the future, they spend a majority of the film on an adventure trying to go back in time." FriendlyPedant (talk) 20:02, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

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