Freejack (1992)
After a near-fatal crash, racecar driver Alex Furlong (Emilio Estevez) is pulled from his timeline into a dystopian future where the wealthy hijack healthy bodies from the past to transfer their consciousness. Now a fugitive, Alex must fight to survive and reclaim his stolen life. The film is loosely based on the novel Immortality, Inc. by Robert Sheckley. Despite its lukewarm reception, Freejack stood out for its unusual cast — including Mick Jagger as a ruthless bounty hunter — and its bleak portrayal of immortality through corporate domination and body commodification.
Fortress (1992)
In a strict, dystopian 2017, a former army officer, John Henry Brennick, and his wife, Karen, are caught trying to cross the border to have a forbidden second child under a harsh one-child policy. They are sentenced to the Fortress, a high-tech, maximum-security prison run by the ruthless Men-Tel Corporation and controlled by an AI computer system. Inmates are kept in line by implanted internal devices called "Intestinators" that inflict excruciating pain or death. John must join forces with his fellow prisoners to escape this subterranean hell and save his wife and unborn child. This cult classic is a quintessential example of cyberpunk and dystopian cinema, exploring themes of corporate corruption, total surveillance, and population control. The prison itself is a character, managed by the Zed-10 AI and the cyborg warden, Director Poe, who can monitor the inmates' dreams. The movie's visual style is a hallmark of '90s B-movie sci-fi, and a notable production fact is that director Stuart Gordon (known for his horror work) utilized sets and costumes from a previous canceled project to complete the film on a relatively small budget.
Futureworld (1976)
Two journalists, Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) and Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner), are invited to the grand reopening of Delos, the high-tech amusement park rebuilt after the Westworld disaster. As they investigate the park’s new attractions, they uncover a conspiracy involving cloning and corporate control. Serving as a sequel to Westworld (1973), the film expands the original concept into darker territory, blending sci-fi with corporate paranoia. Notably, it was the first major motion picture to feature 3D CGI animation, marking a key moment in the history of visual effects.