Idiocracy: So True It's Scary?

Twentieth Century Fox rushed the latest Mike Judge film, "Idiocracy" into theaters quicker than you could say "TPS Report". It was released this past week on DVD with Luke Wilson in the main role. There are numerous theories as to why this film was shelved for close to two years, that can be found here. Most interesting, few of the theories have to do with the quality of the film.

Mike Judge made his mark with "Beavis & Butthead" and "King of The Hill". However, it was his first major film where he left his mark, "Office Space". I remember seeing it opening night, loving it and telling friends and co-workers to check it out. Sadly, the film disappeared from theaters after barely covering it's budget. However, something happened later that year when it was released on video and DVD, it became a cult classic and has reaped millions in revenue. With all this comedic history, many were highly anticipating "Idiocracy" until it was shelved with a extremely limited release.

I caught this film last night from Netflix and must say, it may grate on the patience of many, but I found it to be very entertaining and quick (the credits begin to roll before the 80-minute mark). Is it as good as "Office Space"? No. But it's better than 90% of the comedy teen drivel thrown into theaters with multimillion dollar marketing campaigns. The film finds Luke Wilson put to sleep in a military experiment where they accidentally forget about him and he does not wake up for 500 years. When he does make his return, he finds the Earth to be so dumbed down, that he is the smartest man on the planet.

The irony in all of this is that on early Sunday morning, I was flipping channels and was fascinated by the trash currently on VH-1 ("The Surreal Life") and MTV ("Exposed" and "My Super Sweet 16"). In a matter of seconds, Judge's film came to life and this isn't taking place in the future but in the here and now! To say I was terrified is an understatement. I'm all for some mindless entertainment here and there (I'll admit to watching "Footballers Wives" on the BBC), but the speed with which MTV appears to be dumbing down the youth of America is staggering. Look no further than it's TV schedule. They recently began a new reality show, "I'm From Rolling Stone" and it airs a mere two times over the course of seven days. Does the current MTV generation know what a writer is? Is the network afraid that showing people create and expose thoughts and feelings about artists too complicated for its viewers? Regardless of the answer, after a mere 15-minutes of watching "Exposed" I came to appreciate Judge's underrated film even more.

Do yourself a favor and check "Idiocracy" out, it may make you laugh and it may make you cry.