In “Idiocracy,” an offbeat sci-fi satire from “Beavis and Butt-Head” creator Mike Judge, two ordinary people (played by Maya Rudolph and Luke Wilson) are chosen for a government time travel experiment. But things go hilariously wrong, and they wake up in the year 2505 — where intelligence is practically extinct.
In this dystopian future, society has been overrun by people who made their way to the gene pool without much thought — think Jerry Springer guests en masse. Smart individuals, who often delayed or debated having children, have been far outnumbered. As a result, the “average” time travelers are now the smartest humans alive.
The premise is clever and uncomfortably plausible, raising real questions about culture, intelligence, and the direction society may be heading. While the film has a few laugh-out-loud moments and strong commentary, it suffers slightly from a thin screenplay and a lackluster supporting cast. Still, it’s a cult favorite that’s worth checking out — especially if you enjoy biting satire with a dystopian twist.
