This article introduces many different types of imagined cities in science fiction movies which depitcted a despair and cruelty of the urban future. As what the author has mentioned about Mortal Engines, a book written in his article, described the city of the future with all possibilities while social classes are polarised to extremes: the elite would be so privileged that they can live in a good life, but the factories of the lower classes strike in squalor. The author has created a false utopia. Many pessimistic cities of the future were labelled as “moving cities”, and no matter what happens, human vanity seems impossible to change and even be greater, like an attack on the real fact in modern life. Even as we put our faith in technology and imagine that we can build “moving cities” to find the most suitable places to develop, we are filled with worries: the growing fear of machines overtaking humanity, the fear that humanism will lose its permanent home and become nomadic. While these gloomy predictions may exaggerate the dark side of society, they are based on reality and give us a warn about the evil side of human nature.
Shen Yulan, 3035603942
Concise summary of the key points made by Abbott. You pointed out the dystopian nature of these films set in the future. Perhaps you can further discuss how they are set in “Moving Cities” and how those characteristics contribute to their themes. Do you think that besides warning people about the darker sides of human nature, such films may also provide some ideas for more positive action?