15 Sci-fi Movie Characters Who Deserve Their Own Spin-Off

George Orwell’s seminal science fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is widely regarded as both a classic of 20th-century literature and an evergreen cautionary tale that warns against authoritarianism and government overreach. But what they don’t tell you is that it’s also rather dull, with a story that’s not made for the screen. That, however, hasn’t stopped several directors from trying.

Michael Radford’s 1984 adaptation follows the book as closely as possible, while doing its best to bring the material to life through its set design and performances. John Hurt turns in a gut-churning performance as Winston Smith, the state employee who lives a miserable existence in London, closely observed by the Thought Police. Any hint of deviance from the superstate’s Party line, and the utterances of enigmatic figurehead Big Brother, earn you a ticket to the Ministry of Love for rehabilitation – and this is where Winston is tortured and reconditioned by O’Brien (played by stage and screen icon Richard Burton), the cool, logical Inner Party member Winston wrongly places his trust in.

The movie shows us everything Winston is, dismantling him and his memories, until we are left with a shell of a man whose life is small and fully explained. But on the other side of the coin is O’Brien, who takes no joy in his work but goes about it methodically, and whose comments suggest a storied past of rebellion against the Party. There are few among us who wouldn’t rather see that film.