5 Fictional Movie Settings That Would Be Awesome In Real Life

1. Judgement City

Defending Your Life Screencap This location comes from Albert Brooks' nearly forgotten 1991 gem Defending Your Life: After crashing his brand new car into a bus, protagonist Daniel Miller finds himself in the fantastical city inhabited by humanoid beings that use up to 53% of their brains. The rest of the population is made up of recently deceased "little brains" who are there to defend their life and see if they must return to Earth for another go 'round. If not, they can move on to more exciting destinations amidst the universe because, "When you use more than 3% of your brain, Earth isn't any place you want to be." In Judgement City, the weather is 75 degrees and clear all the time. None of its inhabitants ever have to deal with fear, either. To make the transitional process as stress-free as possible, the city has been carefully constructed to resemble Earth down to every detail, including strip-malls, hotels, golf courses, and comedy clubs - though the humor doesn't exactly breach the gap between brain-sizes. Another stand-out destination is the Past-Lives Pavilion, when you can scan your palm and see holograms of people you were in previous lives. Beware: "Some people love it. Some it makes sick." And apparently the hot dog stand just outside the Pavilion is fantastic. Writer/Director Albert Brooks gives a very interesting detail to life in Judgement City: While there, you can eat all you want and never gain an ounce. The city is chock-full of every type of restaurant you could ever ask for from all around the world. And, as a diner waitress assures the Daniel, "Everything is sensational." Sign me up. Things to be careful of: Nothing! You're already dead. Eat all you want!
Contributor
Contributor

While studying English and Philosophy at Rutgers University, Andrew worked as a constant contributor to the The Rutgers Review. After graduating in 2010, he began working as a free-lance writer and editor, providing his input to numerous areas including reviews for the New York Film Series, The Express-Times, and private script and story consulting. He is currently the Director of Film Studies at The Morris County Arts Workshop in New Jersey and publishes essays on the subject of film and television at his blog, The Zoetrope.