The novel is a classic dystopian look at the future of mankind, so why the Brave New World adaptation from 1998 decided to add a happy ending is anyone’s guess. Brave New World was published in 1932 and was written by Aldous Huxley. The novel takes place in a futuristic London where the population is controlled with a happiness pill called Soma, but the arrival of a “savage” outsider named John threatens the stability of this so-called utopia.
Brave New World ranks alongside 1984 as one of the all-time great dystopian novels and offered a chilling look at how the world might evolve. It was also an incredibly influential book and was first adapted into a TV movie in 1980 starring Bud Cort (Heat) as main character Bernard Marx. It also served as inspiration for 1993 action movie Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. This also took place in a so-called utopian society in the future but featured more explosions and one-liners. Sandra Bullock’s character was also named Huxley, a nod to Brave New World’s author.
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Christian Bale’s cult sci-fi movie Equilibrium also featured several references to the novel, including a pill that suppresses emotion. Brave New World is a dark book, which ends with Bernard being banished from London and John forced to remain, despite the fact he loathes the society and everyone in it. The closing chapters has John isolate himself in a lighthouse and attempt to purify his soul by self-flagellation. Since he’s something of a celebrity, other civilians and reporters come to watch. When John spots Lenina – a key character who tried to seduce him earlier in the story – in the crowd he attacks her. This excites the crowd to a sexual frenzy and the next day a remorseful John decides to hang himself, with the crowd finding his body.
The Brave New World TV movie from 1998 takes a different tack. This adaptation stars Peter Gallagher and Leonard Nemoy (Star Trek) and it ends with a much more optimistic finale. Bernard isn’t exiled and following John’s death, Lenina tells him she’s pregnant with his child – which is forbidden in this society. She decides to leave but Bernard soon follows her, since he feels disillusioned with his new job and the society itself. He and Lenina reunite and the ending has them playing with their daughter on the beach.
While it’s certainly a more hopeful ending, it undermines the message of the book and feels utterly out of place. Brave New World 1998 features some good performances but its an unsatisfying translation of the source material and its problems extend well beyond the ill-fitting happy ending. Hopefully, the upcoming USA Network TV show adaption starring Alden Ehrenreich (Solo: A Star Wars Story) will do the book justice.
