From Pleasure Planet -20... - Escape

By Jordan Reeves

In the summer of 2023, I deleted Instagram, stopped ordering takeout, and slept on a hardwood floor for three weeks. My friends thought I had joined a cult. In reality, I was conducting a desperate experiment. I call it my Escape From Pleasure Planet -20...

What happens next is cruel. Your brain, desperate for homeostasis, builds tolerance. It says, "Three swipes used to feel good. Now I need thirty." So you scroll faster. You eat more. You click harder. By Jordan Reeves In the summer of 2023,

This isn't a review of a film. This is a survival guide. In science fiction, the "Pleasure Planet" is a trope. It’s the glowing casino world in Total Recall , the hedonistic ring-worlds in The Culture series, or the dopamine-drip pods in Wall-E . The hero crashes there, gets offered a drink, a beautiful companion, and a warm bed. For ten minutes of screen time, the hero enjoys it. Then, they realize the pleasure is the trap. The food is a sedative. The lovers are wardens. The planet is a battery farm for human dopamine. I call it my What happens next is cruel

You are that hero. And your countdown is already in the negative.

You aren't escaping to a better life. You are escaping from the inability to enjoy a normal one. Every escape from Pleasure Planet begins with a crash.