10 times science fiction movies predicted the future
There’s a deep power in science fiction in saying much about our own society. The genre championed by Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan and Paul Verhoeven might occasionally tap into the more fantastical elements of its history but can also deliver moments that starkly remind us of personal plight.
Science fiction is capable of diving headfirst into the most complex philosophical and theoretical questions, whether they concern the ethical implications of a particular piece of technology or whether something like time travel might really be possible, and as such, it’s a genre of endless possibilities.
In looking forward, science fiction movies can make predictions about the future, and many have succeeded. Even going back as far as the 1960s, filmmakers working in the science fiction realm seem to have had concerns about their own societies and the effects their modes of living would have on proceeding generations.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 science fiction movies that seem to have predicted certain facets of the future long before they occurred. From anxieties about the overpopulation of our planet to the rise of artificial intelligent systems and a lack of personal privacy, here are the most prescient sci-fi movies ever made.
10 sci-fi movies that predicted the future:
2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
Widely considered one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, Stanley Kubrick’s colossal 1968 picture 2001: A Space Odyssey has withstood the test of time. It’s also a feature that had several insights into the technological advancements and societal changes that would take place in the decades following its release.
Perhaps the most prescient of these forecasts comes in the film’s character, HAL 9000, a sophisticated spaceship AI system. Capable of recognising speech and making its own decisions with fear-inducing cognitive abilities, HAL’s inclusion largely foresaw the ethical implications surrounding AI that are being discussed with the utmost seriousness today.
Soylent Green (Richard Fleischer, 1973)
As environmental disasters continue to ravage the planet, science fiction fans are looking back to the works that suggested that such dangers were just the precipice of their occurring. There are few works as important in that light as Richard Fleischer’s 1973 movie Soylent Green.
The film takes place in an overpopulated world of 2022, where resources and food are scarce, and pollution is consistently damaging the inhabitants of Earth. This greatly reflects our own overpopulation problem and focuses on the kind of corporate control that largely seems to be the cause of our issues while detailing the debate over sustainable food production.
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
Another film considered amongst the greatest sci-fi works of all time is Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. While the film indeed depicts a world overpopulated and in shocking urban decay, there are further facets that seem to have one eye cast on the future.
Most notably, this is focused on biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and the moral implications of its development. The Replicants of Blade Runner are set to be killed by the film’s protagonist, but this creates the question of whether artificial beings ought to have autonomy and the kind of rights that humans have. These questions, as well as those of environmental disaster, are on the minds of several individuals in the 21st century, so Blade Runner largely got the cogs turning.
The Running Man (Paul Michael, 1987)
Legendary writer Stephen King delivered an impressive contribution to science fiction and dystopian literature with his Richard Bachman novel The Running Man, and in 1987, Paul Michael turned in a film adaptation. The story features a striking vision of what would become of our modern society, certainly from the perspective of entertainment.
In giving a narrative based around a game show where contestants fight for their lives, The Running Man seemed to predict the future rise of reality TV and how it would invariably become wrapped up in a sensationalist mode of address. When we consider the fact that the film also deals with government surveillance, Michael’s film suddenly appears all the more prophetic.
Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)
Virtual reality has been slowly creeping upon our society, and fabricating our perceptual experience seems to be a moment of play for several of the most technologically brave of us. Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall seemed to tap into this sense of VR with a story focusing on the implanting of memories and the detachment from our reality.
Like with many of the films on the list, Total Recall also has concerns about governmental control, which relates to the privacy issues many of us have with big conglomerates when we use their technologies. Verhoeven’s film is a prescient piece of cinema, and it also seems to predict the rise of driverless cars, which are becoming more and more prevalent in our own society.
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998)
Peter Weir’s The Truman Show might be more dystopian than true science fiction, but the two genres share much crossover. As with The Running Man, Weir’s film depicts a society obsessed with television and entertainment, particularly when the content is based on a real person, as in the case of Jim Carrey’s Truman Burbank.
In that light, The Truman Show predicts our fascination as voyeurs, constantly scrolling through the lives of real people. In addition, there is anxiety in the film about the commodification of our lives and the erosion of privacy as we document much of what happens to us online. In an era dominated by online personalities, The Truman Show is all the more a vital piece of cinema.
The Matrix (The Wachowskis, 1999)
Probably the third most significant science fiction film on this list alongside 2001 and Blade Runner (depending on who you ask), 1999’s The Matrix eternally wove itself into the very fabric of our cultural consciousness. Besides the hard-hitting action, philosophical questions and innovative CGI, The Matrix also foresaw several facets of the future.
For starters, there’s a deep fascination in the film with simulated realities, foreshadowing the rise of VR, while the topic of artificial intelligence is explored through the relationship between humankind and the machines they create. Such questions are being posed with increasing anxiety as our society progresses further, making The Matrix a truly visionary film of genius.
Minority Report (Steven Spielberg, 2002)
The very nature of prediction is actually at the forefront of Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, which tells of a society governed by a police system that predicts crimes before they actually happen. This kind of surveillance finds its resonance in contemporary society as questions about the ethics of governmental intervention rage on.
Data and analytics are being used more and more within police systems, though this creates worry about privacy and human rights. Pre-emptive justice is a philosophical question that continues to be asked, but Minority Report also foresaw a number of technological advances that would come to fruition in the years after its release, most notably, personalised advertising.
Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)
Easily the most emotive of the films on this list, Spike Jonze’s Her tells of a man’s romantic relationship with an artificially intelligent being. His connection with Samantha is one that combats his loneliness and seems to predict not only the rise of AI systems like Siri and Alexa but also programmes specifically designed for romantic conquest.
Her does a brilliant job of asking just what it means to be in love and whether the emotion can be experienced with a machine. On a more pertinent level, perhaps it taps into the kind of loneliness that has occurred as a result of our digital withdrawal and technological reliance, a mode of living that shows no signs of slowing any time soon.
Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014)
Finally, Christopher Nolan’s magnificent science fiction film Interstellar serves in a similar way to Richard Fleischer’s Soylent Green in that it poses a future where food and resources are scarce. This kind of exploration of environmental degradation is of vital importance to today’s society, but Interstellar manages to go even deeper.
In the film, humankind accepts the fate of Earth and sets out for outer space in search of a new habitable planet. Today, space agencies and private companies are exploring the realities of our emigration to the stars, so not only did Nolan envisage a future depleted in natural resources but one where our escape from Earth is becoming a more realistic enterprise by the day.
