The 10 most underrated dystopian sci-fi movies of all time
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Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 predictions for the year 2001
The ambition of the iconic filmmaker Stanley Kubrick would have probably been better suited to the technology of modern-day cinema, with contemporary CGI able to make the visual effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr. Strangelove and absolute doddle. With that being said, the technical innovations of 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the many reasons the film remains such a beloved sci-fi classic to this very day.
A revolutionary work that was way ahead of its time, 2001 remains a cinematic enigma that examines technology, evolution and human identity, keeping audiences guessing ever since its release. As his most complicated piece of cinema, purveyors of film around the world have long been eager to unlock the film’s truth, with filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve and Gaspar Noé having long admired the classic.
A cinematic phenomenon at the time, 2001 won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1969 and catapulted Kubrick to international stardom, becoming known as a genuinely visionary director working at the forefront of the medium.
Speaking to Playboy during the time of the film’s release, Kubrick demonstrates his knowledge of the craft and the wider world of literature, quoting the likes of Marshall McLuhan, Winston Churchill, and 19th Century poet Matthew Arnold throughout the interview. At one point in the conversation, the interviewer diverted from talking about the film, asking Kubrick about what life might look like in 2001, 33 years in the future.
Giving a rather profound and lengthy answer, much of what Kubrick says has indeed come true, whilst other predictions were just more than a little off.
Let’s start off with a few dodgy predictions, with Kubrick stating, “Perhaps the greatest breakthrough we may have made by 2001 is the possibility that man may be able to eliminate old age”. Alas, Stanley, this invention, aside from botox and cosmetic surgery, is yet to be created, but rest assured, we will be keeping tabs if it ever comes into existence. Continuing, he also adds, “freezing of the dead will be a major industry in the United States and throughout the world; I would recommend it as a field of investment for imaginative speculators,” with the director miscalculating the popularity of the cryonic industry.
Meanwhile, Kubrick does get a few things right, also stating, “I’m sure we’ll have sophisticated 3-D holographic television and films, and it’s possible that completely new forms of entertainment and education will be devised”. Indeed, sophisticated video games, VR technology, mobile games and 3-D projection technology have allowed the director’s vision of the future to come to life with some accuracy.
Elsewhere, the filmmaker’s imagination runs wild, suggesting, “You might have a machine that taps the brain and ushers you into a vivid dream experience in which you are the protagonist in a romance or an adventure…you might, for example, easily be able to learn fluent German in 20 minutes”. Sounding like the fictional work of David Cronenberg, this idea is certainly imaginative, though it sounds a little dystopian to exist in reality just yet.
Take a look at the trailer for 2001: A Space Odyssey, below, and bathe in the great imagination of one of the best filmmakers of all time.
