Film Versions of the Future You'd Most Want to Really Happen

Ranker Film
Updated October 2, 2019 3.0K votes 339 voters
Voting Rules
Vote up the future worlds you most want to live in, not your favorite film on the list.

We as a people tend to see the future extremely pessimistically. 'Dystopian' is practically synonymous with 'Future' as far as the cinema is concerned. It's so rare to have a positive outlook on the future, most of the movies on this list still tell a story of a world not going so well. But most have at least some redeeming values. Let's hope we make the world a better place than movies seem to think we may.

Below are the movies where the future looks the most ideal, be it advances in technology (hey, the future would be great if we ALL lived on Elysium), robotics (if being lazy wasn't so awful and harmful, bring on the Wall-E future!), or other technologies (who wouldn't want Scarlett Johansson to whisper them sweet nothings like in Her).

This list is ranked by the world you'd most want to live in, not by the quality of the movie itself. Vote up the most ideal universe of the future or vote down the worlds that would be your absolute worst nightmare.

Ranked by
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
    1

    Star Trek: The Motion Picture

    William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley
    130 votes
    • Released: 1979
    • Directed by: Robert Wise

    The original Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry, featured a near-utopian future, where science and reason triumphed.

    The Federation calls on Adm. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the Starship Enterprise to contain an immense nimbused object that's on a crash course with Earth. After investigating, the crew discovers that the alien cloud harbors artificial intelligence with an ominous primary directive. Crisis strikes when a probe dispatched by the energy cloud attacks the crew, abducting navigator Lt. Ilia (Persis Khambatta). An android look-alike containing her memories shows up soon after.

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  • Back to the Future
    2

    Back to the Future

    Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover
    139 votes
    • Released: 1985
    • Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
    In the 1985 adventure-comedy Back to the Future, high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is catapulted back to the 1950's in a time-traveling DeLorean car invented by his eccentric scientist friend, Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Stranded in the past, Marty inadvertently interferes with his parents' meeting, jeopardizing his own existence. Now, he must ensure they fall in love again to secure his future. This Robert Zemeckis-directed film won an Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing and is known for its unique blend of science fiction and humor.

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  • Star Trek Into Darkness
    3

    Star Trek Into Darkness

    Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban
    92 votes
    • Released: 2013
    • Directed by: J.J. Abrams
    Star Trek Into Darkness, a thrilling space adventure, plunges Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his intrepid crew of the Starship Enterprise into a world of peril. They grapple with an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, embodied by John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a former Starfleet operative turned rogue. As the Enterprise is called home, its team faces a war-zone world, triggering an epic chess game of life and death. Aided by Spock (Zachary Quinto), Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and Scotty (Simon Pegg), Kirk leads his crew into a battle to save the universe from impending doom. This blockbuster film, directed by J.J. Abrams, is replete with intense action sequences and thought-provoking themes, making it a must-watch for fans of science fiction.

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  • Jetsons: The Movie
    4

    Jetsons: The Movie

    Mel Blanc, Rick Dees, Patti Deutsch
    85 votes
    • Released: 1990
    • Directed by: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna

    A 1960s animated franchise with a comical yet positive portrayal of future.

    Based on the popular cartoon series, this animated movie, set in a time filled with family-sized spacecrafts and intergalactic travel, begins with hardworking family man George Jetson (George O'Hanlon) ecstatic when his cranky boss, Mr. Spacely (Mel Blanc), gives him a promotion that relocates him, his wife (Penny Singleton) and the rest of his family to the far reaches of space. However, while other family members are enjoying the move, George finds trouble at the new job right away.

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  • Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
    5

    Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

    Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevingne, Clive Owen
    72 votes
    • Released: 2017
    • Directed by: Luc Besson

    A film by Luc Besson based on French sci-fi comics by Mezieres and Christin shows quite a positive future.

    In the sprawling spectacle of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, we follow Major Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Sergeant Laureline (Cara Delevingne), intergalactic operatives tasked with maintaining order in the universe. Director Luc Besson presents a vibrant, visually stunning universe, teeming with alien species and intricate landscapes. The duo's mission leads them to Alpha, a metropolis where diverse species share their knowledge and cultures. However, a dark force threatens this peaceful coexistence. Their quest to identify and neutralize this menace drives the plot of this thrilling sci-fi adventure. Despite its mixed reviews, it bagged the Lumiere Award for Best 3D Feature Film in 2018.

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  • The Fifth Element
    6

    The Fifth Element

    Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Ian Holm
    101 votes
    • Released: 1997
    • Directed by: Luc Besson
    In The Fifth Element, a science fiction spectacle directed by Luc Besson, former special forces soldier Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis) finds himself in the middle of a cosmic struggle. He's entrusted with protecting Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), the fifth element and humanity's last hope against a looming evil. The pair, aided by flamboyant radio host Ruby Rhod (Chris Tucker), embark on a thrilling race against time. Their quest? To gather four elemental stones and prevent the annihilation of life as we know it. Set in a strikingly imagined 23rd century, this film is an action-packed rollercoaster ride with a touch of comedy.

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