The Future Has ArrivedWhat did we think the future would look like? How has it really turned out? What's next for humanity and the universe? What have we done? Lists to keep you up at night, quaking in your moon boots.
Vote up the sci-fi thrillers that saw modern technology coming a mile away.
The science fiction genre is an amalgamation of the two elements making up the term, a basis for factual science combined with the fiction of fantasy. In their representation of possible progress in technology, sci-fi thrillers often anticipate the future direction of humanity with surprising accuracy. With each new advance in science and technology, the precision of past cinematic predictions becomes clear.
Many sci-fi films anticipate future advancements, but the thrillers typically approach the idea of new technology with trepidation. Often reactionary to new advances, sci-fi thrillers depict the dark side of new developments in science and technology. Commonly suspicious of humanity’s over-reliance on science and tech, these films are frequently cautionary tales for humanity. At the same time, there is enjoyment to be found in predicting what technological advancements are to come. And there is also enjoyment to be found in judging the films of the past for their foresight in depicting the future.
The Plot: Teenage hacker David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) infiltrates a US military supercomputer capable of simulating a nuclear engagement against the Soviet Union.
Prediction: Although he does it inadvertently, Lightman nearly starts WWIII by using the internet to hack the government computer. While the internet was still in its infancy in 1983, the film anticipated the online hacking threats that would eventually become a reality.
Future Setting: 2001 in space, primarily aboard the American spacecraft Discovery One.
The Plot: The Discovery One is on a deep-space mission to Jupiter, investigating an alien monolith first found at a lunar outpost.
Prediction: When Chairman of the United States National Council of Astronautics Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester) stops at Space Station 5 on his way to investigate the monolith, he takes the time to make a call home in a technologically advanced phone booth. Labeled a "Picturephone," the futuristic communication is similar to Skype, which was founded in 2003, a mere two years after the depicted time period in 2001: A Space Odyssey. While video calls aren’t commonly made from space, this was impressively prescient.
The Plot: When a group of fugitive Replicants escape their work detail in space and flee back to Earth, police officer Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is tasked with hunting them down.
Prediction: Although flying cars, space travel, and bioengineered humans are flashier, Blade Runner was most accurate in its depiction of voice-activated technology. Deckard’s home is equipped with voice activation technology capable of tasks similar to smart-home devices currently on the market.
Future Setting: Although much of the film takes place in 1984, the future in 2029 is shown in key sequences.
The Plot: A cyborg assassin (Arnold Schwarzenegger) travels back from the future to try and terminate Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), a woman whose unborn son will lead mankind in rebellion against an artificially intelligent robot army in the post-apocalyptic future.
Prediction: Part of the military force of the cyborgs are drones patrolling the post-apocalyptic landscape of the future. These pilot-less aircraft anticipate the increased use of similar technology by American forces in the War on Terror.
The Plot: UHF television station CEO and president Max Renn (James Woods) discovers a broadcast signal featuring violence and torture.
Prediction:Videodromeanticipated the rise of user-generated media content found on YouTube and similar sites. The popular videos on YouTube aren’t quite as disturbing - at least when the Community Guidelines are being followed - but the prediction is otherwise astute.
Future Setting: In the "not too distant" future, within the offices of spaceflight conglomerate Gattaca Aerospace Corporation.
The Plot: Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) has difficulty achieving his dreams of space travel due to genotype profiling indicating a high probability of health disorders. In order to get around this, Freeman disguises himself as former swimming star Jerome Eugene Morrow (Jude Law) by borrowing genetic materials.
Prediction:Gattaca predicted the advancements in genetic engineering, which allows for genetic selection when conceiving children. The form of eugenics featured in the film anticipated the modern rise in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
