Sci-fi is an interesting genre for many reasons, one of which is that many of these movies inherently have an expiration date of sorts. Whether they’re near-future or far away, these movies have to set themselves far away from the current time so that all of the scientific advancements, or detractions, can believably take place. The problem that comes with this, is that time marches on, and eventually, time catches up to all of these movies. There are many sci-fi futures that, according to the movies, should have already happened by now.
Sci-fi has long been a genre that showcases scientific horrors and advancements. At its core, sci-fi has always been a genre of dreamers. The creators sit around considering what the future might hold, whether that be good or bad. The limiting factor, and often the most difficult to consider, is how far into the future these stories should be set. The audience needs to either believe what’s shown is still coming, or they need to be amazed by what the far-off future might hold.
Escape From New York (Set in 1997)
This future is fairly far removed from our own, however, it’s not quite as advanced as some other sci-fi films. This film is instead a dystopian future wherein Manhattan has been transformed into its own prison island. This, luckily, hasn’t come to pass and microchip injections that can kill you after a certain amount of time don’t appear to be something commonplace. This is a future that is probably for the best to not have passed, seeing as it doesn’t look like such a fun time overall.
2001: A Space Odyssey (Set in 2001)
This film follows an adventurous team of astronauts on a mission to Jupiter after an alien monolith is discovered. Although not much is shown of the world itself in this film, a lot can be determined based on what is shown of the crew. A manned mission to Jupiter showcases a space program advanced far beyond our own, as NASA is still actively working out how to even send a manned mission to Mars. The sentient supercomputer, HAL, is another advancement that scientists are working towards but have yet to fully crack. It’s possible some of the advancement has been stymied by the warnings put forth by movies such as this about the dangers of sentient AI.
Back to the Future Part 2 (Set in 2015)
This future, set to have been seen seven years ago, would have actually been interesting to see. While not everything was perfectly predicted, it was a cohesive future that showed real progress having been made. Flying cars, 3D billboards, and more marked a future full of innovation that sadly doesn’t seem to have passed. Cars are still landlocked, billboards don’t produce shark holograms that eat you, and clean energy is still something being worked on. It’s possible all of these things are still on the way, but it doesn’t seem as though kids will be riding around on real hoverboards anytime soon.
Terminator (Set In 1997 And Onward)
Obviously, this future never came to pass, as there was no noticeable nuclear annihilation of the human race. This post-apocalyptic future full of armed robots seeking to wipe out all human life doesn’t sound like it would have been the most fun thing to ever happen. According to the original film, this future should have been happening for the past 25 years or so. If the sequels are to be believed, however, it’s possible that this future is still on its way and just keeps getting pushed back thanks to the plights of heroes. It does mean that laser guns likely are a ways off sadly.
Bladerunner (Set In 2019)
It’s probably a good thing this future never came to pass, as life looks rough in Ridley Scott’s vision of the future. Set in a nearly apocalyptic future where corporations have taken control and the greyness of morality has colored everyday life, this future appears to be one where there isn’t much to aspire to. The constant rain and large, corporate logos are unfortunately not as far off as it might seem, however, it will likely be quite some time before androids that are indistinguishable from humans are created.
Not every future shown in sci-fi has been the most promising, with many latching onto the downward trend that the world seems to be facing. However, there are those that present a future wherein things are better and the world has grown. The modern world has been making some incredible advancements, many of them promising, so some of these futures may not be quite as far off as they might seem. These idealistic futures may have passed, but they may have also ignited a fire under someone with the drive to make them a reality. Only time will tell.