Science fiction is a genre that typically focuses on advanced technology and futurist concepts. It’s been nearly 300 years that creatives have used their imagination to depict what the years ahead may look like. A Trip to the Moon by Georges Melies is considered to be the one of the first sci-fi films that predicts a spacecraft being launched to the moon.
Since then, there have been several other movies that have accurately predicated events and inventions of the future. Artificial Intelligence has made a major impact on modern sci-fi. How are writers thinking of these innovative ideas years before they come to fruition? From flying drones to FaceTime, we’ve watched countless films show us shocking prophecies. Which movies actually nailed their predictions?
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6 The Running Man
Tri-Star Pictures
Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers an amazing performance in the 1987 film, The Running Man. His character is forced to participate in a game that “nobody survives.” The film is directed by Paul Michael Glaser and takes place in 2019. It focuses on Americans’ obsession with brutal game shows. The Running Man may remind you of Squid Game for example, which became one of Netflix’s most watched shows of all time in 2021. Survival Shows like Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Do or Die also became very popular over the years. The film’s predication exposes society’s addiction to violent and competitive entertainment. The Running Man is considered to be one of the best sci-fi films of the 80s.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Demolition Man
Warner Bros.
Demolition Man premiered in 1993 and stars Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. This is an action/sci-fi that has many eerie prophecies about social distancing. Marco Brambilla is the director of the film who also directed Destricted and Excess Baggage. The main characters are sentenced to a state of frozen incarceration known as “CryoPrison.” They were thawed out in the year 2032 when the world looks entirely different. Society is recovering from a massive earthquake that unleashed deadly viruses and even destroyed the restaurant industry. Physical contact ends up getting banned, and people are introduced to video calling. Does this remind you of something? Sylvester Stallone recently reflected on Demolition Man being ahead of its time and teased a potential sequel in the future.
4 Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Business Insider
Perhaps Star Trek has predicted our future regarding technology more than anything. The 1979 motion pictured showed Captain Kirk using voice commands to interact with the ship. He would say “computer” the same way we use “Alexa” or “Siri ’’ today. In 1999, Star Trek Writer David Gerrold took it a step further by writing a column insinuating that smartphone devices would soon be coming to life. He perfectly described everything about the invention down to its size and potential privacy issues. Apple released its first smartphone in June 2007 that matched David’s prediction. Star Trek is also known for predicting other things like tablets, audio translation, and debit cards. Is this a bizarre coincidence?
3 Blade Runner
Warner Bros. Pictures
Harrison Ford stars as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner. The film is set in the year 2019 with advanced technology and flying cars. Deckard is on a mission to terminate human clones that pose a threat to society. Blade Runner was directed by Ridley Scott. The movie had a budget of $30 million that included stunning visual effects. In this 1982 Sci-Fi/Action, there were futuristic billboard ads in the skyline of Los Angeles. Today, digital Ads are spotted all over the country, making it a spot on predication. The film was the beginning of a franchise.
2 The Terminator
Orion Pictures
The Terminator was directed by James Cameron and released in 1984. It gives a glimpse inside a world of computer controlled aircraft. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrives from 2029 to stop the vicious Terminator created by humans. The movie features killer robots, global surveillance, and advanced depictions of the future. Prophecies of The Terminator have come to life as we see Military drones being widely used across the globe. The 1991 sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day landed number one on our best films about androids list.
1 The Truman Show
Paramount Pictures
The Truman Show stars Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank. In this Drama/Sci-fi, Truman was adopted by the OmniCam Corporation where his whole life became a TV set unbeknownst to him. The film explores the dark side of reality TV, media manipulation, and surrealism. Jim Carrey said yes rather quickly to this role after being eager to show his range as an actor. After its release in 1998, the reality TV genre became increasingly popular. The rise of shows like The Real World, Big Brother, and Survivor started a new era. An accurate prediction was made about how modern reality TV would impact the human experience. The Truman Show is ranked number 2 on our best Jim Carrey movies list.
