- The dismal outlook for Hollywood's future prospects
In the realm of sci-fi cinema, Hollywood has been forecasting future trends. We're still waiting for the airborne vehicles and hoverboards promised by "Back to the Future 2" in 2015. Thankfully, Hollywood's predictions have often been off-base, sparing us from the doomsday scenario depicted in "Terminator," where Judgment Day was scheduled for 1997. Two years prior, as per "Soylent Green" (1973), featuring Charlton Heston, we should have been coping with state-sanctioned cannibalism, with the horrifying revelation that "Soylent Green is people!" Many sci-fi classics have painted an ominous picture of our future, the coming decades, and centuries.
"Children of Men"
The plot of "Children of Men" (2006), starring Clive Owen (59) and Michael Caine (91), unfolds around three years. Problems have been building for a longer time: Babies have ceased to be born, with the youngest person in the world being 18 years old at the beginning of Alfonso Cuarón's (62) film. Consequently, society is plagued by despair and hopelessness - what purpose is there in striving for a better world without progeny? However, the protagonist meets a woman who is pregnant.
"Demolition Man"
The 1993 action film "Demolition Man," starring Sylvester Stallone (78) and Sandra Bullock (60), presents a much more optimistic scenario. In it, tough cop John Spartan (Stallone) and his rival Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes, 62) are transported to the year 2032. They are astonished to discover that pollution and crime are things of the past, as are physical contact and intimacy. However, Phoenix's arrival drastically changes the peaceful future, with the population undergoing a jarring awakening. Even Spartan is surprised to learn that he is expected to use "the three seashells" instead of toilet paper...
"12 Monkeys"
Three years later, Terry Gilliam's (83) visionary film "12 Monkeys" (1995), starring Bruce Willis (69), is set. In it, civilization has already crumbled earlier. A virus, harmless to animals, wiped out most of humanity, leaving the remaining survivors to survive underground in the year 2035. Among them is the imprisoned James Cole (Willis), offered a chance at redemption: With the help of a questionable time machine, he is meant to travel back to the year when the "12 Monkeys" army is believed to have released the virus. However, as the story progresses, Cole becomes increasingly unsure of his own sanity.
"Minority Report"
In the world introduced by Steven Spielberg (77) in "Minority Report" (2002), set in the year 2054, the police's focus is to apprehend potential criminals before they even commit a crime. At first, the success of the Precrime department, where police officer John Anderton (Tom Cruise, 62) serves, is undeniable: There hasn't been a murder in six years. Anderton blindly trusts the mysterious technology behind Precrime - until his own name appears as a future killer, and his colleagues begin hunting him. Is he truly a killer - or is the system flawed?
"Total Recall"
In the year 2084, according to director Paul Verhoeven (86), humanity has colonized Mars. Instead of a cop in "Total Recall" (1990), construction worker Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77) questions his own existence. Has he lived his life as he believes, or are his memories merely fabricated implants from the shady Rekall Corporation? In fifty years, expect self-doubt, a battle for oxygen, and a mutant quarter.
"A.I. - Artificial Intelligence"
The topic of artificial intelligence is currently a subject of heated debate, as seen in the 22nd-century film "A.I. - Artificial Intelligence" (2001). Originally planned by Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), the film project revolved around a modern "Pinocchio" story, eventually brought to screen by Steven Spielberg. Another timely topic is also prevalent: due to global warming, most cities have vanished from the map in this sci-fi film. To cope with the severely reduced resources, the birth rate is heavily regulated. A prototype like David (Haley Joel Osment, 36), a robot resembling an 11-year-old boy, could provide a solution for individuals seeking to have children.
"Alien"
In another hundred years, according to Hollywood, humanity will encounter perhaps the most terrifying (and fortunately fictional) inhabitant of our universe. When Ridley Scott (86) released "Alien" in 1979, he left an indelible mark on cinema history. Recently, "Alien: Romulus" was released, the most recent chapter in the franchise. The harrowing journey of Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, 74) begins in the year 2122, when she and her beleaguered crew aboard the Nostromo respond to a mysterious signal in space, only to encounter Facehuggers and Xenomorphs. Fortunately for animal lovers, even in 2122, "Save the cat!" remains relevant.
Around the 80-year mark, aliens are the least of humanity's concerns. In the year 2199, as depicted in the iconic sci-fi film "The Matrix" (1999), directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, machines have assumed control, reducing humans to mere power sources. Starring Keanu Reeves (59) and Laurence Fishburne (63), the movie's allure lies in its portrayal of the Matrix, a simulated world that dominated the 90s. However, the actual reality, as Neo (Reeves) uncovers, is far more sinister. Fast forward 175 years, and a pivotal question emerges: will it be the red or the blue pill?
"The Fifth Element" (Reimagined)
Painting a more vibrant picture of the future, Luc Besson's (65) 1997 film "The Fifth Element" introduces a world teeming with extraterrestrial encounters, a futuristic cityscape, and perhaps the most charismatic cab driver in cinematic history: Korben Dallas, portrayed by Bruce Willis. The story unfolds when an enigmatic and eccentric character named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich, 48) collides into Korben's cab, leading him to initially worry about his suspended license. However, events take a turn when he learns that Leeloo is none other than the "fifth element," the universe's only hope for salvation, despite lacking a valid transit pass.
In the discussion of sci-fi cinematic predictions, we can't forget the dystopian future presented in "The Terminator" (1984), where a machine, the Terminator, is sent from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, thereby preventing the birth of John Connor, who will lead the human resistance against Skynet in the future.
After the despair and hopelessness depicted in "Children of Men," we're introduced to a much more hopeful scenario in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (1991). In this sequel, the Terminator, now reprogrammed to protect John Connor, travels back from 2029 to 1991 to ensure his survival, thus altering the timeline and preventing the apocalyptic future foretold in the original movie.
