Movies of the Future

[Orleander]

Babylon AD, Children of Men, I am Legend, Bladerunner, Waterworld, Mad Max, etc.
Are there any movies of the future where it turns out well? Or do we always portray the future as being bleakly depressing?

[Norsefire]

The future is likely to be bleakly depressing


V for Vendetta's future was pretty good up until V ruined it

[Fraggle Rocker]

Bicentennial Man. It wasn't exactly a utopia but it was normal enough.

There are plenty of sci fi stories in which the future has about the same mix of happiness and trouble as the present, i.e., realistic. But those don't get made into movies. Apparently the studios think people only want to see space wars, runaway robots, and apocalypses.

It's about the same with TV. The Star Trek series always had an optimistic feel and people led normal lives. The original Captain Kirk show and Voyager with Captain Janeway managed to avoid descending into apocalypse. But TNG, DS9 and Enterprise got into some heavy shit. Babylon 5 and Farscape (in addition to TNG) were my favorite sci fi shows, and those people lived in some really bad times. Then there was Dark Angel, Earth Final Conflict, Andromeda and the Stargate franchise!

[Carcano]

My favourite prophetic film is Logan's Run (1977).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpjKlAndi6s&feature=related

[iceaura]

2001, A Space Odyssey

Star Trek stuff in general.

[Mr.Spock]

I am robot wasnt so bleakly. there is back to the future, babylon 5, futurama, and more then i can remember at the moment.

[cosmictraveler]

Babylon AD, Children of Men, I am Legend, Bladerunner, Waterworld, Mad Max, etc.
Are there any movies of the future where it turns out well? Or do we always portray the future as being bleakly depressing?

You are correct, there aren't allot of movies with really good endings made.

[Orleander]

My favourite prophetic film is Logan's Run (1977).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpjKlAndi6s&feature=related

People were killed when they hit 30. How is that pleasant?

[nietzschefan]

I think Gattica is going to be the most accurate. Though I personally find that future loathsome.

[Fraggle Rocker]

I think Gattica is going to be the most accurate. Though I personally find that future loathsome.I liked "Gattaca" because in that future Esperanto was an important language. It was one of the languages in which the message "Welcome to Gattaca" was played at the entrance to the building.

[cosmictraveler]

I just remembered that "Lost In Space" was a good ending movie, right?

[oiram]

Nobody has mentioned the movie “The Post Man” starring Kevin Costner.. Very realistic and had a good ending, and more realistic than many Sci-Fi futuristic movies.

[11parcal]

The future is likely to be bleakly depressing


V for Vendetta's future was pretty good up until V ruined it

:eek: I guess some people like perfect order... and you know not having rights...

[Pandaemoni]

Babylon AD, Children of Men, I am Legend, Bladerunner, Waterworld, Mad Max, etc.
Are there any movies of the future where it turns out well? Or do we always portray the future as being bleakly depressing?

Brave New World had a happy future, or at least everyone who lived in the future society was happy (other than the Savages). They were engineered to be that way, plus, lots of sex and FREE DRUGS! Stranger in a Strange Land also seemed to turn out okay in the end.

The Time Machine seems to have a happy technology free world after "the Time Traveler" destroyes the Morlocks. Then it's all nice weather and sexy Eloi.

Stories need conflict, so of course dystopian visions will outweigh the utpoian ones. Why go to the trouble of creating an elaborate future if the problem is going to be mundane? It is a lot of work to do it, so those who take the time are going to want to make their milieu prominent to the story, almost like an extra character. That to some extent makes it easy to restrict your choices to conflicts that are mostly with aliens or, if there are no alien conflicts, with the future society/environment itself. You could have conflicts with other humans that just happen top be set in the future, but again, if the dramatic action doesn't rely heavily with the setting, why bother setting it in the future at all?

[Norsefire]

I guess some people like perfect order... and you know not having rights...
Order and happiness are not mutually exclusive; order is security, and happiness can be derived from simply enjoying life. Britain in V for Vendetta seemed very safe, and very advanced, very hi tech, educated, etc

As opposed to what it is now

Pandameani: Brave New World? That's a horrible future! I may believe in order but not genetically engineered personalities.

[Orleander]

....Stories need conflict, so of course dystopian visions will outweigh the utpoian ones. Why go to the trouble of creating an elaborate future if the problem is going to be mundane? ...

yeah, good point. Its just so depressing. I suppose 5th Element wasn't so bad.

[Norsefire]

There can be conflict without the actual world being in bad shape. It can be personal conflict or man vs man

[Fraggle Rocker]

Nobody has mentioned the movie “The Postman” starring Kevin Costner.. Very realistic and had a good ending, and more realistic than many Sci-Fi futuristic movies.I didn't see the movie because I'd read the book and didn't want to change my memory of the story. It was one of my favorite books. Does anybody know how faithful the movie was to the original story?

[11parcal]

Order and happiness are not mutually exclusive; order is security, and happiness can be derived from simply enjoying life. Britain in V for Vendetta seemed very safe, and very advanced, very hi tech, educated, etc

As opposed to what it is now

Pandameani: Brave New World? That's a horrible future! I may believe in order but not genetically engineered personalities.
Maybe technologically but governmentally there's no way I could stand such absolute control over each and every move

[Norsefire]

Maybe technologically but governmentally there's no way I could stand such absolute control over each and every move

The people seemed happy enough to me....; control isn't necessarily bad, it's how it is used

[11parcal]

The people seemed happy enough to me....; control isn't necessarily bad, it's how it is used

I'm not one for control in general, imagine how much duller the world would be if everyone was controlled completely, there would be no art, no creativity of any kind

[Norsefire]

I'm not one for control in general, imagine how much duller the world would be if everyone was controlled completely, there would be no art, no creativity of any kind

Of course that's bad. But you're missing key elements and questions:

Firstly, who is doing the controlling? Is it the government? Is the government not empowered by the people? Yes, therefore the people have absolute power over themselves, exercised via an executive.

There we go, dictatorship destroys democracy. Or rather, fuses with it.

[11parcal]

Of course that's bad. But you're missing key elements and questions:

Firstly, who is doing the controlling? Is it the government? Is the government not empowered by the people? Yes, therefore the people have absolute power over themselves, exercised via an executive.

There we go, dictatorship destroys democracy. Or rather, fuses with it.

In the case of V for vendetta it was a totalitarian government that ruled with an iron fist, I don't believe he was elected

[Norsefire]

In the case of V for vendetta it was a totalitarian government that ruled with an iron fist, I don't believe he was elected

He doesn't have to be elected; all governments are in power as long as the people acknowledge their power. Powerful governments are efficient governments, and efficiency used in the right way is great.

[11parcal]

He doesn't have to be elected; all governments are in power as long as the people acknowledge their power. Powerful governments are efficient governments, and efficiency used in the right way is great.

Only the people with guns need acknowledge their power, the rest can be beaten into submission

[Norsefire]

Only the people with guns need acknowledge their power, the rest can be beaten into submission

Look, we aren't on the same page. Totalitarian governments aren't necessarily bad...powerful governments aren't necessarily bad....it's about how the power is used. More power is more potential. Potential for good, and for bad.

Therefore, we should not limit the power, but rather who gets into power, and have some means of protecting and safeguarding from corruption. I disagree with many things the Norsefire party did; however, I don't disagree with the concept of a united, ordered state. I want it to benefit the people.