Almost all films set in the future depict gloomy dystopian worlds. Depletion of natural resources, nuclear war and catastrophic climate change — in fact, there are plenty of reasons for pessimism even without hypothetical aliens or an uprising of artificial intelligence. But all the more reason to want to see a bright tomorrow on the screen, where modern technology promises not more powerful weapons but a better life for everyone. We have collected 10 science fiction films for you that have an optimistic view of the future.
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Tomorrowland
Year of release: 2015
Director: Brad Bird
IMDb rating: 6.4
In 1955, Disney expanded the Disneyland amusement park by adding the «Future Land» themed exhibition, which was supposed to embody all the ideas of a happy future for humanity. After the resounding success of the «Pirates of the Caribbean» movie franchise, the campaign remembered Tomorrowland and commissioned Brad Burton, director of «The Iron Giant» and «The Incredibles», to bring its ideas to the screen.
The film about the journey of a frustrated inventor and a teenage science enthusiast to an alternative dimension of a dreamland received mixed reviews. But what you can’t take away from it is the stunning visuals of a futuristic future with airy gardens between crystal skyscraper towers, smart robots and flying cars.
By engaging in an off-camera polemic with dystopian authors, Byrd reminds us of the dangers of reinforcing a negative vision of the future. In the film, Tomorrowland governor Nix broadcasts images of the inevitable end of the world as a warning to humanity. But in the end, he achieves the opposite effect: they become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and people give up, refusing to act for a better tomorrow.
In an interview with CBR The director draws an interesting analogy with Episode 5 of «Star Wars», where Yoda sends Luke to a cave. The student asks: «What’s in there?» And Yoda replies: «Only what you take with you». Eventually, Luke puts on a weapon and causes a conflict. Similarly, the future — is what we approach it with. Some people are looking forward to it with dread. Others see it as both a challenge and an opportunity to pursue.
Demolition Man
Year of release: 1993
Director: Marco Brambilla
IMDb rating: 6.7
In the movie «The Destroyer», Sylvester Stallone plays John Spartan, a policeman who was frozen in 1996 and then thawed out in 2032. Unfortunately, the dangerous killer Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), whose trick got Spartan into the ice, escaped and continued his crimes. And to punish him, the legendary cop from the past is forced to take up the case again.
Today, we are no longer impressed by Sly’s fighting techniques, but the pacifist future depicted in the film still arouses considerable interest. Immoral behavior, drugs, and murder were eradicated here at the beginning of the 21st century. Therefore, when faced with the brutality of the Phoenix, the local police are at a loss and do not know what to do.
It may not be obvious, but the sci-fi drama by «Dune» director Denis Villeneuve models one of the most hopeful prospects for the future of humanity. When alien ships «hectopods» arrive on Earth, linguist Louise Banks is tasked with deciphering their language.
After many trials, the heroine begins to master the cyclic concept of the aliens’ time and learns that three thousand years later, humans will play an important role in their rescue. Thus, it becomes clear that no global catastrophes will threaten the existence of humanity in the near future.
Despite the fact that we do not yet have documentary evidence of aliens visiting the earth, the film still looks extremely relevant. The fact is that the main problem faced by Louise and other scientists is not hectopods, but the difficulty of finding a language with people from other countries and the peculiarities of their perception of reality, which bring the world to the brink of a new war.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Year of release: 1991
Director: Nicholas Meyer
IMDb rating: 7.2
From the very beginning, the entire «Star Trek» franchise has offered viewers an optimistic view of the future. We wrote about the 2009 feature film «Star Trek» in our selection of the best of 2000s science fiction films, and today we will remember the 1991 movie «Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country».
According to the plot, Captain Kirk and the Klingon Chancellor are traveling to Earth with the intention of signing a peace treaty. A crisis arises when someone opens fire on the Klingon ship. However, the longtime enemies are smart enough to unite to save the life of the Federation President and conclude the long-awaited peace.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Year of release: 2017
Director: Luc Besson
IMDb rating: 6.4
Another example of peaceful cooperation between different space races in the distant future is demonstrated by based on a series of comic books «Valerian and Laureline» Luc Besson’s movie. Although the authors do not show us the Earth itself in the frame, we have the opportunity to study the future space history of mankind in detail.
Immediately after the opening credits, to the tune of David Bowie’s Space Oddity, the audience witnesses the creation of the «Alpha» orbital station, the arrival of the first aliens, and its transformation into an interstellar home for humanity and many other species, where diverse beings unite for the common good.
Her
Year of release: 2013
Director: Spike Jonze
IMDb rating: 8.0
The events of the movie «She» take place in our native 2025. The protagonist, a lonely writer named Theodore, falls in love with an AI operating system. Although the ending of the film may seem sad, it shows a comfortable, warm, «lamp» future in which AI does not seize power to destroy humanity in a nuclear war, but satisfies our personal problems by offering companionship, friendship, and support. By the way, cars in the city of the future have been replaced by magnetic core trains, so the air is clear and clean.
Mr. Nobody
Year of release: 2009
Director: Jaco van Dormel
IMDb rating: 7.7
The year is 2092. The last mortal man on Earth, 118-year-old old Nemo, has become the subject of a reality show that is broadcast around the world. The rest of the people have long since become virtually immortal — their cells are artificially renewed, preventing aging. And the hero himself travels through the depths of his memory, trying to relive the many possible directions his life could have taken under different conditions.
The future of «Mr. Nobody» — is a utopian world without disease and death, where you no longer need to worry about losing someone else, and you have unlimited time to realize your most cherished dreams. But is immortality worth the inability to love?
After Yang
Year of release: 2021
Director: Kogonada
IMDb rating: 6.6
The plot of the sci-fi drama «After Yang» centers on the couple Jake and Kira, who have adopted a Chinese girl named Mika. In the world of the movie, there are perfect robots called «technosapiens». They have a powerful artificial intelligence, a human-like body, and can be companions or help around the house. Jake buys one of these «techs», a robot boyfriend named Young, to connect his adopted daughter with her native culture.
When the android suddenly and permanently malfunctions, a data bank is found in its core, where it recorded videos of important moments. Watching these emotionally charged memories, Jake begins to better understand the hidden side of his assistant. In particular, he learns about his relationship with his girlfriend, Ada, and realizes that Young was a real person who left a significant mark on the lives of many people.
The film’s authors have shown a livable future where mutual respect reigns supreme, and technology has created robots that people trust even more than each other. All of this raises a number of difficult questions for the audience: what is humanity and where is the difference between flesh-and-blood humans and artificial intelligence? What do we remember about our loved ones and what do we ultimately want to leave behind?
2010: The Year We Make Contact
Year of release: 1984
Director: Peter Hyams
IMDb rating: 6.7
Stanley Kubrick’s iconic «Space Odyssey» left the audience with many questions, which are answered in the sequel. Nine years after the events of the first film, a Soviet ship «Alexei Leonov» sets off for Jupiter with a mixed crew of American and Soviet researchers. It has to visit the orbiting «Discovery» and solve the mystery of the monoliths.
Released in 1984, when tensions between the US and the USSR were at their peak, the film shows a future in which warring nations find a way to resolve their differences and join forces for a common goal.
Back to the Future Part II
Year of release: 1989
Director: Robert Zemeckis
IMDb rating: 7.8
In the second installment of the popular franchise, Doc and Marty from the 1980s travel to the future year 2015. The movie became widely popular because it was the first film since the beginning of the 20th century to show a happy future where various high-tech devices make the lives of ordinary people more comfortable and interesting.
The authors foresaw the emergence of flying drones, tablets, video calls, bionic prosthetics, smart glasses, large flat-screen TVs, holographic advertising, and waste-powered engines. All of these inventions have really improved our lives. However, the increasingly frequent wars using them show that, unfortunately, technology development is not yet able to change human nature for the better.
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