FEATURE: 2016 Is Proof Hollywood Lost Its Way
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Ten Movies That Accurately Predicted The Future
Mr Tech, aka content creator Jack is obsessed with technology but also oddly afraid of it, Find out why as he shows you ten ways movies and television have accurately predicted the future…
What came first? The chicken or the egg? The invention or the idea?
One of cinema’s most enduring genres has made some outlandish predictions about the future, which have all now happened. It makes me wonder…are we living in the future? Right now? Is this the future?
(Source: Pinterest.com)
Martin Cooper, the inventor of mobile phones, said he was inspired by Dick Tracy’s wrist watch
This made me wonder how many other inventions had been inspired by films and TV so I delved a little deeper.
Here are some more films that accurately predicted the future.
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ vs Apple iPad
In this clip of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ the two lead characters are using digital tablets to watch an instructional video. These tablets hold a very striking resemblance to the Apple iPad and other smart tablets. Although the concept of tablet computers was conceived years ago, it took a long time for them to be introduced into the mainstream market. The way the characters in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ use them is identical to the way that tablets are actually used in the modern world, despite the film being made long before they were actually invented. Back when this movie was made, a computer of any kind was the size of an entire room, and TV screens still had massive backs full of components, so the idea of a slim tablet computer screen was a thing of fantasy.
‘The Terminator’ vs Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ‘DARPA’
Now robotics aren’t anything new; however every time something new comes along in the world of robotics the people shout Skynet. We’ve seen how badly things can end up if artificial intelligence and robots go too far, so much so that even the likes of Hawking, Musk and Gates have publicly stated the risks of developing this technology too much. What do you think? Is our curiosity in artificial intelligence and robots going to be our undoing? What is scary is that when the original ‘Terminator ‘movie was made, artificial intelligence was an entirely fictional thing, and nowadays, with search engines like Google using artificial intelligence software to learn an adapt to its users, we already live in a world with artificial intelligence. Let’s just hope no one put’s that technology inside DARPA’s Titan.
‘Star Wars’ vs Robotic Prosthetics
The greatest development of technology yet must be the ability to rebuild limbs and connect them to our brains, making them controllable and not just lifeless proxies for limbs. In the video above this incredible man who lost both his arms in an electrical accident (including his shoulders) is given not one but two robotic arms he can control independently, how awesome is that? At the time of the release of the original Star Wars movie, prosthetic limbs were completely inactive motionless limbs, that only really served a cosmetic purpose.
‘Minority Report’ vs Xbox One Kinect
Whether or not this is a practical method of interacting with a device, it’s cool nonetheless. Also, what is quite surprising is that Microsoft’s method appears to be more advance than the futuristic version in ‘Minority Report’ as it doesn’t require any special gloves to use. Sadly when ‘Minority Report’ came out, the concept of gesture controls as a technology wasn’t actually that farfetched and a lot of schools had already implemented a version of it with their interactive whiteboards.
‘Edge of Tomorrow’ vs Raytheon XOS 2
‘Edge of Tomorrow’ takes place in a dystopian future where aliens have invaded earth (how original) however the new spin on this one seems to be that all the human soldiers are equipped with exoskeleton-robosuit-type-things which looked pretty cool, until videos started popping up online of the real thing. This technology actually does exist and is still being developed for use on a mass scale. These suits can allow the wearer to lift and carry over 150lbs, as stated in the video above.
‘The Jetsons’ vs Skype
This is the type of technology that my grandparents could have never imagined would eventually be a real technology and it has become so commodified that we take it for granted. Back in the days of switchboard phone lines you’d need to literally call an operator to connect you to the person you wanted to speak to and it was all done by wire. Now we are able to pull out our smart phones and wirelessly speak to people on other sides of the world. I travel a lot for work and have used Skype to video call friends and family in the UK from places like South Korea and New Caledonia, which are thousands of miles from each other.
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (again) vs Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo is very similar to Apples Siri and Microsofts Cortana, I’ve still not been able to get on with these and avoid them at all costs, not only because I like using buttons but also because having watched ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ too many times, it’s all a bit too spooky for me. I’m not quite ready to introduce an artificially intelligent being into my life. One of the key narrative themes of 2001: A Space Odyssey is about how the artificially intelligent Hal 9000 computer turns evil and tries to kill those on board the spaceship so yeah, I’m not that keen on inviting any artificially intelligent things into my home just yet…
‘Back To The Future’ vs Oculus Rift
In this scene of ‘Back To The Future’, the kids are wearing what appear to be virtual reality headsets. Not many of our readers will get the chance to play with an Oculus Rift yet but there are plenty of videos detailing what the experience is like. What’s spooky is similarly to the portrayal of tablets in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, the way that the virtual reality headsets are used in ‘Back To The Future’ is oddly realistic to how people really use virtual reality headsets, minus the flashing lights covering them (yet).
‘Total Recall’ vs Google Driverless Cars
I think Google’s driverless cars are actually far cooler than the ones depicted in ‘Total Recall’. They don’t need a cheesy robot taxi driver. You just sit in the drivers seat and tell it where you want to go. There have even been massive self-driving 16-wheeler lorries made by Mercedes that will be on our roads in the next few years.
‘Blade Runner’ vs Times Square
Something that has made Times Square the bright and beautiful place that it is for years now is something that once never existed. Now digital billboards are commonplace yet once upon a time billboards were strictly printed pictures. Although having only brief screen time in’ Blade Runner’ the digital billboards are a huge visual component of many of the establishing shots that really set the theme of a futuristic world.
So if in the beginning of this article you were confused about why I’m a bit scared of technology hopefully know you understand, as with most of the movies listed here things don’t really end well for the humans…
Do you remember any films with fortune telling abilities on the future? Let us know through the magic of social media. -@rifemag
Related:
What To Expect In 2015 by Molly Perryman
Open Hands: How A Young Bristolian Is Changing The Robotics Industry by George Devereaux
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Smartphone Filmmaking Masterclass Episode 1
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About the author
Jack Edwards
Since getting my first camera capable of video at 13, I have been making fun videos mostly about life and sports. Eventually I decided that I wanted to pursue filmmaking as a career and began taking my films and video much more seriously. I took on photography, media and film studies at college and used those A level’s to get myself into Falmouth University to study Film. I began creating videos and trying to market myself as a freelance filmmaker. I had some successes with small-scale product advertisements for online use such as the ‘Beach Buddy App’ which featured in the Ignite Cornwall Business Start Up Competition. I found a lot of enjoyment from creating event videos, which eventually developed into a good earner for myself and gave me some fantastic jobs filming in London for ‘Drum & Bass Arena’s 2013 Album Launch Party and ‘This is Dubstep’’s Action On Hearing Loss Fundraiser. I created a Facebook group called ‘Anamorphic Shooters’ which I have no been administrating for the last year and a half, which has now grown to have over 1,000 members who contribute daily. For the remainder of my internship at the company I was involved in conference filming jobs, creating a pitch for the RNLI to create an hour long TV piece documentary about the Penlee lifeboat station and filmed another two PWA competitions in Sylt and New Caledonia, taking me further around the globe than I had even been in my life. From the age of ten I dreamt of one day being a cameraman that would travel the world taking photos and making films. I always imagined I’d be 40 before it ever happened, but at the age of 22 I found myself travelling 11,000 miles around the world and getting paid to do it. I have now moved back to Bristol, and am looking to keep up the momentum of the last year and keep developing and growing as a professional. I am hoping to bring my tenacity and experience to a new company and to offer my video making skills in anyway possible in order to experience new things and tell more stories, as to me film is the strongest tool we have for helping people relate and empathise, and what I call the ‘Empathy Canon’.
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