Hello The Future. Hello 2018

The future is never what you think it is... but it isn't all dystopia! So here are some filmmaker's ideas for the next 12 years (some things to be thankful for!).

Terminator Salvation (set in 2018)

Via cinemablend.com

As Terminator spin-offs and sequels go, even this was pretty bad. Christian Bale thought it was bad. Arnie said "It sucked" and the general public voted with their feet, so the franchise didn't get the reboot they wanted. Still, right now it doesn't seem like we are heading for a robot-fuelled-artificial-intelligence-dystopia yet.

WARNING: Do watch out for American robotics company BOSTON DYNAMICS though!!

youtube.com

Rollerball, 1975 version (set in 2018)

Via denofgeek.com

In the promo poster for the film, it claims that 2018 'wars will no longer exist'. That hopefully will stay true. The film was a precursor to a Hunger Games type deathly game and apparently, despite it's title the film wasn't about the popular pen.

The Running Man (set 2017-2019)

Via stephenking.wikia.com

The future was definitely Arnie's domain in the 90s, along with Total Recall, Arnie became the archetypal future hero. This time battling again in another Hunger Games type scenario based around a game show - proving that all game shows are in fact evil, so avoid them in the future.

Blade Runner (set 2019)

Via comicbook.com

Before there was 2049 there was the original. Harrison Ford plays a moody loner type character... oh wait, Harrison Ford just plays Harrison Ford. Still good to know there are noodles in the future.

Akira (set 2019)

Via nerdist.com

Another bold film ahead of its time made in the 80s, Akira boasts possibly one of the coolest future motorbikes ever (up there with LightCycles), it also boasts some phenomenal animation and use of light. Oh and a massive head exploding third act. Literally.

Edge of Tomorrow (set in 2020)

Via youtube.com

Every now and then between Mission Impossible movies, Tom Cruise makes other films. Some like The Mummy, Rock of Ages and Vanilla Sky are pants Others like Oblivion, Minority Report and Edge of Tomorrow are worth a rewatch again. And again (see what I did there). Bonus points, no alien invasion as yet.

Pacific Rim (set in 2020)

Via youtube.com

Go back as far as Brad Bird's (of 'The Intouchables') The Iron Giant set in 1957, or Michael Bay's seemingly endless Transformers series - giant robots have always been part of our possible futures. Combine that with other-worldly-type monsters and hello future! (No giant mech-robots means no monsters, so I think we are good for the moment).

WARNING: Speaking of robots, remember not all are bad. This is Titan the robot punching a drunk guy in Bognor 2010... yes Bognor.

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Metropolis (set in 2026)

Via mubi.com

Set in 2026 but actually made in 1927 (91 years ago!). Bold in its ambition it remains one of the most influential of it's kind both in relative vision and technical ability. We've still not seen sprawling sky-towers yet but the way housing is going we may have to look at that in the next 90 years.

Children of Men (set in 2027)

One of the best British offerings of a dystopian future, set around London - it is both full of despair and futility as well as hope and faith (It also boasts a couple of impressive single long shot scenes). Being both close in terms of geography and timespan, it's one of those films that acts as a mirror for our future as a society.

Ghost in the Shell, 1995 version (set in 2029)

The 2017 Scarlett Johansson live action version released last year doesn't do the story justice but Ghost in the Shell 'inspired filmmakers such as the Wachowskis, creators of the Matrix films, and James Cameron' (Wikipedia). The original serves as proof that we should learn and improve on the past, not try to imitate it.

Any ways, film lovers. HAPPY NEW YEAR!