No one can know what the future holds, but writers and filmmakers are constantly taking
their best guess, trying to predict technology and world affairs decades ahead of time - or
showing a future they only WISH would come true. Now that October 21, 2015 - the future
date that blew Marty McFly's mind - has finally arrived, it's time to see just how much the
movie got right. But it's not the only film that turned out be a lot more accurate than
the filmmakers probably ever expected (even if we're still waiting on hover boards). Here
are Screenrant's 10 Movies That Actually Predicted The Future.
Back to the Future Part II
The version of October, 2015 that Marty McFly visited in this time travelling sequel isn't
anywhere near as advanced as our own, but some of the future tech promised in the movie
was right on the money. The ability to watch multiple channels at once on a wall-mounted
TV is taken for granted now, and even getting to video chat with coworkers on the comfort
of your home instead of using a phone was made possible through teleconferencing programs
like Skype, or Face time. Thankfully, people don't lose their jobs over fax machines...
Probably because we just don't use them anymore.
Minority Report
Steven Spielberg consulted real tech experts when crafting the future of this Tom Cruise
adventure, from self-driving cars to targeted advertising. But no gadget turned more heads
than the gesture-based computing and user interface seen in Pre-Crime headquarters.
It's crazy to think that touchscreens completely replacing standard interfaces was deemed science
fiction, but audiences and inventors clearly liked what they saw.
Total Recall
It's hard to imagine that in less than a century, people could be living and working on the
planet Mars, but not every idea in Total Recall is so far-fetched. When the movie was released
in 1990, nothing was more of a fantasy than a car that would take its driver for a ride
by simply stating their destination. But enough research and technology has been put into
self-driving cars by Google alone to convince experts that they really are the future. They
may not include the robot driver of the movie's Johnnycab, but the idea was ahead of its time.
2001: A Space Odyssey
It's no secret that Stanley Kubrick's astronaut epic became one of the most influential in
not just science fiction, but filmmaking as a whole. The movie was such a landmark, it's
hard to know if Kubrick's vision of space travel predicted the future, or technology
just tried to recreate the movie's style. But the star of the movie, just like the novel,
was the murderous A.I., HAL. An artificial computer program that takes orders and reacts
like a human - voice and all - was total fiction. But when Siri brought exactly that to millions
of iPhones, mods and apps that gave HAL's voice to the feature weren't for behind.
Back to the Future Part II
Although virtual reality headsets or Google Glass haven't revolutionized society just
yet, the idea of playing video games without using your hands really is possible (Elijah
Wood arcade scene when he first arrives). Today's gamers still prefer game pads and,
and virtual reality hasn't gone mainstream yet. But who knows, the average teenager really
could be wearing Marty Jr's goggles before long.
Blade Runner
Seeing Los Angeles packed shoulder to shoulder, struggling with pollution and crime isn't
too hard to believe, but moving digital billboards big enough to cover the sides of entire buildings?
That was entirely alien when Blade Runner hit theatres. But extreme advertising has
already forced several cities to outlaw the size and brightness of billboards, including
video screens. It's not as extreme just yet, but if companies have their way, seeing a
building-sized Coke ad or a Geisha eating candy may not be too far away.
Jurassic Park
Author Michael Crichton's story of re-engineered dinosaurs was inspired by actual research
into DNA preserved in petrified mosquitoes, but when the movie released, experts line
up to call it a fantasy, since no Dinosaur DNA or blood could survive to modern times.
But the theory was sound. In 2015, scientists at Harvard University inserted wooly mammoth
DNA into that of an Asian elephant. Like the movie's dinosaurs, it wouldn't be an EXACT
clone. But returning mammoths from extinction could be the first step.
The Cable Guy
Ben Stiller's tale of an obsessed cable guy wasn't a hit when it released in 1996, but
Jim Carrey's crazed character turned out to be downright prophetic. At the time, merging
TV, phones, and video games using the Internet sounded like the ramblings of a madman. But
listen to it these days, and it's hard to believe how well Carrey guessed the Internet
would change the world - for couch potatoes in particular.
Enemy of the State
Not every leap forward in technology is a good one, and these days, the idea that "big
brother is watching" is more accurate than ever. And one Will Smith movie predicted the
rise of the surveillance state with chilling accuracy. A push for increased NSA clearance
and satellite monitoring kicks Enemy of the State into action, and every government asset
is used to track an American lawyer with damaging information. Audiences were wowed at the idea
that the NSA could listen in on every phone call and hack into every camera. They probably
didn't think that just a decade later, government officials would be testifying about the legality
of those very same programs.
The Net
When this cyber thriller was released in 1995, most people didn't even know what an online
identity meant - so the idea of someone "stealing your identity" using only computers seemed
ridiculous. Today, almost anyone can find out how much trouble a hacked bank account,
email, or stolen credit card number can really be. The movie may go overboard with evil software
companies, but it's not make believe anymore. And thankfully, computers really CAN be used
to order a pizza these days, too.
So what do you think of our list? Do you know of any other movies that predicted futuristic
gadgets or technology? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our
channel for more videos like this one.