In Pictures: Cinema's Changing Visions of the Future

OK, I know. Technically, Star Wars isn’t in the future but instead “a long time ago”, and appears to be in the future only because it’s in “a galaxy far, far away”. But let’s just accept that their past looks like our future and go forward on the premise that it looks like a good future to aim for. Not so much the totalitarian empire of evil, but y’know, X-wings would be pretty cool.

Classic Star Trek may not be known for being the prettiest of series, but the concept was always rooted more in ideas than imagery. From the notable Rodenberry decision for crew members to have no interpersonal conflict to TV’s first interracial kiss, the franchise, in all its forms, shows off a remarkably progressive future.

Gritty, grimy and rain-soaked: the Los Angeles of Blade Runner was populated by humans huddled beneath glowing neon and replicants who’ve watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. We may yet be more than two years off convincingly human androids, but perhaps more unbelievable is the idea of Los Angeles getting that much rain.

Taking services like Deliveroo to the next level, The Fifth Element imagined a flying boat that delivered noodles to your window. I was never quite clear on whether or not Mr Kim had to be called for service or he just had a set route, but rolling over to your window for a fresh noodle delivery sounds like a hell of future to me, never mind the multipasses or flying cars. 

So this gets a little confusing. Due to the timeline reboot, the newer Treks are actually set before the originals. While they may have all the shininess and traditional lens flare that JJ Abrams could throw at them, it possibly explains why the Enterprise doesn’t actually look so radically different. 

Fitting far closer to what I assumed every Mad Max had always been, an almost Mandela Effect situation, Fury Road not only resurrected the franchise but gave us a far bleaker vision of the future. Now set 50 years post-apocalypse, the insane approach to vehicles remains, but the landscape is now starkly bleached and consisting mostly of dust and desert.

Admittedly one concerning thing about the “future” presented by Star Wars is that they seem to have a remarkable attachment to repetition. You can’t just keep building the same thing but bigger guys! Say what you want about the prequels but they seemed to have at least some sort of technological progression going on.

Not an actual franchise return, but director Luc Besson carries a lot of the spirit of The Fifth Element across into Valerian. An eye for aesthetics means that Besson’s futures always seem to be incredibly pretty, if a little gaudy, and the inhabitants are nothing if not eye-catching. This is a sci-fi world with a heart of fantasy.

Far more appropriate an image of California and its persistent drought problems, Blade Runner 2049 brings a return to Philip K Dick’s world of electric sheep. 30 years on from the original, the City of Angels appears far more smoggy and barren though nonetheless beautiful. Technology timelines are still somewhat dubious, but far more acceptable than the original.