Films set in the future have settings that are beyond the year they were released, even if that setting is now in the past, and films with a futuristic setting despite of unspecified date. They also include films that are only partially set in the future, in which case the only years of setting listed are those in the future. With that being said I'm going to bring you my top 10 favorite films set in the future. The list will not include films that don't specifically mention a year so no film from the Mad Max franchise. Hunger Games Franchise or A Clockwork Orange. The list will also include the year the film was released and the year the film was set in. So without further ado...
10. Metropolis Released: 1927 Set: 2026
If you want to talk about changing the game, then this is the film did just that and it's still hard to top to this day. The film follows Freder (played by Gustav Fröhlich), the wealthy son of the city's ruler, and Maria (played by Brigitte Helm), to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Metropolis has a rating of 99% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Pacific Rim Released: 2013 Set: 2025
If you like King Kong and Godzilla fights, but wish they were robots, then this is the perfect film for you and one of the most under-appreciated films in recent memory. Long ago, legions of monstrous creatures called Kaiju arose from the sea, bringing with them all-consuming war. To fight the Kaiju, mankind developed giant robots called Jaegers, designed to be piloted by two humans locked together in a neural bridge. However, even the Jaegers are not enough to defeat the Kaiju, and humanity is on the verge of defeat. Mankind's last hope now lies with a washed-up ex-pilot (played by Charlie Hunnam), an untested trainee (played by Rinko Kikuchi) and an old, obsolete Jaeger. Pacific Rim has a rating of 72% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Fifth Element Released: 1997 Set: 2263
This film has an all-star cast and it is just a fun, exciting action sci-fi film. In the movie's prologue, which is set in 1914, scientists gather in Egypt at the site of an event that transpired centuries earlier. Aliens, it seemed, arrived to collect four stones representing the four basic elements (earth, air, fire and water) - warning their human contacts that the objects were no longer safe on Earth. A few hundred years later (in the 23rd century), a huge ball of molten lava and flame is hurtling toward Earth, and scientist-holy man Victor Cornelius (played by Ian Holm) declares that in order to prevent it from destroying the planet, the same four elemental stones must be combined with the fifth element, as embodied by a visitor from another world named Leeloo (played by Milla Jovovich). However, if the force of evil presents itself to the stones instead, the Earth will be destroyed, and an evil being named Zorg (played by Gary Oldman) will trigger the disaster. Despite her remarkable powers, Leeloo needs help with her mission, and she chooses her accomplice, military leader-turned-cab driver Korben Dallas (played by Bruce Willis), when she literally falls through the roof of his taxi. The Fifth Element was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing and it has a rating of 71% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. The Matrix Released: 1999 Set: 2199
This film literally re-wrote the book on stunt fighting and visual effects. It depicts a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called "the Matrix", created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Computer programmer Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) learns the truth and is drawn in to a rebellion against machines, which involves other people who have been freed from the "dream world". This film is just a beautiful cinematic masterpiece. The Matrix was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Sound Effects, Sound Editing and Visual Effects, while winning all 4 and it has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. Alien Released: 1979 Set: 2122
This film is literally a space version of Jaws (and we all know how good Jaws is). The film tells the story of the commercial towing spaceship Nostromo, owned and operated by the Earth mega-corporation Weyland-Yutani, is on a return trip to Earth hauling a refinery and twenty million tons of mineral ore, with a seven-member crew in stasis. After Detecting a transmission of unknown origin from a nearby planet, the crew is sent to investigate, but they find that the ship isn't what it seems to be. This film comes to us from one of the greatest Sci-Fi directors of all-time in Ridley Scott. Alien was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects, while only winning for Best Visual Effects and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Terminator 2: Judgement Day Released: 1991 Set: 1995
This film is one of my favorite sci-fi films of all-time. Terminator 2 follows Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton) and her ten-year old son John (played by Edward Furlong) as they are pursued by a new, more advanced Terminator, the liquid metal, shapeshifting T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick), sent back in time to 1995 to kill John and prevent him from becoming the leader of the human Resistance against the machines. An older , less advanced Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarznegger) is also sent back in time to protect John. The film is absolutely mind-blowing and James Cameron proves that he is one of the best director of all-time. Terminator 2: Judgement Day was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Make-Up, Sound, Sound Editing, Visual Effects and Film Editing while winning 4 (Best Make-Up, Sound, Sound Editing and Visual Effects), it also has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Star Trek Released: 2009 Set: 2387
This film is awesome and a great addition to the Star Trek film franchise. The film follows James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) and Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) aboard the USS Enterprise as they combat Nero (played by Eric Bana), a Romulan from the future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The Film takes place in an alternate reality due to time travel by both Nero and the original Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy). This is one of the best films in the franchise and I absolutely loved the alternate reality twist. Star Trek was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Make-Up and Visual Effects, while winning one (Best Make-Up) and it has a rating of 95% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey Released: 1968 Set: 2001
This one of the most visually stunning films that I have ever seen. The story deals with a series of encounters between humans and mysterious black monoliths that are apparently affecting human evolution, and a space voyage to Jupiter tracing a signal emitted by one such monolith found on the moon. This film came to us from one of the greatest directors of all-time in Stanley Kubrick and is most remembered for two things 1. It is considered the greatest film never to be nominated for Best Picture and 2. for its villain in the computer known as HAL9000. 2001: A Space Odyssey was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects, Art Direction, Director and Original Screenplay, while winning only 1 (Best Visual Effects) and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Blade Runner Released: 1982 Set: 2019
This is one of the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen. The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered organic robots called replicants (visually indistinguishable from adult humans) are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega-corporations" around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by police special operatives known as "Blade Runners". The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt-out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down. This film is breathtaking and stunning. Blade Runner was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction and has a rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan Released: 1982 Set: 2285
I'm a huge Star Trek fan (not as big as a Trekkie) and this film is the reason why I am. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan is not only a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it is a actually a sequel to an episode in the Star Trek TV series entitled "Space Seed". The plot feature James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise facing off against he genetically-engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (who was the villain in the episode and is played by Ricardo Montalban in both the episode and movie). When Khan escapes from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk, the crew of the Enterprise must stop him from acquiring a powerful terraforming device named Genesis. The film begins a story arc that continues with Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock and concludes with Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan has a rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite films set in the future and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard
Jonah Sparks
10. Metropolis Released: 1927 Set: 2026
If you want to talk about changing the game, then this is the film did just that and it's still hard to top to this day. The film follows Freder (played by Gustav Fröhlich), the wealthy son of the city's ruler, and Maria (played by Brigitte Helm), to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes of their city. Metropolis has a rating of 99% on rottentomatoes.com.
9. Pacific Rim Released: 2013 Set: 2025
If you like King Kong and Godzilla fights, but wish they were robots, then this is the perfect film for you and one of the most under-appreciated films in recent memory. Long ago, legions of monstrous creatures called Kaiju arose from the sea, bringing with them all-consuming war. To fight the Kaiju, mankind developed giant robots called Jaegers, designed to be piloted by two humans locked together in a neural bridge. However, even the Jaegers are not enough to defeat the Kaiju, and humanity is on the verge of defeat. Mankind's last hope now lies with a washed-up ex-pilot (played by Charlie Hunnam), an untested trainee (played by Rinko Kikuchi) and an old, obsolete Jaeger. Pacific Rim has a rating of 72% on rottentomatoes.com.
8. The Fifth Element Released: 1997 Set: 2263
This film has an all-star cast and it is just a fun, exciting action sci-fi film. In the movie's prologue, which is set in 1914, scientists gather in Egypt at the site of an event that transpired centuries earlier. Aliens, it seemed, arrived to collect four stones representing the four basic elements (earth, air, fire and water) - warning their human contacts that the objects were no longer safe on Earth. A few hundred years later (in the 23rd century), a huge ball of molten lava and flame is hurtling toward Earth, and scientist-holy man Victor Cornelius (played by Ian Holm) declares that in order to prevent it from destroying the planet, the same four elemental stones must be combined with the fifth element, as embodied by a visitor from another world named Leeloo (played by Milla Jovovich). However, if the force of evil presents itself to the stones instead, the Earth will be destroyed, and an evil being named Zorg (played by Gary Oldman) will trigger the disaster. Despite her remarkable powers, Leeloo needs help with her mission, and she chooses her accomplice, military leader-turned-cab driver Korben Dallas (played by Bruce Willis), when she literally falls through the roof of his taxi. The Fifth Element was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing and it has a rating of 71% on rottentomatoes.com.
7. The Matrix Released: 1999 Set: 2199
This film literally re-wrote the book on stunt fighting and visual effects. It depicts a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called "the Matrix", created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Computer programmer Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) learns the truth and is drawn in to a rebellion against machines, which involves other people who have been freed from the "dream world". This film is just a beautiful cinematic masterpiece. The Matrix was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Sound Effects, Sound Editing and Visual Effects, while winning all 4 and it has a rating of 87% on rottentomatoes.com.
6. Alien Released: 1979 Set: 2122
This film is literally a space version of Jaws (and we all know how good Jaws is). The film tells the story of the commercial towing spaceship Nostromo, owned and operated by the Earth mega-corporation Weyland-Yutani, is on a return trip to Earth hauling a refinery and twenty million tons of mineral ore, with a seven-member crew in stasis. After Detecting a transmission of unknown origin from a nearby planet, the crew is sent to investigate, but they find that the ship isn't what it seems to be. This film comes to us from one of the greatest Sci-Fi directors of all-time in Ridley Scott. Alien was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects, while only winning for Best Visual Effects and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
5. Terminator 2: Judgement Day Released: 1991 Set: 1995
This film is one of my favorite sci-fi films of all-time. Terminator 2 follows Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton) and her ten-year old son John (played by Edward Furlong) as they are pursued by a new, more advanced Terminator, the liquid metal, shapeshifting T-1000 (played by Robert Patrick), sent back in time to 1995 to kill John and prevent him from becoming the leader of the human Resistance against the machines. An older , less advanced Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarznegger) is also sent back in time to protect John. The film is absolutely mind-blowing and James Cameron proves that he is one of the best director of all-time. Terminator 2: Judgement Day was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Cinematography, Make-Up, Sound, Sound Editing, Visual Effects and Film Editing while winning 4 (Best Make-Up, Sound, Sound Editing and Visual Effects), it also has a rating of 92% on rottentomatoes.com.
4. Star Trek Released: 2009 Set: 2387
This film is awesome and a great addition to the Star Trek film franchise. The film follows James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine) and Spock (played by Zachary Quinto) aboard the USS Enterprise as they combat Nero (played by Eric Bana), a Romulan from the future who threatens the United Federation of Planets. The Film takes place in an alternate reality due to time travel by both Nero and the original Spock (played by Leonard Nimoy). This is one of the best films in the franchise and I absolutely loved the alternate reality twist. Star Trek was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Make-Up and Visual Effects, while winning one (Best Make-Up) and it has a rating of 95% on rottentomatoes.com.
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey Released: 1968 Set: 2001
This one of the most visually stunning films that I have ever seen. The story deals with a series of encounters between humans and mysterious black monoliths that are apparently affecting human evolution, and a space voyage to Jupiter tracing a signal emitted by one such monolith found on the moon. This film came to us from one of the greatest directors of all-time in Stanley Kubrick and is most remembered for two things 1. It is considered the greatest film never to be nominated for Best Picture and 2. for its villain in the computer known as HAL9000. 2001: A Space Odyssey was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects, Art Direction, Director and Original Screenplay, while winning only 1 (Best Visual Effects) and it has a rating of 97% on rottentomatoes.com.
2. Blade Runner Released: 1982 Set: 2019
This is one of the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen. The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered organic robots called replicants (visually indistinguishable from adult humans) are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega-corporations" around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by police special operatives known as "Blade Runners". The plot focuses on a brutal and cunning group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt-out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down. This film is breathtaking and stunning. Blade Runner was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction and has a rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.com.
1. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan Released: 1982 Set: 2285
I'm a huge Star Trek fan (not as big as a Trekkie) and this film is the reason why I am. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan is not only a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it is a actually a sequel to an episode in the Star Trek TV series entitled "Space Seed". The plot feature James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise facing off against he genetically-engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (who was the villain in the episode and is played by Ricardo Montalban in both the episode and movie). When Khan escapes from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk, the crew of the Enterprise must stop him from acquiring a powerful terraforming device named Genesis. The film begins a story arc that continues with Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock and concludes with Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home. Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan has a rating of 91% on rottentomatoes.com.
So ladies and gentlemen what are some of your favorite films set in the future and what do you think of my list? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard
Jonah Sparks
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