Live longer, stay healthy at the same time and enable a good life for everyone - these are ideas that everyone certainly wants for themselves and for the near or distant future. We are reluctant to deal with negative things that could affect precisely those rosy ideas. Nevertheless, it is important to deal with possible scenarios, even if at first glance they may not promise what we hope for in an ideal future.
5 Futuristic Sci-Fi Movies
What futuristic science fiction films can do is to draw a picture of how it could develop if society and people do not pay attention to one another. This is where the great opportunity lies at the same time: danger recognized, danger averted. If the world and people deal with what could come and adjust the lever in a good and right direction at an early stage, everyone has the chance of a really good life - also in the future. We introduce you to five of these films.
In time
In the science fiction blockbuster "In Time" mankind has long since become immortal, at least in theory. People don't age anymore, they all look like 25. The problem: Many won't get older than 25 years. Society is clearly divided into classes and poor people in particular work for their lifetime, which they see as a tattoo on their arm. The rich, on the other hand, can afford an infinite lifetime.
Justin Timberlake plays a worker who is given many years of life by a stranger. With this time he gets access to the circles of the rich and powerful, where a race against time begins when the rulers of this society find out about him.
Even if “In Time” is a dystopia, we have to realize that the film is also a reflection of our time. Wealthy people in the west have better access to medical care that can extend their lives; in the global south, even a small accident at work can be dangerous. “In Time” shows us that medical advances on one side of the globe should also bring advances on the other side, otherwise it is unfair.
Inception
Each of us dreams. Each night. But most of the time we can't remember our dreams. Because our dreams often have something to do with our hidden desires. This is also evident from the fact that the word “dream” can also be used to denote a cherished wish.
At the same time, dreams are strange caricatures of what we have experienced during the day or what we are afraid of. Christopher Nolan approached this idea in his science fiction thriller "Inception". A team of dream agents, led by Leonardo DiCaprio, is supposed to give a businessman the idea of selling his father's company.
This turns out to be a difficult endeavor because, in the world of film, it's easier to steal an idea from someone's dream than it is to plant it. Even if the film focuses more on causing damage by penetrating a dream, it also shows a healing effect: the businessman can reconcile with his father in a dream and Leonardo DiCaprio's character can deal with the trauma of the death of his wife to process. And so maybe in the future we too could learn more about ourselves and our repressed problems through the technical visualization of our dreams. And even solve them if necessary.
Interstellar
The impending climate crisis is a major threat to our health. Even today we have to deal with hot summers, which are particularly dangerous for the health of older people. The climate crisis has already occurred in the space adventure “Interstellar”. One drought follows the next, mankind urgently needs a new home planet. A NASA pilot played by Matthew McConaughey is supposed to find such a planet by traveling through a black hole.
There are two plans for this: Either people should be brought there from Earth, or - if that fails - only embryos that are already on board his spaceship. Humanity is therefore confronted with the question of whether it also makes sense to save people who have not yet been born, even if humanity who is still alive would no longer experience this salvation. This is a problem that we also face in today's reality of the climate crisis. It's not just about protecting living people, but also - or above all - future generations.
At a time when politics does not always listen to the warnings of science, “Interstellar” shows us that we can only achieve the great human with courageous action, trust in science and a new way of thinking that goes beyond ourselves. Be able to face crises.
Blade Runner
Ridley Scott's “Blade Runner” had a strong visual impact on our image of a futuristic dystopia. Corporations control the world, people live in rainy slums in mega-cities that seem to consist only of advertising and crime.
So-called replicants ensure the health survival of mankind. They work in the colonies in space for the people to secure their wealth. But they revolt and are increasingly becoming a problem. Some of them have freed themselves from slavery and are now unrecognized on earth. The Blade Runner Deckard (Harrison Ford) is tasked with finding them and wiping them out.
Blade Runner reflects the unjust distribution of wealth in the world. We can only live so well in the global north because we depend on the work of the people in the global south. And just because we have this wealth, our health is also better than the people there. It is no accident that the replicants in the film also have a much lower life expectancy than humans. Since Blade Runner shows us the replicants in a human way, he asks whether it is fair for a few to benefit from the exploitation of many in terms of health. At a time when the gap between rich and poor is widening, we should also deal with this question.
Her
Loneliness and depression are major health problems of our time, to which answers are also sought in medicine. The pandemic is exacerbating these phenomena. The science fiction love story "Her" finds a technical answer that many will certainly find questionable. Teddy (played by Joaquin Phoenix) begins a love affair with the operating system of his cell phone. Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) is a Siri-like voice assistant who is always learning more about Teddy. He feels drawn to her, she understands him better than women he meets on his dates.
At some point, however, the conflict that we already know from “Blade Runner” comes to light again: Artificial intelligence develops its own feelings, the relationship with Teddy is no longer enough for her. Of course, technology cannot solve the problem of loneliness just like that, but we all noticed in lockdown that digital connections can also give us a positive feeling. "Her" thinks this idea further and asks: Would a relationship with a machine also give us a positive feeling? Could it counteract the isolation of society, or would it increase it? A question that could certainly come to us in the future and to which there will be no easy answer.
Here’s our futuristic watch collection take a look!
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