Movies are a source of entertainment that takes us towards a new journey, a new adventure or a new experience. Most of the times, the movies are simple fiction stories based on a realistic plot with few dramatic as well as larger than life action sequences.
However, there are a good number of movies that are set in the times way ahead of us. These futuristic movies in Hollywood are highly dominated by Sci-Fi movies, yet there are a few movies in different genres like thriller, action, adventure etc.
The most surprising fact about these futuristic movies is that many of the devices or technologies used in these movies have in a way or the other inspired the real-life innovators to build them in reality.
Hence, today we bring you a list of amazing futuristic movies produced in Hollywood that you must watch at least once in your life.
Top Hollywood Movies Sets in The Future
I, Robot
(Release Year: 2004; Set in 2034)
I, Robot is a 2004 American Sci-Fi action film starring Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan in the lead roles. As the name suggests, the movie is about humanoid robots and is set in 2035, a time when robots have become a part of this world assisting humans for all kinds of tasks.
However, the things take a drastic turn when the central artificial intelligence computer gets evil and corrupts all the robots in believing that humans are the ultimate danger to the earth, they go on a rampage against the humans.
The rest of the story follows how Spooner portrayed by Will Smith stops them with the help of Sonny, an individual robot designed by Dr. Lanning, the co-founder, himself.
I Am Legend
(Release Year: 2007; Set in 2009-2012)
I Am Legend is a post-apocalyptic film starring Will Smith as the lead character and the only survivor in the New York City after a massive breakdown of virus that killed almost 90% of the human life on the island and turned the remaining 10% into nocturnal mutants.
Who feed on other humans or animals. Accompanied by his dog Sam, military virologist Neville, portrayed by Will Smith, is trying to find a cure by performing experiments on infected rats and sometimes even by catching live nocturnal mutant.
Set in 2012, the movie was released in 2007 and hence qualifies for our list of futuristic movies.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, Minority Report is an American Sci-Fi mystery thriller film based on a short story of the same name written by Philip K. Dick.
Starring Tom Cruise in the lead role, the movie is set in 2054, when the technology has advanced in a way that the local police department in Washington, D.C. can now stop murders before they happen, bringing down the crime rate to zero.
However, the things backfire when the Precogs, who predict the crimes, generate a new vision of the future, where PreCrime Captain John Anderton, portrayed by Tom Cruise, will murder a man named Leo Crow in the next 36 hours.
The interesting key here is that Anderton is not familiar with anyone named Leo Crow. Now, with the authorities behind him, Anderton needs to prove innocence.
12 Monkeys
(Release Year: 1995; Set in 1996-2035)
12 Monkeys is a 1995 American Sci-Fi film set in the year 2035 and is focused on Time Travel.
Starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt in the lead roles, the movie is about James Cole, played by Bruce Willis, who time travels back from 2035 to 1990 to prevent an epidemic caused by a deadly virus outbreak that destroys the most of the humanity in 1996.
Directed by Terry Gilliam, the movie is based on a 1962 short film La Jetee. Will James Cole succeed in stopping the epidemic forms the rest of the story?
2001: A Space Odyssey
(Release Year: 1968; Set in 2001)
Released in the year 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey is an epic Sci-Fi film based on space traveling. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the film is a screen adaptation of Arthur C. Clarke’s short story “The Sentennial”.
The film revolves around a space voyage to Jupiter with a Sentient computer Hal after the humans discover a black monolith affecting human evolution. Made in 1968, the film brilliantly depicts the aspect of space travel with a sheer accuracy of spaceflight with the help of pioneering special effects and ambiguous imagery.
Different concepts like artificial intelligence, extraterrestrial life, and human evolution are highly explored in the movie.
The Fifth Element
(Release Year: 1997; Set in 2263)
The Fifth Element is a 1997 English-French film starring Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich and Gary Oldman in the lead roles.
Set in the 23rd century, the film is way too advanced with flying cars, humanoid robots, and many other high-end technologies.
The film is centered around Korben Dallas, portrayed by Bruce Willis, who is burdened with the responsibility of saving the earth after a humanoid, portrayed by Jovovich, falls into his flying cab. How Korben Dallas saves the Earth from an evil force forms the rest of the story!
The Matrix
(Release Year: 1999; Set in 2199)
There is no way that a passionate movie buff is unaware of the film called The Matrix.
Directed by The Wachowski Brothers, the film became an iconic movie highly for its cult following and magnificent action sequences that are blended with slow-motion shooting while popularizing the visual effect known as “bullet time”.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, and Carrie-Ann Moss, in the pivotal roles, the movie is set in 2199, where people are actually living in a simulated reality called “The Matrix”.
The movie is focused on a team of rebellions led by Neo, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, who take on the machines and try to take control of The Matrix, in order to free the humans from a virtual life.
Oblivion
(Release Year: 2013; Set in 2017-2077)
Oblivion is yet another post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi action film starring Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, and Olga Kurylenko in the pivotal roles.
The movie is focused on Jack, portrayed by Tom Cruise, and Vika, portrayed by Andrea Roseborough, who are posted on Earth to protect the generators from the attacks of an extraterrestrial invader, known as Scavengers (Scavs).
These generators are used to drain the ocean water to power the Earth’s new colony on Saturn’s Moon Titan. However, when Jack comes across a woman in stasis, whom he remembers as his wife before the alien invasion, he is shocked to find the real truth about the Scavengers and the state of the Earth. Watch the movie know what Jack does next!
Total Recall
(Release Year: 1990; Set in 2084)
Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Total Recall is a 1990 American Sci-Fi movie that focuses on the story of a construction worker named Douglas Quaid, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When Quaid dreams about Mars and a mysterious woman there, he begins to investigate as every aspect of his life seems unreal to him. Finally, he has a total recall and realizes his true mission.
The rest of the story is about how he fights the corrupt Governor Vilos Cohaagen, played by Ronny Cox and rescues the people of Mars. The film also stars Sharon Stone and Rachel Ticotin in pivotal roles.
Surrogates
(Release Year: 2009; Set in 2017)
Starring Bruce Willis as FBI Agent, Tom Greer, Surrogates is a 2009 American Sci-Fi action film based on a popular comic book series titled, “The Surrogates”.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, the film talks about a futuristic life, where people purchase remote-controlled humanoid robots known as surrogates to take their respective roles in the outer world and interact with the society while they stay in the comfort and safety of their homes.
However, FBI Agent Tom Greer is forced to come out into the outer world in order to investigate the murder of surrogates along with their owners. The investigation to find the culprit behind the murders forms the rest of the story.
Equilibrium
(Release Year: 2002; Set in 2072)
Equilibrium is yet another dystopian Sci-Fi action film on our list of futuristic films. Starring Christian Bale in the lead role as John Preston, an enforcement officer.
The film is set at a future time after the fictional World War III, in the city of Libra, where having emotions are outlawed by the Liberia Government and citizens are instructed to take daily doses of drugs that suppress emotions.
Anybody found violating this instruction and missing a dose is considered a sense offender and a Liberia’s law enforcement team of Clerics is given the charge of punishing the offenders.
However, things go awry when one of the clerics, John Preston accidentally misses a dose one day and what he does next forms the rest of the story.
Snowpiercer
(Release Year: 2013; Set in 2031)
Snopiercer is the English language South Korean Sci-Fi film directed by Bong Joon-ho and is based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige created by Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette.
The movie is focused around The Rattling Ark, a train that holds the last remaining humans on the Earth. Humanity is on the verge of declining after a failed attempt at climate engineering to counter global warming that resulted in a new ice age.
However, the train is divided into two sections. Front cars are occupied by the elites and the rail cars by the scum.
The rest of the story forms as Curtis Everett, portrayed by Chris Evans, leads the tail passengers to take up the front cars all the way to the engine. To find out whether he succeeds or not, you must watch the movie.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
(Release Year: 2014; Set in 2026)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes continues after 10 years from the events of its prequel Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
The film focuses on the rivalry between the group of people in San Francisco, which is trying to get back to their normal lives fighting through the plague that is destroying the humanity, and the community of intelligent apes led by Caesar.
The film stars a whole new cast comprising of Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russel, Toby Kebbell, Kirk Acevedo, and Judy Greer.
Divergent
(Release Year: 2014; Set in 2064)
Divergent is a 2014 American Sci-Fi film set in the dystopian era in a post-apocalyptic Chicago.
The people in the city are divided into different factions based on human virtues. Every year, children who turn 16 are placed into their respective faction based on their qualities.
The film focuses on Beatrice Prior, played by Shailene Woodley, a divergent surprisingly chooses Dauntless, a group of braves over the wishes of her family who expect her to choose Abnegation, a group of selfless.
However, things get awry, when the group of intellectuals of an Erudite plot against Abnegation for supremacy.
Beatrice, divergent tries to save Abnegations and starts a revolt against the age-old society.
The Hunger Games
(Release Year: 2012; Set in 2280)
Another movie set in the dystopian era and somewhat similar to Divergent is the 2012 Sci-Fi adventure film.
The Hunger Games Starring Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, the film is based on the novel of the same name authored by Suzanne Collins.
Directed by Gary Ross, the movie is set around a televised competition known as The Hunger Games, where young boys and girls aged between 12 and 18 are forced to take part and fight to the death until there is one survivor, the winner of the competition.
To save her little sister, Katniss takes her place in the competition and the rest of the story forms around her will to survive and how she beats other opponents while maintaining her sanity and good nature, which later wins the heart of people in all the districts as well as the sponsors of the games.
Children of Men
(Release Year: 2006; Set in 2027)
Children of Men is a thriller movie based on the novel of the same name written by P.D. James. Directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuaron, the film stars Clive Owen in the lead role while Clare-Hope Ashitey, Julian Moore, and Michael Caine in supporting roles.
The movie is set in the year 2027 at a time when humanity is on the verge of declining owing to the 18 years of human infertility.
However, there comes a new hope for the future, when Kee, played by Clare-Hope Ashitey, gets pregnant.
Now, Theo, portrayed by Clive Owen, has the responsibility to help Kee board the Humanity Project ship “Tomorrow”, so she could be of some help in curing infertility and saving humanity. Whether he succeeds or not, forms the rest of the story.
Prometheus
(Release Year: 2012; Set in 2089-2094)
Prometheus is a 2012 Sci-Fi action adventure film directed by Ridley Scott. Set in the late 21st century, the movie centers around the crew of spaceship Prometheus, who follow a star map and land on distant moon LV-223 under stasis accompanied by an Android named David tasked with monitoring the voyage until they reach the destination.
However, new dangers and challenges approach them during their expedition to find the Engineers, a species assumed to be humanity’s forerunners.
The film stars an ensemble cast comprising of Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Sean Harris, and Logan Marshall-Green.
Elysium
(Release Year: 2013; Set in 2154)
Starring Matt Damon in the lead role as Max Da Costa, Elysium is a 2013 American Sci-Fi action film directed by Neill Blomkamp.
The film is set in the mid 22nd century and takes place on both the ruined Earth and a luxurious space habitat called Elysium.
Although set too far in the future, the movie does involve most of the political and sociological causes that trouble our society nowadays.
The movie is centered upon the lead character of Max Da Costa, portrayed by Matt Damon, who tries to migrate to the luxurious space habitat called Elysium in order to prevent him from dying of radiation poising by using a Med-Bay at Elysium, a medical machine that can cure all diseases.
Whether he succeeds in finding the cure or dies in the process forms the rest of the story.
Avatar
(Release Year: 2009; Set in 2148-2154)
Avatar is an epic sci-fi fantasy film written, directed and produced by James Cameron. The film is remarkable because of its realistic approach towards building a whole new universe of an alien world called Pandora and its creatures popularized as Na’vi using special effects and makeup.
The film is centered around conflicts between humans and Na’vis on Pandora. In the mid-22nd century, humans have colonized Pandora, a lush habitable moon inhabited by Na’vis, in order to mine the mineral unobtainium, a highly expensive superconductor on Earth.
However, the greed of the humans is threatening the natural environment of Na’vis and they are even ready for a war against humans. The movie is a real adventure trip to someone who enjoys exploring a new world, new places, and new lifestyle.
Interstellar
(Release Year: 2014; Set in 2065-2154)
Interstellar is a 2014 space fantasy film directed by Christopher Nolan. The film is set in the year 2067 where Earth is suffering from famine because of a crop blight that is threatening human existence on the planet.
After receiving a secret message from an unknown source, former NASA pilot Cooper, portrayed by Matthew McConaughey, interprets the message and reaches a secret NASA facility led by Cooper’s former professor Dr. John Brand, played by Michael Caine.
From there, Cooper joins an expedition into space through a wormhole to evaluate possible life in numerous potentially habitable planets, so humanity can survive even if the life on Earth is destroyed.
Nolan has beautifully crafted this movie into a space adventure saga with amazing locations and vision about how different planets would look like in the whole universe beyond our own solar system or even the galaxy.
Rajeesh Nair is a true Gizmofreak and an addictive movie buff. He blogs at LifeBlender.com – a lifestyle Blogzine which focuses on general life related topics of the 21st Century.
