4 ms·

I'd agree with the "How do we see future people" is "ourselves" statement. Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar

I'd agree with the "How do we see future people" is "ourselves" statement. Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty. The content was about the characters and how they lived, not the shiny buttons they got to push. This, I think, mirrors our own expectations of the future. We have more immediate access to amazing technology every day. We also realistically manage our expectations of future technology, making it harder to present the "future" with insanely advanced tech. The creative content that does show "future" tech usually uses it as a MacGuffin. Namely, Terra Nova, Stargate, even Quantum Leap.

keeperofdakeys 14y ago
There are early examples, of course, like Philip K Dick. His books had a very strong focus on the experiences of the protagonist, and society itself. It's probably part of the reason over ten of his stories have been turned into films (even if some were just short stories).
bane 14y ago
"Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty." Good point. One reason the first three Star Wars movies were so popular is that the places they showed looked "real". They looked reasonably lived in, solid places with actual inhabitants. The Falcon looked like my parents used station wagon. It can go wrong, the Aliens movies always end up in a future that's positively filthy. Blade Runner, I think, sits just on the fithy side of the line. But future LA feels like a real "place". My personal favorite vision of the future is the one presented in the Fifth Element loosely based on Valérian and Laureline. It's lived in, bustling, stylish (at various levels of fashion), shiny and bright where it counts, unfashionable where it should be and just dirty enough in the places that should be dirty. Small details, like the dirt Leeloo picks up when escaping the lab, add to this feeling of solidity. Popular culture is magnified to stand out amongst the crushing masses, and it seems like a place with endless nooks and crannies to explore. It's not utopian, but it's not dystopian. It feels like what the future would be like if it were the present...and somebody made a modern day adventure movie. It has an amazing tone. It's amazing to me that more works haven't been created in that universe.

keeperofdakeys 14y ago

There are early examples, of course, like Philip K Dick. His books had a very strong focus on the experiences of the protagonist, and society itself. It's probably part of the reason over ten of his stories have been turned into films (even if some were just short stories).

bane 14y ago

"Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty." Good point. One reason the first three Star Wars movies were so popular is that the places they showed looked "real". They looked reasonably lived in, solid places with actual inhabitants. The Falcon looked like my parents used station wagon. It can go wrong, the Aliens movies always end up in a future that's positively filthy. Blade Runner, I think, sits just on the fithy side of the line. But future LA feels like a real "place". My personal favorite vision of the future is the one presented in the Fifth Element loosely based on Valérian and Laureline. It's lived in, bustling, stylish (at various levels of fashion), shiny and bright where it counts, unfashionable where it should be and just dirty enough in the places that should be dirty. Small details, like the dirt Leeloo picks up when escaping the lab, add to this feeling of solidity. Popular culture is magnified to stand out amongst the crushing masses, and it seems like a place with endless nooks and crannies to explore. It's not utopian, but it's not dystopian. It feels like what the future would be like if it were the present...and somebody made a modern day adventure movie. It has an amazing tone. It's amazing to me that more works haven't been created in that universe.