Many movies and television series from throughout film history have featured innovative, outlandish forms of futuristic technology—especially those belonging to fantasy and science fiction genres.
At times, the movie tech we’ve seen in films from years or even decades ago has seemed uncannily like predictions of the real world future, from Total Recall’s smartwatches and autonomous cars to 2001: A Space Odyssey’s early depictions of video calls and augmented reality, highlighting a fascinating, almost unbelievable connection between the innovative imagination of filmmakers and the practical science of modern technology designers.
At the time that the following films were released, the technology they featured seemed so bizarre and otherworldly that people could barely believe how they could even be possible—and yet, so many of them were brought to life within a few short years of real-world technological advancement.
So, while some movies are based on real life, what are some of the most prolific and incredible bits of movie tech in film history that have made their way earthside after being released? The following list includes a variety of incredible technologies and gadgets that made it into the real world after being preeminently conceptualized in film.
1. Total Recall (1990): Autonomous vehicles
The original Total Recall from 1990 is famous for its “Johnnycab” taxis—a kind of self-driving, autonomous vehicle that gets the film’s characters around a dystopian city on Mars.
Johnnycabs served as a sort of exaggerated predecessor for the automated vehicles that we are familiar with today, a whole three decades later. The robotic, humanoid “Johnny” that sits in the front seat is the only major difference between these fantastical vehicles and a newly developed Tesla that parks, drives, and navigates all on its own!
2. Metropolis (1927): Video calling
Fritz Lang’s hyperstylized Metropolis is considered the first ever feature-length science fiction movie in film history. The story awed and inspired audiences across the globe with its imaginative and subversive perspective on the future of technology in modern cities.
Robots, automation, and panoptica-like digital surveillance are just some of the technologies depicted in Metropolis, but perhaps the most innovative one for its time was the science of live video calling. Interestingly enough, this film was released the same year that television was invented, highlighting the parallel thinking processes between filmmakers and industrialization at the time.
3. Minority Report (2002): Personalized advertising
Tom Cruise’s John Anderton in Minority Report faces a dystopian future reality in which society is faced with individualized, highly targeted advertising content—much like the algorithmic ad personalization that we are exposed to today, just two decades later.
In Minority Report, advertisements live-adapt to individual people’s history, data, and preferences, painting a picture of a not-so-distant reality in which brands use people’s data to form more affective marketing strategies and connect with audiences on a deeper level.
4. Darkman (1990): 3D printed organs
Darkman’s story about Dr. Peyton Westlake centers on a medical vigilante who uses synthetic skin to help burn victims recover. At the time of its release, this film offered groundbreaking insights into the potential for 3D printed skin grafts and organs—a process that is fully underway today.
Research in the field of regenerative medicine and bioprinting human organs is ongoing, but in the 2020s, we are able to produce a range of biomedicines, including skin, livers, kidneys, and even hearts. Way to go, Dr. Westlake!
5. Back to the Future Pt II (1989): Wearable biometric devices
By the time Back to the Future Pt II came out, the concept of wearable biometric devices had already been seen before in other films. However, it is the normalization and integration of how Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown utilize these devices that make it such an iconic reference to technology that has genuinely become an everyday familiarity in the present day.
In other sci-fi films like Total Recall, wearable biometric devices were reserved for special agents, whereas in this 80’s cult classic, they’re part of daily life.
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): Touchscreen tablets
If you’ve ever seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, you might have looked at David Bowman’s NewsPad and thought, “Hey! iPad!” and you’d not be far off from the truth. While the concept of touchscreen devices had already been seen in older films, this sci-fi classic was the first to make such a gadget so multi-faceted and integrated with the character’s lives, much like we do today with tablets like the iPad.
7. RoboCop (1987): Augmented Reality (AR)
It’s impossible to talk about movie tech that made it into the real world without talking about RoboCop. There are myriad technological innovations depicted in this iconic film, but one of the standouts has got to be its merging of digital and physical realities—an early kind of AR.
This movie showcased a fictional world in which reality could be enhanced and influenced by superimposed digital objects, people, and backgrounds that we now have access to in the form of social media filters, immersive video games, and medical evaluations.
8. Dick Tracey (1990): Smartwatch
The iconic wristwatch worn by Dick Tracey in the eponymous film was originally a sketch concept from the comic book version of the story. The fantastical device (at the time) allowed him to communicate with other people, track important data, and fulfill all sorts of secret service missions.
The wristwatch may not have invented the Smartwatch specifically, but it certainly started the process of normalizing wearable technology and inspired future design technologists to create something nearly identical.
Conclusion
Watching sci-fi technology come to life after existing in the nebulous of a creative narrative is one of the most unbelievable and satisfying experiences for any film junkie to have.
We can all appreciate the technological evolution that has occurred over the last few decades, and getting to see them predicted by some of the greatest sci-fi films of all time is nothing short of a treat. From AIRto iPads that you can play games at Casino Grand Bay on, humanity has been anticipating the arrival of all sorts of incredible gadgets, devices, and processes before their time—and the best part is, there’s more to come!
