The Future is Now

There are two theatrical Hollywood released films where the story/plot of the film takes place in the not too distant future, and that future is now, the year 2018. 

Terminator Salvation (2009)

There is a scene in the pre-opening credits; which has now become a staple of marvel blockbuster films, were we are introduced to characters and a back story before the opening logo appears and music starts.  It’s the years 2001, and Marcus Wright (aka Sam Worthington) is a man incarcerated at a correctional facility about to face his own form of judgment for killing two police officers.  A sickly looking scientist played by Helena Bonham Carter, comes to his cell; appearing with a slightly enlarged bald cranium and head cover to shield the back of her head, she’s offering a prolong chance at life by donating his body to science, as at a type of salvation. Initially when I saw this scene in theatres, it was a throw away scene not carrying any significant weight to the plot of the movie.  Upon re-watching this movie in the year 2018, I realize that these characters who nearly book-end the movie have a mild significant importance.  The destination each faces was not what they had expected, as  their conversation and story arc continues through, though together their screen time is no more than ten minutes and is consequently not the heart of the movie. 

The year is 2018, Judgment day has past, the threat of machines to the surviving human population of a nuclear holocaust has come true, and an unwelcomed prophet or potential savior named John Conner played by Christian Bale is leading a small resistance. Armed with the knowledge of the original two James Cameron movies; John needs to send his biological father  (Kyle Reese) to the past in order to be born and start the paradox  that is his existence and the potential seed to save humanity in the future.

Rollerball (1975)

Not to be mistaken with the 2002 remake. 

Rollerball’s opening scroll sets up a dystopian not too distant future “2018”, the world is a global corporate state, containing entities such as the Energy Corporation, a global energy monopoly based in Houston. Rollerball is a globally popular full-contact violent sport. Teams are named after cities they are based in and are owned by various global corporations.  The team we follow is team Houston; that Energy Corporation sponsors.  It’s not specifically expressed, but Rollerball is the game that is a substitute for all current sports and actual warfare.   

The Film stars James Caan, as the lead star and Veteran player Jonathan E. who is the most recognizable player in the league. Who (spoiler alert) poses a threat as a symbolism for individualism; as the sport in executive eyes’ demonstrates “the distinct social purpose of the futility of individual effort”.

The film may not hold up in today’s standards of a marketable movie, and its’ off the mark both politically and geo-politically. In our world, where the leader of the free world is a former reality-based television show host, and self-made conglomerate on a global scale, and there are current stories of corporations running or driving up prices in a monopoly, like recently bread  comes to mind; the connective tissues end there.

Rollerball featured an American cast, and was directed by famed Canadian director Norman Jewison, but was produced by United Artists London -UK, which was largely associated with Bond movies and other exports.  It’s a sociology experiment of the world if put in a certain set of parameters, very much like clockwork orange  was being a giant sociological what if. 

Both films are entertaining, Salvation was poorly received because the speed and vastness of how social media caught wind of Christian Bale’s meltdown (warning there is swearing) towards a crew member on set, and it’s original stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger was nowhere on this property.  Rollerball, was well received film of its time, taking in 30 Millions dollars in 1975. It has been proven false in its predictions of the world view, false on the technology that’s on hand today, and the over-all look and style feels dated to that time, and would not hold up with general accepting mind set of our generation/audience.

The Future is Last Year: As a small plug for those interested; two theatrically released films that predicates its story in the not too distant future of 2017 is the Running Man (1987) starring Arnold Schwarzenegger where America is a Totalitarian state.  And a single network is governing the information to the mass audience. The other film is Barb Wire (1996) starring Pamela Anderson, set during the second American Civil War of 2017; when looked closely it’s a carefully re-created plot to the classic Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman Film Casablanca.