10 sci-fi movies that are actually optimistic about the future

It is probably more common to see a dystopian setting in a sci-fi movie than a utopian setting. Dystopias are naturally more interesting and will provide more conflict for characters who live in a dystopian or even post-apocalyptic sci-fi world. They represent the directions in which a world could develop that the people currently living on Earth would not want it to go, making the fictional world of science fiction films a good place to explore various worst-case scenarios.

The only problem for viewers is that, at some point, the pessimistic sci-fi stories from dystopian films can be boring or too dark. Pessimism or harsh realism is great for the science fiction genre, but that doesn’t have to be everything. The following sci-fi films inspire a little more hope, portraying scenarios that inspire optimism about the future, or real challenges to which futuristic characters respond positively and generally in common.

1 ‘Arrival’ (2016)

There are a few situations that probably come to mind when one imagines the “aliens coming to Earth” narrative. It can be flying saucers, destroyed people or explosions of various attractions. In most cases, aliens do not come in peace, and stories of alien arrivals on Earth often end in violence when humanity fights back.

Arrivalnot the first movie to depict a more benign “invasion” of aliens on Earth, but it’s one of the best recent examples. It turns out that there are no plans to attack or enslave the population, and while there is some tension around what exactly they want before, Arrival ultimately focuses on the linguist’s attempts to communicate with aliens, leading to peace between species.

2 ‘She’ (2013)

Even a family film like WALL-E suggests that a humanity increasingly reliant on technology will be a bad thing in the future. It’s rare to see a sci-fi movie with a less chilling depiction of the large-scale introduction of new technology, but that’s more or less what Her finishes doing.

It’s not exactly a happy movie, and it’s about loneliness, suggesting that some of the protagonist’s sadness has to do with technology. His story, which includes an amazing romance with an advanced AI assistant, shows his emotional ups and downs, and the film argues that technology can isolate, but it can also bring people together. It’s a balanced take on where the world might be headed and a positive one compared to most other sci-fi stories about technology.

3 ‘Megapolis’ (1927)

Once lost but now nearly finished classic sci-fi film metropolis is on the verge between a utopian future and a dystopian one. The nominal city is a utopia for wealthy people, with an abundance of resources, amenities and entertainment. For the working class, however, this is a dystopia as they are exploited and overworked, inevitably suffering so that the wealthy can live prosperously.

After the working class rises up against the rich, there is a lot of tension and unease until the film’s optimistic (albeit unexpected) ending. It is said that the protagonist, who is called the “heart”, can unite the “hands” of the city (its workers) and its “head” (the city master). If viewers hope that such an intermediary will be successful for the future of the city, metropolis ultimately ends on a positive note.

4 ‘Journey to the Moon’ (1902)

trip to the moon One of the most famous short films of the silent film era. It’s not scientific precision, of course, but technological innovation and imagination that serves as an early sci-fi/fantasy film, alluding to the wondrous worlds of cinema as an art form that will eventually be displayed on screen.

Flying to the Moon was an entirely futuristic hypothesis as early as 1902, and ultimately it is an optimistic depiction of a manned flight to the Moon. Getting there with the help of a giant cannon turns out to be relatively easy, there doesn’t seem to be a space race like in real life, and the moon also has a thriving alien population, rather than the barren landscape that real astronauts will find for almost 70 years. Later.

5 ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)

Admittedly, 2001: Space Odyssey This is a not-so-sunny image of the once-futuristic 2001. Firstly, the various foods that the astronauts are supposed to eat look pretty horrendous, as well as the fact that a particular AI - the infamous HAL 9000 - turns against the people on its mission and proves to be deadly.

However, it is fair to say that 2001: Space Odyssey aims to be a balanced view of humanity’s future in space. Space travel is shown to propel the human race forward, some technologies are awe-inspiring, there is little conflict/war in space outside of the HAL 9000 scene, and the crazy finale of the movie also shows humanity advancing to a new stage of development. evolution.

6 “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977)

Almost 40 years ago Arrival, Steven Spielberg Close Encounters of the Third Kind presented his own take on an optimistic alien visitation. Once again, there is some mystery in the movie about what the aliens want, but in the end they come in peace.

Also, the human race as a whole seems to be willing to cooperate to accommodate alien visitors, and there are no episodes of one species attacking another. Sure, the protagonist clashes with his family over an overwhelming obsession with a newly discovered alien species, but the story as a whole depicts a peaceful interaction between aliens and humans, all things considered.

7 “Until the end of the world” (1991)

With the director’s cut, which is almost five hours long, Until the end of the world epic sci-fi/road movie. It takes place at a time when people fear the end of the world and follows a man and a woman who travel to different countries before ending up in Australia so the man can be reunited with his family.

Some of his predictions about humanity’s dependence on technology are pessimistic, and some of the tension naturally comes from the fear of the end of the world. However, the fear proves unjustified, and while not all characters get an optimistic ending, it ends in a way that some find hopeful, and generally suggests that the human race is resilient and can keep up with the times, even when the future initially looks daunting.

8 Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)

The Incredible Adventures of Bill and Ted follows two high school students who use time travel to gather various famous historical figures for a school presentation. The whole plot begins with a utopian society about 700 years in the future realizing that two students must go through history or it will affect history in such a way that utopia cannot exist.

Therefore, it is quite easy to compare with Back to the Future, although here it goes much further into the future and much further into the past than this series has ever done. Part of the plot naturally implies that the world will solve all its problems by the 2680s, which is indeed a good and optimistic thought.

9 “Pacific Rim” (2013)

Of course, the plot of giant monsters attacking the Earth and destroying many of its cities does not sound optimistic. This is the basic premise Pacific Rim, a surprisingly entertaining action thriller in which literally the entire world faces a huge threat unlike any other it has faced before. Naturally, this is not the future in which most would like to live.

However, it is the way humanity is uniting and cooperating against the monstrous invaders that is reassuring. All the countries of the world are uniting, and some may find it optimistic - or even naive - to think that this will happen in real life if such an existential threat comes in the way of humanity.

10 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

Star Trek – at least early on – was seen as a sci-fi series that showed more of the good in humanity’s potential future than the bad. The world generally seems more peaceful than expected, and civilizations develop to the point where conflict, war, and poverty are rare in some areas of the galaxy.

This extends to some films as well, especially when it comes to the slower 1979 film: Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Of course, its sequel made the futuristic world Star Trek look darker and more violent than the later films since 2009, but at their core, Star Trek is still known as an unusually utopian and optimistic sci-fi series.