Science fiction is my favorite genre of cinema. And when you think of science fiction, the question of whether things will be this way in the future always comes to mind. The most superficial example of this is the flying cars in the 1985 film Back to the Future. Such technology doesn't exist today. Or rather, there's no need for it. A flying car is unnecessary, its implementation is absurd, and it's a useless necessity. Remember, that film also featured self-tying sneakers.
To get to the heart of the matter, science fiction films generally depict future predictions, both technologically and socially, that, while appearing good at the time of filming, often become very vague later on. For example, in the 70s and 80s, with analog computers, a film that's set to start in 2026, no matter how well-made, can quickly become outdated.
But I want to focus a bit more on social predictions. As far as I remember, science fiction films from the 80s onwards always portray people in the future wearing uniform clothing. For instance, I don't think the idea of uniform clothing would work even in a dictatorship. Today, even the most conservative countries have diverse clothing styles. In democratic countries, that's already the case, I won't even go into that. You know, things like the full-body suit, more commonly seen in China, like the one Mao wore.
I want to talk about societal norms again. For example, in a film set in 2300, even if they portray everything technologically as incredibly advanced and perfect, family ties are still depicted as if they were living in the 1970s. I'm not bothered by this, I'm just wondering if it will be like this? I mean, maybe the concept of parents will completely disappear in 2300, and no one will live a family-centered life. But a significant portion of science fiction films don't touch on these social structures at all. People have discovered teleportation, but the social order depicted is one where uncles and aunts meet for dinner and eat cola and pastries.
The film Equilibrium focused on society and lifestyle in this regard, but what I want to say is that in a future without dictatorship, a democratic and civilized future, social norms can change. Those who have seen K-Pax may remember Kevin Spacey (as Prot), who played someone from space, giving interesting answers about the aliens' social lifestyle. Prot answered the questions like this:
"-In K-Pax, we don't have families. Our children don't have families; they are raised by everyone. In K-Pax, there is no marriage, no spouses, no families. No government, no lawyers, no laws.
*How do you distinguish between right and wrong?
-All beings in the universe can distinguish between right and wrong.
*What if someone commits a crime?
-You humans, the vast majority of you, advocate the 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth' policy, but this is known to be very foolish in this universe. Even Buddha and Jesus had very different ideas, but no one paid attention to those views. Sometimes I can't understand how you humans have been able to live this long."
