Science fiction is one of the most popular film genres in the world. It can be used to tell classic adventures like Star Wars or more gruesome tales like the recent Nope. Regardless of the tone, however, new technologies in movies are usually on point, whether real or imagined. Just because it’s new doesn’t mean it’s always well done.
It’s been over half a century since the sci-fi heyday of the ’60s and ’70s, and much of the cinematic technology that initially seemed advanced back then now seems woefully outdated. Today’s reality has moved beyond what was once considered science fiction, and Redditors have gathered to discuss some of the examples they believe are the most egregious.
Display screens
When asked which cinematic technology is actually better, Reddit user Rondaru has to give it up to LCDs. Obviously older movies used older display monitors in science fiction settings. According to them, it was “Always a giggle seeing all those CRT screens on the Nostromo or the Discovery One. »
But despite its widespread use today, LCD monitor technology is actually quite new. CRTs were the norm until the middle years, but it was hard to think of life without them for decades. As such, it’s no surprise that old movies didn’t anticipate the change in technology.
Wrong wrong
In the 80s action classic The Running Man, there is a scene in which the footage is edited by the character of Jesse Ventura. This modification completely changes the scene to show one character killing another. Redditor Bodymaster thought that was entirely wrong when he was a kid. As they put it, however, “Of course now we have deeply rigged technology that does just that, and we can do it on our phones.” I’m still a bit blown away. »
What the movie has is an early version of deepfake technology. While this is technically a “better” version of the technology we have today, most would argue that today’s technology is better. Today’s deepdakes still show many signs of weathering and are mostly used as a special effect rather than a manipulation tool. One shudders to think of what could happen if the technology got this good.
Hacking and cybersecurity
Hacking in Hollywood movies is notorious for being unrealistic. It’s something that takes a long time to do in real life and isn’t usually exciting. According to dihidral3, however, the movie Masterminds takes it to a new level. They say “Masterminds is hysterical. The guy has to play a mini video game to hack a game company’s server to leak a new version. »
Obviously, in the real world, cybersecurity is much more advanced than that. The film also has the audacity to have its hackers use floppy disks containing circuit boards for hacking. This is a very big joke and very exaggerated.
User interface
The user interface is one of the most complex areas of technology. They can often be visually striking, but they are primarily designed to be easily navigable. Movies don’t really understand that. As Redditor YZJay comments, the UI shown in the movies is “hilarious and unusable in terms of design, low contrast, weak indicators of what’s interactive, too many animations, etc. »
The UI in movies animates way too much to be useful, and they have too many shiny transitions and effects. As mentioned, ease of navigation is the priority and the UI in movies is usually far too complicated or taxing to use. It makes you grateful for more basic and minimalist designs.
spaceship computers
BilliamBaggins comments that they like the look of retro-futurism. They say, “Oh man, I love old sci-fi books from the 50s and 60s because of the outdated visions of the future. Spaceship computers still running on these big tapes and shit. »
Captainhaddock, Redditor, adds that this aesthetic is very common in 70s sci-fi movies and shows. 2001: A Space Odyssey is probably the biggest culprit for this, but many classic sci-fi movies do it. The technologically advanced turn-of-the-century spaceship still works with tape and knots. There’s a charm to the bulky old technology used in sci-fi settings, but they most likely prefer the sleeker designs of today.
Touch screens
Holograms are definitely cool, and it’s really cool to see people interact with them. Technology has become a major part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Tony Stark uses them frequently to make technology even cooler. Redditor Scotland83 asks an important question though: “How is that better than a solid screen?” »
Touchscreen controls only really work because there’s something to apply pressure to. Gliding through the air doesn’t really provide tactile feedback. Anyone who’s played with Microsoft’s Kinect knows how weird all-virtual menus can be. It looks like futuristic holographic touchscreens will stick around in movies.
The Internet
Reddit user Batmanlover1 has a pretty salient point. Science fiction writers of the past have speculated about tons of different things that might exist in the future. They point out that despite their visions of the future, something akin to the internet is generally lacking. They say there is “very little research data, except with the use of something hyperfuturistic like data sunglasses.”
There aren’t many information storage servers in past sci-fi, and even when there are, like in Ender’s Game, they’re limited to forums. Images and instant communication are generally overlooked, making today’s Internet vastly superior to the vision of the past.
Cars
Automobiles have had a checkered history of ups and downs. With today’s cars integrated with tons of smart devices, they’re probably the most advanced they’ve ever been. Throughout history, car development has not always been in a straight line. What’s easy to accept is that the cars in reality are better than the cars in the movies.
Redditor ZorroMeansFox sums it up pretty well. They say, “Cars. In the real world, they aren’t as splody as in the movies. Cars in movies often ignite in large fireballs with little provocation. Even the most incendiary cars, in fact, could not match them. It’s safe to say that everyone is safer with their cars than those seen in movies of the past.
Communication
When asked in which areas humanity has advanced more than the movies, Redditor ronearc has the somewhat generic answer of “communication.” They say that “near-future science fiction and far-future science fiction tend to assume too many advances in military technology and too few advances in communications technology.” It’s true that most sci-fi movies failed to predict the progress of the telephone.
While super advanced sci-fi weapons are generally common, machines similar to fax machines are sometimes used for communication. The term “communication” can include the Internet but also telephones, mail, writing and much more. The way people communicate has changed a lot in the modern era, and while video calling happens more or less like it’s seen in movies, streaming was totally unplanned.
Vocal synthesis
Redditor king_of_the_nothing makes a pretty salient point about robots in movies. Their response to movies that human technology has overtaken is “movies where they’ve made high-end smart/intelligent computers, but still have shitty text-to-speech.” The typical robot voice in movies is pretty famous – it’s tinny and monotonous. In reality, we have much more advanced voice replication technology.
Anyone who has ever called with a robocall can attest to this. There’s even proprietary deepfake technology to imitate voices. Yet technology in movies seems stuck in the past. Robots in movies look like what audiences expect from computers. In the modern age, however, technology has surpassed movies to simulate a variety of compelling voices that sound indistinguishable to the human ear.
10 technologies where reality did better than the movies, according to Reddit | Pretty Reel