Failed Future Forecast

[Classic Speedy]

(thread name courtesy of TV Tropes) Thought this would be a fun thread. Science fiction has, for years, used future dates for its settings. Which is fine, except... we're almost to the year 2023. Lots of movies and TV have been proven wrong by real life dates having come and gone.

Here's how the format of the thread should go: List a movie, list the movie it took place in, and then "Did they get it right?" I'll start with an easy one.

Back to the Future Part II: The first act takes place in 2015. Did they get it right? Eh, somewhat.

What they got right:
-Okay, so we didn't get all the way to Jaws 19. But the point of that joke was the proliferation of sequels, which is still a thing. Though nowadays it's more revivals and reboots (and sometimes, reboot AGAIN).
-Being able to pay without a credit card. I don't think we're quite to being able to pay with a thumbprint yet but we're in the ball park. (you can unlock computers and phones with your fingerprint for example)
-'80s nostalgia? Yeah, that happened.
-The Cubs won the World Series? Okay, so it didn't happen in 2015, but they were close.
-Multiple screens on a TV? Yeah, we've got that (see picture-in-picture). Even more generally, when I was a teen it wasn't uncommon to be surfing the internet while watching TV.
-Home security systems, and talking tech (Siri, etc.).

What they got wrong:
-Obviously, no flying cars. Bah humbug.
-Thankfully, the criminal justice system still has lawyers.
-Hoverboards, eh, they KINDA got made but nowhere to the level of this film.
-On video games: "You mean you have to use your hands? That's like a baby's toy!" - Sorry young Elijah Wood, people still use controllers.
-The attire. Pretty sure we didn't dress like that in 2015, unless there was a fashion trend I missed out on.
-I don't think the technology exists yet to take a tiny pizza and hydrate it to a large size in only four seconds. Though there ARE ovens that can cook a turkey in only 15 minutes.
-Speaking of food, nobody has a hanging vine of fruit in their kitchen.
-Nobody uses faxes anymore. (also, not really related, but I have to say, it's pretty humorous but obviously unrealistic that your boss would fax you a sheet that says nothing but "YOU'RE FIRED!" on it)
-The film was made when "Japan takes over the world" was still a thing (Marty's boss is Japanese). Obviously this dates the film, though some would argue that it's been replaced by "China takes over the world".
-Not like they could've predicted this in '89, but the internet is nowhere to be seen in this movie's future. Also no smartphones.

You go next.

 

[Fone Bone]

The Simpsons would deserve its own category for this topic. Except, it tends to be scarily accurate. What's ironic is its "predictions" weren't serious at the time, and were supposed to be considered ridiculous jokes. But Our Reality Has Lapped Their Satire awhile ago, and The Simpsons' credibility reaped the benefits.

 

[Dantheman]

In Star Trek, the Eugenics Wars (the conflicts where Khan and his fellow genetic supermen fought between themselves) happened in the 1990s. The TOS episode "Space Seed" gave 1993 as when he came to power in the Middle East and Asia, and 1996 for when he was defeated and left Earth on the S.S. Botany Bay.

Given the figures of the death toll on the Eugenics Wars Spock gave, It's probably good this never happened.

 

[Pooky]

Escape From LA was a hit with the kids at my school when it hit UK VHS in 1997, but we all thought it was pretty funny when we found out it was the sequel to an older film called Escape From New York which was set in the far off future of...1997.

 

[Daikun]

What they got wrong:

Queen Diana Will Visit Washington

 

[Dantheman]

Queen Diana Will Visit Washington

That's a detail I noticed on a Back to the Future Part II trading card back in the day, on the newspaper. When USA Today did their commerative cover for the day when Back to the Future Part II was supposed to happen, they naturally removed that part, because, well, you know,,,,

 

[Classic Speedy]

Here's another: The Phantom Planet (1961) predicted that by 1980, we'd be sending astronauts to Mars. Goes without saying.

 

[Zorak Masaki]

Mad Magazine did a parody in 1995 called Beavis and Butthead Get Old. Most everything that didnt involve B&B was just absurd jokes like Sonny Bono as President or Jim Carrey having a bunch of Oscars. However, they did predict that the Washington football team would change their name to something less offensive (their parody though was Washington Indigenous Native Inhabitants, also, they had just won the Super Bowl against the Tokyo Rams, dont think we'll ever see the NFL expand that far).

 

[Pooky]

In Demolition Man, Sandra Bullock makes a point of saying she watches movies on Laserdisc. Now, it's set in 2032, so maybe, but it's not looking good.

 

[Silverstar]

Demolition Man also predicted that by 2032, Taco Bell would be the biggest (if not only) fast food restaurant around. Don't know if that's going to happen, but I own a T-shirt with the 2032 Taco Bell logo on it, viz:

I like to wear it just to see who will get the reference.

 

[wonderfly]

Quantum Leap (which aired on TV from 1989 to 1993) had a "present day" sequence that was set 5 or 6 years in the future. So when it was being broadcast in 1989, the "present day" on the TV show was set in 1995.

They had a really bizarre idea of what the late 90's would look like.

 

[Dantheman]

Another Star Trek one: The Bell Riots are set to occur in 2024. But since that is about interning homeless people in closed-off sections of cities called Sanctuary Districts, I don't think we have anything to worry about, hopefully maybe.