Retro-Future or Retro-Futurism movie directors were anticipating how the future is going to look. It’s 2020, how close were they?
Is time to mention and remember some of the best Retro-Future movies.
The remembering of that anticipation.

Which one is your favourite?

Brazil
Terry Gilliam (1985)

Imagine if George Orwell took a dose of LSD before penning his literary classic 1984 and you might be able to get an idea of Terry Gilliam’s masterpiece Brazil. Part black comedy, part satire and dystopian future; Brazil is a film that refuses to be pigeonholed from the opening shot.

Gloriously inventive, Gilliam tells the story of a lowly bureaucrat living in an authoritarian state under constant surveillance. In order to escape from the monotony of his daily job and squalid apartment, he spends his nights dreaming of being a heroic figure rescuing damsels in distress. However, his life is thrown into chaos when he becomes embroiled in the actions of a wanted terrorist and mysteriously meets a woman who looks identical to that of his dreams.

2. Beyond the Black Rainbow
Panos Cosmatos (2010)

Don’t take hallucinogenic drugs kids, just watch Beyond the Black Window by Panos Cosmatos instead. A neon-drenched rollercoaster of a film filled with enough beautiful shots to fill an art gallery, Beyond the Black Rainbow is a film that will leave a lasting impression on you for sure.

As a child Cosmatos used to go to video rental stores and look at horror tapes, imagining the stories of all these tapes he wasn’t allowed to watch. With Beyond the Black Rainbow, he had the goal of creating a film that reimagined an old film that didn’t exist. Whether or not he achieved that dream is for you to decide.

3. Dark City
Alex Proyas (1998)

One of the defining moments in 90s science fiction, an underrated classic from the brilliant mind of Alex Proyas, Dark City. Heavily influenced by film noir from the 1940s and 1950s and Kafkaesque in its storytelling style, Dark City isn’t your typical science fiction film.

The film depicts John Murdoch, an amnesiac who finds himself to be the prime suspect in a murder. He attempts to clear his name, while simultaneously avoiding the police and a mysterious group, known only as the “Strangers.” A wonderful film that was unfortunately overlooked in its day; try not to make the same mistake.

4. Lifeforce
Tobe Hooper (1985)

It’s not often that Britain makes a cross between horror and science fiction, but when they do it is a delectably delicious affair. From 1985, Lifeforce is a cult classic from the repertoire of director Tobe Hooper.

Based on the novel The Space Vampires by Colin Wilson, Tobe Hooper’s film centers on a crew of astronauts and their subsequent discovery of three humanoid-like creatures in the hold of an alien spaceship. What follows is the classic trope of “curiosity killing the cat” and a beautiful maelstrom of chaos. They really don’t make films like this anymore.

5. Nightbreed
Clive Barker (1990)

A splendid cult classic with over the top goodness that will delight your senses. Written and directed by Clive Barker and based on his very own novel Cabal Nightbreed proves that critical response and commercial success are by no means the only metrics upon which to assess a film.

A darkly woven horror tale filled with superb costume design, Nightbreed tells the story of an unstable mental patient, Aaron Boone, who is tricked into believing he is in fact a serial killer. Tracked by the police, he flees to an abandoned graveyard only to find a horde of outcast monsters hiding from humanity.

6. Casshern
Kazuaki Kiriya (2004)

A visually stunning Japanese superhero movie based on the 1970s anime Shinzō Ningen Kyashān that was met with polarizing reviews, Casshern is a flawed masterpiece that is still definitely worth a view.

The story follows a genetic scientist and his attempts to cure his sick wife, however his experiments go wrong producing a group of genetically mutated humanoids who wage war against humanity. Only Casshern, a recently resurrected soldier, can stand up to their rebellion.

7. Gattaca
Andrew Niccol (1997)

In 2003, The Human Genome Project completed their research into identifying and mapping all the genes of the human genome. It took almost 13 years and 3 billion dollars of funding but this monumental feat in scientific research sparked the imagination of not only scientists but artists and writers too.

Gattaca is a film heavily influenced by the concepts of genetics and eugenics. It paints a dystopian world in which a person’s status in society is pre-determined based upon their genetic code. Ethan Hawke plays the main role of Vincent Freeman, a man who attempts to break free of his lowly role in society. Gattaca is a gem of a movie for all sci-fi lovers.

8. Metropolis
Fritz Lang (1927)

A film that inspired a plethora of creatives and shaped the history of science fiction for generations, the masterpiece of Fritz Lang, Metropolis. Made in 1925 in Germany, Metropolis tells the story of a rich upper class living in high rise buildings, contrasted with a poor underbelly of society toiling underground, their work constantly exploited.

Based on Metropolis by Thea von Harbou, the story observes the character Freder, son of the city’s master, who lives a leisure-filled life. Oblivious to the dark lives of those who live underground, he begins to question his beliefs when he comes into contact with a young woman called Maria and witnesses a terrible accident. Essential viewing for those who respect classic cinema movements.

9. Cube
Vincenzo Natali, Ernie Barbarash, Andrzej Sekuła (1997)

A surreal, Kafkaesque independent masterpiece, this time from Canada. Writer and director Vincenzo Natali initially came up with the premise when he stated that he wanted to make a film set “entirely in hell.”

Cube follows a group of people trapped in a maze of rooms all shaped like cubes. The twisted part being that these rooms have been rigged full of traps, all designed to kill. Highly inventive and memorable, Cube is one of those films that just works on so many levels.

10. Dune
David Lynch (1984)

Have you ever wished that David Lynch made his own twisted version of Star Wars? Oh wait, that already happened. It’s called Dune. Released in 1984, after more than a decade spent in development hell, which at one point had Alejandro Jodorowsky being touted to take the helm. Dune is a whirlwind adventure, chronicling the rivalry between families and their attempts to control the planet Dune and its abundant and highly valuable “spice.” Dune is an epic, not to be missed.

11. 2046
Wong Kar Wai (2004)

A genre-blending film from the vivid imagination of Wong Kar Wai and a loose sequel to the classic In the Mood for Love. 2046 continues the story of Chow the main character from In the Mood for Love and his failure to fully move on from his failed romance many years ago. It shows the fleeting nature of time and the importance and subsequent weight of memory. Beautiful and haunting cinema from a master auteur.

12. Time After Time
Nicholas Meyer (1979)

A time-twisting take on the Jack the Ripper case. Written and directed by Nicholas Meyer and released in 1979, Time After Time tells the tale of British author H.G. Wells and his attempt to use a time machine in order to capture the serial killer Jack the Ripper. Underappreciated at the time, the film went by without garnering quite the respect that it potentially deserves.

13. Blade Runner
Ridley Scott (1982)

One of the most influential and genre-defining works from director Ridley Scott, Blade Runner was released in 1982 and it was loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. Blade Runner follows the story of a burnt out cop called Deckard and his assignment to “retire” four rogue synthetic humans called “replicants.”

Combining elements of film noir and science fiction and including a wonderfully designed set of costumes, Blade Runner wrestles with an array of philosophical questions, concerning memory and identity. If you haven’t seen this classic, now is the time.

14. Solaris
Andrei Tarkovsky (1972)

Solaris is Tarkovsky’s response to Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he described as “phoney on many points” and a “lifeless schema with only pretensions to truth”. It was his attempt to bring some kind of emotional depth to a genre that he believed to be cold and sterile.

The film centers on psychologist Kris Kelvin, who is sent to a space station orbiting the mysterious planet of Solaris, in order to investigate mysterious circumstances that have befallen the crew. However, it isn’t long before he finds himself the victim of the same force.

A slow paced film compared to more modern titles, Solaris isn’t afraid to take its time and explore deep and philosophical themes. Bold filmmaking from the golden age of cinema.

15. Sleeper
Woody Allen

Sometimes for reasons outside of cinema we forget that Woody Allen, when in form, certainly knew how to make a film. Sleeper is his attempt of making a futuristic love story that parodied a host of science fiction works, all the while laying tribute to comedy greats such as Grouch Marx and Bob Hope.

The story centers on the owner of a health food store, who cryogenically freezes himself for 200 years. He awakens and finds himself in an oddly inept future police state. Described as “A love story about two people who hate each other” Sleeper is a ridiculous film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.