I've seen some of the movies listed, but I don't have a clue about how agenda-setting each has been. I'm in the "Don't ask me, I only work 'ere" category.

Regarding visions of the future:

I was probably 5 yrs old (10 yrs after WWII) when I first saw Things to Come. For many years after those were the things that I expected to come.

The Time Machine (first version, that followed the book closely), could be something like the future in outline, if not in detail.

I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey shortly after it's release, and as much as I enjoyed it (having previously read the book), it was too unrealistic in terms of human behaviour and interaction to represent a vision of our future.

Star Wars - a comic strip style series not to be taken seriously.

Alien was very convincing. I can easily pursuade myself that it could happen.

I would like someone to make a film of Olaf Stapledon's 'Last and First Men'. On second thoughts, it would probably have to be serialised for TV - say, 10 episodes of 2 hrs each. That could get my vote! As it is, I'll go with Alien.


"Time is what prevents everything from happening at once" - John Wheeler