The Running Man

The Running Man was a 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi film in which convicts were put into a deadly game where they would fight against stylised opponents called stalkers with names like Buzzsaw (has a chainsaw) or Dynamo (fires electricity). The prize for the convicts was their freedom. Brilliantly the show combined the genuinely brutal murders with a studio audience similar to the one from The Price Is Right, who would shout catchphrases and could win The Running Man home game, creating a bizarre disconnect from the violence. Very little work needs to be done to turn The Running Man into an actual gameshow as the film demonstrates the show and the only tweak needed would be not to use prisoners but simply ask for contestants.

Brewster’s Millions

A Richard Pryor vehicle from the 1980s, Brewster’s Millions played out a scenario where Pryor’s character, Montgomery Brewster, had to spend $30million in 30 thirty days to win $300million – the catch being he couldn’t have any assets at the end of it. So if Brewster buys a house, that’s an asset. There is a great scene that has Brewster buying a rare stamp, which would be an asset but using it as actual postage to send a postcard. The twist for this modern version would consist of having incredibly wealthy people spend staggering sums of money as quickly as possible, the catch in this show being none of their projects have any practical, financial or cultural merit. Anyone creating something of value would be kicked off the show.

Pride and Prejudice

Dating game shows have been around forever and there are multiple versions of films and tv programmes that would provide suitable inspiration and Pride and Prejudice is considered a classic of literature, television and film. However the jaded audience of today may not find the gentile world of Georgian matchmaking, or indeed 2020s matchmaking, and so the inspiration is not Pride and Prejudice but the more immediately thrilling…

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Of course, zombies are fictional creatures but with the right budget, some close approximation could be achieved. The show would be a mix between polite enquiries about the marital status of your beloved and then said couples surviving a brutal zombie assault course.

There Will Be Blood

Paul Thomas Anderson’s classic There Will be Blood is a masterpiece of filmmaking with a stunning performance from Daniel Day-Lewis. The film follows Daniel Plainview and his business plans in buying as much oil as he can. This show would have contestants compete to gain a monopoly on early 20th century American oil fields by any means necessary, using Plainview’s tactics as a manual. Challenges would include utilising your children (or conveniently available other people’s children) to promote your business, having a spectacular moustache and making fake proclamations of your faith to win the support of religious leaders. The final task of an untypical game of ten-pin bowling from which only one person will walk away from.

So there we have it and all bases are covered. There is the thrilling excitement and physical danger of The Running Man, the tone-deaf money-wasting Brewster’s Millions, the love/zombie-slaying romance of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and finally a business-orientated struggle for wealth and power that is ultimately unsatisfying in There Will Be Blood.

Also Read: Parasite and Foreign Language Films in the UK

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Blade Runner – set in 2019, Los Angeles, made in 1982

Rick Deckard is a blade runner, a cop who hunts replicants who have made it to Earth. Replicants are artificial creatures that are identical to humans but stronger, faster and maybe even smarter. As Deckard is sent to hunt down a group of replicants, he is drawn into the world of the Tyrell Corporation, the somewhat sinister manufacturer of replicants.

The Film – Los Angeles 2019

This LA is a dark and rainy place, perhaps caused by the radioactive fallout. On top of that, the city is dirty and cramped, which is not surprising as the population of LA is 106 million people. Flying cars nimbly navigate this dense mess of towers, surely the only reasonable way to get around. Huge adverts fill the sky and cover skyscrapers and it is hard to escape from their presence.

In terms of technology, people use video phones and voice command equipment. But the most obvious technology is one that in the film isn’t supposed to be on Earth – replicants.

The Reality – Los Angeles 2019

While not perfect, LA remains a bright and sunny place. The population stands at a more manageable 4 million. And while LA does have its skyscrapers, it is nothing like the oppressive city Ridley Scott imagined. As for technology, we do have voice command technology and video phones, indeed I’d say we put their video phones to shame, but no flying cars. Nor do we have replicants or anything like them, but that’s probably for the best. Perhaps its most prescient feature was advertising, which is one of the dominant modes of expression in the modern world.

Back To The Future Part II, set in 2015, Hill Valley California, made in 1989

Following on from the hijinks of Back To The Future Doc brings Marty to 2015 to avert a crisis in his family. Once that is settled, Marty makes the unfortunate decision to try and manipulate his future, which has unforeseen consequences.

The film – Hill Valley 2015

Back To The Future is set in the fictional town of Hill Valley in California, but I think we can substitute any small Californian town. Like Blade Runner, it has flying cars – seemingly something of an obsession in the 1980s – but additionally flying skateboards. Giant holograms are commonplace and perhaps even a bit old hat. Fashion is bizarre with young people wearing their clothes inside out, but that’s balanced by the fact that they change size to suit you. Nuclear reactors are home gadgets, food is hydrated to save space and everyone has LOTS of fax machines.

The Reality – “Hill Valley” 2015

BTTF2 was intentionally a bit out there with its predictions, so unsurprisingly, no flying cars, no holograms on every street corner, no hydrated food. In 2015, the fax machine was deadlier than Elvis. Clothes weren’t as advanced or worn inside out, but arguably fashion was (and still is) just as ridiculous.

2001: A Space Odyssey, set in 2001 made in 1968

2001: A Space Odyssey is an epic Sci-Fi film taking the audience from the birth of mankind to them becoming a higher form of life, with a central story revolving around one spaceship’s secret mission and the brilliant computer on board.

The Film -The Solar System, 2001

Kubrick focused on two aspects of future technology – computers and space travel. Commercial spaceships drift leisurely through space with clever velcro shoes for flight attendants to deal with the lack of gravity. Not only that but there are even colonies on the moon.

As for computers, they have Hal 9000, the world’s greatest supercomputer, thought to be practically infallible, although he does speak with an odd arch monotone voice. He spends his time beating humans at chess, lipreading and murdering.

The Reality – The Solar System 2001

Even in 2019, the human race is still stubbornly stuck on Earth with no moon colonies. George Bush scrapped the space shuttle in 2004, and commercial space flight is really just a dream of ambitious billionaires. Deep Blue had beaten Gary Kasparov at chess in the 90s, but I don’t think he’d be a match for Hal.

The Running Man, set in 2019, filmed in 1987

A police officer framed for causing a massacre is forced to participate in The Running Man, a brutal gameshow where convicts are forced to fight against trained killers with a chance to win their freedom.

The Film 2019

Another bleak picture of the future – a totalitarian government feeds the population brutal gameshows to keep them quiet. The Running Man is extremely theatrical; the show’s killers have gimmicks and characters and feel like a mix between professional wrestling and The Price Is Right, but additionally, people die. The audience ecstatically cheers while people are brutally killed the same way they cheer when someone wins The Running Man board game.

The Reality 2019

Fortunately gameshows and reality television haven’t quite gotten to this stage, but there is an increasing element of cruelty in a lot of these and glee taken in the suffering of others. Fortunately, professional wrestling remains the absurd spectacle it always was, with no need to cater to more brutal tastes.

Escape From New York – set in 1997, made in 1981

In a crime-ridden future, Manhattan Island has been turned into one giant prison, which is fine until the President’s plane crashes on the island. Former special forces soldier Snake Plissken is sent to rescue the President.

The Film 1997

Crime in America has become a huge problem; in fact, the biggest problem. So much so that Manhattan Island has been turned into one giant prison. The island is completely overrun with rubbish, and vicious gangs attack anyone unlucky to cross their paths

NATO is fighting a brutal war with the USSR in Europe that may very well bring about the destruction of the whole world through nuclear Armageddon. One ray of hope is that nuclear fusion has been invented, which was hoped to be what brought about peace between the warring sides.

Reality 1997

Crime may have been a problem in 1997, but nothing like the levels seen in the film, with law and order largely still in effect. Manhattan Island remained a glorious part of New York City with skyscrapers, museums and Central Park.

As for the USSR, by 1997 it no longer existed and the Cold War was long over. Nuclear fusion does happen, but only in stars as we haven’t yet worked out how to do it ourselves.

Predictions or Warnings?

It’s important to remember filmmakers weren’t trying to predict the future but merely imagining one way it could turn out, and usually their imagined future was not the one they wanted to happen. That said, Blade Runner was very specifically set in November 2019, so we have a little while yet…

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