What do the future warnings of films such as Elysium, Transcendence and RoboCop tell us about present fears?
Ryan takes a closer look…
NB: The following contains mild spoilers forTranscendence.
The science fiction films of the past 18-or-so months have introduced their own versions of the future.
Lets start by taking a look back at a sci-fi action flick from last summer.
Robot lackeys tend to their every whim, while unfeasibly expensive medical pods cure their ailments.
The entire film is an allegory.
I tend to think a lot about wealth discrepancy, the director toldThe Telegraph.
London has become a citadel, sealed off from the rest of Britain, wroteThe Guardians John Harristhis month.
The situation isnt confined to London, either.
I have proved that under the present circumstances capitalism simply cannot work.
As the age of artificially intelligent computers draws near, a resistance movement called R.I.F.T.
aims to disrupt scientific progress with a string of terror attacks.
Over 4,000 robots are serving in Iraq at present, others in Afghanistan, hewroteback in 2007.
And now they are armed.
Its a serious issue.
Its true that the automation of violence opens the door to fascism.
And its a real, serious issue.
RoboCops concerns about drones, privacy and free-will arent necessarily incompatible withTranscendences less dystopian view of scientific progress.
