Retro-futurism generally refers to visions of what the future might look like that were produced in an earlier era. But, in our modern, meta world, the idea of retro-futurism expands to also include modern visions of the future, which have a distinctly retro vibe.
Whichever way you cut it, there’s often a palpable sense of nostalgia that runs through retro-futurism films. Let that nostalgia be for a time that hasn’t happened yet but feels familiar, as shown Sonor nostalgia for a time when our visions of the future were softer and more romantic, as seen in Barbarelleone thing is certain: retro-futurism has its time.
“After Yang” (2021)
In a future where many children have their own robotic siblings to keep them company or help them fit into the world, Jake, played by Colin Farrelldesperately struggles to fix her daughter’s malfunctioning robotic brother, Yang.
After that has a clear aspiration to the “old fashioned” way of doing things. The costumes and set design are a fusion of mid-century design and Japanese influence. Jake works as a tea merchant, trying to preserve the ancient rituals surrounding tea that the rest of the world prefers to trade for convenience. After that not only embodies retro-futurism in its appearance, but it also embodies it in its message and vision of culture, ritual, and the importance of family.
“Escape from New York” (1981)
In the distant future of 1997, ex-soldier Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russelis responsible for rescuing the American president, whose plane crashed in the maximum security prison of the country: the island of Manhattan.
Escape from New Yorkfits the more traditional definition of retro-futurism. Made in the 80s and set in the 90s, director John Carpenter The vision of the near future is dark and brimming with sci-fi technology and gadgets that seem humble and dated by today’s standards. While not accurately predicting the future of technology, the film’s striking wireframe maps featured on the dashboard of Snake Plissken’s stealth glider are an iconic image of ’80s sci-fi that begs to be seen.
“Elle” (2013)
Set in the near future of Los Angeles, a lonely man named Theodore Twombly, played by Joaquin Phoenix, downloads a new operating system to his phone and quickly falls in love with it. Functioning as a romance first and a sci-fi play second, Son is distinguished by its love for the aesthetics of a bygone era and its vision of a future to come.
The film’s romantic nature plays heavily into its production design, costuming, and, by extension, its retro-futurism. With 60s poppy colors, mid-century furniture, and a relaxed take on 50s clothing (hello high-waisted pants), Son is an ambitious, if imperfect, vision of the future. Nostalgia of any kind can certainly play into a toxic cycle of obsession with something that is no longer or was never real. In that sense, this love story of a flesh-and-blood man in love with a chip-and-wire machine is as much a commentary on retro-futurism as an example of it.
‘The Lobster’ (2015)
After his wife leaves him for another man, David, played by Colin Farrell is sent to a hotel full of other singles, all of whom must find a partner within 45 days, lest they be turned into animals. Lobster is many things at once, but totally one of a kind. Part fantasy, part absurd and part science fiction, this is a film that Yorgos LanthimosDirector of You favor them et The Killing of a Sacred Deer could do.
Although it’s more absurd than retro-futuristic, Lobster certainly owes part of its success to its distinctly stuffy, stuffy, and generally old-fashioned style. The monotonous personas, strictly business attire, and many old-fashioned “courtesy” rituals hark back to a time when relationships were functional, transactional, and highly appropriate. While it’s not a dreamy ’60s-inspired mood piece like Sonor a futuristic action blockbuster like Escape from New York, Lobster relies heavily on its evocation of the past and how it informs audiences about the understanding of the future that the film portrays.
‘Barberelle’ (1968)
In the distant future, the space traveler Barbarella, embodied by Jane Fondais asked by the President of Earth to travel across the galaxy and retrieve a deadly weapon that could cause mass destruction. Barbarelle is a quintessential piece of retro-futurism and has many hallmarks of the style, including scantily clad female characters, a strong male gaze, fantastical but impractical predictions of futuristic technology, and more color and lacquer than you cannot wave it.
The strongest visual idea within retro-futurism is certainly “the future, going through the 60s” and Barbarelle has that in spades. With the space race, free love and the moon landing defining the decade, it’s no surprise that visions of the future in the ’60s included Martians, space travel and beautiful people with very few clothes. Another common element of retro-futurism is its view of the future as a utopia rather than a dystopia. Dystopia has dominated modern science fiction for many years, and for this reason, Barbarelle feels like a refreshing throwback in more ways than one.
‘WALL-E’ (2008)
Hundreds of years in the future, a lone robot named WALL-E works alone on a deserted planet Earth, cleaning up the trash from the civilization that left him behind. His world is changed when he falls in love with a scout robot named EVE and follows her across the galaxy. WALL-E uses its retro-futurism a lot to make a statement about the price of nostalgia, and what is lost when one is too obsessed with the past to focus on one’s present or future.
WALL-E takes its themes of toxic nostalgia and looking back at the expense of the future and elegantly applies them to the film’s pro-environmental anti-consumerism message. A little like Sonthis movie is a great example of embracing the meta side of retro-futurism and looking at the stars rather than navel-gazing.
‘Dune’ (1984)
Nearly 10,000 years in the future in the desert of Arrakis, the son of a duke leads a group of Arrakis natives in an uprising against the colonial powers that have dominated their homeland and undermined their lands in search of a powerful and desired spice, called Melange.
Before Denis Villeneuvethere was David Lynchone of the first to attempt to adapt Dune, which was previously considered unsuitable. Some might say it continued to be a misfit after Lynch’s film debut, but say what you will about its quality, Lynch rocked for the fences with its ambitious special effects. These effects are dated and clunky, yet so strongly evoke a hobby’s vision of the future, creating the perfect 80s retro-futuristic time capsule.
“The Incredibles” (2004)
After living in secret due to a government warrant, a super-powered family is thrust back into the hero scene to save the day from a resentful villain. Although it was made in 2004, The Incredibles is set in the 1960s and leans heavily on the refined and elegant mid-century art-deco visions prevalent at the time.
Although the film depicts the past rather than the present, it is clear that the past we are looking at is not our own. Instead, it’s an idealized past recalibrated to fulfill so many of the fantasies of technology at the time. With The Incrediblesdirector Brad Bird essentially delivers the retro-futuristic world desired in the 60s back when it was in its heyday.
“Mars Attacks!” (1996)
When the Martians invade Earth and claim to “come in peace,” they are taken at their word…until they destroy the entire United States Congress. Comedy, science fiction, satire and parody: Martian attacks! turns a lot of plates.
Although it is set in the era it was created, the 1990s, Martian attacks! is heavily influenced by 1950s costumes, sets, and tropes. That 50s influence is there for a bigger reason than as an homage to the style of the era. of Tim Burton The star-studded sci-fi flick is a parody of the alien invasion and space films of that era, making it one of the few parodies of retro-futurism to exist in cinema.
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
In 2019, synthetic people, called replicants, are used as labor for space colonies. When a replicant faction goes rogue, it’s the job of Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Fordto track them down.
blade runner contains many retro-futuristic layers. Set in an era that has since come and gone, its vision of the future is officially retro by today’s standards. But, blade runner also refined a retro style by the standards of the 80s when the film was made. Heavily inspired by film noir and hard-boiled crime novels, blade runner is singular in its view of its own present, as well as its future and past.