Most people who are alive right now likely won't experience the 22nd century. So sadly, there's no sure way to see exactly what the 22nd century holds. Thankfully, there's no shortage of sci-fi movies that give people a glimpse of what it's like.
Just don't expect most of them to be accurate. No one would want their future to be riddled with indestructible Xenomorphs now, would they? A select few do give some promising perspectives into what the future holds for mankind. Either way, movies set in the 22nd century will surely pique everyone's imagination.
8 Alien
- Release Year: 1979
- Available on Disney+
Everyone knows this one either by choice or involuntarily. It's only one of the most revolutionary horror films in the movie industry, introducing a new kind of villain to cinema and also making people's stomachs churn with all the innuendos and suggestive imagery.
It was pretty surprising back in its heyday. Alien was initially about a 2122 space mining vessel that encounters a distress call and was compelled to investigate. They soon found out a terror more horrific than mining logistics setbacks: the perfect killing machines aboard a spaceship, and they were clueless on how to handle it.
7 Alien: Covenant
- Release Year: 2017
- Available on Disney+
Alien: Covenant continues the reboot of the Alien franchise which was kicked off by the enigmatic Prometheus movie. The film picks up after the nefarious Android, David, went on an expedition to find out the origins of the humans' creators as well as the nature of the Xenomorphs. It's set in 2104.
Naturally, a separate expedition got entangled in David's affairs, and little did they know, they fell right into the vengeful Android's trap. It just so happens that this trap is full of creepy and crawling Xenomorphs all ready for David's experiments and his application of the Xenomorph bio-weapon on organic beings.
6 Avatar
- Release Year: 2009
- Available on Disney+
Avatar paints aliens in a more favorable light — in this film, it's the humans that are actually evil. They were sent to the moon called Pandora to mine a special resource for a corporation without any regard for the sentient life on the planet, a race of tall humanoids called the Na'vi.
The humans didn't have much success connecting and immersing themselves with the Na'vi until Jake Sully became one of them. Thus, the film draws parallels with the likes of Pocahontas and The Last Samurai, as the Na'vi with Jake are forced to fight to defend their homeland against greedy humans.
5 In Time
- Release Year:
- Available on Amazon Prime
In Time takes place in a dystopian future in 2169 when people were made immortal but the catch is that their lifespan (considered as 'time') is commodified and treated as a currency. In such a setup for this society, the wealthy are usually the only ones immortal while poor people are literally forced to work for their lives, lest they die.
Unfortunately for Will Salas (played by Justin Timberlake), he's poor. He did strike gold one day when a man with 100+ years on his clock grew tired of living and just gave everything to Will. Initially, Will went on a spending spree but was quickly angered by all the inequality in the system, so he rebelled with a girl in a futuristic Bonnie and Clyde crime escapade.
4 A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- Release Year: 2001
- Available on Netflix
A.I. Artificial Intelligence steers clear from aliens and shifts its focus on androids and their place in a dystopian 22nd-century society that doesn't value them and treats them as slaves. This notion was explored through the eyes of a robot child named David who was supposed to be an adopted brother for a rich kid. But David malfunctioned and was thrown out like garbage.
Pretty soon, he finds himself in a world where his kind is mere disposable entertainment for human beings. Determined to find a better reason for his existence, David meets his creator but this only worsens his despair in a tragic counterpart to a Pinocchio story.
3 Sleeper
- Release Year: 1973
- Available on Amazon Prime
Thanks to Woody Allen, there's actually an old sci-fi film set in the 22nd century that isn't depressing or scary. Sleeper takes place in 2173 after a nerd named Miles (Woody Allen) was frozen in his original timeline in the 1970s and awakens in the aforementioned future time period.
At its heart, it's still a comedy film, even after the people who woke Miles up have tasked him with helping in the rebellion against the police state in the futuristic US. As a spy, Miles finds himself in some rather awkward situations with a beautiful Diane Keaton reluctantly in tow.
2 Bicentennial Man
- Release Year: 1999
- Available on Netflix
Think of Bicentennial Man as a less upsetting version of A.I. Artificial Intelligence. It also has Robin Williams in it, making it an instant drama or comedy classic. In this android film, Robin Willians' character named Andrew is a robot who was initially made to be a butler and servant to a family.
But due to his undying physiology, he was able to outlive his owners and gain sentience through learning. At one point, he even decided to undergo surgery to become a true human. The film spans from the late 20th century all the way to the end of the 22nd century, hence the film's title.
1 Elysium
- Release Year: 2013
- Available on Netflix
Elysium is a dystopian movie set in 2154 when the rich enjoy a lavish and extravagant existence atop a space station (named Elysium) orbiting a ruined Earth while the poor toil back on the planet for a chance to join Elysium. One of those poor people is a factory worker named Max whose unfortunate circumstances have led to a mini rebellion against Elysium.
It's one of the few films about the 22nd century that exhibits what society could be based on what it currently is right now. Not much has changed when it comes to socio-economic classes, so the film resorts to Marxist undertones and theories to fuel Max's "eat-the-rich" story.