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Quiz about Futuristic Movies of the Past
Quiz about Futuristic Movies of the Past

Futuristic Movies of the Past Trivia Quiz


Okay, try to follow me here...this is a quiz about Hollywood's vision of the future... the only problem is that the 'future' has since become documented history, so reality is a little different. Got it? Don't worry, you will...

A multiple-choice quiz by Oddball. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
Oddball
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
315,880
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
558
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This 1968 Japanese creature-fest is set in the year 1999, complete with a scientific base on the moon, daily trips to and from Earth, and a little-known Pacific island where all the world's giant monsters live. What film is this? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. This 1936 movie, based on a story by H. G. Wells, rewrote history for the next century, predicting a world war in 1940 (they were off by a year), a plague called the 'wandering sickness' in 1966 (it didn't happen) and a new world order, based in Basra, Iraq, in 1970 (also didn't happen). What film is this? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The 1979 parody 'Americathon' takes place in the year 1998, where the energy crisis forces the U.S. into massive debt to a Native-American conglomerate.
Obviously this didn't happen in reality, but which of the following predictions made by the movie did come true?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on whether you saw 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' or 'Independence Day'), man did not make contact with alien life in the 20th Century, but the landmark 1968 film '2001: A Space Odyssey' dealt with such contact in the form of three black monoliths; one in prehistoric Africa, another found on the Moon and the last circling what planet? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In the fourth movie of this very popular series (made in 1972), all the dogs and cats on Earth died from a mysterious ailment that occurred around 1983, so humans began adopting monkeys and apes as pets...and eventually as slaves. Which movie is this? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Granted, the schematics of this film series are a little mired with time travellers coming and going willy-nilly, but in which film does Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) dream of a computer system achieving self-awareness and launching a nuclear attack on August 29, 1997, causing the total meltdown of Los Angeles? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. I suppose the most debunked future society was the totalitarian regime of London reached in George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'. In the film version made in 1984, of what crime is protagonist Winston Smith (John Hurt) accused? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The events of this 1995 film noir thriller are set only four years into the future... not enough time to come up with the invention of data discs able to contain the memories and emotions of other people. What film is this? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The makers of this 1930 U.S. musical believed the world of 1980 would have insanely tall inter-connected buildings, enormous flying dirigibles, alphanumeric codes instead of proper names, and the government control of sex, romance and marriage (new parents were also able to pick out their new babies off the assembly line). What is the name of this far-out film? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The coexistence of man and humanoid machine is still a thing of fiction, but the 1999 dramedy "Bicentennial Man" starts in April of 2005 with Andrew (Robin Williams), a domesticated robot that breaks away from his programming to learn more of what it means to be human. At what pivotal moment does Andrew develop the glitch? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This 1968 Japanese creature-fest is set in the year 1999, complete with a scientific base on the moon, daily trips to and from Earth, and a little-known Pacific island where all the world's giant monsters live. What film is this?

Answer: Destroy All Monsters

An alien force takes control of the monsters and forces them to attack major cities across the world. Toho's star monster, Godzilla, lays waste to New York City, Mothra takes Beijing, and Rodan flies over Moscow. In all, eleven of Toho's film monsters appear in this movie.
'Frankenstein', 'Gargantuans' and 'War' were also Japanese films made around the same time.
2. This 1936 movie, based on a story by H. G. Wells, rewrote history for the next century, predicting a world war in 1940 (they were off by a year), a plague called the 'wandering sickness' in 1966 (it didn't happen) and a new world order, based in Basra, Iraq, in 1970 (also didn't happen). What film is this?

Answer: Things To Come

Set in the fictional city of Everytown in 2036, the new world order of engineers and mechanics called 'Wings Over The World' are making ready for the first manned flight around the Moon (the movie was off by 68 years). The plans, though, go against the wishes of a mob of Luddites who believe that man had already gone too far in technology.
The film stars Raymond Massey (best known for 'Abe Lincoln in Illinois' and 'Arsenic and Old Lace'), Cedric Hardwicke and Ralph Richardson.
3. The 1979 parody 'Americathon' takes place in the year 1998, where the energy crisis forces the U.S. into massive debt to a Native-American conglomerate. Obviously this didn't happen in reality, but which of the following predictions made by the movie did come true?

Answer: The collapse of the Soviet Union.

According to the movie, the U.S. borrows $40-billion dollars from NIKE (which stands for 'National Indian Knitting Enterprise' by its native American owners). To pay back NIKE before they foreclose (and, ironically, buy the country back), a nation-wide telethon is launched.
Written by Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman of the Firesign Theatre, the film stars Fred Willard, John Ritter (as President Chet Roosevelt, who ran on the ticket 'I'm Not A Schmuck'), Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and features cameos by Meat Loaf and a very young Jay Leno. George Carlin is the narrator.
4. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on whether you saw 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' or 'Independence Day'), man did not make contact with alien life in the 20th Century, but the landmark 1968 film '2001: A Space Odyssey' dealt with such contact in the form of three black monoliths; one in prehistoric Africa, another found on the Moon and the last circling what planet?

Answer: Jupiter

It is revealed in a pre-recorded message within the 'HAL' computer that the Moon monolith was completely inert, except for a single radio emission aimed at Jupiter, hence the journey to the giant planet 18 months after the Moon discovery.
You probably heard the computer 'HAL' was so named by moving each letter of its name one step backward from IBM, the computer company. Science-fiction legend and '2001' screenwriter Arthur C. Clarke said the naming was pure coincidence. 'HAL' was actually an abbreviation for 'Heuristic ALgorithmic Computer'.
The script for '2001' was partly based on Clarke's 1948 short story, 'The Sentinel'.
5. In the fourth movie of this very popular series (made in 1972), all the dogs and cats on Earth died from a mysterious ailment that occurred around 1983, so humans began adopting monkeys and apes as pets...and eventually as slaves. Which movie is this?

Answer: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Based on the novel 'Planet of the Apes' by Pierre Boulle, the series was one of the most successful in the 1970s. In this installment, chimpanzee Caesar (Roddy McDowall) hides his identity as the son of ape scientists Cornelius and Zira (McDowall and Kim Hunter), who time-travel from ape-dominated Earth back to the present-day before being killed (all this was chronicled in 'Escape').

The now-adult Caesar proceeds to lead an ape rebellion against their human masters. 'Beneath' was the second film of the series, while 'Battle', made in 1973, completed the cycle of ape domination on Earth.
6. Granted, the schematics of this film series are a little mired with time travellers coming and going willy-nilly, but in which film does Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) dream of a computer system achieving self-awareness and launching a nuclear attack on August 29, 1997, causing the total meltdown of Los Angeles?

Answer: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The second of the 'Terminator' movies was, at its time of release, one of the most expensive films ever made (over $100 million), and far surpassed its parent film not only in gross revenue, but also in awards, winning four Oscars. A lot of the production money went to the special-effects team who destroyed L.A. by atomic fire.
Incidentally, the date given to 'Judgment Day' (which, as the series revealed, was delayed until 2004 and didn't happen then, either) marked the 50th anniversary of the former Soviet Union detonating their first atomic bomb and joining the nuclear family.
7. I suppose the most debunked future society was the totalitarian regime of London reached in George Orwell's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'. In the film version made in 1984, of what crime is protagonist Winston Smith (John Hurt) accused?

Answer: Independent thinking

Smith, who makes his living re-writing history for the Ministry of Truth, begins to question his motives and falls in love with the rebel Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), all of which is prohibited by 'Big Brother' and the Thought Police. Smith is brought before the interrogator O'Brien (Richard Burton), who tortures and brainwashes him to rejoin society.

This film version would prove to be the last film appearance of Burton, who died two months before the movie's release. The film is dedicated to his memory. An interesting point of this film... when Smith writes onscreen in his diary, 'April 4, 1984', the camera was actually rolling on him on April 4, 1984. Director Michael Radford made sure the filming coincided with the dates given in Orwell's book.
8. The events of this 1995 film noir thriller are set only four years into the future... not enough time to come up with the invention of data discs able to contain the memories and emotions of other people. What film is this?

Answer: Strange Days

'Strange Days' (the title was taken from an album by the Doors, as was 'Soft Parade') features some eerie technical effects using steady-cams and ultra-small cameras with replaceable lenses for the personal 'point of view' experience found on the discs. Most of the editing was done by the film's scriptwriter, future Oscar-winning director James Cameron, who reportedly said his inspiration for the film actually came from the fallout of the Rodney King trial in 1992. 'End of Days' was an action/horror vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger and 'Millennium' was a TV series starring Lance Henriksen.
9. The makers of this 1930 U.S. musical believed the world of 1980 would have insanely tall inter-connected buildings, enormous flying dirigibles, alphanumeric codes instead of proper names, and the government control of sex, romance and marriage (new parents were also able to pick out their new babies off the assembly line). What is the name of this far-out film?

Answer: Just Imagine

'Just Imagine' starred Maureen O'Sullivan (Mia Farrow's mother and Tarzan's long-time love interest), Frank Albertson (best remembered as Sam Wainright in 'It's A Wonderful Life') and John Garrick. Most of the footage of the futuristic city scenery was used throughout the '30s and '40s in such movie serials as 'Flash Gordon' and 'Buck Rogers'. One scene also features the electricity-powered gadgets that would be better shown a year later in the horror classic 'Frankenstein'.
10. The coexistence of man and humanoid machine is still a thing of fiction, but the 1999 dramedy "Bicentennial Man" starts in April of 2005 with Andrew (Robin Williams), a domesticated robot that breaks away from his programming to learn more of what it means to be human. At what pivotal moment does Andrew develop the glitch?

Answer: When he is ordered to jump out a window.

In this adaptation of a novella from Isaac Asimov's 'Robot' series published in 1976, Andrew Martin (surnamed for the family who owns him) is ordered out the window by eldest daughter Grace Martin (Lindze Letherman), causing him injury, but also achieving independent thoughts, questions and emotions. With the help of robotics expert Rupert Burns (Oliver Platt) and a female-designed robot called Galatea (Kiersten Warren), Andrew takes on more human features so that by the start of the 23rd Century, he is more human than robot... or is he? According to the Internet Movie Database, Andrew's programming was based on Asimov's 'Three Laws of Robotics', made famous in his novel 'I, Robot'.
Source: Author Oddball

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor jmorrow before going online.
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