# I watched every movie set in 2026 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh4ggzOgYRs Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/Gh4ggzOgYRs Generated: 2026-01-08T01:37:15.607+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The speaker reviewed every movie set in the year 2026, concluding that while most failed to predict modern phenomena like plastic surgery, cryptocurrency, or influencer culture, the film *Metropolis* (1927) provided the sharpest, albeit unintentional, crystal ball into contemporary issues concerning technological control and class division, ultimately leading the speaker to declare *Doom* (2005) the best film on the list after a detailed comparison. **Key Points:** - The speaker observed that movies set in 2026 universally failed to predict modern vanity trends like plastic surgery, cryptocurrency, or the presence of black pill influencers. - The film *Doom* (2005), starring The Rock, featured horrendous props, costing $60 million with $59 million going to The Rock, and its script mirrored modern passive listening scripts, leading the speaker to state, "I think it would do Stranger Things numbers." - The speaker analyzed *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014) as a thinly veiled metaphor for AI data centers, noting Malcolm's negotiation for the hydroelectric dam represented an unassuming tech founder seeking massive power. - Fritz Lang's *Metropolis* (1927) was deemed the 'sharp crystal ball' because its themes—a technological elite ruling from skyscrapers over underground workers, and a robot used to incite revolt—directly parallel modern class struggle and technological manipulation. - In *Metropolis*, the inventor Rotwang kept the dead body of Hell, the father's former lover, and was tasked by Daddy Frederson to use the robot duplicate of Maria to 'destroy the connection' his son Freder had with the real Maria. - The speaker admitted watching *Metropolis* on 1.5x speed because the silent film acting style looked like people mocking millennials on TikTok, but still praised Lang for avoiding fatalities among his thousands of extras. **Context:** The video creator undertook a personal challenge to watch every movie they could find that featured the year 2026 in its setting to analyze what these fictional futures predicted correctly and incorrectly about the present day. The review spans films from different eras, including the 2005 video game adaptation *Doom*, the 2014 sci-fi film *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes*, and the seminal 1927 silent film *Metropolis*, all while incorporating personal commentary, sponsor reads, and tangential observations about modern media consumption. ## Detailed Analysis The speaker systematically reviewed films set in 2026, finding that they missed key aspects of contemporary society, such as plastic surgery, poly market betting, cryptocurrency, and influencer casting; the speaker predicted that the likeness of the influencer 'Clavvicular' would inspire a pharmaceutical drug named 'Clavvicular' by November 2026. Regarding *Doom*, the speaker mocked its low prop budget relative to The Rock's salary and heavily criticized its dialogue for spelling everything out, comparing its plot quality to *Stranger Things*. In contrast, *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* presented a pandemic aftermath where humans seek resources from intelligent apes, which the speaker interpreted as a metaphor for optimistic tech founders negotiating for infrastructure like hydroelectric dams, possibly reflecting how figures like Peter Thiel view the rest of society. However, the most profound prediction came from *Metropolis*, where the wealthy industrialist Frederson rules from above while workers toil below, and a robot duplicate of the revolutionary Maria is used to incite a destructive revolt among the workers, which the speaker directly connects to modern industrialists using technology to control populations and maintain the status quo, even sacrificing his son's happiness to do so; despite watching parts at 1.5x speed due to its length and acting style, the speaker ultimately declared *Metropolis* the most relevant film for examining current societal dynamics, only reversing his earlier ranking to name *Doom* the 'best film on this list' at the very end. ### Movies Set in 2026 - Predictions Missed: No plastic surgery or Botox predicted - No mention of cryptocurrency or prediction markets - Absence of online influencers in acting roles noted as a positive ### Review of Doom (2005) - Film cost $60 million, with $59 million going to The Rock - Prop budget was only $10,000, featuring 'horrendous props' like Party City arms - Dialogue was criticized for being overly explicit, similar to modern passive listening scripts ### Analysis of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) - Set after a deadly flu pandemic wiped out humanity, leaving apes in charge near San Francisco - Malcolm's negotiation for the hydroelectric dam is seen as a metaphor for tech founders seeking control - The pandemic aspect is noted as the most modern element relating to recent life ### Deep Dive into Metropolis (1927) - Fritz Lang's film depicted industrialists living above workers powering the city via massive machines - Freder, the son, sees the suffering and conspires to help the workers with the help of Maria, a worker's advocate - Inventor Rotwang, seeking revenge on Daddy Frederson, builds a robot replica of Maria to incite a destructive revolt among the workers ### Metropolis Modern Relevance - Technology is used by the ruling class (Frederson) to control the populace via a familiar-looking robot agent - The film needed to be 'hacked down' due to length, reflecting modern short attention spans for complex narratives - Cinematography was surprisingly modern, influencing many subsequent creators