Science fiction movies transport us to new worlds, showing us the possibilities of the future. Often, these stories feature technology in a dystopian setting, where tech becomes the cause of mankind’s downfall.
Even tech industry leaders like Elon Musk and the late Stephen Hawking have worried about the rise of sentient machines and the manipulation of leaders through technology.
The idea that civilization could be destroyed by what was meant to help it has captivated audiences for years. Let’s explore 10 behind-the-scenes facts about popular dystopian sci-fi movies. Be warned: This list contains spoilers!
Blade Runner’s Contentious Script
Blade Runner is now a masterpiece, but its path wasn’t smooth. Based on Philip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the initial script was criticized by Dick himself for lacking meaning. David W. Peoples, known for his work on Return of the Jedi, was brought in to revise it.
Harrison Ford disliked the idea of his character, Rick Deckard, being a replicant, but director Ridley Scott insisted. Confused preview audiences led to hasty edits, removing ambiguous scenes hinting at Deckard’s android status. Warner Bros. even had Ford record voiceovers, which he delivered flatly, though he later denied trying to sabotage their use.
Studio executives almost took control from Scott due to budget overruns and schedule delays caused by the film’s visuals. The ending was equally challenging, with crew members working 36 hours straight to complete it.
The film culminates with Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) saving Deckard and delivering the iconic “Tears in Rain” speech. Hauer rewrote this speech in the early hours of the morning, impressing Ridley Scott so much that it was immediately approved.
The Terminator 2 Crew Redirected a River
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Terminator 2 (T2), released in 1991, was the most expensive film at the time, costing around $100 million. James Cameron’s epic follows John Connor’s escape from a T-1000 assassin, aided by a T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger). A key scene involves a chase through a Los Angeles canal.
The studio dried out the canal by diverting a nearby river with sandbags. They then built a fake wall on the canal overpass for a truck to crash through. Discovering the truck was too tall for the bridges, they cleverly added a scene where a bridge shears off the vehicle’s roof.
Arnie’s 30-foot motorcycle jump was achieved using cranes to suspend the bike, pulling it off the overpass at 35 mph. The stunt was performed 20 times to get the perfect shot.
T2 spent much of its budget on special effects, including a detailed miniature of Los Angeles for the apocalyptic destruction scene, praised by nuclear experts for its realism. They also blew up an office complex, lit up a freeway with miles of cabling, and staged a helicopter crash.
The Academy Accused Tron of ‘Cheating’
Tron pioneered computer graphics in film, inspiring future animators. Video games like Pong and Breakout inspired its unique look. The special effects team edited live-action sequences frame by frame, shooting in black and white to allow animators to add neon colors in post-processing.
Companies like Magi Synthavision created the lightcycles and tanks, Triple-I worked on the Master Control Program, and RA&A designed the digital landscapes.
The process was costly and time-consuming. Each CG object needed six numbers to describe its position in space. For just four seconds of footage, 600 numbers were needed. A single frame could take up to 10 minutes to render.
Despite these technical achievements, Tron didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Director Steven Lisberger explained, “The Academy thought we cheated by using computers.”
Videodrome Turned James Woods into a Couch
David Cronenberg is known for body horror, but Videodrome stands out. Released in 1983, it follows TV executive Max Renn (James Woods) who broadcasts a violent snuff show called Videodrome. He finds it’s being used to transmit a signal causing malignant brain tumors, part of a plot by an arms company to kill people who enjoy violent and sexual content.
Renn undergoes bizarre physical and mental changes. In one scene, a slit appears in his abdomen while watching TV. Cronenberg had Rick Baker build James Woods into the couch, gluing a prosthetic torso to his belly.
After days as a couch, Woods vowed never to do another film involving things stuck to his body. Cronenberg recalls, “He turns to Debbie Harry and says, ‘When I first got on this picture, I was an actor. Now I feel like I’m just the bearer of the slit.’ And she said, ‘Now you know what it feels like.’”
The 12 Monkeys Director Wasn’t Keen on Bruce Willis
In 1995, Terry Gilliam began working on 12 Monkeys. The studio suggested actors like Tom Cruise and Nicolas Cage for the lead role, but Gilliam had reservations about Bruce Willis, who was eventually cast. Gilliam even gave Willis a list of “Bruce Willis Clichés” to avoid.
“I explained to him my concerns about him as an actor. I hated that [pursed-lip expression] he does in his films when he gets a bit nervous… Rectal. It’s like I’m looking at somebody’s a**hole,” Gilliam said.
Willis, then filming Die Hard, struggled to shake his John McClane persona. In one scene, he argued with Gilliam about how his character would react to a head injury. Gilliam retorted, “‘You’re not John McClane, f**k off!’ He just went off and sulked by a tree and I just carried on shooting on without him and finally he came back.”
District 9 was Partly Inspired by Zimbabwean Migration
District 9 is inspired by South African apartheid and the short film Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp. It explores what would happen if aliens were stranded on Earth and forced to coexist with humans. The mockumentary shows aliens begging for resources in Johannesburg, with locals accusing them of crimes. Many of these conversations were real.
Blomkamp explained, “There are aliens living in South Africa, I asked ‘What do you feel about Zimbabwean Africans living here?’ And those answers – they weren’t actors, those are real answers…”
South Africa has a large population of Zimbabweans, mostly economic migrants. Zimbabwe’s economy suffered under Robert Mugabe, leading to mass emigration.
District 9 caused controversy with Nigerian officials, who attempted to ban the movie for depicting Nigerians engaging in weapon trafficking, cannibalism, and interspecies prostitution.
The Matrix: Reloaded Housed Low-Income Families
In The Matrix Reloaded, Neo (Keanu Reeves) returns to the Matrix to confront the Architect, a program created by machines to enslave humanity. The machines use humans as an energy source, trapping them in a simulation.
A major chase scene occurs on a freeway, featuring slow-motion gun fights and vehicular destruction. Since this couldn’t happen on a real freeway, the crew built one.
In Alameda, San Diego, the studio spent millions building a 1.5-mile road on an old navy runway, using tons of concrete, steel, and lumber. After filming, Warner Bros. dismantled the sets and used the materials to build homes for low-income families in Mexico. Ninety-seven percent of the deconstructed sets were recycled.
A.I. Surpassed Jurassic Park’s Animatronics
A.I. Artificial Intelligence began as a passion project for Stanley Kubrick, who started development in the 1970s. He realized the necessary technology didn’t exist until Jurassic Park convinced him that Steven Spielberg should direct. After Kubrick’s death, Spielberg took over.
A.I. depicts humanity on the brink of war with its robotic creations, or mechas. Spielberg assembled a team of CGI and animatronics experts led by Stan Winston, who had worked on Jurassic Park and The Terminator. Filming wrapped up in just 68 days.
Some actors spent hours in makeup to become discarded mechas. The film used a mountain of failed props to populate the mecha graveyard, with amputees playing damaged robots scouring a landfill.
One of the most sophisticated animatronics was a 3-foot-tall teddy bear, even more advanced than the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. The model used 50 servo motors, half of which were for facial expressions. Technicians adjusted Teddy in real time to make his movements believable.
Lighting Teddy was difficult. VFX supervisor Scott Farrar explained the problem: “The giant ape in Mighty Joe Young (1998) only had an average of 700,000 hairs, and they were a foot long. This little pipsqueak teddy bear has a million and a half little hairs, and each of those has eight curve segments to it. That’s 12 million manipulations to worry about!”
Ridley was Booted from Blade Runner 2049’s Set
Ridley Scott didn’t direct Blade Runner 2049; Denis Villeneuve did. As executive producer, Scott often visited the set, which made Villeneuve uncomfortable. Villeneuve joked, “Hey, Ridley, who’s your favorite director?” When Scott said Ingmar Bergman and Kubrick, Villeneuve replied, “How would you feel if you were on set directing, and you had Bergman just behind you?” Scott got the message and left.
2049 wasn’t a box office hit. Scott claims the movie flopped because it was “f**king way too long.” He’s currently working on ideas for the next movie.
The Original Ending to Star Wars was Dark
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker sees Darth Vader’s face beneath the mask. Vader then delivers the “I am your father” speech. Revenge of the Jedi leans into the idea of Skywalker turning, with Luke dressed in black and wielding a lightsaber aggressively.
A possible ending for the original trilogy would have seen Luke following in Vader’s footsteps. George Lucas suggested that Skywalker should turn after Vader reveals his face, putting on the mask and declaring, “Now I am Vader.” Luke would then seek to destroy the Rebel fleet. Lawrence Kasdan reportedly loved this idea.
Mark Hamill also pushed Lucas to turn Skywalker into a villain. Harrison Ford wanted Han Solo to die fighting on Endor. However, Lucas decided against both ideas to appeal to a younger audience.
Dive into the fascinating world behind dystopian sci-fi movies, from script battles to incredible special effects and alternate endings. These behind-the-scenes tales reveal the passion and innovation that bring these dark futures to life.
What’s your favorite behind-the-scenes movie fact? Leave your comment below!
