2023 is set to be a huge year for film, but some movies have already given depictions of what 2023 could be like. The medium of film has always been used to predict what the future could look like for humanity, with classics like Back to the Future and 2001: A Space Odyssey getting audiences across the globe excited for what the future could have in store. With 2023 just around the corner, it’s time to look back and see what every movie set in 2023 has predicted for the year ahead.
Out of the eight films that have depicted 2023, the majority of them take place in dystopian, war-torn societies, which speaks volumes about the direction that many filmmakers imagined humanity would go. All of these films, however, were released in the modern era of cinema, giving a representation of a year only a few years ahead of their own. Even so, not many of the depictions of 2023 hit the nail on the head, since these films are mostly comprised of superheroes, alien armies, or brutal killers, making 2023 out to be a rather depressing year. Here’s hoping the actual year ahead had some better things in store. Here is every movie set in 2023, explained.
Avengers: Endgame
As the conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga, the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame brought together all the heroes who had survived Thanos’ snap for one final battle. Although the film begins in 2018, a five-year time jump means most of the action unfolds in 2023. This also means that the MCU is running a few years ahead of the present day, with current projects set in 2024 and 2025. Endgame depicted 2023 as a very bleak year, with half of all life in the universe snapped away, and those left trying to pick up the pieces and recover. It’s also notable that, thanks to the genius of Tony Stark, the Endgame 2023 technology is very different from what exists in reality.
Bring It On: Cheer Or Die
After the success of 2000’s Bring it On, it’s no wonder the film spouted a franchise that has lasted until the present day, though more recent projects have been far more negatively received, including 2022’s Bring it On: Cheer or Die. A Halloween-themed straight-to-TV film that aired on Syfy, Cheer or Die saw the cheerleaders take on a rampaging killer while rehearsing a routine for their upcoming regional competition. The version of 2023 depicted in Cheer or Die was, apart from the slasher in the school, more or less realistic. Apart from its unbelievable main antagonist, Bring It On: Cheer or Die isn’t that far removed from the world viewers recognize.
Carnage
This 2017 mockumentary by British comedian Simon Amstell took place mostly in the year 2067, where veganism had become the norm in human society, but explored meat-eating during time periods throughout history. The version of 2023 depicted in Carnage shows the UK in an “Era of Confusion” over what they can and can’t eat, since a ban on intensive farming following a rise in Super Swine Flu has hiked up the costs of meat and left many carnivores confused over veganism. Simon Amstell’s mockumentary clearly lays out all the facts around the benefits of a vegan diet but does so in an entertaining and often hilarious way – perhaps providing a blueprint for where society is ultimately headed.
Gemini Rising
This 2013 science fiction thriller from Dana Schroeder features Alien franchise star Lance Henriksen battling aliens that were brought to Earth from a spacecraft orbiting Neptune and kept in a laboratory on a remote island. Even though none of the outside world is actually shown during the film, it depicts a version of 2023 where the technology exists to send a manned spacecraft to Neptune and back to Earth with aliens in tow, making it somewhat unrealistic. The film, sometimes known as Alien Rising, has yet to be scored on Rotten Tomatoes, but has been poorly reviewed on IMDb.
The Purge: Anarchy
The sequel to James DeMonaco’s 2013 horror film, The Purge, which is set in 2022, The Purge: Anarchy takes place a year later during the sixth annual Purge, a night where all crime is legal, including murder. Anarchy tells multiple stories of people who become stuck outside in Los Angeles during the event, or in the case of Frank Grillo’s Leo, are actively Purging. Anarchy was the second film in The Purge franchise, which also includes Election Year, The First Purge, The Forever Purge, and an Amazon Prime TV series. Thanks to its relatively contemporary setting, The Purge: Anarchy feels reasonably realistic. However, its predictions for society at large are undeniably depressing.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The ninth installment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise picks up 50 years after Leatherface’s 1973 killing spree with this 2022 film. The story, set in 2023, continues the narrative laid out in previous Chainsaw films, as Leatherface targets a group of young adults in Harlow, Texas, while also coming into conflict with a survivor from one of his previous attacks. Despite not many known instances of masked serial killers running around, the 2023 depicted in 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre is realistic, helped by the fact it was released under a year before its futuristic setting. Certainly, the movie’s on-the-nose social media parodies feel broadly believable.
The Tomorrow War
Initially starting in December 2022, Chris McKay’s science fiction action film mostly takes place in either 2023 or in the future of 2051, where aliens known as White Spikes have invaded, causing the military forces of the future to travel back in time and recruit their civilian ancestors to fight alongside them. The version of 2023 seen in The Tomorrow War does seem completely normal, but is obviously only a few years away from being terrorized by monstrous aliens. A Tomorrow War sequel has been reported to be in development, which could expand on what 2023 might look like now thanks to borrowed advanced technology and knowledge from the future.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
Bryan Singer’s epic crossover film for Fox’s X-Men franchise saw the old and new cast come together to effectively reboot the series. X-Men: Days of Future Past involved Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine travelling back in time to try and stop the mutant-killing Sentinel program. The version of 2023 depicted in Days of Future Past is a horrific dystopia, ruled over by mutant-hunting robots who also kill the humans protecting them. Luckily, the X-Men’s plan works and history is revised. This is widely regarded as one of the strongest films in Fox’s X-Men series, yet its 2023 is a far cry from one that viewers would recognize – thanks largely to the proliferation of giant killer robots.
