There is a movie set in 2026 that was released 100 years ago, and it painted a picture of what life might look like. Now, we are living in that time, and it’s interesting to see what people imagined 2026 to be like all those decades ago. The world has progressed immensely in these past 100 years, with technology becoming an integral part of everyday life, and megastructures dominating skylines in cities across the globe. 

Metropolis is a German movie that is set in the future (now present), and imagines what life might look like in 2016 for citizens of a megacity. The film, directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou, is based on a 1925 novel of the same name. Regarded as one of the first influential science fiction films ever made, this silent flick is set in a huge futuristic city where the wealthy thrive, and underground workers slog away to keep the city going. 

Among the similarities in the film are the massive skyscrapers. These were a mere imaginary concept for most people in the 1920s, but a huge number of modern cities have massive structures nowadays that pierce through the clouds. 

The tallest in the world is Burj Khalifa in Dubai, climbing a whopping 2,700 feet.

The movie also predicts trains that operate on tracks well above ground, which is commonplace in modern cities. And while we don’t quite have the underground network of hidden workers keeping cities running, we do have structures that go deep into the ground, such as the China Jinping Underground Laboratory that goes more than 2,000 feet down, something that would have been unimaginable for people in 1927.

The movie explores themes of class struggle as the toiling workers aim for a better life, as their richer counterparts live the high life in tall towers. 

The story is set around the son of a rich man running the city as he falls in love with a prophet of the workers and works to unite them against a robot that has been designed to instigate chaos in the megacity. 

Metropolis is available to watch for free in the UK on Plex. Reviews for this one are positive, and it is clear that the film has stood the test of time. 

It currently has a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While some things are vastly different to what 2026 actually looks like (such as the vehicles and the fashion), some fans might find the themes and other aspects eerily familiar.