This 35 Year Old Movie Predicted The Future And It's Chillingly Accurate

At 35, ‘Patlabor’ now looks awfully prescient. The robot-centric film is back in theaters across Japan in celebration of its 35th anniversary, and the future it paints looks mighty familiar.

First released in 1988, ‘Patlabor’ is set in a world where humans and robots coexist. The movie follows a police force that is tasked with dealing with crimes that involve the use of robots known as Labors.

Looking back, it's interesting to note how many concepts it predicted that we see becoming a reality today. One such concept is the use of robots in warfare and law enforcement.

Today we see robots and artificial intelligence being used in various police forces around the world. While ‘Patlabor’ depicts a future where humans and robots work side by side to keep the peace, the actual robotic law enforcement technology we have is focused on remote-controlled and autonomous robots designed to carry out tasks like disarming bombs and patrolling areas.

This may sound familiar as its premise heavily influenced various movies like ‘Robot & Frank’ and ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘I, Robot.’

Since its release, ‘Patlabor’ has also influenced many other Japanese films that explore what a world with robots would look like. And, more recently, influencing the likes of ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ and ‘Psycho-Pass’.

Furthermore, scientists and robot designers have been working on robots that have human-like features. For instance, a top-down humanoid robot named Texai that has been developed recently.

In some parts of the US, some malls and entertainment centers use robots that look like humanoids as their customers. However, they still do not possess the intelligence that ‘Patlabor’ depicts.

This does raise some questions about just how much of our future we're willing to cede to the machines. The fears we saw in the wake of E-commerce and mobile wallets can still be seen today.

According to Oota, the movie did depict a future with robots where life and death was valued, a very unique and humane perspective in both technology and storytelling.

While several robot films failed to imagine such futures, ‘Patlabor’ presents a dream of humans shaping and coexisting in a perfect combination of human relationship in good storytelling.

The movie’s predictions for robotic development and the increasingly blurred lines between man and machine are a long way ahead from the 1980’s. How these were described in the film has people talking, even today.

Such unique predictions mean that ‘Patlabor’ still offers us a glimpse into what humanity might look like tomorrow, even decades after its first release. This time around, we realize that its chilling accuracy is something to be grateful for, given the fact that such world does exist.