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Brainscan (1994)
Reality: Spending an evening blasting away on the latest shoot ‘em up game is a perfectly acceptable way of letting off steam.
The Movie Reality: Playing horror game Brainscan , in which the gamer assumes the role of a serial killer, is such a brutal experience because it actually turns out to be real.
If We Lived In The Movies: The game market would see a plummet in sales of Grand Theft Auto V , and a rise in fluffier fare like Care Bears: The Game .
They Live (1988)
Reality: Media marketing and promotional schemes by corporations are plastered on billboards and online adspace.
The Movie Reality: All major corporations are controlled by aliens, who pose as members of the ruling class. Mass media indoctrination occurs through subliminal messaging in practically every available surface.
These messages and the skeletal-faced aliens are only visible through a special pair of specs.
If We Lived In The Movies: The web would blow up with a million conspiracy bloggers stating “I told you so!”
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Reality: Getting caught out in a tornado would probably be the most terrifying experience of your life.
The Movie Reality: A tornado hits Kansas, and whisks away a young girl to a brightly coloured world. A scarecrow, lion and tin man, who look like heavily made-up versions of people from her real life, accompany her on her journey, which is littered with evil flying monkeys.
If We Lived In The Movies: Extreme sports would become even more popular as folks risk life and limb for a chance to visit Oz and skip down a yellow brick road with a talking lion.
District 9 (2009)
Reality: During the apartheid, District Six in Cape Town was declared a “whites only” area and 66,000 people were removed by force as a result.
The Movie Reality: In 1982, a giant spaceship filled with sickly extraterrestrials lands in Johannesburg where they are put into a government camp called District 9.
Following unrest between humans and aliens, the “prawns” are then carted off to internment camps.
If We Lived In The Movies: Aliens would live on Earth. The chances of bumping into E.T. down the local would be much more likely.
Timer (2009)
Reality: When hunting for a soulmate, there is no way to immediately confirm that a potential partner is “the one.” Couples usually spend a prolonged period of time together, often on mini-breaks to determine if they’re right for each other.
The Movie Reality: Most people choose to have a timer fitted, which begins counting down to the moment they’ll meet their soulmate once the partner’s timer is activated.
The countdown reaches zero the night before the two meet, and once they do it begins beeping erratically.
If We Lived In The Movies: Social media would be filled with smug updates declaring “OMG! My timer just zeroed!!!”
Never Let Me Go (2010)
Reality: The first organ transplant in the UK occurred in 1954. Since then, people choose whether or not to carry donor cards so in the event of their death, their organs can go to those who need them.
The Movie Reality: In 1952, a medical breakthrough enables the human lifespan to surpass 100 years. Human beings are cloned purely so their organs can be harvested for people who require them.
If We Lived In The Movies: It’s likely the Human Rights Commission would get involved immediately and put a stop to it.
Strange Days (1995)
Reality: Memories are saved into people’s minds and can be recalled by the person who experienced the memory.
The Movie Reality: People’s experiences can be recorded from their cerebrum directly onto discs using a SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device), usually for sale on the black market.
These recordings can be played back by anyone, who then experiences exactly what the wearer did at the time of capture.
If We Lived In The Movies: Celebrity sex tapes would become a thing of the past, and celebrity sex experiences would sell like hot cakes.
Vanilla Sky (2001)
Reality: Dreams take place while people are asleep. More often that not, they’re like David Lynch films as opposed to lucid, everyday happenings.
The Movie Reality: An advancement in cryonic freezing entitled Life Extension, enables people to remain in a suspended animated state wherein they live in a dream of their choosing.
Should that dream turn into a nightmare, then your beautiful girlfriend may metamorphose into an even crazier version of your dead ex. Cripes.
If We Lived In The Movies: Having control over dreams, a lot of folks would opt to become frozen in order to attain the life they’ve always wanted. Leaving everything open to looters.
Silent Hill (2006)
Reality: Abandoned ghost towns are typically empty of inhabitants.
The Movie Reality: Empty, silent and coated in a layer of falling ash, the town of Silent Hill is a projection from the dark side of young girl who was burned by the townspeople for being born out of wedlock.
Her nightmare world is flooded with pyramid headed monsters, ugly landscapes and townsfolk all destined to feel her wrath.
If We Lived In The Movies: Smoke alarms would feel a lot scarier.
Pleasantville (1998)
Reality: The world is presented in every glorious colour imaginable, and people’s personal revelations don’t manifest physically.
The Movie Reality: The fictional TV town of Pleasantville exists entirely in black and white until trivia geek David and his sister are magically zapped into it bringing with them pre-marital sex, swearing, fighting and err...oil painting.
You know, all the things that make life great. Then things get rather exciting as the citizens start turning to colour.
If We Lived In The Movies: Every minute personal eureka moment would be visibly noticeable. Making it rather difficult to hide certain milestone moments in one’s life (ahem) from parents.
