“Strange Days” is one of those movies that came and went, so if you didn’t see it in the theaters, odds are, you’ve never heard of it. The movie came out in 1995 and depicts the far-off future of 1999, on the cusp of the millennium. While this period has come and gone without seeing the same societal decline predicted in the movie, it remains a fascinating example of science fiction predicting aspects of technological development and societal decrement.
The film features an all-star cast consisting of Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, and Vincent D’Onofrio, so there’s plenty of talent involved. Add to that James Cameron’s work on the screenplay with Kathryn Bigelow’s direction, and you’ve got a recipe for a fantastic film. Unfortunately, you’ve also got a box office failure that earned under $8 million off a $42 million production budget.
The film centers around black market virtual reality experiences, specifically those involving murder. This unfolds into a case involving a serial killer with a particular preference for using VR technology while killing his victims. It’s brutal and honest in its approach to analyzing the dangers of the burgeoning technology, which, fortunately, haven’t come to fruition.
