How Fake Ads and Products in Sci-Fi Help Set the Scene

Looking out for fake products and adverts in science fiction can be hugely entertaining. However, these elements aren’t only added to our favorite movies and TV shows for their entertainment value. By looking at some of the most interesting examples, we can see how the creators have used them to help reveal more about the world being shown.

RoboCop’s Ads Show a Dystopian World

This 1987 movie and its 1990 sequel explored a dystopian society with a complete lack of order. The main character is Peter Weller, a police officer who is killed by criminals but is brought back to life as a crime-fighting cyborg. The adverts we see during the movie help to show a low-trust society where everyone tries to shield themselves; for instance, the ads promote the MagnaVolt car thief deterrent as well as the Sunblock 5000, which is the only way to avoid the deadly effects of climate change.

The dystopian world created in the first RoboCop movie was so successfully portrayed that it became a huge influence in the entertainment world. This franchise covers four movies and several TV series, with more planned for the future. We can also see a RoboCop game as the Paddy Power site offers online slot machines including RoboCop Cash Collect by Playtech. This slot uses images and characters from the movie to recreate the atmosphere of the film. It also includes a cash collect feature and free spins, with RoboCop as the top-paying symbol.

Total Recall In a World Where We Can Control Our Lives

This 1990 movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone gives us one of the best examples of an advert being a huge part of the plot. Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, who starts having strange dreams about being on Mars. When he sees a TV advert for Rekall Incorporated, he decides to find out about their services and gets an implant that enables him to live an adventure as a secret agent on the red planet.

In this case, the advertising shows us how people in the future can take control of their lives by implanting false memories. This way of introducing products and services that lead to distorted dreams – that turn into nightmares – has become an interesting part of the sci-fi genre. Vanilla Sky from 2001 covers something similar but with a different twist, with a company called Life Extension offering cryonic suspension with lucid dreams.

Blade Runner and Constant Consumerism

Some reviews suggest that Blade Runner dives into deep themes like the meaning of life. This is seen in the way that human replicants without emotions are created to serve the people. In a way, this movie looks at the future of technology and the demands of consumerism.

Both Blade Runner and the sequel Blade Runner 2049 used giant billboards as a way of showing how people are constantly surrounded by ideas of things to buy. Director Ridley Scott mainly used real-world brands in the original for added authenticity, making us wonder what effect it would have on us if we were to live in a place like this.

These classic movies are still massively popular for various reasons. The next time you watch one, pay attention to the advertising and product to see how much it may have influenced their success.