Introduction
James Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung co-directed the post-apocalyptic science fiction film Future World in 2018. Combing elements of action from Mad Max, The Book of Eli, and Blade Runner, along with Franco’s former works, the film attempts to capture the dystopian barren future aesthetic of a stylized action saga. Franco starred alongside Suki Waterhouse, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Milla Jovovich, and Snoop Dogg. The film had all the mark of a cult sci-fi thriller but, was met with negative reviews upon release and rapidly faded from the public eye.
The film is visually ambitious but fails to sore due to unbalanced tone, muddled storytelling accompanied by shallow character development. Future World lacks steeping stylized nihilism and edgy cool which makes the film feel like an underdeveloped collage trying to capture its audience.
Plot Summary
The film opens with the Prince, a character played by Jeffrey Wahlberg, struggling to survive in a desolate world following the collapse of civilization. The last remaining loveable habitat to live in is an area called The Oasis, where a dominative queen, bless her soul, resides – played by Lucy Liu. Regardless of a ruthless kingdom, The Oasis quickly turns into the lungs where the decaying realm comes to breathe because the queen suffers from an illness that is exacerbated. The setting of the movie completely comes alive as The Prince sets out on a journey to find a cure, battling out pure chaos.
To further mask the length of the synopsis, Warlord (played by James Franco), who happens to be a flamboyant villain, comes to take form of the sprawling gangleader of a fierce and powerful team. Suki Waterhouse plays Ash, an android equipped with cutting-edge tools. “The Prince” finds an uncanny relationship to Ash – who contrary to other androids, is yet free from the shackles of mindless control, enabling her to choose for herself.
As his journey progresses, the Prince comes to understand the world has captained in his reality, what forces caused it’s collapse, the horrendous acts of humanity inflicted in the name of survival, and the intricate duality of good and evil in a world without laws. This path leads him towards a drug lord and a lunatic, Druglord (Milla Jovovich), a woman who owns a decadent nightclub where human experimentation and control are pushed beyond imaginable limits.
A cycle of motion contains the rest of the climax, where the getting getting would be Ash betrays her creators and Warlord goes havoc out of preserving his chaos control. The Prince at the end is seen returning to the Oasis with a different perception due to his ongoing travels, while Ash gains a little more constructive control over herself, signifying the glimmer of hope hiding behind devastation set by downfall.
Actors and Characters
James Franco will take on the role of Warlord
Franco takes the role of the film protagonist, a role that he took overly excited to the extreme. The Warlord portrays a ludicrous mix of a punk rock villain and a nihilistic terror. While Franco is clearly seeing guzzling the set with joy, it is a shame that he goes over board on giving the character no credible intensity or nuance required looking to ground the conflict of the film in the center.
Suki Waterhouse as Ash
Ash, the film’s android anti-heroine, is arguably the most intriguing character of the picture. Waterhouse performs with a cruel detachment that softens into curiosity and self-realization. While the script does not allow for much of a character arc, Waterhouse infuses the role with as much complexity as possible, attempting to convey a machine struggling with identity and self-autonomy.
Jeffrey Wahlberg as the Prince
In his first leading role, Wahlberg adds some sincerity to the Prince but fails to infuse any emotional depth or separation for the audience to empathize with him. His story arc feels more like a checklist of milestones rather than a journey, and his interactions with other characters, especially Ash, fall flat in terms of chemistry.
Milla Jovovich as Druglord
Jovovich’s take on the ruthless Druglord is over the top in the best possible way. Her approach is high-strung and almost cartoonish, something that would work in a more wrought or self-aware film. In this context, however, she appears utterly detached from the movie’s core narrative and themes, instead serving as a character needed purely for shock value.
Lucy Liu as the Queen
Luo does a commendable job as the Oasis’s dying matriarch. Her performance is calm and authentic, although I believe she is given not nearly enough screen time. With the skill and presence that Liu commands, the emotional manipulations this character could have delivered had the film given adequate attention to the developing politics and power plays of the oasis would make so much more sense.
Snoop Dogg as Love Lord
Snoop Dogg functions as a sleazy club owner for a small role, and his portrayal adds another layer of tackiness to his character. It is entertaining but is shallow and does not serve the story with any new depths.
Direction and Visual Style
The film is co-directed by Franco and Bruce Thierry Cheung. Liu plays the lead in this stylised gritty view of a dystopian world. At times it succeeds — the combination of sun-stricken deserts and a punk rock wardrobe matched with a synth-heavy score creates an immersing atmosphere. The cinematography is washed out and chaotic, employing handheld washing to tell a more disorderly fashion in the spirit of Mad Max: Fury Road.
However, a blend of creativity that quickly downgrades into confusion. Focus on style ultimately overshadows cohesion. The pacing is far too choppy for action sequences to build up any tension. When interspersed madness is introduced along with grim cartoonishness, it becomes impossible to remain invested. Scenes often appear disjointed from one another, as though extracted from different drafts or ideas were never fully stitched together.
Topics and Concepts
Survival and Ethical Collapse
World of the Future is in essence a story about surviving in a world where morality is extinct. Every character from the Warlord to the Drug Lord has some form of a definition, often rooted in a self-driven law of power and control. The film tries to comment on the outcome of the human crisis devoid of ethicality.
Technological Limitations and the Soul
A recurring component of science fiction is encapsulated in Ash’s storyline – is it possible for a machine to become human? or for a synthetic creation to have a soul? The questions are valid, yet the film does not explore these questions deeply enough which would risk anchoring their narrative to philosophical considerations.
Childhood and Renewal
The young prince stands for the symbol of youth and hope, and the possibility of renewing the barren world. His journey follows the universal patterns of the hero’s journey, but the film does not develop his character enough for him to achieve true change or leadership at the end.
Critical Appreciation and Influence
Future World was critically and commercially lambasted at the time of release and did not resonate well with viewers. It was criticized for being a copy, poorly scripted with inconsistent acting and lackluster originality. The film was not well received at the box office and fell into obscurity, as most watched it considered this a badly thought out concept.
Certain niche camps have taken interest in the film for its camp appeal and aesthetic ambition. Its lack of coherence, shallow storytelling, and abrupt shifts in tone prevent it from becoming a film regarded as a cult classic. For most, it serves as a perfect illustration of how striving towards an aspiration excessively can overextend one’s resources.
Conclusion
Future World markets itself as a post-apocalyptic adventure meant to be profound and graphically striking, but it ultimately becomes a tangled failure of opportunity. Although it contains brief bursts of visual imagination and creativity, it is plagued by a disconnected plot, muddled characters, and inconsistent tone.
Those who appreciate dystopian visuals mixed with experimental narratives will be mildly intrigued; however, the film ultimately does not keep the promise it sets at the beginning. This film serves as a reminder that, regardless of a brilliant cast or an audacious concept, visions saturated with ideas need structure and foundation, especially in the oversaturated market of science fiction cinema.
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