Last Updated on August 3, 2021
#1 – THE RUNNING MAN
While much of this Arnold Schwarzenegger film takes place in 2019, the collapse of society and the rise of THE RUNNING MAN begins in 2017. Plus, the movie is just so fun to watch. Unlike many of Arnold’s films from the same era, this story holds a soft spot in the hearts of many fans of 80s action. I just love Richard Dawson, that guy kicks ass.
#2 – FORTRESS
After HIGHLANDER, Christopher Lambert had a string of successful films, including this underappreciated dystopian thriller. Following an imprisoned couple struggling to survive long enough to have their second child (which is against U.S. law in this movie), Lambert has to fight his way to freedom. When could such a horrendous law be enacted in America? Try 2017.
#3 – MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Yeah, I found a way to get George Miller’s magnum opus onto yet another top ten list. This movie is so damn good, it should be on every list. While it has not been formally confirmed that FURY ROAD is set in 2017, the math from the timing of the previous films in the franchise place this movie sometime over the span of the next few years. So, lets call it 2017 and leave it at that, okay?
#4 – BARB WIRE
Set during the Second Civil War which takes place in 2017, BARB WIRE is a cult favorite that is so bad it is awesome. Pamela Anderson’s iconic knockers have to be seen to be believed. This movie can easily show you just what this upcoming 365 could look like if the citizens of the U.S.A. keep fighting each other like pedantic children.
#5 – TERMINATOR GENISYS
With all of the retconning and rebooting needed to make the most recent TERMINATOR film work, it should come as no surprise that the date of SkyNet becoming self-aware was moved from 1997 to 2017. Why the filmmakers elected to have the date so close to when the film was released may be a mystery to most but it definitely raised the stakes and the immediacy of the film.
#6 – HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2
The final scene in the Harry Potter film franchise is set nineteen years after the decisive Battle of Hogwarts where Voldemort was vanquished once and for all. As everyone knows, Harry was born in 1981 which means the series takes place during the 1990s. Doing the math, that puts the final scene of the wizarding friends seeing their children off to school as taking place in…2017!
#7 – CHERRY 2000
Another post-apocalyptic film set in 2017, this cult favorite stars Melanie Griffith as the sexy tracker named E who helps a man find his missing sex robot. It sounds cheesy and very 1980s but CHERRY 2000 is a pretty well executed movie. Griffith is at her best in a role that should have led to more movies in the genre.
#8 – OBLIVION
Joseph Kosinski’s high concept science fiction thriller throws us into the year 2077 after a war has decimated Earth. Tom Cruise’s character, Jack, is charged with repairing combat drones when he discovers all is not what it seems. Some intrepid fans have deduced that the year Jack and his downed mission first became clones was in the year 2017, meaning he has been repeating the same tasks for almost six decades.
#9 – CLICK
Yes, this Adam Sandler film is not nearly one of his better movies but it does offer a unique take on time travel stories. Sandler’s character moves back and forth through time and, at one point, sees his perfect job and future and it just happens to be 2017. Then again, any year you are married to Kate Beckinsale would be a great year.
#10 – THE ROAD
THE ROAD is an utterly powerful and stunning film (and an even better novel). Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that was America, it would be easy to assume the film is set in a distant future. But, based on the publication date of the novel and guestimating the age of Kodi Smit-McPhee, we can guess that the film is taking place right about now. Scary, huh?
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