Virtual reality has been around for much longer than many of you would think. When the first commercial VR headsets hit the market in the 1990s, everyone wanted one – briefly, then the technology returned to the dark. It re-emerged almost a decade ago – and this time it seems here to stay. VR has been embraced by a variety of industries, from movies and gaming (especially gaming) to education and even casinos. Pretty soon, if all goes well, the most popular online casino Canada has to offer may launch its VR variant – the software is ready to deploy, showcased years ago at trade fairs. The day when you can step into JackpotCity, choose your gaming table and toss a few chips on the virtual roulette table is coming closer each day.
Virtual reality has been a popular trope in movies and TV shows since the 1990s. The technology showed up in several movies, playing an important role in the plot. That until 2018, when it finally became the protagonist in a blockbuster. Let’s review some of the movies where virtual reality plays a (more or less) important role.
The Lawnmower Man (1992)
This 1992 movie shouldn’t be mistaken for Stephen King’s 1975 short story with the same title. The writer had his name removed from the credits as the story was completely different from the source material.
The movie was bad… but had some impressive visuals for its time. The plot revolves around an intellectually disabled gardener who turns into a veritable CyberGod (the working title of the film) after being subjected to a combination of VR and drugs.
The story was heavily lacking, so the filmmakers made up for its shortcomings with some impressive CGI and VR sequences.
Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Canadian science fiction writer William Gibson wrote the script of the 1995 cyberpunk flick Johnny Mnemonic that was, for lack of a better word, a bust. The movie failed to impress the critics and the audiences and didn’t do too well at the box office either. Still, its depiction of cyberspace turned it into an unforgettable piece of cinematic… erm, art… that is referenced in pop culture to this day.
One of the most famous scenes from the movie is the one where Johnny, a data broker with his brain drive filled with stolen information, accesses the internet using a VR headset. While it’s not exactly the “deck” – a brain-computer interface envisioned by Gibson in his novels – it was the next best thing that certainly made some viewers dream of navigating the internet through a similar interface.
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix is a movie inspired by many previous works – among them, William Gibson’s “Neuromancer”, the granddaddy of all cyberpunk. As such, no list about VR and cyberspace movies would be complete without it.
As opposed to the two movies above, The Matrix uses a technology similar to Gibson’s idea of a brain-computer interface – except here, the brain actually contains a big socket used to connect it to the massive virtual world its inhabitants call Earth, and the outsiders call The Matrix.
The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
The Thirteenth Floor was not a resounding success – not a surprise for a hard science fiction story turned into a Hollywood movie. Based on Simulacron-3, a 1964 novel about simulated reality.
The movie was not very good either… it mixed sci-fi with noir, and the result was… neither. But its visuals – and heavy reliance on virtual worlds as a plot point – earned it a spot on our list.
eXistenZ (1999)
David Cronenberg’s movies are… an acquired taste, not for the average moviegoer. eXistenZ is not an exception. The story depicts a world where electronic gaming consoles were replaced by organic ones, so-called “game pods” that connect to a port implanted into the users’ spine through an umbilical cord.
The protagonists, Ted (Jude Law) and Allegra (Jennifer Jason Leigh) are tasked to test a new VR game called eXistenZ. But, as you might expect, the layers of reality are more numerous than they think.
The movie uses practical effects as opposed to CGI, which makes it perhaps the most realistic VR movie to date.
Ready Player One (2018)
At the end of the 1990s, VR went out of style – both in the movies and in real life. But after it re-emerged, it was time for the most epic movie about virtual reality. The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Ernest Cline’s novel with the same title, takes its viewers on a treasure hunt across OASIS, a massive – and massively popular – virtual reality simulation. The movie has acid social criticism hidden under its impressive visuals that are filled to the brim with pop culture references.
I’m sure the movie convinced many people – young and older alike – to consider buying a VR headset for themselves.