In 1973, Soylent Green imagined a New York City of 2022 — polluted, overcrowded, and facing environmental catastrophe. Other movies offered their own take on what was in store.

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The year is 2022. And if that seems like sometime in the future, well, you may have been watching some movies from the past. Here's a few with a different take on what this year might be like.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

All right. The original "Purge" was set in 2022. It imagined a world where crime is legal for one night a year.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE PURGE")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) At the siren, all emergency services will be suspended for 12 hours. Your government thanks you for your participation.

MARTIN: In the 1993 film "Alien Intruder," a crew heads off into space on a rescue mission. But they turn on each other when a virtual reality alien sabotages their plans.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "ALIEN INTRUDER")

UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR: The crew has a close encounter with a creature beyond their worst nightmares. And virtual reality is no longer harmless fun.

MARTIN: So we do have virtual reality now, but no aliens yet.

MARTINEZ: That we know of. All right.

MARTIN: (Laughter).

MARTINEZ: Now, one film that got some predictions right, 1973's "Soylent Green." The planet faces problems with the climate, overcrowding and supply chain issues.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SOYLENT GREEN")

UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR #2: New York City in the year 2022, nothing runs anymore. Nothing works. But the people are the same. And the people will do anything to get what they need.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: This is the police.

UNIDENTIFIED NARRATOR #2: What they need most is Soylent Green.

MARTINEZ: Now, thankfully, we haven't had to explore just what Soylent Green is yet in our world - by the way, it's people.

MARTIN: (Laughter) So it is 2022. The future is now.

(SOUNDBITE OF FLYING LOTUS' "BETWEEN MEMORIES (INSTRUMENTAL)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.