Although Blade Runner still seems as if it’s still getting better with age, and the Star Wars franchise received its best entry, Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, in the ’80s, there is only one film that truly stands out as the perfect sci-fi movie for the whole family to enjoy. Of course, the film in question is Back to the Future, director Robert Zemeckis‘ timeless time-travel adventure starring Michael J. Fox, fresh out of the TV series Family Ties. Fox stars in the film and its two sequels, opposite Christopher Lloyd as the enigmatic Doc Brown, as they explore the limits of time travel in the iconic DeLorean.
Not just an iconic sci-fi movie, Back to the Future is one of the most important films of all time, and has been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry as a consequence. A pop-culture phenomenon, the film has spawned countless imitators and homages. However, none are as good as the original, except perhaps the direct sequel, which some consider to be an improvement on its predecessor. At the time of writing, over 40 years later, Back to the Future is a streaming hit again, ranking as one of the ten most-watched titles on MGM+ in the U.S.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Will There Ever Be Another ‘Back to the Future’ Movie?
We live in a time when it’s impossible to rule out a return to any franchise. From BeetlejuicetoTop Gun, it wasn’t long ago that the most beloved movies felt untouchable. Now, seemingly no IP is safe from the ever-turning Hollywood machine. However, Back to the Future remains highly unlikely to receive a legacy sequel, with series creators Bob Gale and Zemeckis, who hold the rights to the franchise, making it clear they have no intention of retreading old steps. With Fox’s battle with Parkinson’s disease all but ruling him out of a theoretical fourth film, it is even more unlikely. Instead, we’ll just have to bask in the glory of what we already have.
Back to the Future is a streaming hit on MGM+. Make sure to stay tuned to Collider for all the latest streaming stories.
