Dreaming the Future Trivia Quiz

Answer: Minority Report

"Minority Report" starred Tom Cruise as the head investigator in D.C.'s pre-crime division, a department governed entirely by three precognitive beings able to see murders before they happen. When Cruise's character becomes the perpetrator in a murder, he has to fight to stop it from happening, even though he's pursued by his own forces.

The movie was a major hit, earning over $350,000,000 in the box office and receiving critical acclaim. Philip K. Dick's original short story was released in 1956.

Answer: Final Destination

"Final Destination", due to its popularity and, inevitably, its tendency to be no more than a series of whimsical Rube Goldberg-esque death sequences, ended up spurning a long-running series featuring then-semi-popular twenty-something actors who needed a push to their careers. Later sequels included Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Nicholas D'Agosto, and Emma Bell.

The first movie, however, brought the whole concept to the screen. After escaping their deaths on the flight, Alex (played by Devon Sawa) and his friends found that Death still needed to reap their souls at any cost, and their own deaths were inevitable. Premonitions occurred in every subsequent film, often seen by the main character.

Answer: The Mothman Prophecies

"The Mothman Prophecies" was based on the story of the Mothman, a paranormal creature who prophesized disasters around the world, most notably in the region around Point Pleasant, West Virginia. A reporter played by Gere ends up embroiled in the mystery after his wife passes away and he tries to unearth the truth.

The movie also starred Laura Linney and was made by music video director Mark Pellington. It earned over $50,000,000 in the box office, then the director's highest-grossing film since "Arlington Road".

Answer: The Shining

Although some of Danny's dreams were seen as visions while awake, they nonetheless showed the past and the future in the Overlook Hotel, the abandoned lodging in the Rockies that his family was hired to look after during the harsh winter months. When his father entered room 237, for instance, he saw a number of disturbing things, most of which involved blood, the threat of 'REDRUM', and his father slowly losing his sanity. Of course what his parents were not aware of was his ability to 'shine', putting him in danger, vulnerable to the Overlook's ghosts.

"The Shining", based on Stephen King's third novel, has been cited by many as one of the scariest movies ever made. Although King never approved of the film (and had it remade as a mini-series), its accolades have made it one of the most celebrated ghost films of all time.

Answer: Aliens

After the events of Ridley Scott's horror film set in space, "Alien", Ripley ended up being the only survivor (except, you know, Jones the Cat). In a horrible dream sequence, Ripley found that she was impregnated by the evil alien in cryosleep and that it was ready to burst from her chest...until she woke up. This wasn't really a foreshadowing event until her reappearance in David Fincher's "Alien 3", the ending of which revealed that Ripley had been impregnated between the events of the second and third film, and she had no choice but to kill herself to prevent it from wreaking havoc. Certainly didn't stop "Alien: Resurrection" from happening now, did it?

"Aliens", directed by James Cameron, was perhaps one of the most profitable action-horror films of the 1980s, bringing in $130,000,000 in the box office and earning Weaver a nod from the Oscar Academy.

Answer: Inception

Directed by Christopher Nolan, "Inception" became one of the most famous films at the turn of the decade, by bringing a unique concept, strong story, and unparalleled graphics to the big screen. Earning over $825,000,000, the movie was based entirely around the idea of entering dreams for the sole purpose of affecting one's brain, implanting (or, the inception of) ideas which would affect a person upon awakening.

In the case of the movie, it was to alter a young heir's business decisions. By successfully delving into different levels of the dream state they would be able to plant the idea without him even knowing.

Answer: The Matrix Reloaded

A follow-up to the Wachowski Brothers' exceedingly-popular sci-fi film "The Matrix", "The Matrix Reloaded" sought to continue to the plot of Neo, The One (played by Keanu Reeves) as he fought the rogue Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) and protected Zion from the machines. The film opened with a prophetic dream which involved Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) getting shot and falling out of a skyscraper. Using this knowledge he was able to save her life, removing the bullet from her by 'seeing through The Matrix' and plucking it from her coded body.

Despite critical disappointment for the direction of the series, "The Matrix Reloaded" earned over $740,000,000 in the box office, ending up the most profitable of the three films (taking in almost half the earnings).

Answer: Sunshine

"Sunshine", appearing in theaters in 2007, failed to achieve any major box office success (it bombed, in fact) but has been regarded as a cult classic sci-fi film since its release. Set in space as a team of scientists headed toward the dying star with a bomb (you know, to kick-start it), is starred Cillian Murphy and Rose Byrne, both of whom claimed to have dreams of the sun during the course of the film.

As the action progressed, it soon became clear that they would, in fact, end up following through on their premonitions.

Answer: Terminator 2: Judgment Day

In James Cameron's blockbuster follow-up to "The Terminator", starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Judgment Day" moved the story into John Connor's teenage years as he, his mother, and the T-1000 (returning from the future) set out to stop SkyNet from taking over and causing a nuclear apocalypse. Little did they know they were only prolonging the inevitable. One noteworthy scene featured Sarah Connor dreaming of a nuclear explosion, incinerating the Los Angeles area before hitting her. The nightmarish dream would only prophecize the inevitable, even if she wasn't around to see it in the third film.

"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" was commonly regarded as the best in the original trilogy (at least by critics). It also earned over $500,000,000 in the box office-- probably chump change for James Cameron, but y'know.

Answer: Event Horizon

Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson (before buckling down to make half a dozen or so "Resident Evil" films), "Event Horizon" was critically panned and flopped in the box office, mainly due to a number of studio cuts preventing the film from being seen in full form (or with fully-realized visuals). Nonetheless, the story was there-- a group of scientists were sent to rescue the Starship Event Horizon but discovered that they'd created a portal into another dimension, unleashing an unspeakable evil on the crew and gorily mutilating them. Throughout, they suffered hallucinations and bad dreams, mirroring the torture around them.

The movie starred Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, and Kathleen Quinlan.