The use of (then) present-day technology and cultural accoutrements was a deliberate choice of the filmmakers, visual rhetoric designed to ground 1981 audiences and draw them into the storyline. Name-brand running shoes, shotguns, whores, and french fries are still inextricable parts of our culture, so I guess Hyams & Co. got that part right. Having worked in environments where computers were common in 1981, I can definitely say 'Outland' presages the future in abandoning those awful ORANGE monochrome monitors in favour of green and blue. Ancient shotguns? These somehow avoid shooting holes in the station, suggesting the projectiles' velocities are being sharply reduced or perhaps even controlled. Forklift? Forget the forklift, what about that kitchen, with its open-air greasetoriums and industrial strength food mixers?
The purpose of this film was not to tell the future, it was to tell a story, set in a distant yet recognizeable future. To be fair, when technology is highlighted in the 'Back To The Future' films, it is simply to make fun of it. However, it should be noted that the not-too-distant future of Marty McFly seems to include, perhaps inextricably, name-brand running shoes, shotguns, whores, and french fries. Having recently viewed 'Outland' I can say that apart from some interesting technical oversights, I was only slightly distracted by the absence of iPhones and the Internet. But perhaps, like 80's theme bars, 'Jaws' films, and (to a great extent) skateboarding, they will be pretty much forgotten by the time we get to Io. We'll have to see.
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