9 Movies That Just *Get* Where Storytelling Is Going Next

By: The Skip Button | 2025-12-07
Futuristic Intellectual Epic Sci-Fi Artificial Intelligence Virtual Reality
9 Movies That Just *Get* Where Storytelling Is Going Next
Inception

1. Inception

| Year: 2010 | Rating: 8.4
Dream-weaving, layers of reality, and how our minds build worlds. This movie totally nailed the idea of shared virtual spaces, way before VR really blew up. It's not just about cool action; it's about crafting experiences within experiences, which feels exactly like where interactive narratives are headed. And honestly, who doesn't want to design their own dream city? So cool.
Blade Runner 2049

2. Blade Runner 2049

| Year: 2017 | Rating: 7.6
The way this film explores what makes us human, especially when AI becomes so advanced, is super relevant. It questions identity in a world where synthetic beings have deep memories and emotions. The visual storytelling here is just next-level, creating an immersive, melancholic future that feels incredibly real, hinting at AI-driven narrative branches that could explore countless individual 'lives.'
Ready Player One

3. Ready Player One

| Year: 2018 | Rating: 7.6
This movie is basically a blueprint for the metaverse and how content creators will build entire worlds. It shows us a future where virtual reality isn't just a game, but a primary space for identity, community, and adventure. It’s hopeful about the creative potential, even with its challenges, and highlights how much we'll crave rich, interactive stories in these digital realms.
Her

4. Her

| Year: 2013 | Rating: 7.8
This one beautifully explores connection and emotion with AI, showing us deeply personal, evolving narratives. It’s less about grand adventures and more about the intimate, human-like relationships we might form with advanced AI. The film makes you think about how AI could become partners in storytelling, crafting bespoke experiences that adapt to our feelings and needs. Super thought-provoking.
Arrival

5. Arrival

| Year: 2016 | Rating: 7.6
It’s all about communication, understanding, and how language shapes our perception of time and reality. This film suggests that future narratives might not just be linear; they could be multi-dimensional, allowing us to experience stories from different points in time simultaneously. It hints at AI helping us process complex information, making previously unimaginable plot structures possible. So inspiring.
The Matrix

6. The Matrix

| Year: 1999 | Rating: 8.2
This movie blew everyone's minds with the idea of a simulated reality. It completely changed how we think about what's real and what's not, which is a huge deal for VR and AI. It's not just a cool action flick; it's a philosophical playground about agency and constructing your own truth within a digital world. We're still catching up to its vision.
Minority Report

7. Minority Report

| Year: 2002 | Rating: 7.3
Predicting the future and preventing crimes raises awesome questions about free will and destiny. This film shows how data and AI could shape narratives, letting us explore "what if" scenarios based on predictive models. Imagine interactive stories where your choices are influenced by AI's foresight. It's a look at how stories might become less about following a path and more about navigating probabilities.
Everything Everywhere All at Once

8. Everything Everywhere All at Once

| Year: 2022 | Rating: 7.7
Talk about multi-dimensional storytelling! This movie perfectly captures the chaotic, yet deeply emotional, potential of exploring countless parallel realities. It's a masterclass in blending genres and tones, showing how future narratives, especially with AI, could jump between universes, perspectives, and styles, all while keeping a core emotional thread. It's just so imaginative and vibrant.
Interstellar

9. Interstellar

| Year: 2014 | Rating: 8.5
This film uses science to tell an incredibly emotional story about time, love, and humanity's future. It shows how grand, ambitious ideas can be grounded in deeply personal stakes. When AI helps us visualize complex scientific concepts, or even crafts adaptive narratives based on scientific principles, stories like this become even more powerful and immersive. It's a hopeful look at our place in the cosmos.
Up Next Yo, These 8 Games Ghosted Us But Are Back To Haunt Your Playlist – No Cap! →