History ValuesResonance / Film

* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'': At first glance a typical Hollywood soap action movie, but actually a deeply scathing critique of the book it was based on and militarism in general. Yet it later became popularized as a critique of UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror, due to the many parallels between several parts of the movie -- governments using acts of terror to justify war, sending countless people to their deaths, employing torture, etc. People who watch it today are even surprised that this film was actually produced half a decade before the Iraq war.

* Early in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'', one of the (anatomically-male) members of the People's Front of Judea keeps insisting on gender-inclusive language; when Reg gets annoyed and demands to know why they're so insistent, they say they want to be a woman and asks everyone to call them Loreta. Reg dismisses this since Loreta doesn't even have a womb... but then at the end of the movie, [[{{Call Back}} everybody casually calls her Loreta]]. This was a funny joke in 1979, but 40 years later, it comes across as a more sympathetic portrayal of transgenderism.

* ''Film/ShanghaiExpress'' from 1932 as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gtPieijRa8 shown here]] drops the anvil hard on SlutShaming by showing two female characters being empowered by their sexuality and depicting the characters who look down on them for it as pompous or in need of learning AnAesop. A religious man learns that prostitutes can have souls too. The women also save the day -- Shanghai Lily by offering herself to Chang in exchange for Donald not being blinded (she turned down his previous offer, making it clear she has the power here) and Hui Fei by [[spoiler: stabbing Chang as revenge for raping her]]. Hui Fei is a prominent Asian lead, shown as intelligent and resourceful and played by an actual Asian actor.

** ''Heathers'' also brings up rape culture in a way that was very unusual for the 80s, with Kurt and Ram unambiguously being portrayed as assholes for spreading a rumor about Veronica giving them oral sex and sexually assaulting Heather [=McNamara=], and it is not played for a joke. Heather Chandler is also being shown being pressured into giving a college guy oral sex and later is seen washing her mouth out with a traumatized expression on her face, later lashing out at Veronica, who managed to resist the peer pressure to do so, implying that some of her AlphaBitch tendencies are a cover for all she's sacrificed in the name of appearing popular and cool. J.D also slips a couple of notches down the villain scale when Veronica tries to break up with him and he shoves her back down on the sofa and plants a ForcefulKiss on her, though fortunately he doesn't go further once Veronica tells him to get lost.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'': Marty telling a teenage Lorraine that she shouldn't drink or smoke. While it came from Marty's first-hand knowledge of how alcohol and nicotine addiction would contribute to his mother's health in her later years, it was definitely a forward-thinking lesson to teach. Contrast with many other films from The80s, which [[SmokingIsCool relished teenage characters abusing substances with little regard for the consequences]].

** The Riddler's plan to use an electronic device as a Trojan Horse to steal people's personal information has became a ''lot'' more relevant (and plausible) in our current internet-heavy culture.
** Edward Nygma becoming a rich, famous tech magnate by selling a gadget that entertains the mesmerized masses while secretly stealing their personal info and lurid secrets in the background is eerily prescient to the advent of smartphones and social media, and makes the plot more biting in the 2020s than it was in 1995.

** It's been pointed out that Penguin's treatment of Catwoman is highly reminiscent of a so-called 'Nice Guy'; he presumes she would want to be in a relationship with him because they work together and because of her sexualized clothing and behavior, even though she never acts flirtatious with him directly and notably rejects or diverts his attempts to 'seduce' her. When she unambigiously rejects him, he resorts to insults and violence, insisting she led him on and seeing no further value in her. It could also be interpreted as a deconstruction of the belief that women who dress or act a certain way are 'asking for it'.
** Selina and Bruce's romance is actually pretty positive (except for the DatingCatwoman situation and the fact they could both use therapy). Bruce wins Selina's affections by treating her like a human being with no expectation she'll reciprocate his romantic interest in her; unlike some other men in the film he doesn't objectify or look down on her. During their Wayne Manor date they both respect their mutual decision to not take things further than they want to, no questions asked, and neither of them takes it personally. Batman also views Catwoman as an equal opponent; he only underestimates her because she's a woman once (and she was intentionally playing up WomenAreDelicate) and never makes that mistake again.

** Veronica immediately tells off Billy for making fun of a kid who struggles reading. Billy takes that lesson to heart and saves one of his younger classmates from embarrassment, which is one of the moments where he begins to grow as a person..

* ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' (1989): Though set in 1959, [[spoiler:Neil's suicide]] is all the more topical as awareness of mental health issues, particularly among men, became a major talking point in TheNew10s -- spurred on, [[HarsherInHindsight ironically enough]], by the suicide of Creator/RobinWilliams himself in 2014. And the thing that led to [[spoiler:Neil's death]] was that he couldn't deal with the immense pressure from [[EducationMama his father]] to succeed in academics, as nowadays, many students of all ages are also having trouble with that same sort of pressure.
* This happened to ''Film/DemolitionMan''. In TheNew10s, with MoralGuardians and their polar opposite being louder than ever before, both factions paint a pretty relevant picture. ''Especially'' with its surprisingly nuanced ability to portray both the positives ''and'' negatives of both sides of the argument, and how people like Raymond Cocteau and Simon Phoenix can and will weaponize things like political correctness and freedom of expression, respectively, [[ItsAllAboutMe for their own selfish ends without caring how its harming others]].

* ''Film/DoTheRightThing'' (1989): The subject matter and overall themes regarding the existence of systemic racism as well as [[spoiler:police brutality]] in a post-Civil Rights world have aged extremely well with the rise of the UsefulNotes/BlackLivesMatter movement bringing the aforementioned issues to the forefront.

* ''Film/ElNorte'' is a 1983 film centered around an immigrant couple from Guatemala who flee from a hostile living situation to the United States in hopes of a better life, only to face a variety of challenges, such as tension with other Latinos (the protagonists natively speak Mayan, not Spanish), the culture shock they face when they finally settle in the U.S., to crackdowns on undocumented immigrants like the two protagonists. All of which still affect millions of Latino immigrants today, especially in the 2010's when the U.S. federal government doubled down on enforcing immigration protocols to the letter.

* ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'': Since TheNew10s, and especially since the coronavirus pandemic, the American education system is increasingly seen as an institution that does not actually engage with students or stoke their interests. Ferris' hooky can be seen as the act of a kid who is exasperated with a school, considering he complains about the curriculum in one of his monologues. When you see Rooney's uncomfortably obsessive behavior and the boring economics teacher, it is much easier to see Ferris' point. It also helps that Ferris shows hints of being BrilliantButLazy and otherwise is discouraged from putting in the effort.

* ''Film/ForrestGump'': While some key aspects of the film haven't aged too well (namely the "white savior" undertones, Jenny's narrative having a slut-shaming subtext and, to a lesser extent, the fact that the mentally-challenged lead is played by a neurotypical actor), its scathing treatment of the counterculture, which for years was mocked as taking a cue from the Jack Webb playbook, gained relevance during the 2010s, as the counterculture movement became regarded as having done more harm than good in the long run by promoting an hedonistic and reckless lifestyle as well as giving a voice to manipulative, holier-than-thou types that prioritize their personal gain over the common good. The fact Forrest is perfectly able to rely on himself and succeed in life in spite of all has also helped its stature as most films about InspirationallyDisadvantaged characters made in the wake of the movie's success have tended to present them as [[TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket pitifully incompetent]] people [[NoSocialSkills unable to function in normal society]].

** ''Heathers'' also brings up rape culture in a way that was very unusual for the 80's, with Kurt and Ram unambiguously being portrayed as assholes for spreading a rumor about Veronica giving them oral sex and sexually assaulting Heather [=McNamara=] and it is not played for a joke. Heather Chandler is also being shown being pressured into giving a college guy oral sex and later is seen washing her mouth out with a traumatized expression on her face, later lashing out at Veronica who managed to resist the peer pressure to do so, implying that some of her AlphaBitch tendencies are a cover for all she's sacrificed in the name of appearing popular and cool. J.D also slips a couple of notches down the villain scale when Veronica tries to break up with him and he shoves her back down on the sofa and plants a ForcefulKiss on her, though fortunately he doesn't go further once Veronica tells him to get lost.
** The movie also goes out of its way to show that [[TheChainOfHarm getting rid of one bad person doesn't solve anything in the long run and that a victim can turn into a bully easily]], as when Heather Chandler dies, Heather Duke promptly takes her place and starts bullying Heather [=McNamara=] in exactly the same way, much to the frustration of Veronica. When J.D suggests killing off Heather Duke as well, Veronica points out that killing Chandler just made her into a martyr and they can't go around murdering whoever they feel like, but J.D doesn't listen to her. This becomes all the more relevant in the New 10's with school bullying coming under much sharper focus.

* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'': When the original trilogy came out in The80s, its pre-World-War-Two setting read largely as a throwback to a simpler timer, and its antifascist politics as generically patriotic in a way people of (almost) all viewpoints could embrace. With the rise of the alt-right in TheNew10s, it's found a newly political resonance, with left-wing groups like Antifa and others embracing Indy as an icon in [[https://theconversation.com/punching-nazis-what-would-indiana-jones-do-71756 debates over the appropriateness of violence]] in confronting neo-Nazis and similar groups.

** The film's lambasting of the amoral way Potter runs the town bank, up to and including flat-out robbing his customers, remains ever relevant in light of the Great Recession, as is him getting away with it, and being untouchable despite all the stuff he does.
** The present day timeline has many references to the war and how it affected daily life. However the fact that it showed Pottersville as being a seedy and decrepit place compared to the wholesome Bedford Falls actually made it out of place for 1946, and likely led to the film not being a hit at the time. Remember that in addition to having just lived through WWII Americans had spent the previous decade living through the Great Depression as well. As a result a fun place like Pottersville was much more appealing to the average American than a poor sleepy place like Bedford Falls.
* ''Film/JackieBrown'' features a [[Creator/PamGrier black, middle-aged air hostess]] who makes a living smuggling dirty money, drugs and guns over the Mexican border. Caught between the vicious gun-runner [[Creator/SamuelLJackson Ordell Robbie]] and his criminal associates and the ruthless agents of the ATF, Jackie is an unlikely heroine who is nevertheless presented as [[MagnificentBastard extremely clever and capable]] but also deeply relatable and vulnerable. ''Jackie Brown'' is widely praised today for its female representation, and some critics hold it up as [[Creator/QuentinTarantino Tarantino]]'s best film.

** The franchise at one time seemed to lose its relevance with the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar in the 1990s, but after the trauma of September 11th and which resulted in UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror and international terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, James Bond and his battles against eerily similar villainous groups like SPECTRE suddenly felt brilliantly pertinent again, [[DeconReconSwitch as acknowledged]] in ''Film/{{Skyfall}}''.

** Despite their UsefulNotes/ColdWar setting, the villains in most classic Bond movies weren't communists, but mad capitalists with the resources (including private armies, a presence in every corner of the globe, and cutting edge technology that sometimes borders on science fiction) to be an NGOSuperpower. To put it mildly, this has aged ''very'' well into the post-Cold-War era. For most of the twentieth century, between the fortunes lost in TheGreatDepression and the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI world]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII wars]], the growth of large centralized government bureaucracies, much higher tax rates all over the industrialized world, higher barriers (both legal and practical) to trade between nations, and half the world locked away behind the UsefulNotes/IronCurtain, private citizens with the wealth and global reach of James Bond villains were mostly confined to the pages of fiction, where they were used largely for narrative purposes[[note]]as long as the villain was an individual with no national or ideological loyalties, the writers couldn't be accused of demonizing any country and alienating potential audiences[[/note]] rather than as commentaries on the real world. With increasing globalization, privatization, and the skyrocketing fortunes of the rich, these characters are far less fantastical today. The films have acknowledged this: when ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'' came out, the satire of the Information Age was so obvious that the only question among fans was ''which'' real-life billionaire the aforementioned Elliot Carver was based on[[note]]Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates are popular guesses; the writers claim they were actually aiming at Robert Maxwell[[/note]]. Even the more ridiculous villains like Stromberg and Drax, whose plans involve riding out the apocalypse in space stations or underwater cities, have a new resonance in an age when [[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prepper-bunkers-apocalypse-survival-richest-rushkoff security companies market lavish post-apocalyptic bunkers to nervous billionaires, some of whom in turn are asking whether such cartoonish devices as shock collars or deadman switches should be considered to prevent their guards or employees from rising up against them.]]

* ''Film/MadchenInUniform'' was the first movie to have a pro-lesbian storyline (and the two females are explicitly in love). Not only that, but neither one dies (one attempts suicide, [[InterruptedSuicide but is stopped by her classmates]]) or turns PsychoLesbian. This movie was made in 1931 and it still has plenty of relevant themes and motifs in terms of feminism and lesbian sexuality, back when neither ideology had much mainstream acceptance.

* ''Film/TheMightyDucks'': In the third movie, Charlie's love interest argues that the Warriors Hockey Team has a racist name and mascot and both should be changed, which does happen at the end of the movie. This argument feels more relevant in the 21st century, on which the Washington Redskins football team experienced increased controversy over its name and was eventually rebranded the Commanders.

** The film combats the NotLikeOtherGirls trope in a refreshing way. Gracie starts out initially being scornful of the pageant contestants, but as she gets to know them she becomes good friends with several of them and gains a lot of respect for both the girls and herself in the process, as by the end of the movie she's still a badass FBI agent and considerably more well-groomed and refined, showing that you can be both and they are not mutually exclusive.
** The movie also brings up rape culture when a drunk Cheryl rather nonchalantly admits her college professor sexually assaulted her. When a horrified Grace asks if she reported him, Cheryl says she didn't and then adds, "I know that happens all the time!" Grace tells Cheryl in no uncertain terms that it does not, that she should always report such things and then decides to try and teach Cheryl how to defend herself (though Cheryl passes out before she can get far), but Grace doesn't ever blame Cheryl for the incident or shame her for not telling anyone sooner, and Grace is inspired to use her training to do some impromptu self-defense lessons during the talent portion of the competition, so many young girls watching the show will see it and have something to fall back on.

* Early in ''Film/MontyPythonsLifeOfBrian'', one of the (anatomically-male) members of the People's Front of Judea keeps insisting on gender-inclusive language; when Reg gets annoyed and demands to know why they're so insistent, they say they want to be a woman and asks everyone to call them Loreta. Reg dismisses this, since Loreta doesn't even have a womb... but then at the end of the movie, [[{{Call Back}} everybody casually calls her Loreta]]. This was a funny joke in 1979, but 40 years later, it comes across as a more sympathetic portrayal of transgenderism.

* ''Film/{{Network}}'' was intended to be an over-the-top satire of the news media when it was produced. Forty years later, the points it makes about corporate-run, sensationalist media and its impact on society are, if anything, even more relevant. Arthur Jensen's speech about corporations being the real nations of the world today seem frighteningly prophetic after decades of increasing globalization and corporate 'synergy'.

** The fact that white collar tech jobs are no longer the guaranteed ticket to a middle-class lifestyle they were during the economic booms of the 90s and 00s also helps offset some of the Great Recession era complaints that stable, comparatively well-paying jobs being portrayed as such hell-holes made the main cast come off as [[UngratefulBastard Ungrateful Bastards.]]
* While ''Film/TheOppositeOfSex'' isn't fully enlightened with homosexuality during its time, it did a pretty good job with the portrayal of Matt's sexuality. He's bisexual who is in a relationship with Jason throughout the movie while showing his attraction to women are just as valid, with Lucia being the person in the wrong by claiming that bisexuality doesn't exist. It is also an example of a man who happens to be bisexual in the 90s which is impressive even to this day as one of the issues bisexual men still face right now is the issue of bisexual erasure, including the under representation in media, even the LGBT+ ones.

* In the horror film ''Film/TheRageCarrie2'', a bunch of {{Jerk Jock}}s at a high school are targeted for death by a teenage girl whose best friend was DrivenToSuicide due to a toxic combination of rape culture, machismo, and a MadonnaWhoreComplex. This film was directed by a woman, and the aforementioned characters were [[RippedFromTheHeadlines loosely based]] on [[https://www.spin.com/2013/08/the-worst-moments-of-the-90s-worst-band-names-worst-lyrics-worst-video/ a real-life scandal from a few years prior]] involving high school athletes from the Spur Posse group treating their female classmates like sex objects. No, this film did not come out in 2016, and therefore was not inspired by the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steubenville_High_School_rape_case Steubenville rape case]], the Rolling Stone/UVA controversy, the Brock Turner scandal, or anything of that kind. It was released in 1998, long before the current debate on campus rape, toxic masculinity and athlete entitlement, or support for fourth-wave feminism that addressed it, was anywhere close to the mainstream.
* ''Film/ScaryMovie'': recurring gag throughout each movie is that while the wholesome white girl is guaranteed to live ([[spoiler:though she does get hit by a car in the first film's conclusion]]), all the black characters are fully aware that [[BlackDudeDiesFirst they only exist to be killed off]]. With the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, audiences are now more likely to sympathize with the black characters.

* ''Film/StrangeDays'': The 1995 film presents a dystopian Los Angeles of 1999 in which the police are growing increasingly militarized, violent and racist. The murder of a black man during a traffic stop drives the plot. In modern times, issues with police militarization, violence and racism have all become even greater causes for concern, with fatal encounters between black men and police receiving significant coverage and controversy.

* ''Film/TheViolentYears'' may have its ''main'' message [[SoBadItsGood poorly executed and difficult to take seriously]], but what stands out about the film is that it's still one of the very few films that averts DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale, despite it being released in 1956. It treats what happened as what it is: a gang-rape under the threat of murder, and the MoralEventHorizon in-universe. This was one of the things the film was mocked for at the time, [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S06E10TheViolentYears even as recently as the 90s]], because the prevailing mindset was still that AllMenArePerverts and that the scenario would be more of a wet dream than a nightmare. However, in TheNew10s, awareness of the fact that sexual assault is inexcusable no matter who it happens to has become much more widespread, and as a result the horror of the scene lands much more as intended now.

* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Jessica Rabbit is introduced seemingly as a FemmeFatale MsFanservice, but is soon revealed to be a [[HiddenDepths layered]] and proactive character. She plays MsFanservice as part of her job, but draws clear boundaries and refutes claims that she's a GoldDigger or ReallyGetsAround - even pointing out that she's often stereotyped entirely because of how she looks. She proves to be a heroic character that does whatever she can to rescue her husband, whom she clearly loves.
* ''Film/TheWorldOfSuzieWong'' pulls no punches in challenging the racism of rich white expats in Hong Kong towards the Chinese locals, features the titular Suzie supporting Robert financially for a time and depicts an interracial relationship where the race is almost incidental. Suzie is an Asian female lead with depth, an arc and subverts a lot of [[AsianHookerStereotype offensive]] [[AsianBabymama Asian]] [[SatelliteLoveInterest tropes]] of the day. She's also able to be funny without being a punch line or a FlawlessToken.

* ''Film/{{Candyman}}'' has the titular slasher villain becoming a ghost after being a victim of a hate crime, and the film is set in a crime-ridden housing district where the residents are poor and ignored by authorities. These themes of racial prejudice, while not without its criticism, has only become more applicable over the years until they became modernized with the releasse of ''Film/Candyman2021''.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'': Marty telling a teenage Lorraine that she shouldn't drink or smoke. While it came from Marty's first-hand knowledge of how alcohol and nicotine addiction would contribute to his mother's health in her later years, it was definitely a forward-thinking lesson to teach. Contrast with many other films from TheEighties, which [[SmokingIsCool relished teenage characters abusing substances with little regard for the consequences]].

* ''Film/DeadPoetsSociety'' (1989): Though set in 1959, [[spoiler:Neil's suicide]] is all the more topical as awareness of mental health issues, particularly among men, became a major talking point in TheNewTens -- spurred on, [[HarsherInHindsight ironically enough]], by the suicide of Creator/RobinWilliams himself in 2014. And the thing that led to [[spoiler:Neil's death]] was that he couldn't deal with the immense pressure from [[EducationMama his father]] to succeed in academics, as nowadays, many students of all ages are also having trouble with that same sort of pressure.
* This happened to ''Film/DemolitionMan''. In TheNewTens, with MoralGuardians and their polar opposite being louder than ever before, both factions paint a pretty relevant picture. ''Especially'' with its surprisingly nuanced ability to portray both the positives ''and'' negatives of both sides of the argument, and how people like Raymond Cocteau and Simon Phoenix can and will weaponize things like political correctness and freedom of expression, respectively, [[ItsAllAboutMe for their own selfish ends without caring how its harming others]].

* ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'': Since TheNewTens, and especially since the coronavirus pandemic, the American education system is increasingly seen as an institution that does not actually engage with students or stoke their interests. Ferris' hooky can be seen as the act of a kid who is exasperated with a school, considering he complains about the curriculum in one of his monologues. When you see Rooney's uncomfortably obsessive behavior and the boring economics teacher, it is much easier to see Ferris' point. It also helps that Ferris shows hints of being BrilliantButLazy and otherwise is discouraged from putting in the effort.

* ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' is a prime slice of [[TheEighties 1980's]] British [[NarmCharm cheese]] where the hero (an immortal warrior from medieval Scotland) beats up a DirtyCop who throws around homophobic slurs as his EstablishingCharacterMoment. It's pretty cool to see given the casual homophobia that defined much of the decade.

* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'': When the original trilogy came out in TheEighties, its pre-World-War-Two setting read largely as a throwback to a simpler timer, and its antifascist politics as generically patriotic in a way people of (almost) all viewpoints could embrace. With the rise of the alt-right in TheNewTens, it's found a newly political resonance, with left-wing groups like Antifa and others embracing Indy as an icon in [[https://theconversation.com/punching-nazis-what-would-indiana-jones-do-71756 debates over the appropriateness of violence]] in confronting neo-Nazis and similar groups.

* ''Film/OfficeSpace'': The satirization of the elements associated with poor white-collar work environments, such as micromanagement from supervisors, defective technology hindering productivity, and poor work-life balance for the employees, rings just as true in TheNewTwenties as it did in TheNineties. The long-term psychological effects of working these sorts of jobs for too long, such as depression, are also taken a lot more seriously in the modern day.

* One reason the ''Franchise/StarWars'' Prequel Trilogy films, ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'', ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', and ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' were VindicatedByHistory during TheNewTens was that by that time, the trilogy's themes of the decline of democracy and the toxic influence of wealth in politics had become more relevant than before. When ''The Phantom Menace'' was released in 1999, people thought a trade war started by a Trade Federation was [[SillyReasonForWar preposterous]], but with subsequent events like the "Citizens United" Supreme Court case, which ruled that "corporations are people" and equated money with free speech, and [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror the War in Iraq]] suspected of being driven by the desires of obtaining Iraq's oil supply, it didn't seem so outrageous anymore.

* ''Film/TheViolentYears'' may have its ''main'' message [[SoBadItsGood poorly executed and difficult to take seriously]], but what stands out about the film is that it's still one of the very few films that averts DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale, despite it being released in 1956. It treats what happened as what it is: a gang-rape under the threat of murder, and the MoralEventHorizon in-universe. This was one of the things the film was mocked for at the time, [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S06E10TheViolentYears even as recently as the 90s]], because the prevailing mindset was still that AllMenArePerverts and that the scenario would be more of a wet dream than a nightmare. However, in TheNewTens, awareness of the fact that sexual assault is inexcusable no matter who it happens to has become much more widespread, and as a result the horror of the scene lands much more as intended now.
* ''Film/WarGames'' was released in 1983, when personal computers were still new, and networking them was a decade away. Even though the subject of nuclear war isn't as relevant as it was during the Cold War (and the dangers of all-out nuclear war are so well-worn the relevant lesson enters CaptainObviousAesop territory), the dangers presented by computer security threats are even more pertinent to the present than they were in TheEighties now that EverythingIsOnline and talk of cyber-warfare abounds, and many of the basic security mistakes featured (such as putting a list of passwords on a sheet of paper right next to the computer) are sadly still with us today, too.

* ''Franchise/IndianaJones'': When the original trilogy came out in TheEighties, its pre-World-War-Two setting read largely as a throwback to a simpler timer, and its antifascist politics as generically patriotic in a way [[AcceptableTargets people of (almost) all viewpoints could embrace]]. With the rise of the alt-right in TheNewTens, it's found a newly political resonance, with left-wing groups like Antifa and others embracing Indy as an icon in [[https://theconversation.com/punching-nazis-what-would-indiana-jones-do-71756 debates over the appropriateness of violence]] in confronting neo-Nazis and similar groups.

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'': Marty telling a teenage Lorraine that she shouldn't drink or smoke. While it came from Marty's first-hand knowledge of how alcohol and nicotine addiction would contribute to his mother's health in her later years, it was definitely a forward-thinking lesson to teach. Contrast with many other films from TheEighties, which [[SmokingIsCool relished teenage characters abusing substances with little regard for the consequences]].

* ''Film/BackToTheFuture'': Marty telling a teenage Lorraine that she shouldn't drink or smoke. While it came from Marty's first-hand knowledge of how alcohol and nicotine addiction would contribute to his mother's health in her later years, it was definitely a forward-thinking lesson to teach. Contrast with many other films from TheEighties, which [[SmokingIsCool relished teenage characters abusing substances with little regard for the consequences]].

* ''Film/{{Mandalay}}'' (1934): Besides all the feminist takeaways, Tanya is a SympatheticMurderer who gets away with getting rid of her ex-boyfriend, who sold her into {{Sex Slave}}ry -- and only does so because he wouldn't leave her alone. She then gets an {{implied}} RedemptionEqualsDeath when she goes to Black Fever-ridden Mandalay to help treat the plague victims. By today's standards, Tanya needed not any kind of redemption as it's all in self-defense -- she's even seen as even more heroic for adopting such a noble if doomed endeavor. By the period's standards, however, women who fight to liberate themselves and are willing to commit morally questionable acts to achieve their goals (regardless of how noble or heinous) are given the villain treatment or suffer severe punishment for their actions. And this is all the more {{enforced}} once the Hays code is passed. Curiously enough, Tanya is never vilified InUniverse, so while, for the film's original audience, ''Mandalay'' is a controversial, [[GreyAndGrayMorality morally gray]] work, for today's audience and within the fourth wall, the villains and heroes are clearer cut.

* ''Film/{{Mandalay}}'' (1934): Besides all the feminist takeaways, Tanya is a SympatheticMurderer who gets away with getting rid of her ex-boyfriend, who sold her into {{Sex Slave}}ry -- and only does so because he wouldn't leave her alone. She then gets an {{implied}} RedemptionEqualsDeath when she goes to Black Fever-ridden Mandalay to help treat the plague victims. By today's standards, Tanya needed not any kind of redemption as it's all in self-defense -- she's even seen as even more heroic for adopting such a noble if doomed endeavor. By the period's standards, however, women who fight to liberate themselves and are willing to commit morally questionable acts to achieve their goals (regardless of how noble or heinous) are given the villain treatment or suffer severe punishment for their actions. And this is all the more {{enforced}} once the Hays code is passed. Curiously enough, Tanya is never vilified InUniverse, so while, for the film's original audience, ''Mandalay'' is a controversial, [[GreyAndGrayMorality morally gray]] work, for today's audience and within the fourth wall, the villains are heroes are clearer cut.

** [[TechnologyMarchesOn Even though it doesn't mention the internet]], ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'' paints a surprisingly accurate picture of mass media scaremongering tactics today. Elliot Carver's line "Words are the new weapons; satellites, the new artillery" seemed plain [[LargeHam hammy]] when first released, but the rise of 24-hour news networks like Creator/CableNewsNetwork, MSNBC, and Fox News, along with [[PompousPoliticalPundit TV political pundits]], increasingly polarized news judgments (including fake news and misinformation), and electronic warfare make Carver's line hit home harder than ever. In addition to that, the major reason why the villain launches his whole scheme is because China refused to allow him access into their markets, similar to how [[ChinaTakesOverTheWorld many Western companies are either banned or must submit to heavy Chinese regulation]] to be able to operate within China today. That Carver is a satire of media barons like Rupert Murdoch, Ted Turner, William Randolph Hearst, etc. also makes sense given that the same news networks are owned by large conglomerates.

* ''Film/TromeoAndJuliet'': Juliet's bisexuality is portrayed as a matter-of-fact and the sole lesbian character in a 1997 film, Ness, is portrayed very positively instead of making her a PsychoLesbian or a jealous stalker.

* While ''Film/TheOppositeOfSex'' isn't fully enlightened with homosexuality during it's time, it did a pretty good job with the portrayal of Matt's sexuality. He's bisexual who is in a relationship with Jason throughout the movie while showing his attraction to women are just as valid, with Lucia being the person in the wrong by claiming that bisexuality doesn't exist. It is also an example of a man who happens to be bisexual in the 90s which is impressive even to this day as one of the issues bisexual men still face right now is the issue of bisexual erasure, including the under representation in media, even the LGBT+ ones.

* ''Film/THX1138'' (1971): The themes about consumerism being so widespread that people are only valued as workers and police brutality also being prevalent don't feel out of place 50 years later.

* ''Film/BigDaddy'': Sonny's ''incredibly'' casual acceptance of two of his longtime (male) friends having fallen in love and the pair being portrayed in a loving, stable relationship throughout the film; though fairly common in 2019, such a thing was both bold ''and'' rare for a film released in 1999. [[note]]a time when members of the LGBT community, though slowly gaining more social acceptance and civil rights than ever before, were still used by and large as incredibly tone-deaf punchlines in fiction.[[/note]]
--> '''Mike''': I am still weirded out seeing them kiss.
--> '''Sonny''': Why? They're gay. That's what gay guys do.
--> '''Mike''': Yeah, but they were like brothers to us in school.
--> '''Sonny''': They're still our brothers. Our very gay brothers.
* ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina''. The film brilliantly satires [[WhiteMansBurden "White Saviour" tropes]] and subsequently feels refreshing because even many contemporary movies can't move away from them. Jack Burton acts like a man who thinks he's an AllAmericanFace but is actually a WrongGenreSavvy ButtMonkey. He insists on leading the resistance against the BigBad despite being out of his depth and consantly [[TheWatson needing everything explained to him]]. His Chinese buddy Wang Chi turns out to be his HypercompetentSidekick. Despite having an inflated opinion of himself, however, Jack is a hero, so the satire isn't completely critical.

* The CrapsackWorld of ''{{Film/Brazil}}'' features a bureaucratic government that responds to terrorist attacks with a cut down on liberties and the detainment and torture of its citizens -- meaning that a story made during the background of UsefulNotes/TheTroubles takes on a whole new meaning in UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. Director Creator/TerryGilliam even joked about [[DeadpanSnarker wanting to sue George Bush and Dick Cheney for the unauthorized remake of his movie.]]