GUEST COLUMN: 7 Movies That Would Have Different Plots With Modern Technology

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7 Movies That Would Have Different Plots With Modern Technology

by Kevin Gardner

Watching older movies brings back nostalgia for simpler times. However, these films also help us appreciate the technology we have now.

Just in the past few decades, we have seen wireless internet, laptops and tablets become ubiquitous parts of everyday life. Of course, these devices are nowhere to be found in films from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Businesses portrayed in those movies also did not have modern essentials such as MDR.

Yet these movies would also be much less interesting if their characters had access to the latest technologies. Here are seven films whose plots would not exist in current times.

1. Psycho

If Marion had access to the internet, there is no way she would have chosen to stay at the scary Bates Motel. She would have simply booked another hotel or even an AirBnb online.   

Even if Marion did consider checking into the Bates Motel, a quick Google search would have brought up stories about the other mysterious disappearances at the hotel. Marion would have then realized that she would be safer elsewhere.

2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Similarly, Brad and Janet would have had no reason to stop at Frank N. Furter’s creepy mansion when their car broke down in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As long as the newly engaged duo had access to a cell phone, they could have called for help from the comfort of their vehicle.

3. Sixteen Candles

Back in the 1980s, when Sixteen Candles first hit theaters, it was all too common for relatives or friends to forget a loved one’s birthday. Yet if any of Sam’s family members had Facebook, they would have gotten notifications that her birthday was approaching.

4. The Breakfast Club

In The Breakfast Club, five teenagers with seemingly little in common are stuck in detention together with nothing to do except talk to each other. If this story took place in modern society, each teen would barely say two words to the other students in the room. Instead, the students would all be on their cell phones as soon as the classroom door closed. They would then spend the next few hours checking social media, texting friends or playing Angry Birds.  Brian, Claire and Allison would be enjoying themselves, but the viewers would be bored.

5. On the Line

The plot of this somewhat-obscure movie did not age well for several reasons. First of all, Lance Bass of ‘NSYNC fame plays a heterosexual romantic lead. Second, the plot revolves around Bass’ character meeting a potential love interest on the train but failing to get her name or phone number. He then spends the rest of the movie trying to track down this young woman.  In the film, he resorts to billboards and flyers to locate her. If the movie took place today, he could have used online crowdsourcing, social media or perhaps dating apps to find her easily.

6. Home Alone 

Once present-day Kevin realized that his family had left home without him, he could have used his cell phone to call his parents or siblings. In either Home Alone or Home Alone 2, Kevin’s parents also could have easily located their missing son via a tracking application on their phones.

7. Dude, Where’s My Car?

If Jesse and Chester had modern applications, they would not have had to spend the whole movie wandering around searching for their car. They could have just used their phones to track its location.

These are just some of the movies whose plots would be dramatically altered by technology. Watching these films through the lens of modern society actually makes them more amusing than they originally were.