Redstone Sci-Fi Reality Check (1927–2026)

100 years of sci-fi imagining the future, checked against reality

A century ago, Metropolis (1927) premiered in Berlin, widely regarded as the first great science-fiction feature film. To mark the 100-year anniversary of this cultural milestone, we wanted to celebrate the art that inspires our industry, and to see how much of the science fiction of the past hundred years has become reality.

As a global venture capital firm rooted in Europe, we feel a deep connection to this heritage. We invest in companies that are building the future, and we know that before a technology becomes a startup, it usually begins as science fiction. To map the journey from imagination to engineering, our team analysed 270 sci-fi titles across film, television, animation, novels and games, scoring exactly how much of their fictional tech exists today.

47%
Already reality. That’s across all the fictional technology we analysed.
58
Titles score 75% or more. Most of their technology is real today.
270
Titles analysed. They come from 21 countries, across film, TV, animation, novels and games.
100%
Five titles came true in full. They range from Pokémon GO to Contagion.

Source: Redstone editorial scores for up to five ideas per title, averaged, 2026 · averages are our own calculation

Explore the data · filter by country, theme or medium

Themes and timeline

Ever wondered which sci-fi became reality first?

Average score by medium

Select a medium to filter the page.

Average score by theme

Select a theme to follow it through the page.

Each dot is one title, by release year

Hover over or tap a dot to see the title.

How much of their technology is real today, by release period

44–51%
average for every period since 1950
75%
before 1950, from 3 titles

Source: Redstone editorial scores, 2026 · categories assigned by Redstone from each title's defining idea · own calculation

The catalogue

All 270 titles and a reality score

Redstone portfolio company

Where the gaps are

The longest leap from fiction to reality: the mind, and deep space.

    Not every dream is an opportunity. A time machine is a great plot device, but it breaks the laws of thermodynamics. However, other sci-fi staples are no longer just imagination: they are early-stage engineering. From neural interfaces to advanced space propulsion, these concepts are currently being scaled by startups we actively track and fund. As a venture firm, our job is to map the boundary between a writer’s fantasy and a founder’s blueprint.

    Building at one of these frontiers? Talk to us!

    Get in touch →

    How we scored

    For each title we score up to five ideas it imagines, the ones a typical fan would name, including the famous ones that never came true. Each idea gets a step on a seven-step scale: 100% exists today in a form people can buy or use, even if it looks different from the fiction; 85% exists, but only in a limited way (some cities, military only, a few minutes of flight, patients only); 70% is real and spreading but short of the fiction; 50% works only in a narrow or lab form; 25% is early prototypes or research; 10% has some science behind it but no working path; 0% is impossible as far as we know, or a pure plot device. An idea scored 85% or more counts as come true. The title’s score is the simple average, and its band (reality from 75%, near reality from 50%, far off from 25%, fiction below that) describes the score in words. Further real technologies from a title are listed on its card but not scored, so a long list cannot tilt the score. Magic and supernatural powers (the Force, the Infinity Stones) are not technologies, so we leave them out. Under “Who’s building it”, each card lists venture-backed companies working on one of its ideas, European ones first; a red dot marks a company in Redstone’s portfolio.

    The scores are the Redstone team’s considered judgements, not forecasts; these are works of imagination, and we are measuring how far reality has come to meet them.

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