When it comes to movies, I love me some good sci-fi. A.I., Fifth Element and Simone are small windows into what our world could be like 50, 100, even 1000 years from now. But better than the storyline, I love that super-advanced technology and slick fashion silhouettes! In the past few years, sci-fi look has been penetrating fashion at an expedited pace, and I couldn’t be more gleeful! I want every dress from of the Balenciaga Spring 09 collection and admire artists like Lady Gaga, who wear outrageous outfit and push the frontiers of pop music.

Musicians love offering their own portrayals of what our future lives will look like. Below are my personal picks for 5 Best and 5 Worst futuristic pop videos. Note that my criteria are not how good the song is or how influential the video for it was, but the fashion, styling & cinematography.

5 BEST FUTURISTIC VIDEOS

{Click on the picture to watch the video}

5. Michael Jackson Scream (feat. Janet) [1995]

At #5 is Michael Jackson Scream, which happens to be the oldest video on the list (1995). Nonetheless, Scream is filled to the brim with creative styling (love those spikes!), mind-blowing dancing and kick-ass cinematography. And believe it or not, this futuristic masterpiece was shot entirely in black & white!

4. Britney Spears Toxic

Britney’s Toxic is like pop rocks: sparkly, explosive and fun. It’s humorous and silly, and aims only to entertain. Those crystal-adorned sunglasses inspire some serious envy, and Britney’s reincarnations from a blonde, to redhead, to brunette are nothing short of superb. Even the adaptation of Madonna’s original naked suit is perfect.

3. Lady Gaga Poker Face

Witness Gaga in the wild: an android-like creature crawling out of a swimming pool and straight into her 2050 mansion. Love the cyborg wig, cheek embellishment and those jerky, robotic dance moves. Go Gaga go!

2. Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow [2009]

“I’m so 3008!” screams Fergie and boy, she isn’t kidding. Boom Boom Pow is a cinematographic piece de-resistance featuring ambitious styling by Lor-E who combined elements of ethnic & futuristic fashions to dress the members. Fergie’s headpiece alone makes my heart go boom! boom!

1. Janet Jackson Feedback [2008]


Didn’t expect to see Janet atop of this list? Thought so. :) Feedback made my brain explode into a thousand happy pieces all over the room, Big Bang-style. Now, this is a fashion video done right: impeccable costumes, mind-blowing dancing and overall phenomenal imagery, start to finish. Despite Miss Janet being far from a lean-mean-cyborg-like-machine, it’s like watching a 4-minute-long fashion editorial.

5 WORST FUTURISTIC VIDEOS

Of course, pulling on a pair of metallic leggings and shaking your booty does not a good futuristic video make. Some videos below manage to dream up a future so drab, we hope it never comes!

5. Christina Aguilera Keeps Gettin’ Better [2008]

For a shiny mega-star like Christina, this is one boring and uninspiring piece (if you want the good stuff, see Fighter). Keeps Gettin’ Better is adrift in zero-gravity of pretentiousness, and Christina looks mirthless & downright depressed striking those contrived poses. In an unsuccessful attempt to combine traditional superhero comics and the future, her team styles her in retro-red lipstick which clashes with the otherwise futuristic setting. Another bad sign is when the artist feels the need to break out their entire arsenal of wigs (exception: Britney’s Toxic). And, of course, the Lady Gaga comparisons are inevitable seeing how she did it first, and did it ‘better’.

4. Shania Twain I’m Gonna Getcha Good [2002]

Typical case of 80s done wrong, this stylistic Hindenburg is so bad, it will have you laughing non-stop. Inspired by the sci-fi of decades past, Shania’s team chooses all the wrong elements of the 80s, making Shania look 10 years older in that god-awful lace suit and big hair. And is that a transformer I spy?!

3. Britney Spears Oops I Did It Again [2000]

The photo says it all: Oops… is one big oopsie. Every decade had its own share of atrocious styling, but the 90s managed it with surprising minimalism. Britney is young and doesn’t yet know what chalky eyeshadow, flat hair and unflattering PVC suit will do to you.  Neither does she know about thick platforms and holographic pants. Ouch Brit, please don’t do it again!

2. Kylie Wow [2007]

Kylie’s stylists accidentally overshot their reference decade by 20 years and brought 60s space-age robots to an 80s disco party. Wow is another unsuccessful marriage of two eras, bound to end up in a divorce. Like incompatible partners, 60s and 80s are good on their own but bring out the worst in each other when paired together. If future looked like this, I wouldn’t want to go on another day.

This is not Kylie’s first attempt at a futuristic video – Can’t Get You Out of My Head was heaps better. But white polyester suits, silver lame pants, and helmets??? Wow, Kylie.

1. TLC Scrubs [1999]

At first I was going to have pity on TLC – it’s the nineties. But upon closer examination, it’s just one year short of 2000s – Michaels’ Scream is 4 years junior, for comparison – and the video is practically a documentation of all things wrong with 90s alternative fashion. Scrubs has, hands down, the worst costumes (ugh, those baggy pants and platforms), some really bad hair and astoundingly bad makeup. It’s all just a little too much and epically lacking in taste. The Sputnik-shaped cake is yours, TLC!

Deerlings: what are your favorite futuristic videos, good or bad?