Tesla Inc (TSLA)

[boston745]

Netflix's 'Leave the World Behind' takes a swipe at Tesla
Apocalypse on autopilot.

In this slow-burn apocalyptic thriller from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, based on Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel, one of the film's two core families reaches a moment of decisive panic halfway through the film. What it leads to is a timely commentary on fears around self-driving cars and automation, and what happens when transportation gets hijacked.

Amanda screeches their vehicle out of the way just in time, as more Model 3s hurtle toward them. In one long shot, the camera pans around the terrified family to pause briefly, offering a look through the windscreen, then swoops up to offer a bird's-eye view of the highway, where cars of multiple models and makes are piled up, one after the other.

Where have we seen this before?
Beyond the Batmobile, Herbie, K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider, and the Transformers team, the thrills and perils of the self-driving car are nothing new for most movie-goers. It's an especially popular plot device in sci-fi and action films, from the Johnny Cab in Total Recall to the self-driving car crash that defines Upload, as well as Tony Stark's autonomous Audi in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Benji's self-driving BMW iX in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

I find it interesting they didnt include Stephen Kings 'Maximum Overdrive' in this list which is a much better example of exactly this sort of thing. Although in 'Maximum Overdrive', EM radiation (like what is actually happening?) causes vehicles to go crazy and not entities hijacking the vehicles.

With all this being slowly realised, the scene in Leave the World Behind feels like Esmail's own swipe at the industry and the prevailing fears around automation, with arguably the most famous self-driving car company made a villain in the tech apocalypse. It's simple but effective, and it sends the characters right back to their refuge, unable to escape or reach their family on the other side of the pile-up.

https://sea.mashable.com/movies/29680/netflixs-leave-the-world-behind-takes-a-swipe-at-tesla

When the film begins, we are told that the rogue comet Rhea-M has passed too close to Earth’s orbit, causing radiation to leak into the atmosphere. Naturally, the radiation causes mechanical and electrical devices to come to life, immediately intent on murdering all humans. The opening scene features a drawbridge that opens on its own while cars and trucks are driving across it, and because the cars in this town apparently have no brakes, door handles, or reverse gear, everyone either rolls backwards down the ramp, or spills into the river far below (keep your eye out for the man at the ATM; King decided he wanted to do a ‘Hitchcock-style cameo’).

https://bsims1.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/episode-2-maximum-overdrive/