The documentary features original interviews of key '80s sci-fi filmmakers, actors, special-effects and visual effects masters, as well as tech advisors, authors, influencers, composers and visionaries.[5][6] Interspersed between the yearly timelines is a wide range of chapters that delve deeper into the intricacies of specific aspects of the movies including, worldbuilding, storytelling, character definition, costume design, and more.[7]
The documentary follows a year-by-year timeline, where each film segment combine talent from the project and/or experts discussing aspects such as plot, the film's emotional and cultural impact, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, toys, tie-ins and marketing, creative visions influencing contemporary tech/architecture/landscape design.
It also contains interstitial chapters that further explores themes such as:
Heroes and Heroines: Hear from the actors, writers, directors, and producers who brought sci-fi icons such as Rick Deckard, Ellen Ripley, and the Terminator to movie screens.
SFX Breakdowns: Learn how robot, creature, and spaceship effects were created. The filmmakers will be interviewing the artists who designed and operated the models, puppets, and animatronics that brought creatures and characters to life.
Production Design & Worldbuilding: Learn about the creation of the costumes, weapons, and post-apocalyptic landscapes that set the scene for audiences' favorite stories.
Socio/Political Context: How '80s sci-fi reflected the socio-political context in which it was made: Tech advances, Reaganomics, Live Aid, big business, and the AIDS crisis.
Genre Mixing: Exploring how other genres - fantasy, action, horror, and comedy - are very much intertwined with the sci-fi genre. Where does one begin and the other end?
Legacy: Discuss the importance of '80s sci-fi genre in a modern-day context. Why is '80s sci-fi still so relevant today?
Specialized media Nerdist references director David A. Weiner, detailing "In Search of Tomorrow promises to be an even more ambitious film journey worthy of the amazing content and creators that came out of '80s Sci-Fi cinema: A celebration of human potential, exploring the most inspiring and eclectic movies of the decade, year-by year, that firmly captured our collective imaginations and changed our lives".[2]
In May 2020, /Film blog wrote, "The doc is billed as a 'love-letter to the Sci-Fi films we grew up with; the films that dared to ask, "what if?" and offered us a vision of future technology, society, and culture that simultaneously delighted, amazed and scared us.'"[5]
Kervyn Cloete, from CriticalHit wrote, "As somebody who grew up with many of these films, I can’t wait to watch this documentary".[6]
