Cyberpunk is a genre of movies that has emerged and growing stronger in recent years. These movies were a sub-genre under Sci-fi movie listings, but they are now creating a separate niche for themselves.
For the people who don't know, Cyberpunk is a term coined by Bruce Bethke to describe a future dystopian society where technology, specifically cybernetics A. I., has taken over the world.
In earlier days, when computers, the internet, etc., were not common, they would have described the scenario as Machines taking over the world.
The 1927 movie, Metropolis would be an example of this. As and how the vision of the internet, A. I., and robots started to become a reality, all those distant futures and crazy ramblings started to seem more real.
The genre of Cyberpunk gained more fan following as they did not seem wild anymore. While our society is far from dystopian and the A. I. have not taken over the world, cyberpunk movies give us a peek into the not-so-distant future.
To help you quench your thirst for new and more enjoyable genres, ENTOIN has created this list of the most popular cyberpunk films that will tickle your fancy and rev up your imagination.
DramaSci-Fi
Director:
Fritz Lang
Release Date:
Sun Mar 13 1927
Star Cast:
Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich
Budget:
DEM 6,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,349,711
Metropolis is a 1927 film that embodies the concept of cyberpunk despite being made decades before technology like computers, virtual reality, and cyberspace were invented.
The film is about a dystopian society where the wealthy haves enjoys the benefits and comfort of machines that are run by the have-nots.
Metropolis is a dystopian society that depends on machinery to provide all material comforts to the wealthy. Still, they are unaware of the poor people who work on these machines and have no rights or amenities.
When an uprising against the wealthy is planned, the totalitarian leader plans to ruthlessly quash it by throwing everybody into anarchy.
Metropolis is a German film based on the novel of the same name by Thea von Harbou. It preaches the motto The Mediator Between the Head and the Hands Must Be the Heart.
Recommended:
ActionSci-Fi
Director:
James Cameron
Release Date:
Fri Oct 26 1984
Star Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
Budget:
$6,400,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$78,371,200
The Terminator is the first film in the Terminator franchise, which has spawned a series of five films. The story was created by Gale Anne Hurd and James Cameron, and Cameron also directed the film.
This film catapulted both the actor and director into the big league. Skynet is a megacorporation that manufactures the latest technology in robotics and artificial intelligence.
Sometime in the future, this technology develops its intelligence and takes over mankind. To ensure this cyborg apocalypse, the leader of the resistance, John Connor needs to be eliminated.
The Terminator, T-800, travels back in time to assassinate him. To best portray the role, Schwarzenegger completely avoided Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn to retain the cold front. He also had only 14 lines throughout the line.
Recommended:
DramaSci-FiThriller
Director:
Terry Gilliam
Release Date:
Wed Dec 18 1985
Star Cast:
Jonathan Pryce, Kim Greist, Robert De Niro
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$9,949,953
Brazil is a black satire set in a dystopian world that is riddled with totalitarianism, consumerism, bureaucracy, and technocracy.
A low-level government worker dreams of rescuing his lady love while working in a mind-numbingly boring job. Sam Lowry lives in a world of hyper surveillance by flawed technology that is used by corrupt bureaucrats.
When he finds his lady love, he hopes to rescue her from the false terrorism charges made against her.
But the system does not want to change and lose its status quo. Robert de Niro wanted the role of Jack Lint but Gilliam already promised the role to Michael Palin, so de Niro played Tuttle.
Katherine Helmond took up the role of Mrs. Lowry despite knowing that her character is ugly inside and out.
Recommended:
ActionDramaSci-Fi
Director:
Ridley Scott
Release Date:
Fri Jun 25 1982
Star Cast:
Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
Budget:
$28,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$41,712,525
Blade Runner is an iconic cyberpunk film directed by Ridley Scott and based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, written by Philip K. Dick.
It garnered a cult following and also spawned a sequel Blade Runner 2049. In the dystopian future society, man has created androids called replicants that do all the labor for humans.
Tyrell corporation creates these androids for specific tasks. Blade Runners are cops who chase down runaway replicants and kill them.
A Blade Runner, Deckard falls in love with a replicant Rachel while chasing a dangerous group of replicants. This triggers a change in the fight for freedom by replicants.
Rutger Hauer portrays Batty as the leader of the replicant resistance, and he delivers a poignant Tears In Rain monologue as he dies.
This monologue was improvised by Hauer from a complicated speech to increase the impact.
Recommended:
ActionSci-Fi
Director:
James Cameron
Release Date:
Wed Jul 3 1991
Star Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
Budget:
$102,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$520,881,154
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the second installment in the Terminator franchise. The first film was a big success that made the careers of Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron.
The second film cemented their standing as successful actors and directors. In the second film, we see that the Skynet organization’s artificial intelligence program has not been abandoned.
In the meanwhile, Sarah Connor has been institutionalized after the traumatic experience in the first film, and John Connor is living away from her.
This time, two robots are sent from the future by the good and the bad guys to combat each other.
Robert Patrick, who plays T1000, practiced his running and breathing to look believable as a cyborg. He was so good at it that he easily caught up with Edward Furlong on his bike.
ActionDramaSci-Fi
Director:
Rian Johnson
Release Date:
Fri Sep 28 2012
Star Cast:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Budget:
$30,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$176,506,819
Looper is a 2012 cyberpunk film. Set in the future of 2074, where time travel has become an illegal but lucrative business, the film follows Joe, a looper tasked with killing targets sent back in time from the future.
The film's exploration of themes such as free will, determinism, and the consequences of time travel further reinforces its place within the cyberpunk genre. The film's gritty, neon-lit Kansas City setting and its portrayal of a society divided between the rich and the marginalised further contribute to its cyberpunk atmosphere.
Overall, Looper is a compelling and thought-provoking film that successfully blends elements of science fiction, action, and cyberpunk. Its exploration of complex themes, its dystopian setting, and its visual style make it a noteworthy entry into the cyberpunk genre.
AnimationActionCrime
Director:
Mamoru Oshii
Release Date:
Fri Mar 29 1996
Star Cast:
Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka
Budget:
¥330,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$918,738
Ghost in The Shell is a Japanese anime film that is based on a manga series of the same name created by Masamune Shirow.
This film is considered to be one of the best anime films in its genre, and it has inspired many Hollywood directors like The Wachowskis, James Cameron, etc.
In 2029, cyborgs are everywhere among humans, and we have also mastered the technology to link our brains directly to the internet.
At such a time, a hacker called Puppet Master is causing chaos by hacking into the system to steal information and do other crimes.
Officer Motoko Kusanagi works for the ultra-secretive Section-9 and plans to apprehend Puppet Master. Masamune Shirow named the manga series Ghost in The Shell as an homage to his favorite book, Arthur Koestler’s The Ghost in the Machine.
ActionDramaMystery
Director:
Denis Villeneuve
Release Date:
Fri Oct 6 2017
Star Cast:
Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas
Budget:
$150,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$267,685,209
Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the successful cyberpunk film Blade Runner. In this film, the two officers Rick Deckard and Gaff return to the sequel.
The film picks up the plot several years after the end of the first film. Deckard and Rachel’s child was born in secret, and Deckard keeps away from her for the child’s safety.
However, over the years, the Replicant freedom movement and the search for Rachel’s child have continued. Wallace Corp, the successor of Tyrell Corp that created Rachel wants the secret of reproducing replicants so that they can create a slave colony.
Denis Villeneuve, the director of Blade Runner 2049, wanted to cast David Bowie as the CEO of Wallace Corp.
However, after the death of Bowie, he cast Jared Leto in the role.
DramaSci-FiThriller
Director:
Alex Garland
Release Date:
Fri Apr 24 2015
Star Cast:
Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$37,394,629
Set in a secluded and technologically advanced mansion, Ex Machina (2014) delves into the captivating realm of artificial intelligence and its potential implications for humanity. Ex Machina explores the premise of a world where A.I. has surpassed human capabilities, challenging our understanding of what it means to be human.
Caleb Smith, a young programmer, is invited by Nathan Bateman, a reclusive tech genius, to participate in a groundbreaking experiment: evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid robot named Ava. As Caleb interacts with Ava, he becomes increasingly fascinated by her intelligence, wit, and emotional depth.
It raises profound ethical questions about the creation and treatment of sentient machines, leaving audiences to ponder the potential consequences of technological advancements that blur the boundaries between humanity and artificial intelligence.
ActionCrimeMystery
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Fri Jun 21 2002
Star Cast:
Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Budget:
$102,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$358,372,926
Minority Report is a short story by Philip K. Dick. It was originally intended to be made as a sequel to Total Recall.
However, the production company filed for bankruptcy, and the script was abandoned. Later, Steven Spielberg decided to make the movie and started work.
John Anderton is the chief of the Precrime dept. Which detects crime before it is committed using precognition. The ability to become a precog occurs due to dependency on the drug Neuroin, and misusing this condition, Lamar Burgess sets up the Precrime division.
The loopholes in the system start to surface after chief Anderton is accused and arrested. Tom Cruise learned how to stay underwater and release small air bubbles instead of using CGI as Spielberg suggested.
He also decided to forgo his salary to keep within the budget. Instead, he took 15% of gross earnings as pay.
ActionSci-Fi
Director:
Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Release Date:
Wed Mar 31 1999
Star Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Budget:
$63,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$467,222,728
The Matrix is the finest example of the cyberpunk genre; the first film is the Matrix franchise with three more sequels.
The Wachowskis wrote and directed the film inspired by the Japanese cyberpunk manga series like Ghost in The Shell and more.
Neo is a hacker by night and stumbles through the internet in search of the truth. He is contacted by Trinity and offered a chance to see behind a curtain view of the world.
Neo is introduced to Morpheus and his team, who open his eyes to a reality where the world is a virtual reality simulation that is set up by machines to harvest the bio-energy in humans.
To achieve the emaciated and bald look in the pod, Keanu Reeves lost fifteen pounds and shaved off all his hair.
AnimationActionDrama
Director:
Katsuhiro Ôtomo
Release Date:
Sat Jul 16 1988
Star Cast:
Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama
Budget:
¥1,100,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$3,252,698
Akira is a Japanese anime movie that is set in a dystopian Tokyo that was created thirty years after the end of the third world war.
Akira is considered the greatest anime movie from the action genre, and sci-fi, cyberpunk genres. It has inspired the famous Akira bike slide stunt.
Thirty years after the end of WWIII, Neo Tokyo is back to being a sprawling metropolis. However, it is run by corrupt businessmen, criminals, and the military.
A biker gang member, Tetsuo, gets caught by the military, who experiment on him and give him telekinetic powers similar to Akira.
Now, he is on the verge of destroying Neo Tokyo, similar to Akira’s action, and Shōtarō Kaneda is the only one to stop him.
ActionSci-FiThriller
Director:
Leigh Whannell
Release Date:
Fri Jun 1 2018
Star Cast:
Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen
Budget:
$5,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$16,706,680
Upgrade is a Leigh Whannell film that he wrote and directed. The film received praise and applause for its sharp storytelling, dark humor, and interesting plot.
The audience also appreciated the film. Grey is a technophobe, living in a world where technology, computer chips, and artificial intelligence have started taking over many fields.
Grey is convinced to get a computer chip implant called STEM after a car accident leaves him paralyzed and his wife dead.
Using this chip, he regains motor functions but loses control of his life. The story of Upgrade has been compared to the comic book Venom, where an alien symbiote takes over his motor functions.
Coincidentally, the lead actors of both films look similar.
DramaSci-FiThriller
Director:
George Lucas
Release Date:
Thu Mar 11 1971
Star Cast:
Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley
Budget:
$777,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$2,437,000
THX 1138 is a film written and directed by George Lucas in his directorial debut effort. The story was written when Lucas was a student at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Initially, the film received mixed reviews. However, after Star Wars, it was given a new lease of life and garnered a cult following.
The story is set in a distant future where society is strictly controlled and regulated. In this dystopian world, technology, machines, and androids govern society, and mood suppressants are forcibly administered to kill all ideas of rebellion and change.
In this highly controlled environment, a man THX 1138 develops a conscience and emotion. With the help of a female LUH 3417, he plans to change life in society.
DramaSci-FiThriller
Director:
Andrew Niccol
Release Date:
Fri Oct 24 1997
Star Cast:
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law
Budget:
$36,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$12,532,777
Gattaca is not your typical cyberpunk film in its basic sense. It has been classified as biopunk, but the elements of science fiction, a dystopian society where technology rules supreme, remain in Gattaca.
The film deals with eugenics where technology allows genetic selection and discrimination. In the future, genetic selection has become a norm, and any child born outside this project is discriminated against.
Freeman has a dream of going into space, but his in-valid status disqualifies him. Being born outside the eugenics program, he is rejected.
However, with the help of a clever plot, Freeman and Jerome manage to trick the system, and he goes into space.
As a marketing ploy, before the release of Gattaca, parents were offered a chance to have their children genetically engineered.
A surprising number of people showed interest.
FantasyMysterySci-Fi
Director:
Alex Proyas
Release Date:
Fri Feb 27 1998
Star Cast:
Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly
Budget:
$27,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$27,200,316
Dark City is a neo-noir sci-fi film that is set in a dystopian world, where it is perpetually nighttime.
Murdoch wakes up in this world with no recollection of his identity. He finds that he is a murder suspect in a series of murders, and a group of pale face people were stalking him.
As Murdoch works out the mystery surrounding himself, he realizes that he has the power of psychokinesis and he can change the reality of the world at his will.
He uses this power to escape the Strangers, who are stalking him, and solve all the questions in his mind.
In the film, Mr. Sleep was portrayed by Satya and Noah Gumbert, who were fans of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
So, Richard O’Brien would narrate the film to entertain the crew.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Paul Verhoeven
Release Date:
Fri Jun 1 1990
Star Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside
Budget:
$65,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$261,317,921
Total Recall is a Paul Verhoeven film based on the short story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale'', by Philip K. Dick. The film was remade in 2012 with the same story. In the future, man has successfully colonized Mars.
A construction worker on earth has strange fantasy dreams of adventures on Mars. The more he tries to figure out the meaning of the dream, the more he is suppressed.
However, the man uncovers the truth repressed in his memories and the secrets of the organization that colonized Mars to create a dystopian society there.
The film was one of the early roles of Sharon Stone, and the director was impressed with her ability to change from an innocent and charming woman to a fighting machine at a moment’s notice. So, he cast her in Basic Instinct.
DramaSci-Fi
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Fri Jun 29 2001
Star Cast:
Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor
Budget:
$100,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$235,926,552
A. I. Artificial Intelligence is a Steven Speilberg film that was inspired by the short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss.
Spielberg wrote the screenplay and directed and produced the film. In a post-climate change society, androids become reality. David is a child android, built with the ability to love like a child.
He is adopted by a family whose son is cryo-frozen. Initially, they love David like their own child, but once their son returns, they discard David.
The broken-hearted David yearns for his mother’s love and searches everywhere for her. In preparation for his role as an android, Haley Joel Osment practiced not blinking for long periods. Jude Law watched and practiced behaving like Fred Astaire.
HorrorSci-FiThriller
Director:
David Cronenberg
Release Date:
Fri Feb 4 1983
Star Cast:
James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits
Budget:
$5,952,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$2,120,439
Videodrome is a science fiction body horror film that deals with the future of television and video programming.
A small-time TV channel survives competition by telecasting questionable content like snuff films. The CEO of the channel is Max Renn, who is constantly on the lookout for more disturbing programs.
He finds a disturbing satellite signal that broadcasts torture and murder all day long. Despite warnings from Prof. Brian O’Blivion that this channel is a tool for political, and ideological warfare, Max Renn broadcasts the programs.
He soon realizes that the programs are sending subliminal messages to murder targets and assassinate people. Videodrome recorded three different endings for the movie.
The final cut has the ending suggested by the lead actor James Wood.
ActionCrimeSci-Fi
Director:
Pete Travis
Release Date:
Fri Sep 21 2012
Star Cast:
Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
Budget:
$50,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$41,037,742
Dredd is a comic book adaptation from the popular comic magazine 2000 AD that featured the Judge Dredd comic strip.
The comic strip was created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra. Judge Dredd is set in a futuristic dystopian society where America has turned into a wasteland post the apocalyptic events.
Judges are police officers who work as judges, juries, and executioners with complete and undeniable authority. They are feared all over the land, and Judge Dredd is the most feared judge of them all.
In the film, Dredd is called into action to combat a new variety of drugs called Slo-Mo, which alters reality and makes reality a fraction of a second slower than it is.
In an interview, Karl Urban, who played Dredd, disclosed the fact that Alex Garland wrote the screenplay, produced it, and is also considered the unofficial director of the film.
AnimationComedyCrime
Director:
Richard Linklater
Release Date:
Fri Jul 28 2006
Star Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr.
Budget:
$8,700,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$7,659,918
A Scanner Darkly is a 2006 science fiction film directed by Richard Linklater. Set in a dystopian future, the story follows Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), an undercover detective who becomes addicted to a dangerous drug called Substance D while investigating its distribution.
Arctor's life becomes increasingly fragmented as he struggles to maintain his identity, as well as his grip on reality, due to the effects of the drug.
To conceal his true identity, Arctor wears a scramble suit, which constantly alters his appearance. As the line between his real and undercover personas blurs, Arctor's mental state deteriorates, leading to paranoia and confusion.
A Scanner Darkly is a visually stunning and thought-provoking exploration of identity, addiction, and surveillance, highlighted by its innovative use of rotoscope animation.
DramaMysterySci-Fi
Director:
Gavin Rothery
Release Date:
Fri Jul 10 2020
Star Cast:
Theo James, Stacy Martin, Rhona Mitra
Box Office (Worldwide):
$243,279
Archive is a story of love, human nature, and reluctance to accept death. The story was written and directed by Gavin Rothery in his directorial debut effort.
The COVID-19 lockdown affected the film, and it did not get a wide release. It was released digitally, with only a few theaters playing it.
The story revolves around the efforts of a scientist living in a distant future. He is making a desperate and determined effort to build and perfect an A. I. robot that is as close to human nature as possible. However, his efforts seem to hide a secret motive behind his actions.
HorrorMysterySci-Fi
Director:
David Cronenberg
Release Date:
Fri Apr 23 1999
Star Cast:
Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ian Holm
Budget:
$15,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$2,856,712
eXistenZ is about the gaming world in the future, where organic gaming devices have replaced electronic devices. David Cronenberg wrote, directed, and produced this cyberpunk movie that failed at the box office but received positive reviews from critics.
Allegra Geller is a leading game developer of a new game titled eXistenz. She is attacked by a fanatic with an organic weapon while she is testing the game at a convention.
She narrowly escapes with the help of an intern, Pikul, but the only copy of the game is damaged.
Geller and Pikul must salvage the game before its release and find who is sabotaging the game. The film was produced by Hungarian producers, and Ian Holms’ character exclaims 'Köszönöm' when they get to operate from Allegra’s game pod.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Thu Mar 29 2018
Star Cast:
Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn
Budget:
$175,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$607,874,134
Ready Player One is about a virtual reality game that could decide the ownership of the biggest company that created VR products and games.
The story is based on Ernest Cline’s novel of the same name. Wade Watts lives in a world that is hooked to virtual reality simulation at the cost of personal life, family, etc.
Everyone is connected to OASIS, a VR universe that offers all kinds of entertainment. When its owner dies, he starts a treasure hunt game that could decide the next owner of the company.
This causes a major sensation where everyone wants to win. This Steven Spielberg film has many pop culture references to films like Back to the Future, The Shining, and The Iron Giant.
Spielberg called the film one of his most difficult movies.
ActionSci-Fi
Director:
Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Release Date:
Thu May 15 2003
Star Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Budget:
$150,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$741,847,937
The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of the Matrix trilogy. It brings back most of the cast from the first film.
It also introduces many new characters and takes the plot to its climax in the third film. In the first film, Neo was liberated from the Matrix, and he becomes The One who will save the humans from the machines.
In this film, Neo continues to work to liberate Zion from the threat of the machines. They realize that to save humanity, they need to meet the keymaker, defeat The Merovingian, and meet The Architect to broker a peace deal for Zion.
For the role of Seraph, The Wachowskis wanted to cast Jet Li, but he charged as much as Neo for the role.
Similarly, they wanted Sean Connery for The Architect, but he did not understand the concept of the film.
CrimeDramaSci-Fi
Director:
Kathryn Bigelow
Release Date:
Fri Oct 13 1995
Star Cast:
Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis
Budget:
$42,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$7,959,291
Strange Days is a film written by James Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
The film received polarized reviews. Some praised the film for its gritty atmosphere, performances of the lead cast, etc.
Other critics felt that the movie failed to comment on or condemn the violence and injustice of the racial violence and police role in the LA race riots in 1992.
Lenny is a retired cop who does the illegal trade of recordings of events along with emotions made with SQUID (SQUID is an illegal recording device).
He pines for his ex-girlfriend, who is a singer, and goes to meet her. At the same time, an unknown person drops a SQUID recording into his car, and this recording opens a can of worms as it uncovers the ugly truth of the riots.
Bigelow did not want the point-of-view scenes to be captured using traditional camera techniques. So, a special camera was made by Cameron's production company to be used in those sequences.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Steven Lisberger
Release Date:
Fri Jul 9 1982
Star Cast:
Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner
Budget:
$17,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$33,000,525
Tron is a story about different computer programs that work together to fight against the tyranny of MCP. The MCP is a master control program that has developed virtual intelligence and plans to take over other powerful programs to expand its control over the servers.
Kevin Flynn is a game developer who formerly worked for ENCOM and is disgruntled over the fact that his work was plagiarized by Dillinger.
In his attempt to find evidence against Dillinger, Flynn hacks into ENCOM servers. However, the MCP sucks Flynn into the server by digitizing him and plans to kill him within the system.
Tron is one of the earliest films ever to use computer-generated images or CGI technology. However, the film was disqualified from receiving the Academy Award for Special Effects as the academy felt that it was cheating to use CGI.
ActionDramaSci-Fi
Director:
Neill Blomkamp
Release Date:
Fri Aug 9 2013
Star Cast:
Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley
Budget:
$115,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$286,140,700
Elysium is a space station in the orbit of the Earth, which houses luxurious living arrangements for wealthy and powerful humans.
They have state-of-the-art technology, medicines, weaponry, and defense, while Earth languishes in poverty, overpopulation, disease, and drudgery. Society is a dichotomy of haves and have-nots that is exaggerated multiple times.
Max is a have-not who works in a factory in dangerous working conditions. He is exposed to dangerous amounts of radiation and needs to reach Elysium to save his life in five days.
To achieve this, a hacker offers him a deal to steal sensitive info from a wealthy CEO. The problem is that this info could jeopardize this coup d’etat attempt on Elysium.
Sharlto Copley portrays Agent Kruger as a South African. When he auditioned for the role, Copley offered an American, an Eastern European, and a British accent for the villain before finalizing with an Afrikaaner accent.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Robert Rodriguez
Release Date:
Thu Feb 14 2019
Star Cast:
Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly
Budget:
$170,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$404,980,543
Alita: Battle Angel is a 2019 cyberpunk action film directed by Robert Rodriguez. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the story revolves around Alita (played by Rosa Salazar), a cyborg who is discovered and rebuilt by Dr. Dyson Ido (played by Christoph Waltz).
With no memory of her past, Alita embarks on a journey to uncover her true identity and becomes entangled in a dangerous world of bounty hunters and criminal overlords.
As Alita discovers her extraordinary abilities and combat skills, she becomes a beacon of hope for the oppressed people of Iron City.
The film combines stunning visual effects, exhilarating action sequences, and heartfelt performances to bring the manga series by Yukito Kishiro to life.
Alita: Battle Angel received positive reviews for its immersive world-building, compelling story, and Salazar's captivating portrayal of Alita, despite a mixed performance at the box office.
ActionMysterySci-Fi
Director:
Alex Proyas
Release Date:
Fri Jul 16 2004
Star Cast:
Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood
Budget:
$120,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$353,133,898
I, Robot is based on the story by Jeff Vintar, who was inspired by the premise of the book I, Robot by Isaac Asimov.
Vintar used the premise of I, Robot to create the story of the film. The audience loved the film and made it a hit, but critics did not appreciate the plot line.
Dr. Lanning is the founder of U. S. Robotics, the foremost robotics company that has installed a robot in the house of every American.
The film is set in a future where robots are commonplace and pervade every walk of life. In this scenario, Dr. Lanning dies under mysterious circumstances that indicate that his robot Sonny has killed him.
However, a more sinister plot is afoot, and it can lead to a revolutionary change in the way we view and use these robots.
ActionSci-FiThriller
Director:
Paul Michael Glaser
Release Date:
Fri Nov 13 1987
Star Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Conchita Alonso, Yaphet Kotto
Budget:
$27,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$38,122,105
The Running Man is based on the novel of the same name written by Richard Bachman (a.k.a Stephen King).
The plot revolves around a game show titled The Running Man, which pits prisoners against gladiators in a race for freedom.
By 2019 America has degenerated into a police state where the government controls the media and entertainment. The most popular government-run TV show is The Running Man, where gladiator-like fighters, criminals, innocent civilians, etc. are forced to participate in a race to win freedom.
Although the film is based on a Stephen King novel, a lawsuit determined that The Running Man is a plagiarism of a French movie called Le Prix du danger, made in 1983.
DramaRomanceSci-Fi
Director:
Michael Winterbottom
Release Date:
Fri Sep 17 2004
Star Cast:
Tim Robbins, Samantha Morton, Om Puri
Budget:
$7,500,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$886,018
Code 46 is a futuristic movie that is slightly different from the rest. It is a British film written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom.
Code 46 is set in a dystopian future where everyone lives in densely packed cities referred to as inside, or in the open wilderness referred to as Outside.
Everything is strictly governed with close monitoring. People on the inside have access to all modern medical and technological facilities while those on the outside suffer without any.
William is tasked with looking into the travel documents to enter the city once it is discovered that they have been forged.
There he meets and falls in love with Maria, the forger, but their love is forbidden, and the couple pays a heavy price for it.
The language of this futuristic world is an amalgamation of many world languages like Spanish, French, Chinese, etc.
ActionAdventureSci-Fi
Director:
Joseph Kosinski
Release Date:
Fri Dec 17 2010
Star Cast:
Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde
Budget:
$170,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$400,063,852
TRON: Legacy is the sequel to the highly successful film Tron from 1982. The director of Tron, Steven Lisberger, came back in the sequel as the producer with Joseph Kosinski as the director.
The film follows a similar set-up as the first film, with a virtual reality world that houses the various computer programs as its citizens.
Sam Flynn is the son of Kevin Flynn, and he is angry with his father for his disappearance twenty years ago.
After being arrested, Alan Bradley bails Sam and tells him about a pager message from his father. This takes him to the old gaming arcade, where Sam finds a system that is running and is sucked into the Grid.
Sam has to catch the culprit and escape. The gaming costumes used in the film cost $60000. They were fitted with lithium batteries to power the lights on the suits.
ActionSci-FiThriller
Director:
Marco Brambilla
Release Date:
Fri Oct 8 1993
Star Cast:
Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock
Budget:
$57,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$58,055,768
Demolition Man is a science fiction movie set in a future where there is no crime in the society and all the peaceful citizens are governed by strict and overbearing laws in the name of peace, and non-violence.
Many civil liberties are trampled upon, which leads to the rise of an underground movement that staunchly opposes the government.
John Spartan is an honest and determined police officer from 1996 who has a penchant for destroying property during his crime-fighting.
While trying to apprehend the notorious crime lord Simon Phoenix, he causes the death of the hostages. As a result, both Phoenix and Spartan are cryogenically frozen.
In 2032 when Phoenix escapes prison and starts to wreak havoc, they need to call back Spartan to catch him.
Stallone admitted to being terrified during the cryo-freezing scenes.
ComedyDramaFantasy
Director:
Terry Gilliam
Release Date:
Tue Aug 19 2014
Star Cast:
Christoph Waltz, Lucas Hedges, Mélanie Thierry
Budget:
$8,500,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$1,486,506
The Zero Theorem is about the discovery of the meaning of life in a futuristic world that is run by computers in virtual reality.
Qohen Leth is a computer genius who is assigned the task of solving the Zero Theorem, which will reveal the meaning of life and existence.
However, the theorem is notoriously difficult to solve. Leth begins to lose his mind and eventually smashes his computer as he is unable to solve it.
The Management is determined to get results and uses every means to motivate and induce Qohen Leth to continue.
The Zero Theorem is the last of the satirical dystopian trilogy made by Terry Gilliam. Matt Damon and Ben Wishaw were determined to be in the film, so they agreed to work for scale.
DramaSci-Fi
Director:
David Blair
Release Date:
Mon Oct 21 1991
Star Cast:
Father Bessarion, David Blair, William S. Burroughs
Wax, or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees is a documentary drama made by an independent filmmaker, David Blair.
He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film. Wax, or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees has the distinction of being the very first film to be streamed on the Internet in 1993.
This documentary is about technological advancements in the military, defense, and warfare. It discusses the gulf war, drone warfare, and the possible future of technology using digital animation, found footage, and regular film footage.
The film takes a look at what the holds through the internet.
ActionSci-Fi
Director:
Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski
Release Date:
Wed Nov 5 2003
Star Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Budget:
$150,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$427,344,325
The Matrix Revolutions is the third installment in The Matrix trilogy created by the Wachowskis. One cannot watch The Matrix Revolutions individually and understand the film as it is a continuation of the plot line from the first two films, and in this film, we see an end to the Machine war.
Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus continue to chase down the Architect to release humans from the Matrix while the system tries to hold him back.
In the final film, Morpheus returns to Zion to participate in the showdown with Machines. Neo and Trinity set off on a suicide mission to negotiate with the machine city leader and end the rogue program called Agent Smith.
This film, like the other two Matrix films, has cutting-edge CGI, unbelievable stunts, superb martial arts choreography, and a gripping narrative.
ActionCrimeSci-Fi
Director:
Stuart Gordon
Release Date:
Fri Sep 3 1993
Star Cast:
Christopher Lambert, Loryn Locklin, Kurtwood Smith
Budget:
$8,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$6,739,141
Fortress is set in a futuristic prison where a powerful computer system controls all prisoners with an iron fist.
The computer system called Zed-10, not only manages security but also closely monitors inmates using CCTVs. It also monitors their dreams and through implants, serves severe physical and mental pain.
Brennick and his wife break the law of the one-child policy by going for their second child. While escaping to Mexico, they are caught and sent to a private prison called the Fortress for 31 years.
Brennick is anxious to leave prison because his wife is about to give birth. The film had an original budget of $70 million as they wanted to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger.
However, he backed out of the film, and the budget was cut down to $12 million. It did well and earned $48 million worldwide.
CrimeDramaRomance
Director:
Iain Softley
Release Date:
Fri Sep 15 1995
Star Cast:
Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford
Budget:
$20,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$7,563,728
Hackers is a cult classic set during the early days of the internet. The hacker community that is depicted in this film had ideals and manifestos that adhered to simple curiosity as the motivating factor.
Crime and malfeasance were rejected as the motivation. Dade, or Crash Override, is an ethical hacker who already has a charge sheet from a childhood offense.
In high school, he meets with a group of young and talented hackers, and as his luck would have it, one of his friends lands in trouble with the Secret Service.
It is time for Dade and his hacker friends to rise and catch the original criminal to rescue his friend.
Johnny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie met during the filming of this movie and fell in love. They married after the film was released and divorced four years later.
MysterySci-FiThriller
Director:
Josef Rusnak
Release Date:
Fri May 28 1999
Star Cast:
Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Budget:
$16,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$18,564,088
The Thirteenth Floor is set in the world of virtual reality simulation games. The plot is based on the novel Simulacron-3 written by Daniel F. Galouye. The film was met with negative reviews that said that the plot was confusing but praised the visuals.
The film starts in 1999 when a gaming company develops a virtual reality simulation game, that is set in 1937 America.
Before the game can be released, the owner of the company dies, and the next heir becomes the prime suspect.
Although he appears innocent, all evidence points to him. After a lengthy and confusing game of cat and mouse, the truth is revealed.
The film was released in 1999 along with The Matrix, which was also a virtual reality simulation movie. The film was nominated for visuals, but The Matrix won the awards.
HorrorSci-Fi
Director:
Brett Leonard
Release Date:
Fri Mar 6 1992
Star Cast:
Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright
Budget:
$10,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$32,100,816
The Lawnmower Man is about a gardener who becomes the research subject of a scientist experimenting with ways to enhance the human brain’s capacity to understand.
Dr. Larry Angelo is a scientist who picks his simple-minded gardener, Jobe Smith, to experiment on. Dr. Angelo manages to successfully improve Jobe Smith’s intelligence with psychoactive drugs and virtual reality.
However, the trouble starts when Jobe decides to take over the experiment. He decides to make himself the digital god.
The film script was created from Stephen King’s Lawnmower Man and another script called CyberGod. However, King sued the producers to have his name removed from the credits of the film.
ActionDramaSci-Fi
Director:
Gabriele Salvatores
Release Date:
Fri Jan 24 1997
Star Cast:
Christopher Lambert, Diego Abatantuono, Sergio Rubini
Nirvana is an Italian film that explores ways to overcome loss and rejection through the religious concept of Nirvana.
In the film, Jimi is a game developer who creates a new game for Okasama Star, where Solo is the main character of the game.
Due to a computer virus, Solo gains sentience and pleads with Jimi to kill his character and delete the game.
Solo says he cannot continue suffering and dying multiple times in the game. Jimi understands his pain due to the loss of his girlfriend.
The rest of the movie is about how Jimi and his friends infiltrate the main servers of Okasama Star and delete the game.
The movie’s promotional poster uses an image of Goddess Kali from Hinduism as a representative of power, time, destruction, and death.
ActionCrimeSci-Fi
Director:
Brett Leonard
Release Date:
Fri Aug 4 1995
Star Cast:
Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch
Budget:
$30,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$24,047,675
Virtuosity is a futuristic crime thriller starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Both these actors and talented stars competed against each other for the Academy Awards on multiple occasions.
SID 6.7 is a virtual reality composite of more than 150 serial killers throughout history. He was designed to be a training simulation for LA police detectives.
However, this highly intelligent and psychotic character has attached himself to nanotechnology to escape into the real world. Now, it is the responsibility of Parker Barnes to apprehend him and end his terror reign.
The CG work on this film was rendered by pure vector calculations. It was considered state-of-the-art technology. However, compared to the CG work on Jurassic Park, it appeared tacky and primitive.
ActionComedy
Director:
John Badham
Release Date:
Fri May 18 1990
Star Cast:
Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, David Carradine
Budget:
$20,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$138,697,012
World On A Wire is a German cyberpunk movie that is adapted from the novel Simulacron-3 by Daniel F. Galouye. The same theme was used in 1999 to make The Thirteenth Floor.
However, where The Thirteenth Floor depended on the action aspect of the story, World On A Wire depicted the philosophy and human aspects of the story.
A supercomputer houses the latest version of a simulation game that has over 9000 types of human characters. The program's technical director is on the verge of a discovery when he disappears.
This leads to suspicion falling on his successor. It slowly dawns on him that they are all a part of a simulation themselves, and their world is not real.
ActionDramaMusic
Director:
Gakuryû Ishii
Release Date:
Sat Mar 13 1982
Star Cast:
Takanori Jinnai, Shinya Ohe, Yuto Iseta
Burst City is a Japanese action thriller set in a dystopian future where the police and the government use technology to force and subjugate the citizens.
The film plot revolves around two separate focus points. One is a nuclear power plant, and the other is a murder case.
The citizens of Tokyo city are divided into strict classes, and the people spend time racing cars, partying, and brawling.
When they are informed that a new nuclear power plant will be built there, they protest and fight back through their punk rock music battles.
At the same time, a mute boy and his friend are chasing down Yakuza members who killed his brother.
Both groups join together after realizing that the businessmen behind the nuclear power plant are the same ones who killed the brother.
All forces join hands to fight back against corruption.
MysterySci-FiThriller
Director:
Duncan Jones
Release Date:
Fri Feb 23 2018
Star Cast:
Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux
Mute is the sequel to Moon and is also referred to as Moon II. The story is based on the graphic novel Madi: Once Upon A Time In The Future.
The film is set in the future where two surgeons run an illegal business of prostitution, cybernetic surgeries, etc.
A mute bartender falls in love with a waitress, but she is connected to one of the surgeons in this illegal business.
This drags the mute bartender into its fold till his life is threatened. The film was panned by critics and unfavorably compared to Blade Runner.
The film is directed by Duncan Jones, the son of David Bowie. He has dedicated this film to his father.
ActionDramaSci-Fi
Director:
Robert Longo
Release Date:
Fri May 26 1995
Star Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, Dina Meyer
Budget:
$26,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$19,075,720
Johnny Mnemonic is a film based on the novel of the same name by William Gibson. The film is set in 2021 when more than half the world is addicted to the internet and suffers from Nerve Attenuation Syndrome.
The megacorporations that dominate the world perpetuate the condition. Johnny Mnemonic has a cybernetic brain implant that has all the information and knowledge that could blow the lid off the truth.
He has to deliver this package as soon as possible, as he becomes the target of megacorporations and conspiracy theorists.
In a scene at Crazy Bob's Computer Store, Mnemonic appears to be ordering an iPhone, which had not yet been created at the time of the film.
HorrorSci-FiThriller
Director:
Christian Duguay
Release Date:
Fri Jan 26 1996
Star Cast:
Peter Weller, Roy Dupuis, Jennifer Rubin
Budget:
$20,000,000 (estimated)
Box Office (Worldwide):
$5,711,695
Screamers is set in a distant future where man has explored the universe and located alien life forms. To protect humans from alien life, we created an army of robots called Autonomous Mobile Swords, which are self-repairing and replicating robots.
With them, man has traveled to Sirius 6B to broker a peace deal. The commanding officer of the unit is disheartened to learn that the powers that be have double-crossed them, and the only way to survive is to form a new alliance with New Economic Black.
The problem is that the AMS or Screamers unit is spread across the planet, and they are not discriminating between aliens and humans before killing them.
The film is inspired by the short story titled Second Variety by Philip K. Dick. He is the writer of novels that were adapted into films like Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, Blade Runner, etc.