If you’re a fan of sci-fi films, then you’ve more than likely enjoyed the occasional cyberpunk flick in your time. It’s a very particular sub genre of futuristic science fiction that juxtaposes advanced technology such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics with social breakdown and dystopia. The genre has been around in movie format since at least the early 1980s, before really picking up steam in the 90s. From that era and beyond, here are five classic cyberpunk movies with plenty of “high tech, low life” action. Go get your fix!
1. Robocop (1987)
The tale of Paul Weller’s experimental supercop in a dystopian Detroit has all the traits normally associated with cyberpunk movies. Corruption, criminality, cyborgs, extreme violence and evil mega-corporations — it’s all there. This Paul Verhoeven-directed classic is a living, breathing cyberpunk stereotype, and it’s absolutely brilliant because of that.
2. The Matrix (1999)
If you’re one of the three people left in the world who hasn’t seen the Wachowski siblings’ cyberpunk masterpiece, you need to correct that right now. A frothy mix of gunplay, violence and philosophy, The Matrix’s mind-bending plot about an unsettled hacker is every bit as unique and stunning as its visuals.
3. Blade Runner (1982)
No list of cyberpunk movies would be complete without acknowledging the one that arguably started it all. Blade Runner is effectively a futuristic detective noir movie that sees Harrison Ford’s bounty hunter tasked with eliminating a number of androids (known as Replicants) who are hiding among the general population. A must-see for all cyberpunk fans.
4. Hackers (1995)
Before the Internet was even a thing, director Iain Softley brought us this tale of a group of teenage hackers (including Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie) who find themselves embroiled in a plot involving the theft of millions of dollars from (you guessed it) a mega-corporation. As a movie, Hackers is terrible. But as a cyberpunk experience, it’s up there with the best.
5. District 9 (2009)
Just to prove that the cyberpunk genre didn’t begin and end in the 80s and 90s, Neill Blomkamp’s inventive tale of alien refugees stuck in a dystopian South Africa more than earns its place on this list. Unique, gritty and at times chaotic, District 9 is well worth revisiting whether you’ve seen it already or not.
Honorable Mentions
It’s hard to narrow down this amazing genre to just five favourites, so here are a few more cyberpunk movies that are well worth a look:
- 12 Monkeys (1995) follows the time-hopping exploits of a prisoner tasked with saving humanity from a lethal plague.
- Johnny Mnemonic (1995) sees a data courier struggle to unlock the information in his head before it kills him.
- In The 5th Element (1997), Bruce Willis plays bodyguard to Milla Jovovich’s enigmatic Leeloo on a quest to save the world.
- Dark City (1998) is the tale of amnesiac Rufus Sewell’s quest to recover his identity.
- Cult classic Total Recall (1987) sees Arnold Schwarzenegger plunged into a mind-bending mystery that takes him all the way to Mars.
Q: What are some of your all-time favourite cyberpunk movies? Let us know in the comments below.
