2017 sees the release of Ghost in the Shell, the much-hyped live-action adaptation of the critically-acclaimed anime. Starring Scarlett Johanson as the cybernetic secret agent the Major, it will add to the ever-increasing list of robots in movies this decade.
Christian Bone
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Published: Nov 28, 2016 08:47 pm
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Who's the greatest movie robot of all-time? It's a tough call, but you would be hard-pressed to not choose Star Wars' most endearing creation - that bleeping, brave-hearted blue tin can that is R2-D2.
He's either an emotionless assassin or a heroic bodyguard, but either way, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the coolest robot ever in the Terminator films (well, at least the first two). He also launched a handful of catchphrases into popular culture, something that not many others on this list can claim to have done.
Despite being designed as an alien war machine, the big-hearted Iron Giant really just wants to be a hero. Brad Bird's animated classic will have you welling up over the fate of a hunk of metal, and you'll no doubt find a place in your heart for this special character.
Pixar's WALL-E - the last creature left on a trash-filled Earth - is an infinitely loveable creation with oodles of character. Who knew robots could fall in love?
What's scarier than an unkillable robot? An unkillable robot made of liquid metal that can shapeshift, that's what! Robert Patrick gives a great predatory performance as the most effective evil robot on film in T2: Judgement Day.
One of the faces of the franchise, it just wouldn't be Star Wars without this loveably bumbling British-speaking droid, right? Threepio's odd couple friendship with Artoo makes them a double act for the ages, capturing our hearts ever since their debut all those years ago.
Fritz Lang's German Expressionist masterpiece Metropolis created the first famous movie robot in the False Maria, the robot duplicate created to fool the lower classes of the city. Her brilliant art-deco design also directly inspired countless other movie robots.
Before Bishop came the Alien franchise's first android, Ash (creepily played by Lord of the Rings' Ian Holm). That scene where his decapitated head continues to live still gives us the chills.
Another classic movie robot from the 1950s is Gort, the robot assistant of alien protagonist Klaatu. Gort's success lies in his sleek design and, of course, the iconic phrase that controls him: "Klaatu Barada Nikto."
He might look kitschy to us now, but Robby the Robot from iconic 1950s sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet defined what robots looked like in the public consciousness for years. Despite the poster above, he was actually a faithful servant rather than the movie's monster.
Brent Spiner's android might have started as the Spock stand-in of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and its associated movies), but he quickly became a fan-favourite due to his paradoxically human nature.
In Michael Crichton's first 'theme park goes wrong' movie, Westworld, Yul Brynner makes for a terrifying antagonist as robotic killer the Gunslinger. His performance would also go on to inspire Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator.
The leader of the robots in disguise is probably the best thing about Michael Bay's Transformers movies. He sports a great redesign of the animated character and is remarkably still voiced by original actor Peter Cullen.
Bishop subverted our expectations by not turning out to be a turncoat like Ash. Instead, Lance Henriksen's character proves Ripley's prejudices wrong with his total loyalty and bravery - making him a firm fan favorite.
From the mind of sci-fi comic genius Douglas Adams came this manically-depressed robot, brought to life by the hilariously mournful tones of Alan Rickman. He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise mediocre film.
2017 sees the release of Ghost in the Shell, the much-hyped live-action adaptation of the critically-acclaimed anime. Starring Scarlett Johanson as the cybernetic secret agent the Major, it will add to the ever-increasing list of robots in movies this decade.
You’ve got Neil Blomkamp’s Chappie, Ava from Ex Machina, Big Hero 6‘s Baymax, little BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Marvel’s Ultron and many, many more. It makes sense that, as our technology inexorably pushes us towards the point of science fiction, that we should be so interested in androids and artificial intelligences at this point in time. Even if we’re moving towards a point where humanity is obsolete and the world falls prey to the robo-apocalypse, at least the subject matter is making for some great movies.
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But cinema’s obsession with robots is not a new thing by any means. Metal men and women have proliferated the big screen since the very early days of the motion picture, and the past century has produced several cybernetic stars who have entered into popular culture.
After much deliberation, we’ve been able to whittle it all down to just the 15 greatest robots, androids and automatons in movie history. Some are murderous mutineers who turn against their human masters while others are faithful friends to the end, but every robot on this list is either brilliantly performed or terrifically designed (or in most instances, both).
We do have a few rules to point out before we start, though. This list is only for 100% robots. Cyborgs (e.g. Robocop), magical robot-types (Tim Man from The Wizard of Oz), artificial beings not made from metal (Roy Batty in Blade Runner) or A.I.s without a humanoid physical form (Hal from 2001 and The Matrix‘s Agent Smith) are all exempt. But enough about which characters didn’t make the cut, let’s see who did.
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Christian Bone is a Staff Writer/Editor at We Got This Covered and has been cluttering up the internet with his thoughts on movies and TV for over a decade, ever since graduating with a Creative Writing degree from the University of Winchester. As Marvel Beat Leader, he can usually be found writing about the MCU and yet, if you asked him, he'd probably say his favorite superhero film is 'The Incredibles.'
Published: Nov 28, 2016 08:47 pm