Get Even More Visitors To Your Blog, Upgrade To A Business Listing >>

Best Cyberpunk Movies: 14 Top Cyberpunk Films Of All Time

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that features advanced science and technology in an urban, dystopian future. But what are the best cyberpunk movies.

The genre originated in the early 1980s, with seminal works like William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” (1984) and Bruce Sterling’s “Schismatrix” (1985).

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that features advanced technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics.

The word cyberpunk was coined in 1983 by author Bruce Bethke, and the term is often used to refer to a subgenre of science fiction that has become popular over the last three decades.

The genre typically features advanced science and technology, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, combined with a degree of breakdown or radical change in society.

In this guide to all things cyberpunk, we’ll list what we believe to be the best cyberpunk movies.

Best Cyberpunk Movies

The most popular cyberpunk movies are often set in a future that is bleak and dark, with high-tech computer networks. Cyberpunk films have been produced since the early 1980s.

Cyberpunk is a genre of science fiction that features advanced science and technology in an urban, dystopian future. This article will explore some of the best cyberpunk movies ever made.

In the last few years, cyberpunk movies have been on the rise. Blade Runner 2049 is just one example of a new release that has been very well received by critics and moviegoers alike.

What’s more, this genre has become increasingly popular in recent years as evidenced by acclaimed series like Westworld.

One common factor among many of these movies is their ability to comment on society without being too heavy-handed about it.

Without further ago, let’s jump into our list of the best cyberpunk movies!

Blade Runner (1982)

In 1982, the film Blade Runner was released. It was a classic science fiction movie and is considered by many to be one of the best movies ever made.

The story takes place in Los Angeles, in a dystopian future where artificial intelligence (AI) has taken over most jobs – and follows Rick Deckard as he hunts down fugitive robots known as replicants that are trying to find their way to Earth.

In 2019, the world is a dark and dystopian place. The air is polluted from toxic rain, acid rain falls in torrents down on the earth.

Humans are at war with machines created by their own hands for years of manual labor that have turned against them. All this leaves little hope for a future where humanity can survive to see another day.

The film was met with mixed reviews, but it has since been regarded as one of the best films ever made.

It was written and directed by Ridley Scott and stars Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmet Walsh, Daryl Hannah and William Sanderson.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Hackers (1995)

Hackers is a 1995 film about a young hacker and his attempt to stop a large corporation from taking control of the entire Internet.

It stars Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie and Matthew Lillard. The film was directed by Iain Softley and was written by Rafael Moreu based on his own experiences as an amateur hacker in the 1980s.

The plot involves two young hackers (Dade Murphy and Kate Libby), who are members of a group known as the “Electronic Freedom Frontier”.

They are employed by Sir Francis Cheswick (F. Murray Abraham) in order to write computer code that will disable the telephone switching computers of an unnamed telephone company in New York City, which is scheduled to be acquired by media conglomerate Mylex Corporation.

Dade is arrested and placed on probation for 50 hours community service after he is caught attempting to infiltrate the company’s computers for information. Kate is worried that she may also be arrested due to her connection with Dade.

The pair begin to search for evidence that will expose the plot of Sir Francis and Mylex when they are approached by Jacques Vidal (Joey Naber), the leader of an electronic underground group called “the System”.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

BEST CYBERPUNK MOVIES

What Are Cyberpunk Movies?

Cyberpunk movies are a genre of science fiction that deals with the future and is often set in a world where governments have become irrelevant.

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a futuristic setting that tends to focus on a “combination of lowlife and high tech” featuring advanced technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cybernetics, juxtaposed with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.

The name is derived from cybernetics and punk and was first coined by Gardner Dozois to describe the work of James Tiptree Jr., Bruce Sterling, and William Gibson — authors who gave the genre its present-day form.

A few examples of cyberpunk movies are Blade Runner, The Matrix, Ghost In The Shell, and Akira.

Videodrome (1983)

Have you ever watched a movie and had the feeling that something was off? That nothing made sense, but it wasn’t because of your lack of understanding.

Well, this is what happens when directors are influenced by Videodrome, one of many David Cronenberg films with an unsettling tone.

In the early 1980s, a young cable TV executive named James Woods found himself in the middle of a burgeoning technological revolution.

In David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, we are introduced to a world where media doesn’t just affect our minds but also our bodies.

Max Renn is the head of a TV station who becomes obsessed with his show called Videodrome, which features live torture and murder on air.

His addiction gets even worse when he starts experiencing hallucinations in which people appear and disappear before him while being tortured or killed.

The movie explores how watching violent images can lead to more violence by showing us how this obsession leads Renn to try and kill others as well as himself.

In the movie Videodrome, it is revealed that media has become so advanced and widespread in society that it can be used as a form of torture.

This concept could not be more relevant today with the ubiquity of social media!

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Strange Days (1995)

In the film Strange Days, a character named Lenny looks to be on his way out of the life of crime he’s been living for years. He has a steady job and is looking forward to settling down with his girlfriend.

But when she ends up murdered by her ex-boyfriend, he quickly reverts back to what he knows best: violence.

It takes only one day before Lenny goes from having dreams about being an architect or a filmmaker on Oscar night to robbing a bank in hopes of getting revenge on the man who killed his girlfriend.

The film “Strange Days” is a futuristic thriller that takes place in the year 1999. The world has changed drastically from what we know now, and it’s not for the better.

In this dark future, people are bombarded with media 24/7 which leads to violence and crime rates soaring through the roof.

It can be hard to tell who is good or bad because of how everyone has become so desensitized to violence thanks to all of their violent entertainment being readily available at any time on any device.

In 1995, the world was on a brink of total chaos. The Cold War had been going on for decades and sparked fear in all that it touched. Alliances were shifting and people were looking for anything to believe in.

In this time, Strange Days took place, a movie about an ex-cop living through the worst days of his life as he takes part in some unethical activities with his best friend (played by Ralph Fiennes).

The 1995 cult classic film, Strange Days was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starred Angela Bassett. The movie takes place in a grimy, crime-ridden Los Angeles of the future where most people live inside protective domes or “bubbles.”

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix is a 1999 American science fiction film written and directed by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano.

The story follows the journey of Neo, who discovers he has been living in the matrix his whole life and joins with Morpheus to fight against these machines.

It depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality called the Matrix, created by intelligent machines to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source.

When computer programmer Thomas Anderson (Reeves), under the hacker alias “Neo”, uncovers the truth, he is drawn into a rebellion against the machines along with other people who have been freed from the Matrix.

The Matrix is known for popularizing a visual effect known as “bullet time”, in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera’s viewpoint appears to move through the scene at normal speed.

The film is an example of the cyberpunk science fiction genre. It contains numerous references to philosophical and religious ideas and prominently pays homage to works such as Platonian realism, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Total Recall (1990)

Total Recall (1990) is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox and Michael Ironside.

The film is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”.

The original score composed by Jerry Goldsmith won the BMI Film Music Award. The film is set in a future where Earth has become a polluted wasteland and society has been mechanized to the point that people are dependent on medications and machines for survival.

Much of the population centers on Mars, with regular trips between Earth and Mars occurring. Douglas Quaid is a construction worker at an interplanetary colony on Mars who leads a meager existence with his wife Lori and their infant daughter Becky.

He dreams of visiting Titan Colony, which would be better for his family’s future. A commercial appears in which the Rekall company offers its clients a chance to experience total recall of their memories via a procedure called “The Rite of remembered experience”.

At Rekall’s company headquarters on Earth, Quaid opts for the memory trip package called “The Ultimate Adventure”, despite Lori’s disapproval.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

eXistenZ (1999)

In the film eXistenZ, a virtual reality game is used to explore the human mind and society. The audience watches as two players, plugged into an artificial nervous system called “game pods”, are thrust into the dangerous world of eXistenZ.

A player can be killed by any number of things in this world, including falling from high levels or being attacked by creatures that live in the game’s jungles.

If you’re looking for a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. eXistenZ follows game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) as she struggles to make her latest video game.

She’s not just designing it in her computer-controlled laboratory; she is literally plugged into the system and experiencing all its sensory inputs while wearing a bio-engineered bodysuit called an “Existenz.”

In a futuristic world, the line between reality and virtual reality is blurred. People can plug into any number of different realities with the help of an organic computer interface called a “game pod”.

The film eXistenZ tells the story of how one such game pod designer, Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), gets caught up in a hunt for an assassin who has hacked her new game system.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

The Zero Theorem (2013)

The Zero Theorem is a 2013 film directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Christoph Waltz as Qohen Leth, an eccentric and reclusive computer genius plagued with existential angst.

Living in isolation beneath the beautiful rolling hills of an unnamed city, he spends his days attempting to prove that life holds no meaning — a task that has left him completely unsuccessful.

The story of this film begins when Qohen’s boss (played by David Thewlis) orders him to come up with a theorem proving that life holds no meaning or value.

If he cannot do so within one year, then they will terminate him from his position at their company because suicide would be preferable to living without purpose in

The Zero Theorem is a science fiction psychological thriller that follows the story of Qohen Leth, an eccentric computer genius who lives in isolation. He works by day on a theorem proving that life has no meaning and to find his own answers.

His work is interrupted when he’s contacted for help from an old colleague, Bob Brown, who asks him to look into what seems like a simple equation found on the Internet.

It stars Christoph Waltz as Qohen Leth, an eccentric computer genius plagued with existential angst who lives in isolation inside a remote industrial complex because he believes that he must prove the existence of God using mathematical proof or otherwise risk the meaninglessness of life.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Robocop (1987)

“I am not a robot.”

-Alex Murphy (Robocop)

Robocop is a 1987 sci-fi action film that stars Peter Weller and tells the story of Alex Murphy, who is turned into a cyborg police officer.

In the film, “RoboCop,” a fictional police officer is killed and then rebuilt as a cyborg. The movie takes place in Detroit, Michigan.

The movie was directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. It was met with critical acclaim upon release for its satirical take on corporate America and violence in films.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Akira (1988)

In 1988, Akira was released in Japan. It is an animated science fiction film about a biker gang in Neo-Tokyo who gets involved with the military when it accidentally releases a new type of energy called “Psi”.

The movie has since gained cult status and is considered one of the best anime films ever made.

The Akira anime and manga series is a Japanese cyberpunk work of art that has been praised for its deep themes.

The story follows a teenager named Tetsuo Shima who accidentally gains psionic powers after being shot by the military in an experiment to reproduce the effects of an American weapon called “the telekinetic bomb.” He then starts to terrorize Tokyo, while his friends try to find ways to stop him.

Akira is set in the post-apocalyptic Neo Tokyo of 2019. The film depicts a world in which a city, once home to over twelve million people, has been reduced to ashes by an unknown form of energy release.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Tron: Legacy (2010)

Tron: Legacy is a 2010 American science fiction film directed by Joseph Kosinski, and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the sequel to the 1982 film Tron.

The movie stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn, Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley, and Garrett Hedlund as Sam Flynn in the roles that they originated in the first film.

The story takes place 27 years after its predecessor left off with Kevin trying to find his son who has been missing ever since he was just five years old.

The 1982 film Tron tells the story of programmer Kevin Flynn, who is transported into the digital world of The Grid. He must battle his way back to the real world with help from programs that want freedom inside The Grid.

The 2010 film Tron: Legacy, directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by the Walt Disney Pictures production company, is a sequel to the 1982 movie Tron.

It tells us of Sam Flynn’s (played by Garrett Hedlund) quest to find his father Kevin Flynn who has been missing for 20 years. The world that they live in is one where people use energy discs to trade goods and services with each other and programs are used as tools.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this but “Tron: Legacy” is a cult classic that has been watched by millions of people all over the world, some for their first time! It’s kind of like a rite of passage for many kids who are into technology or anything futuristic.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

Ghost In The Shell (1995)

Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese manga series, which was originally published as a serialized manga from 1989 to 1991.

The series follows protagonist Major Motoko Kusanagi and her task force Section 9’s battle against cyber-criminals and other threats to national security.

The manga, anime, and movie Ghost in the Shell are all based on a Japanese book of the same name by Shirow Masamune. The original story features an anti-terrorist organization led by Major Motoko Kusanagi that is created to deal with technology crimes.

Ghost in the Shell is a Japanese media franchise including anime, manga, and movies. It was originally created by Masamune Shirow in 1989.

The name “Ghost in the Shell” refers to something called “The Puppet Master”, an artificial intelligence that takes over human minds and bodies for its own purposes.

A Japanese manga series first released in 1989, Ghost in the Shell is a science fiction story that deals with philosophical and ethical issues about technology.

The series follows Major Motoko Kusanagi as she investigates various criminal cases while also combating terrorism.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

The Lawnmower Man (1992)

The Lawnmower Man is a 1992 American science fiction action horror film directed by Brett Leonard. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Jeff Fahey, and Patricia Arquette.

The screenplay, written by Brett Leonard, was based on the Stephen King short story of the same name.

The film’s plot centers around Jobe Smith (played by Fahey), an intellectually disabled gardener, who is experimented on by Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Brosnan) with a drug called Jango which makes him intelligent and telekinetic.

In 1993, the film was nominated for three Saturn Awards: Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actress for Arquette, and Best Screenplay.

In 2009, a director’s cut of the film was released on DVD in Spain. The original novel was also adapted into a comic book miniseries published by Eclipse Comics in 1992–1993.

In an alternate present-day where electronic devices are banned, one man has found a way to use virtual reality to control society and give him ultimate power.

Dr Lawrence Angelo is a scientist working for the US Government in Washington DC under contract from NASA, developing mind control techniques using virtual reality technology he has developed himself with funding from wealthy businessman Thomas Bidgood.

A Clockwork Orange
  • Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
  • Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri (Actors)
  • Stanley Kubrick (Director) - Stanley Kubrick (Writer) - Stanley Kubrick (Producer)
  • English (Playback Language)
  • English (Subtitle)

What Is Cyberpunk?

The term “cyberpunk” was first used in the 70s and is now often considered a subgenre of science fiction.

Cyberpunk stories are typically set in gritty, near-future urban settings that feature advanced technological developments and social change.

The genre has grown to include many different styles such as steampunk and biopunk.

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that often focuses on the dark and criminal side of technology.

The genre emerged in the 1980s with novels like Neuromancer, Blindsight, and Snow Crash. Cyberpunk can also be found in movies such as Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and Minority Report.

The term cyberpunk was first used by author Bruce Bethke for his story “Cyberpunks,” which was published in 1983 to describe an underground group of computer hackers who work outside the law to fight corporate tyranny.

It became popular in the 1980s and 1990s with movies such as Blade Runner (1982), The Matrix (1999), and Ghost in the Shell (1995).

Cyberpunk does not focus on destruction or survival but instead on what happens after everything has gone wrong.

The future is depicted in these types of books is often bleak with corporations controlling all aspects of life, humans are enhanced with technology (both organic and mechanical), and everyone uses implants that allow them to interface with networks through their brains.

Common Motifs Of Cyberpunk Genre

Cyberpunk is a literary genre that first emerged in the 1980s. It features an anti-hero protagonist who often battles against oppressive forces, typically corporate or government control.

Cyberpunk literature is usually set in a gritty near future and includes advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, virtual reality, and human augmentation.

These themes are explored through both technological advances and social problems with the intent of exploring possible directions for civilization to take at its current point in time.

Cyberpunk often depicts a world where people are connected to each other through technology, but the social order has been disrupted by rapid technological change.

Outside forces such as corporations have more power than governments in some cyberpunk worlds.

Cyberpunk is a literary genre that emerged in the early 1980s and was popularized by William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer.

Cyberpunk works often take place in dystopian societies with few laws and where corporations have more power than governments.

In these worlds, computers are omnipresent and connect people to each other at blinding speeds, but they come at the price of having your personal information sold for profit or exposed through data breaches.

The cyberpunk genre is one that depicts a future world in which the social order has collapsed. As technology advances, society and government are unable to keep up with these changes.

This causes people living in this future society to become more isolated from each other and eventually lead to the breakdown of law enforcement agencies.

In most cases, there will be an underground network of hackers who work together for their own benefit as well as others they deem worthy.

The post Best Cyberpunk Movies: 14 Top Cyberpunk Films Of All Time appeared first on Filmmaking Lifestyle.



This post first appeared on Filmmaking Lifestyle, please read the originial post: here

Share the post

Best Cyberpunk Movies: 14 Top Cyberpunk Films Of All Time

×

Subscribe to Filmmaking Lifestyle

Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Thank you for your subscription

×