Top 15 Cyberpunk Films: From Blade Runner to The Matrix

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Dystopian future, technological development, virtual worlds, mind games and the decline of humanity.

The term "cyberpunk" appeared in 1983, and since then many fantastic works, in particular films, have been designated with this word. The genre has no specific boundaries and frameworks, and therefore completely different paintings can fall into it. Most often these are stories in which technological development is accompanied by the decline of humanity, large corporations seize power, machines come into conflict with people in the real or virtual world, and media increasingly affects consciousness.

Lifehacker has collected the most interesting films that will allow you to get acquainted with cyberpunk.

1. Blade Runner

• USA, 1982.
• Science fiction, drama, thriller.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

Humans have created human-indistinguishable replicants to perform the toughest jobs in hazardous areas. But some androids escape, and then a "blade runner" is sent to search for them - an employee of the special police department. Rick Deckard - one of the "runners", he already wants to retire, but he has the last task.

This painting is a free interpretation of the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by writer Philip Dick, who is called one of the founders of the cyberpunk genre. Initially, viewers did not appreciate Ridley Scott's complex idea, and the film flopped at the box office. But over time, the picture became a cult, and the director repeatedly refined it.

2. Throne

• USA, 1982.
• Science fiction, thriller.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Kevin Flynn works for ENCOM Corporation. He creates unusual games, but the bosses take them over for themselves. After being abruptly fired, Kevin decides to sneak into the lab and retrieve what belongs to him. But he falls under the digital beam and as a result finds himself in a virtual space where totalitarian orders reign.

In this picture, many of the central ideas of cyberpunk were collected: a powerful corporation, an artificial intelligence that despises its creator, a totalitarian society in the virtual world. But more importantly, "Tron" strongly influenced the development of special effects in cinema. About 20 minutes of this picture was completely created on the computer, here for the first time transparency and facial animation were applied.

Filming with live actors was also very difficult. Each frame of the film was enlarged, applied to a translucent sheet, placed in front of a light source and filmed with a camera with a filter of a certain color. As a result, the materials for the tape were transported by whole minibuses.

3. Videodrome

• Canada, 1983.
• Science fiction, thriller, horror.
• Duration: 84 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The director of a small cable channel, Max Rennes, accidentally catches an unknown TV show that shows torture and murder. Trying to find the source of the program, he himself falls under its influence. Now there is a hole in Max's stomach where strange videotapes are inserted. But perhaps all this is just hallucinations.

Director David Cronenberg is a master of the tangled stories and genre of body horror, which shows the mutations of the human body. But even though "Videodrome" is made in his unusual manner, the picture is often referred to as early cyberpunk. It shows well capitalism, which rules society through the media, references to virtual reality, and even the convergence of militarism and the consumer society.

4. Robocop

• USA, 1987.
• Science fiction, thriller.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

During a clash with a criminal gang, one of the best police officers, Alex Murphy, dies. But scientists are turning him into a cyborg by combining Alex's brain and surviving body parts with metal parts. He becomes a real crime threat and at the same time tries to preserve his human memories.

In this film directed by Paul Verhoeven, it is not only the very idea of creating a cyborg and finding a balance between emotions and the logic of the machine that is important. The decline in the world, where media corporations rule everything, and utter chaos is happening on the streets, looks no less interesting.

5. Akira

• Japan, 1988.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 124 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

After the Third World War and the nuclear bombing in Japan, the new capital of New Tokyo is being built. Now the country has an almost fascist regime, and all attempts of resistance are brutally suppressed. At the center of the confrontation is the mysterious teenager Tetsuo Shima, who has strong psychic abilities.

Akira is considered not only an important milestone in the development of anime. Largely thanks to the film, the work of Japanese animators has become popular in Western countries.

6. Johnny Mnemonic

• USA, Canada, 1995.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 7.

A mnemonic is a courier that transports important information in a special chip implanted directly into the brain. The only problem is that because of this, the carrier loses part of its own memory. That is why the main character Johnny does not remember his childhood. But once too much information is loaded into his head, and now he faces death. In addition, the yakuza are hunting for Johnny, wanting to get the chip.

The adaptation of the work of one of the founders of cyberpunk, William Gibson, was supposed to start a whole series of films. But, unfortunately, the picture fell into the hands of producers who wanted to make it more youthful. As a result, teenage movie star Keanu Reeves was invited to the lead role, and the plot was greatly simplified. The tape failed, putting an end to the transfer to the screens of "Neuromancer" - one of the main works of Gibson.

7. Ghost in the Shell

• Japan, 1995.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 83 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

In the distant future, the line between humans and robots becomes increasingly blurred. However, technology carries with it danger: an experienced hacker nicknamed the Puppeteer breaks into and subdues other people's minds. Major Motoko Kusanagi is sent to capture him.

In a fashionable fashion, the classic, often compared to Blade Runner, was adapted into a Hollywood movie in 2017. The plot in the picture was conveyed quite closely, and the main role was played by Scarlett Johansson. But still, the very atmosphere of the original was lost.

8. Strange days

• USA, 1995.
• Science fiction, action, thriller.
• Duration: 145 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

In the late nineties, the secret services learned to record human memories on media. But this led to the development of a black market, where everyone can reliably survive someone else's betrayal or take part in a robbery. Lenny Nero once worked as a policeman, and now he is a merchant of memories. One day he comes across a record of the death of a girl he knows. And he decides to look into this matter.

The famous James Cameron had a hand in creating the picture. He wrote the script for the film, for which he later even received the Saturn Prize.

9. Nirvana

• Italy, France, 1997.
• Science fiction, drama.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

In the future, where huge corporations have seized power in the world, the programmer Jimi creates an intelligent computer game, the events of which are close to reality. But after the penetration of the virus, the main character of the game Solo begins to remember his previous lives. Then he asks Jimi to erase the game with him. But for this, the programmer will have to get through the security of the corporation.

In the shell of a purely cyberpunk story dedicated to the virtual world and the power of money, the authors actually tell about the meaninglessness of life itself in modern society. A person has to repeat the same actions over and over again, and not everyone can break out of this cycle.

10. Dark city

• USA, Australia, 1998.
• Science fiction, thriller, detective.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The main character wakes up in a hotel room. He does not remember his name, and a dead woman lies in the next room. A man who lives in an eternal night city is hunted by strange pale people with supernatural powers. And then he has doubts about reality itself.

This picture did not gain much popularity at the box office, although the idea in it is very interesting. This is an attempt to understand what makes a person human and what allows him to remain himself, even in the artificial world.

Last but not least, the Sydney-built Dark City set was used by the Wachowski duo for their main film, The Matrix.

11. Matrix

• USA, Australia, 1999.
• Science fiction, thriller.
• Duration: 136 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

Thomas Anderson works in the most ordinary office during the day, and at night turns into a legendary hacker named Neo. But one day he learns that the whole familiar world is just a computer simulation, and it is he who will become the chosen one who will save people from the power of machines.

After the release of the film, the Wachowskis were accused that the idea of "The Matrix" was too secondary. But they did not hide the fact that they used the plots of many cult stories, in particular "Ghost in the Shell". But it was this painting that, thanks to the combination of the cyberpunk theme and advanced special effects, became truly cult and revolutionary.

12. Turbidity

• USA, 2006.
• Science fiction, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 100 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

Robert Arctor is a police officer infiltrated into an undercover drug addict environment. This excludes any personal contact with contacts. Gradually, he himself becomes a victim of addiction to drugs and begins to suspect himself of betrayal.

When director Richard Linklater took on the adaptation of this Philip Dick novel, he was faced with a daunting task. In the book, the hero wears a special costume that changes his appearance every second and suffers from hallucinations. A very time-consuming process allowed to realize this on the screen: each frame of the shot film was then manually painted, adding unusual details.

13. Sleep merchant

• USA, Mexico, 2008.
• Science fiction, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 90 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 0.

In a future where developed countries have seized all resources, migrants from Mexico no longer come to the United States. They remotely control robots that have become waiters or maids. But the young man Memo Cruz gains access to closed communication channels, and, perhaps, is able to change the state of affairs.

This low-budget film was inspired by plans to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, as well as the development of remote work via the Internet. Thus, cyberpunk themes are already entering everyday life.

14. Throne: Legacy

• USA, 2010.
• Science fiction, thriller.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Many years after the events of the film "Throne", the son of the protagonist goes in search of his father. He, too, enters the virtual world and discovers that Kevin Flynn's evil doppelganger is planning an invasion of reality.

In the era of the development of special effects and the popularity of sequels, the legendary story simply could not help but return to the screens. In the continuation of the race on light motorcycles became more believable, and the virtual world is even brighter. But the idea of a totalitarian society has remained the same.

15. Blade Runner 2049

• USA, UK, Canada, 2017.
• Science fiction, drama, thriller.
• Duration: 164 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

Years later, the "blade runner" replicant Kay is trying to investigate tangled cases, and at the same time, to understand his past. And only Rick Deckard, who disappeared many years ago, can help him in this.

Director Denis Villeneuve perfectly developed Ridley Scott's ideas with the support of the author himself. The new "Blade Runner" is more depressing, and in addition to replicants, there are also holograms with artificial intelligence, which makes the stratification of society even stronger.