Cyberpunk Defined! Also: A list of Awesome Cyberpunk Films You Should Watch

nA cyberpunk film usually takes place in a not too distantnfuture that most of the time has been ravaged by man. In these films, thenfuture is not a pretty place, most of the time society is portrayed as post-nindustrial dystopias, where technology has changed humanity, and usually notnfor the best. Landscapes are huge cities, urbanized areas, fake landscapesnfilled with artificial lighting, plastic and metal.

nCyberpunk films focus on the mix between man and technology;nin these films man is almost completely dependent of it, in fact, in most ofnthese films man has become one with technology. Often times these films presentnus with the idea of invasive modification of the human body; with charactersnthat have mechanical appendages or implants connected directly to their brain thatnallows them to connect directly to computer systems, this last point is a huge landmarknof the genre.

nCharacters in these films are marginalized outcasts whonprefer to spend a lot of their time connected to the internet, usually throughna helmet or a cable that connects them directly into the virtual world. Innthese worlds, humanity has become so amalgamated that it’s all chaotic andncrazy, filled with all sorts of social disorder; often times societies clashnwith one another in one huge smorgasbord of culture; usually on the brink ofntotal breakdown. Society in cyberpunk films is the anti-thesis of the utopiannfutures sometimes depicted in science fiction films. The future depicted inncyberpunk films is dirty, messy and chaotic.

nThese films focus on loners, hackers that live on gettingnpaid for performing all sorts of cyber crimes; crimes usually committed towardsnbig mega corporations that have taken over the government. Many don’tnunderstand where the ‘punk’ in cyberpunk comes from, but I’ll tell ya: the punknelement comes from the outcasts of society that take center stage in thesenstories. Punk culture is usually associated with rebels, dissenters and misfits,nthis is why most of the characters in a cyberpunk film fall on this category.nCyberpunk films always comment on society and its many faults.

nMany cyberpunk films use the film noir style ofnstorytelling, which is why sometimes these futuristic films will have an oldnschool vibe to them, kind of like how Blade Runner feels like an old detectivenfilm from the 50’s when looked at from a certain light. A lot of these films takenplace during the night, in the big bad city. So anyways here I offer you mynlist of essential cyberpunk films. Hope you find something worth watching onnit, most of these films are the cream of the crop when it comes to cyberpunkncinema. I’ve left out some that I haven’t watched, so feel free to recommendnanything that comes to mind!

nGhost in the Shell (1995)

nDirector: Mamoru Oshii

nComments: Ghost innthe Shell is all about an artificial intelligence that becomes aware of itsnexistence and then decides to live out its life in the body of a cyborg;nproblem is this artificial intelligence belongs to the government and they wantnit back! Ghost in the Shell is extremely existential (like many Mamoru Oshiinfilms are) and has many scenes of characters philosophizing about the meaningnof life. On top of the films exploration of existential themes, we also getnthese awesome visuals and action sequences, all beautifully hand drawn; there’snjust something about traditional Japanese animation that I can’t get enough of.nTo me, this type of traditional animation is what watching these movies is allnabout. Ghost in the Shell certainly ranks amongst one of the best Japanesenanimated films and consequently, is also one of the best cyberpunk films outnthere. One thing to keep in mind while watching this film is how much itninfluenced The Matrix (1999); a keen observer will notice how entire sequences innThe Matrix were taken straight out of Ghost in the Shell. Mamoru Oshii, thisnfilms director, released another version of this film called Ghost in the Shelln2.0, which I don’t recommend you see because Oshii decided to splice in newncomputer generated sequences that sometimes completely replace original scenes;na huge mistake in my book because these new CG scenes don’t gel well with thentraditional animation and simply stand out like a sore thumb. Stick to thenoriginal version of the film which to me is the best. Highly recommend you guysncheck this one out, it’s a masterpiece of cyberpunk cinema.

nQuote: “Incorrect, I am not A.I. My codename is ‘Projectn2-5-0-1’, I am a living, thinking organism created in the sea of information”

nBlade Runner (1982)

nDirector: Ridley Scott

nComments: Blade Runner is heralded as the crowningnachievement in cyberpunk cinema and true, it does have many cyberpunk elementsnto it, but I’d say the novel is more cyberpunk than the film itself. Sure thenfilm has to do with cyborgs, film noir and a decaying society, but the bookndealt more with plugging yourself into cyberspace and drifting away into a newncyber religion called ‘Mercerism’; unfortunately, the film has none of thatnbecause Ridley Scott decided to do his own thing with the “adaptation” of thenbook, which is fine by me because while the film is not Philip K. Dicks book,nit is still one amazing film with amazing production values, beautiful artndirection and awesome performances. Oh, and let’s not forget Vangelis’snhaunting musical score.

nQuote: “Nothing thenGod of Bio-mechanics wouldn’t let you into heaven for”

nThe Matrix Trilogy (1999-2003)

nDirector: The Wachowski Siblings

nComments: When it comes to updating a genre, most filmmakersnwill look at every film ever made in the genre and then proceed to attemptntaking the genre to the next level; this is something that for example QuentinnTarantino is known for doing. The Wachowski’s watched Johnny Mnemonic (1995)nand Ghost in the Shell (1995) and then went and did their own big budgetnversion of those, with their own twist of course. But the borrowing of ideasnand scenes from both of these films is pretty hard to ignore, like for example,nsuch obvious things as using Johnny Mnemonic himself for their own film. Butnthere’s no denying the sheer awesomeness of The Matrix. Sure you’ve alreadynseen it a million times, but looking at the film objectively, there’s nondenying its importance within the cyberpunk/sci-fi world. It has dudesnconnecting themselves to the matrix via cables that connect directly to theirnbrains, an obvious cyberpunk staple. Neo is the outcast of society who can’tnseem to fit in…he’s a hacker dying to escape his boring life through technology.nBasically, the Wachowski’s took everynelement required in a cyberpunk film and put it in there; making The Matrix anquintessential cyberpunk film, not to mention the one with the biggest budgetnever. In this sense, we could say that The Matrix is actually king of allncyberpunk films, simply because it meets all the requirements.

nQuote: “He is trapped in a place between this world and thenmachine world”

nJohnny Mnemonic (1995)

nDirector: Robert Lungo

nComments: Out of all the movies on this list, I’d say thatnthis is the one with the strongest cyberpunk visuals. I mean, this one is allnabout Keanu playing Johnny, a cyber carrier with a very important parcel;nproblem is the parcel is in his mind! He’s crammed so much data into his brain,nthat it just might kill him! The film has its visually impressive moments, Inlove those scenes where Johnny hooks himself to the system and drifts throughncyberspace. The problem for me with this one is that sometimes it gets just anbit too silly (save the world but torture that poor dolphin!) and thenperformances aren’t the best. But putting all that aside, the film rocks fornvarious reasons: it’s based on one of William Gibson first published worksncalled ‘Johnny Mnemonic’ and even better, the screenplay was written by Gibsonnhimself; which is why I can’t understand how some of the dialog comes off asncheesy and some of the situations as nonsensical. Also, the computer graphicsnare outdated as hell. But all in all, Johnny Mnemonic is still an enjoyablencyberpunk film, actually, even with all its flaws, a very influential one, justnask the Wachowski siblings!

nQuote: “Information overload! All the electronics around younpoisoning the airwaves, technological fucking civilization! But we still havenall this shit because we can’t live without it.”

nTetsuo Franchise (1989, 1992, 2009)

nDirector: Shinya Tsukamoto

nComments: Tetsuo: The Iron Man is a super nutso film, but trustnme, you won’t be able to stop watching it. It’s all about this guy who gets hitnby a car and then a piece of metal gets stuck to his thigh and for some reasonnhe starts turning into a machine man? That’s the best I can come up with to trynand explain this crazy ass movie. While watching it you’ll no doubt getnEraserhead (1977) flashbacks, because it’s in black and white and it’s aboutnrelationships. And it’s freaking weird. How weird, well, the dude is trying tonhave sex with his girl and suddenly grows a giant mechanical drill where hisnpenis should be and well…just see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about oncenyou see it. This film was followed up by Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992), but Inhaven’t seen it, so I can’t comment on it. I’m going to try and get my hands onnit soon because it looks even more cyberpunkish than this one. There was also anthird film called Tetsuo: The Bullet Man (2009); some people are not fond ofnit, but I liked it. The Bullet Man offers interesting visuals in the sense thatnit has a dude turning into a living machine gun thing that shoots bullets fromnevery single part of his body, pretty cool concept if you ask me.

nQuote: “Together we can turn this fucking world to rust!”

nAkira (1988)

nDirector: Katsuhiro Otomo

nComments: Akira is a film that complies with all thenqualities of a cyberpunk film, it’s got it’s misfits in the form of anmotorcycle gang that drives through a city filled with political and religiousnchaos and it’s got characters turning into huge creatures made of technologynand flesh. It’s a film about the abuse of power, after all, what is Tetsuo ifnnot a young man abusing his newly discovered telekinetic powers? To me Akira’snstory is an analogy for that moment in life when we are young and find we haventhe choice of using our youth and energy for good, or channeling it for evil.nTetsuo looses focus and turns to the dark side out of sheer frustration, but isnthat the answer? Bullying can be anbitch, but is the answer to kill everybody? Or do we have a choice? All thesenquestions arise while the powers that be try to control and manipulate Tetsuo,nthe young boy with terrifying telekinetic abilities. In a way, this film isnsimilar to Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971), because it talks aboutnlearning to control our violent impulses, or the government will eventuallyncome in and force us to control them. Better us at the controls then them isnwhat I always say. One of the best animated films ever made.

nQuote: “Enough, open your eyes! You’re all puppets ofnpoliticians and capitalists!”

nVideodrome (1983)

nDirector: David Cronnenberg

nComments: This movie was exploring cyberpunk elements at annearly stage, even before cyberpunk was defined as cyberpunk! There’s thesenawesome scenes in which James Wood’s ‘Max Renn’ plugs himself into this giantnhelmet that’s supposed to connect him to some sort of information superhighway,neven before there was such a thing as the internet; which makes the filmnprophetic! It’s one of those films in which science fiction becomes fact.nCronnenberg has always explored themes of flesh and machine becoming one, henwent on to explore the same themes again in The Fly (1986), where Cronenberg squeezednin a scene in which the fly creature melds with the very machine thatnteleported it. In Cronnenberg’s Videodrome, a company is looking to createnthese glasses that will connect you to the internet, again, predating modern technologynwhich is just now starting to take off. The main theme in this film is man vs.nmachine, which is why one of the films most famous lines is:

nQuote: “Long live the new flesh! Death to Videodrome!”

nHardware (1990)

nDirector: Richard Stanley

nComments: This is a low budget cyberpunk film, but stillnturns out to be quite a cool little sci-fi film from Richard Stanley, thenanti-hollywood misfit director. This was Richard Stanley’s first film ever andnit has the energy and creativity that can be found in first time productions,nwhen director and a crew want to prove to the world that they can make a kicknass movie with little money. The film had the collaboration of a couple of filmmakersnwho went on to become big time directors like Chris Cunningham and StephennNorrington. Hardware is a monster flick, not unlike The Terminator (1984). Itnalso has a few elements from Blade Runner (1984), especially when it comes tonthe color palette. Hardware is very much a Richard Stanley film, weird andnfilled with social commentary. In a nutshell, Hardware is an anti-war film depictingna military robot gone awry. The film feels very claustrophobic (due to thensmall sets) which kind of adds to the end of the world atmosphere, which is extremelynpalpable. Cyberpunk elements are very strong on this one, this is a film fillednwith humanity in chaos, misfit characters with robotic hands, and a prevailing sensenof nihilism. In the midst of it all…art thrives! A small film that achieved anlot with very little.

nQuote: “Machines don’t understand sacrifice, neither donmorons”

nThe Terminator Franchise (1984-2015)

nDirector: James Cameron, McG, Jonathan Mostow

nComments: Cyberpunk elements are all over these films, butnof course, the most blaringly obvious cyberpunk element is that the films arenabout killer robots that look human but are really cybernetic organisms withnflesh over a mechanical exo-skeleton. It’s all about the melding of the humannand the robotic. Also, these films are very post-apocalyptic, in these films; technologynhas grown sentient and has taken over the worlds military weapons! Computersndestroy humanity with nuclear weapons and human survivors have to avoid deadlynrobots whose mission is to eliminate what’s left of humanity, squashing us likencockroaches. It’s also about misfits and outcasts, because John Connor startsnout as a little misfit himself, stealing money from cash machines and hatingnhis step parents. James Cameron directed the first two Terminator films, whichnare the best in a series that has tried to survive, but suffers from a constantnchange in actors, producers and directors; as a result the franchise feelsndisjointed. Not that Rise of the Machines and Salvation are bad, it’s just thatnthey don’t reach the levels of intensity and awesomeness that Cameron’s firstntwo films did. I’m looking forward to the reboot that is on the horizon.

nQuote: “The future has not been written, there is no fatenbut what we make for ourselves”

nRobocop Franchise (1987-2014)

nDirectors: Paul Verhoeven, Irving Kershner, Fred Dekker

nComments: Robocop is the ultimate example of man and machinenmelding into one being, which of course is extremely cyberpunk . What I likenabout the Robocop films is how they are about someone trying to break with thenprogramming that’s jammed into them by society. Robocop has many directivesninserted into his system, but decides to reboot himself and clear his mind fromnall the bull crap, from there on in he becomes master of his own destiny,nsomething I highly recommend! Another cyberpunk element the films have (well,nat least the old ones) is that they are very much about a society that’s been overtakennby violence and crime, it’s a society in decay, society in chaos; an elementnthat was sadly missing from the 2014 remake. On these films we get tons ofncyberpunk imagery, like when the bad guys break Robocop apart and we get to seenjust how much of a machine Robocop actually is. Aside from all that, the firstntwo films are awesome over the top action films, nothing like the watered downn2014 remake or the childish Robocop 3 (1993).

nQuote: “Well, we got him on minimum life support, smallnelectrical jolts to keep his brain alive. But there’s no telling how long it’llnlast, he can go at any time”

nClass of 1999 (1990)

nDirector: Mark Lester

nComments: On Class of 1999 society has become ultra violentnand that violence translates to a hellish high school experience both fornstudents and teachers. Fortunately the department of education has the solutionnto student violence: cyborg teachers! And these teachers aren’t just any oldncyborgs, they got missiles for breasts and machine guns for hands! Slowly butnsurely the troublemakers in school learn their lesson, unfortunately, thenrobots are also part of a military operation and so when the robots detectnproblematic behavior from students, they take deadly action to make thesenstudents learn a lesson! An awesome bonus: Pamela Grier and Malcolm McDowellnplay two of the deadly cyborg teachers. This film is a spiritual sequel tonClass of 1984 (1982), which by the way was made by the same director, Mark L.nLester.

nQuote: “These things are like a bad, fucked up, GeorgenJetson nightmare!”

neXistenZ (1999)

nDirector: David Cronenberg

nComments: eXistenZ is what we movie buffs like to call an“spiritual sequel”. It’s not a direct sequel to Cronenberg’s Videodrome (1983),nbut it certainly feels like it exists within the same universe. Videodromendeals with societies addiction to television, sex and violence, three themesnthat Cronenberg just loves to play with in his films; eXistenZ is like that,nbut instead of filtering the themes through the age of television, it filtersnits themes through the age of video games. And so, this is a film about AllegranGeller, a video game designer who is about to release her new game calledn‘eXistenZ’, which is a truly immersive virtual reality experience; you plugnyourself in (through your spinal cord of all places!) and you zone out into thengame, kind of like The Matrix (1999). But before releasing the game to thenworld, she has to try it out on a test group. Unfortunately, it all goes batnshit insane from there on in! People are killing for this new game! But why?nThe film addresses the issues of the flesh versus the virtual world. What isnreal and what is not? This is a characteristic of cyberpunk films, when thencybernetic world and the real world get confused and we don’t know which isnwhich. Highly recommend this one if you loved Cronenberg’s Videodrome.

nQuote: “it’s worse than that, I’m not sure here, where wenare, is real at all. This feels like a game to me. And you, you’re beginning tonfeel like a game character!”

nStrange Days (1995)

nDirector: Kathryn Bigelow

nComments: StrangenDays feels like an update on the ideas presented in Douglas Trumbull’snBrainstorm (1983) because same as Brainstorm, Strange Days is all about hookingnyourself up to a system that allows you to relive other people’s experiences.nThe problem comes when an important person gets murdered and the evidence isnrecorded by someone, then the whole recording becomes evidence to the murder,nso in that sense, Strange Days is different to Brainstorm because it turns intona whodunit type of film. At the same time, Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) is ancharacter who is trying to cope with the loss of the love of his life. Will hencontinue to live in the past, or will learn to let go? At the same timeneverything happens with the turn of the century as a back drop. Staying true tonits cyberpunk roots, the films main character is a misfit, a hacker who hustlesnrecordings dealing with illegal activities; he’s also a junky of old memoriesnand just can’t seem to live in the real world. Kathryn Bigelow will amaze younwith her direction here, there’s this truly amazing opening sequence wherenBigelow never cuts that will just blow you away. Here she was alreadyndisplaying amazing vision as a director, demonstrating that she’s a powerfulnforce behind the camera.

nQuote: “You can trust me cause I’m your priest, I’m yournshrink, I am your main connection to the switchboard of the soul”

nAvalon (2001)

nDirector: Mamoru Oshii

nComments: Mamoru Oshii loves cyberpunk, he’s made many filmsnin this sub-genre including Ghost in the Shell (1995) and Ghost in the Shell 2:nInnoncence (2004), but while those are amazing animated films, Avalon is livenaction, and it’s still very much a cyberpunk film. In this world, there’s thisnvirtual reality game called Avalon and basically, you plug into it and zonenout, same as many movies on this list. The film explores many of the themesnexplored in Cronenberg’s eXistenZ n(1999), but from a more futuristic angle. In this world you can go intonthe game and pass and make money, but if you die in the game, you can also dienin real life. The films main character is a woman known as Ash, she’s thenhottest player, no one can mess with her. Supposedly there’s a secret levelnthat no one has ever reached and so she sets her gamer sights on it. She has tonwin! But is it attainable? Is that next level even real? Ash must know! As isnexpected of a Mamoru Oshii film, its existential and explores themes about lifenand the lies that exist within our society. On the other hand, if you’ve seennMamoru Oshii films, then you already known this film is extremely slow, andnmeant to be enjoyed on a more psychological level. Interesting visuals and moodnabound. Not for everybody, but if you love films with these themes, you’ll lovenit.

nQuote: “What do you think is best? A game you think you cannfinish but never do? Or a game that seems impossible to win, but isn’t?”

nBrainstorm (1983)

nDirector: Douglas Trumbull

nComments: Douglas Trumbull’s Brainstorm (1983) is all aboutna device that can record all your experiences (even your dreams) so that othersncan re-live them. When you re-watch someone’s experiences, you actually feelnthem and experience them exactly as the original person did. It goes withoutnsaying that it’s an incredible invention and of course, the government wants tonget its paws all over it so they can start working on military applications fornit. But of course, the scientists behind it want nothing to do with war and sona struggle ensues. The film plays with some truly interesting ideas andnvisuals, amongst them the idea of recording what happens after we die! Wouldn’tnthat be freaking cool? To have a machine that can record what we experiencenafter we die? In deed many ancient questions would be answered. In that sense,nthis film might also remind you of Joel Schumacher’s Flatliners (1990). Thenfilm offers us cool visuals that might feel out dated, but at the same timenmight entertain just the same, the film deals with themes of marriage andnrekindling of old passions. Can we remember why we fell in love with someone innthe first place? Performances are good, we get Christopher Walken as the protagonistnof the film which comes to us from Douglas Trumbull, the special effects artistnwho worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1969).

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nQuote: “You’ve abused your privilege as a scientist andnyou’ve endangered your life. The thought of you playing that tape makes my skinncrawl”