Your Top Movies that you feel Defined the Cyberpunk Genre.

[v2micca]

I think everyone is going to have their personal choice, but there probably will be a few overlapping options.

1. Bladerunner. This movie is likely the grandaddy of Cyberpunk. So much of the feel and aesthetic of the genre was established in this film.
2. Robocop. Cyberpunk fully embraces social satire and few movies did scathing social satire as well as Robocop.
3. Strange Days. Probably one of the lesser known films on this list, but the Brain Dance scenes draw heavy inspiration from this film.
4. The Matrix. While the later films in the trilogy took it in different directions, the original was Cyberpunk through and through.
5. Ghost in a Shell. Its been a long time since I've seen the Anime film. But while I'm fuzzy on the plot, the feel and tone of the film remain strong.


I'm interested in seeing other people's choices.

 

[BunnyBana]

Robocop is not really cyberpunk (imo) but shares some elements with it. Same with Judge Dredd (the comics are really cyberpunk afaik). And Demolition Man.

Otherwise you named the big ones. Only one I liked to add is Akira. Probably one, if not the, best Anime film ever made.

Edit: I forgot Johnny Mnemonic, not a great movie but still a fun watch and pretty cyberpunk. Also I take it back, I guess Robocop is cyberpunk.

 

[Iszdope]

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Snoogans.

 

[Nea.Schaefer]

I would add Total Recall, 5th element and maybe Minority Report.

From the newer movies Ready Player One, Cognition.

 

[Nux]

Altered Carbon is heavily influenced by the genre. Not sure if intentional, but the whole Delamain AI kind of reassembles the Hotel AI from the series. Also the whole Arasak and Relic resemble elites and cortical stack from AC. And on the other hand AC is kind of a mix of Matrix, Mnemonic and Ghost in the Shell.

 

[warbaby2]

Hm, mostly the classics... Bladerunner, Johnny Mnemonic, Cyborg, Robocop, MARK-13 Hardware, Escape from NY, Split Second, Max Headroom...

...never really cared much for the Matrix, to be honest, as an old-school Cyberpunk nerd, it really didn't bring too much new to table for me.

In recent years: Yea, only Almost Human and Altered Carbon really stood out to me there... first season only, mind you, since the second was more a - rather weak - scifie story, and no longer felt like cyberpunk.

Completly glossing over manga here, since japanese Cyberpunk is... different. In a way, it's more true to genre, in aother ways, it really isn't. Obviously there, Akira, Bubblegum Crisis/Crash/2045 and Ghost in the Shell (the manga and SAC, not the Mamoru Oshi movie, though, since, while it was very well done, I found it rather "on the nose" too full of itself)... also, Gunhed... it's cheesy, but class A edgerun + mecha action.

 

[Willowhugger]

Robocop is not really cyberpunk (imo) but shares some elements with it. Same with Judge Dredd (the comics are really cyberpunk afaik). And Demolition Man.

Eh, it's as cyberpunk as you can possibly get with a cop protagonist.

Which is to say cyberpunk like Judge Dredd.

Speaking of which, I recommend Dredd.

 

[Whitesad]

Ghost in the Shell, the anime.

 

[ottffss1]

Tetsuo: the iron man
Videodrome
Ghost in the Shell (1995)

 

[Willowhugger]

Completly glossing over manga here, since japanese Cyberpunk is... different. In a way, it's more true to genre, in aother ways, it really isn't. Obviously there, Akira and Ghost in the Shell (the manga and SAC, not the Mamoru Oshi movie, though, since, while it was very well done, I found it rather "on the nose" too full of itself).

 

[warbaby2]

Yup, just watched that a couple of days ago. I also already updated my list with Sylia and the girls... how could I forget them!? Priss is my spirit animal!

 

[Mitchbaz]

i would just like to add to the list of films people have already said. but why dosnt anyone ever mention Judge Dredd considering your apartment is in a mega building like the 2012 film

 

[OrigNN]

AKIRA!!!

Blade Runner

Back to the Future Part 2

Ghost in the Shell (The 90s movie)

 

[Alexander_Suenson]

Don't forget ''Upgrade'' with discount Tom Hardy, I thought it was a great, thought-provoking movie.

 

[BhodiLee]

add another movie here that is somewhat there...it strikes similar vibe

Repo Man (2010)

 

[Raptorousrex]

Well, there is some not that new like CyborgII:Glass Shadow, Nemesis, Freejack rather old movies.

 

[xlawx]

- Bladerunner (1982) strong vibes
- A bit "Judge Dredd" because of Mega Apartments and Design Aesthetic
- "Akira" only because of Streetkids and Bikes, but it's more psychokinetics theme instead of cyberpunk.

Is there a Netrunner movie?
Never felt any like Matrix, which is about post-apocalypse and virtual utopian world.

 

[v2micca]

Eh, it's as cyberpunk as you can possibly get with a cop protagonist.

Which is to say cyberpunk like Judge Dredd.

Speaking of which, I recommend Dredd.

Bladerunner features a cop protagonist. Ghost in a Shell features a cop protagonist. In the Cyberpunk PnP RPG one of the classes is that of a Lawman. There is nothing about a cop protagonist that excludes or makes a story an outlier from Cyberpunk. I would argue that its actually one of the core archetypal stories within the foundation DNA of the genre.

 

[Anthroposcaster]

Robocop is -NOT- Cyberpunk. It's Cyberfascist. Bladerunner is for sure one of the definitive films of the genre, but imo, Alien also fits it nicely.

 

[Nux]

For me Robocop is not cyberpunk mostly because the Robocop is unique. I think a must have for cyberpunk is having a widespread mix of humans and machines (cyber implants). And also there should be a bit of a post-apo / corpo-anarchy feeling to it.

BTW. For example Black Mirror kind of fits in cyberpunk (in the implants part), but it doesn't have a post-apo vibe. I would say Love, death, robots is more in CP vide.