Top 85 Robot Movies
With Terminator Salvation currently in theaters, I thought it would be a good idea to crank out a list of the Top 85 Robot Movies for our readers to enjoy. Some of the categories are an acquired taste (especially the Bad Robot Movies), but all of these top 85 robot movies are sure to get a reaction from you. When you’re done with the list, be sure and check out my review of Terminator Salvation, as well.
Scary Robot Movies
While most horror movies involve Asian ghosts or crazed slashers, a handful are also made up of scary robot movies. Here are a few of the best.
1. Hardware – A military killer robot is pulled from the scrap heap and presented to a sculptor as a present. Too bad the droid has the ability to self-repair.
2. Death Machine – A robot known as the Warbeast is on the loose, and a few of its potential victims are Brad Dourif and a young Rachel Weisz (in her first movie role).
3. Screamers – Peter Weller takes on military killing machines fond of exploding out of the ground and cutting their victims in half. And beware of the models which use a stuffed teddy bear as a disguise (not joking).
4. Alien – Sigourney Weaver and her shipmates pick up a lethal alien during their trip into space. A lethal android is also around to make things more complicated. The first and best of the series.
5. Deadly Friend – Kristy Swanson meets a violent end, but her neighbor fixes her up with a computer chip and brings her back to life. Unfortunately, she’s crazy as hell at this point.
6. The Stepford Wives (1975) – Beautiful housewives are being replaced by something more “agreeable” to the local male population. See the original, NOT the remake.
Action-Packed Robot Movies
Some robot movies emphasize horror or sci-fi elements, but the following works qualify as action-packed robot movies. You can bet that plenty of shootouts and explosions will take place in the films listed below.
7. Eve of Destruction – Gregory Hines must use guns instead of tap shoes to subdue a rampaging female robot.
8. Virtuosity – Russell Crowe is a computer program made up of some of the most evil men in history. When he enters into the real world, it’s up to tough cop Denzel Washington to stop him.
9. Solo – Mario Van Peebles is a military android who develops a sense of compassion. This doesn’t sit well with his bosses, as you might imagine.
10. Alien: Resurrection – Sigourney Weaver is back once again, and this time she’s got to contend with both the xenomorphs and a cyborg sent to assassinate her.
11. Small Soldiers – Tiny action figures get hooked up with computer chips and start a real war against one another.
12. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The upcoming sequel to the hit film Transformers, which features the Autobots against the Decepticons…plus the stunning Megan Fox.
13. X-Men 3 – The gignatic mutant-killing robots known as the Sentinels make a cameo in battle against Wolverine and company.
14. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla – Godzilla faces off against a robotic version of himself. Blu Oyster Cult must’ve been proud.
Funny Robot Movies
Besides scaring the hell out of us or firing off thousands of rounds of ammo, robots can also tickle our funny bones. Just take a look at this list of funny robot movies.
15. The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy – Earth is destroyed in order to make way for a hyperspace expressway, and the surviving Arthur Dent embarks on numerous galactic adventures.
16. Robots – This CGI-animated comedy takes place in a future when humans are extinct and robots rule the Earth.
17. Sleeper – Woody Allen stars as the owner of a health food store who is cryogenically frozen against his will and winds up in the 22nd-century.
18. Heartbeeps – Two robots fall in love and decide to make their own way in the world. Stars Andy Kaufman, Randy Quaid and Bernadetta Peters.
19. Short Circuit – It doesn’t get much more adorable than Johnny-5, the humorous robot featured in this film.
20. Making Mr. Right – John Malkovich plays an android who falls in love with a PR expert (Ann Magnuson).
21. Spaceballs – Mel Brooks spoofs Star Wars. Dox Matrix (voiced by Joan Rivers) stands in for C3PO.
22. Spaced Invaders – When a group of Martians hear Orson Wells’ War of the Worlds, they mistake it for the real thing and launch an inept invasion of Earth.
23. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey – At one point in this sequel, Bill and Ted are replaced with evil robot doubles. And don’t miss their showdown with Death, featuring such games as Battleship and Twister.
24. Toys – Robin Williams plays a gentle toymaker in this visually unique film from director Barry Levinson.
25. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me – Mike Myers’ dentally challenged British spy must take on Dr. Evil, Mini-Me, and a number of lethal fembots.
26. Meet the Robinsons – A young inventor seeks to find his true family, and this sets off a wild time traveling adventure. Another computer-animatedhit from Walt Disney.
27. WALL-E – The adventures of an adorable robot named WALL-E. A film which kids and adults alike can enjoy.
28. Dark Star – This early John Carpenter film takes an irreverant look at the future.
29. Weird Science – A pair of nerds decide to create the perfect woman. They succeed, but she would later go on to marry Steven Seagal.
30. Edward Scissorhands – Johnny Depp stars as an artifical being created by a kindly old scientist. When his creator dies, the sensitive creation must journey out into the world on his own. Directed by Tim Burton.
31. Lost in Space – The classic television show is adapted to the big screen. Stars Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Mimi Rogers and Matt LeBlanc.
Classic Robot Movies
These classic robot movies are oldies but surely goodies. Plus, you can buy most of these for next to nothing on Ebay or Amazon.
32. Metropolis – This Fritz Lang classic features Brigitte Helm as both a worker and her robotic double. Focuses on the stuggle between the classes.
33. The Day the Earth Stood Still – An alien arrives on Earth to inform the population that their violent ways are slowly dooming the human race.
34. Forbidden Planet – Inspired by The Tempest, this film features the first appearance of Robby the Robot. Leslie Nielsen co-stars.
35. Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet – After landing on Venus, an American crew must battle off various plants and monsters.
36. Devil Girl from Mars – A leather-clad women from Mars arrives on Earth and goes on a lethal, yet sexy, killing spree.
37. Alphaville – An unusual sci-fi film from France, the film features no real special effects. The film’s hero seeks to destroy Alpha 60, the intelligent computer which runs the entire city of Alphaville.
38. Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine – A spoof of spy films, this movie features Vincent Price as a mad scientist who builds an army of female robots to seduce and rob wealthy men.
39. Dr. Who and the Daleks – Peter Cushing portrays the time traveling hero Dr. Who. In this film, he takes on the evil Daleks, radiation-scarred men who long ago encased themselves in protective machinery.
Sci-Fi Robot Movies
Sci-fi robot movies are the most common type to feature futuristic androids, cyborgs and artificial intelligence. Some of the those listed below rank as the most famous films ever made.
40. The Terminator – Arnold plays a cyborg who travels through time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton).
41. Terminator Salvation – Set in the future, John Connor (Christian Bale) must lead the human resistance against the machines.
42. THX 1138 – Directed by George Lucas, this film tells the story of life in a totalitarian state where emotions are violentally supressed.
43. Silent Running – In the future, all plant life on Earth has died, but a few are still preserved in a greenhouse orbiting the planet. When the order comes to destroy them, it’s up to one botanist (Bruce Dern) to save the day.
44. Westworld – Everything’s great in this theme park featuring lifelike robots, until they malfunction and start to kill the customers.
45. Star Trek: The Motion Picture – A destructive cloud is headed for Earth, and it’s up to Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise to save the day.
46. The Iron Giant – A heartwarming story of the friendship which develops between a giant robot from space and a lonely boy.
47. Blade Runner – The classic sci-fi film starring Harrison Ford. He plays Dekker, a man who specializes in tracking down and killing out-of-control robots (known as “Replicants”).
48. Red Planet – Val Kilmer plays an astronaut who must undertake a mission to Mars. As you can imagine, things become a complete mess and plenty of people die.
49. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – Set in an alternate version of 1939, the heroic Sky Captain must thwart the evil schemes of Dr. Totenkopf.
50. Returner – A young woman travels through time to save the human race, winding up in the past and teaming with a crime figure. Great Japanese action.
51. Star Wars – The beginning of a franchise. Meet Luke, Leia, Han, and all the rest. Too bad the second series of films couldn’t have been like this.
52. The Empire Strikes Back – The darkest film of the original trilogy. Boba Fett debuts, and Luke gets to have his showdown with the man who “killed” his father.
53. Return of the Jedi – The final fate of Vader is revealed, plus we’ll finally get to see if Han is able to hook up with Leia.
54. The Matrix – Keanu Reeves learns that everything around him is simply a computer program. Teaming up with the resistance, he takes on the evil machines who are manipulating mankind.
55. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – Arnold is back for the third time, and he’s protecting John Connor and his future wife from the impending doomsday.
56. I, Robot – Will Smith must battle out-of-control robots in the future. A surprisingly fun experience.
57. Zathura – Much like Jumanji; in fact, it was written by the same author.
58. Aliens – Sigourney Weaver is back to once again take on the xenomorph menace. This time, she’s joined by a squad of space marines (including Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn).
59. The Black Hole – Returning from a mission in space, our heroes discover a black hole and a lost ship. The best character in this one is the killer robot known as Maximillian.
60. Bicentennial Man – Robin Williams as a robot who slowly develops into a fully-functioning human being.
61. Terminator 2: Judgment Day – This time around, Arnold plays a good robot, while Robert Patrick plays his shapeshifting nemesis.
62. Transformers – Megan Fox and Shia LeBouf team up with the heroic Autobots to foil the villainous Deceptacons.
63. RoboCop – After being shot down in the line of duty, a police officer is brought back as a robotic peacekeeper.
64. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence – Steve Spielberg’s depressing film about an android boy who never grows old. Jude Law also makes an appearance as an android gigolo.
65. Casshern – Wild Japanese film about a superhero fighting the forces of evil. Beautiful colors in this one, and an excellent scene pitting our hero against a hoard of killer robots.
66. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones – Anakin is now a Jedi apprentice, and his love with Padme begins to bloom. Jango Fett also makes his badass debut.
67. Android – A scientist (Klaus Kinski) and his android assistant try to create a female android while in orbit above the Earth.
68. Batteries Not Included – Tiny alien machines come to Earth and help the residents of an apartment block scheduled for property development.
69. Logan’s Run – In the future, everyone must be executed when they reach a certain age.
70. 2001: A Space Odyssey – First there’s a computer gone rogue, and then there’s a mind-bending trip through time and space. Classic Kubrick.
71. D.A.R.Y.L. – A government-created robot (in the form of an adorable little boy) is set free into the world and must try to avoid being recaptured.
72. Total Recall – Schwarzenegger thinks he’s a spy, but is it all just in his head? Great cast and lots of bloody shootouts.
73. Star Trek: First Contact – The Borg travel back in time to try and prevent Earth from making first contact with aliens.
74. Cyborg – Jean-Claude Van Damme must protect a cyborg who may have the key to saving our dying planet.
Bad Robot Movies
If you love trashy cinema, then you may want to check out these bad robot movies. They’re so bad that they’re almost good..well, except for Pluto Nash.
75. Runaway – When a robot malfunctions and becomes dangerous, give Tom Selleck a call. In this film, he’s forced to take on the villainous Gene Simmons, who strangely neglects to spit fire or blood from his mouth.
76. Robot Monster – The villainous Ro-Man has killed all but eight members of the human race. By the way, out villain has a skull for a head and the body of a giant gorilla. A favorite among fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
77. The Adventures of Pluto Nash – Eddie Murphy stars in one of the biggest box office failures in history. I still liked it better than Harlem Nights, however.
78. Star Trek Nemesis – The film which ensured the cast of The Next Generation would never again be allowed on the big screen.
79. The Matrix Revolutions – This trilogy went downhill fast, culminating in this bloated crapfest.
80. Space Truckers – Dennis Hopper plays a space trucker. That should be all you really need to hear.
81. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians – Santa and two kids are abducted and taken to Mars. There’s even a Martian who starts acting like Santa, which is really disturbing.
82. Saturn 3 – Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett just want to get their freak on in space, but crazy-ass Harvey Keitel keeps messing things up.
83. Cherry 2000 – Melanie Griffith as a bounty hunter in the future.
84. Judge Dredd – Stallone plays Judge Dredd, but he manages to spend most the the film with his helmet off. Rob Schneider also appears as his sidekick, thus ensuring this one will completely blow.
85. Wild Wild West – Kevin Kline and Will Smith team up in the wicky-wicky wild west. If Robert Conrad were dead, he’d be rolling over in his grave.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 at 10:49 pm and is filed under Movie Megalists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
109 Responses to “Top 85 Robot Movies”
Thanks, this list helped me find a movie i was looking for, whose name i forgot!
thanks alot… i was trying to find out a movie name(Bicentennial Man )…it helped me
great job!!
What about “Batteries Not Included?” One of the best ever made.
Hiya, I’m looking for a film that was from round about the late 80’s, early 90’s. I think the title of it is an acronym for what the robots are called in the film, I might be wrong though. The plot of the film form what I can remember is about a man who works for a technology company, one of his machines is for time travel/travel to an alternate universe (something like that), he gets sent somewhere but then the machine blows up. The place he gets sent to is similar to the Terminator films after judgement day, all wasteland. There are groups of people alive that live undergound because of these robots that are like terminators that are trying to kill everyone. In the film the main character and a few of the survivors go and find the place where he used to work, its mainly destroyed but they manage to get it working and send him back to his own reailty! I thought it had Christopher Lambert in it but I can’t find it on his list of films! If anyone knows the name it would be much appreciated! Thanks!
Meet Dave is an alien robot – well a giant alien robot with tiny aliens.. and Eddie Murphy doesn’t even swear.. much!
hi all i am looking for a robot movie i saw as a kid i think that it came out in the lte 80s it was kind of like robot joks but not realy its like a horror film it has old gaint dead robots that some people get working to save the day if any one knows please reply.
Hey there! Great list!!
I’m looking for a movie I saw many many years ago, which name I can’t remember and the story is a little blur in my memory too.
So if you can help me with the little info I know I thank you in advance 🙂
The movie was about a robot (no, dahh!!), like 3 meters tall, and such, that some bad guy wanted.
And the “heroes” of the movie were some young guys (I think, maybe early 20’s), that were inicially friends, but along the way one of them got greedy and became one of the bad boys 😛
Later in the movie they face each other, bla bla… I can remember the movie was a lot of action-packed, not with the robot itself, but with the humans. It had a lot of martial arts included, with the 2 friends facing each other near he end like ninjas 🙂
I know this is really little info, but I liked the movie when I was a little kid, and now I want to watch it again, but I know nothing at all about it…
PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME OU HERE!!!
“parksey” the film you are looking for is called “A.P.E.X”
Hiya guys,
I know this was a movie I saw when I was young. Vague scenes.
It has a fight scene between a female android and a giant “Terminator-look-a-like” male robot. The female robot uses one of her attacks and I think it was a rocket propelled jump kick.
During the movie, I think the lady robot got injured and she was repaired (upgraded) and look like “C3PO” of Star Wars. Earlier in the film, the female robot looks “human” like with hair on her head…
I tried searching on the net and crossed referenced “Female robots in scifi” but no luck.
Hi.
I`m looking for a robot movie I saw as a child. I saw it in either 1979 or 1980. I just can remember the start. It was some boys who played baseball and during their game the ball went in to a cave. Inide that cave they found a small robot. Later in the film it came more robots from space. Most (if not all) of the flew.
Can somebody help me with this?
Thanks.
Anders.
Hi, my friend is looking for a very old (mb 50s-60s) film about robot. The robot was made by old man (may be in wheelchair), he lives in house. There was also a woman – a wife or a maiden. The robot may be has tracks, ~ 1 meter high and with hands. He picked some things in the house to make self perfect and then tried to kill the living people in house. (sorry for my bad english :-[ ). Thanks.
There also some films about androids: http://www.androidworld.com/prod07.htm
To I’m looking for the name of this robot movie I saw on syfy a while back, it was about this guy built him self a robot son that was really creepy looking and then started killing people I beleive . I know that’s not Mich to go on , but if u have any ideas would help .
their was a movie about a floating forest in space and it was being cultivated by a few humans and 2 robots at the endof the movie, the pod is let go and they float into space
I believe you’re talking about Silent Running with Bruce Dern.
what is the name of the 1st pic u have?
Sorry, about that, what is the naem of the movie and its your 3rd picture with the robot holding the square
That’s from the horror flick Deadly Friend, starring Kristy Swanson.
That’s WALL-E, the computer-animated blockbuster from Pixar.
I am looking for a possibly a mid 50s to 1963 at the latest robot film where a giant robot is found I think in the side of the mountain by a team of people and it reactivates itself and starts going on a rampage. It was typical of the robot look of that time (cube sections body like the toys) two arms legs about Godzilla sized etc. with maybe flashing lights. I think it gets destroyed on a bridge with explosives. Anyone?
Great list! But where is Class of 1999? That was great! Hahaha
This list blows. Short Circuit? That was a HUGE robot movie genre. Virus? Return to Oz? Space Pirates as mentioned earlier? FORBIDDEN PLANET? THAT HAD THE FIRST RUN FOR YOUR LIFE KILLER ROBOT!!! I might just be splitting hairs here, but some of these movies don’t even HAVE robots per say. Computers to me aren’t robots if they are stationary. Back to the Future II had awesome waiter robots and that’s a way better flick than Zathura. It’s supposed to be the BEST movies. Not 85 you can list of the top of your head. Who wrote this garbage and how do I steal their job?
Rob, you’re welcome to submit your own list of the Top 85 Robot Movies, and I’ll publish it as an article on the site. Just send it to onlygoodmovies[at]gmail.com.
Having a hard time remembering an old scifi flic.
80’s
Takes place on a freighter ship.
Involves two androids that kinda reminded be o (Twiki).
One is trying to kill all the crew after sneaking onboard, while the other is trying to defend.
One of the crew has to activate his combat functions via a keypad on his head (I believe).
guys do you remember movie that tell story about child and robot ? child find robot and start to control it afterworth?
im looking for a movie.dont remember the name…i remember that the main actor name has oliver,or olivia,something with oli..lol..hes not american.i think he is french.,he is a robot.there are many like him if they get sentimental with their human families they get destroyed.something like that.he helps protect this blond chick that bad guys are after…plzzzz if anyone knows the name send me it asap…i rememer seing this film when i was young.so its probably from the early 90’s.late 80’s even…
I’m looking for a film I saw a while back. It’s about a small boy, and his mother took him on a car journey, and just left him in a forest. He walked through the forest and came accross loads of robots/robot parts. He got taken away because they thought he was a robot, then they realised he wasn’t. Then he got back home eventually and his mother had died. He wanted to bring her back to life but only had a small lock of her hair and she came back to life for one day. At the end of the film, the boy and his mother are sleeping in a bed. The robots at the end of the film are silver, tall and skinny. I’m not sure if I’m confusing two films together, but any help would be apreciated! Thanks
Part of what you’re talking about sounds like A.I.
hi , im looking for this flim where a women dates a robot but the women dont no his a robot and when the man robot malfunction he goes in this room and sorts his self out , the women is out the room she sees smoke user the door and he come out and the women sald have u been smoking and he sald yes but i just stoped, the flim is not the flim wiv robin williams in
Hey awesome list! I was wondering if you know a movie that I saw when I was younger but can’t remember the name! It was based on the future and how people could buy robot wives and they were perfect. A loser guy bought the wife and one day, some accident caused her to be eliminated so he goes to buy another one of her but he can’t because they didn’t sell her type anymore or something like that, so goes on this journey to find another one of her. On his journey, this girl comes along with him and in the end they find the robot wife type that he was looking for but he ended up falling with the girl. So he picks the girl instead of getting the robot wife. And that’s basically all I remember so if you or anyone else know what movie I’m talking about, please tell me 😀 thank for reading 🙂
Kerry, I think the movie you’re asking about is “Kronos”.
Hello I ame looking for a 80s movie I saw as a kid. A woman obtains a robot real to human apperance. Its programed to do what she wants. Examples clean cook even make love. But the robot starts programing its self and becomes obseesed with her.e.m. She brings it to a lake and lets it see her swimming. Robot becomes over protective and thinks she died. ? ?
There was a movie i saw as a young child and can’t remember the name. It had something to do with a man who died and they placed his brain inside of a robot. The robot had a young son and tried to communicate to tell the boy he was his father. I never saw it again. Wish i could find out what movie that was.
I was it in the theater in the late 50’s early 60s. I have searched websides and don’t see anything that rings a bell.
Any help?
Sherri
I was hoping to find the title of an ’80s movie, about a scientist who builds an android teenage boy, and the movie is about his adventures in the local high school. I haven’t seen the movie in probably 10 years or more, so I can’t offer any helpful info except the plot. Anyone know what I might be talking about??
Another good movie featuring a robot is Moon.Totally underated.
Don, I as well was trying to remember the guy who turns into a head of robot. I just found it.
whats the film with the twin brothers and the big black spherical computer? People think the twin that kills the brother but its the robot. The robot has a girls voice.
Help! I’m trying to find out what was the name of a sci-fi movie which freaked me out when I was a kid (early 90s). I remembered that Roy Scheider played the main hero in it, but I couldn’t find anything in the list of his movies. The film was about a scientist couple living on a base on another planet doing researches with the help of a computer AI. Which controls small robots to help them and maintain the base. But the AI falls in love with the girl, and becomes jealous, so with those tiny robots it builds a bigger one and then tries to kill the guy. in the end they lure it into a trap by loosening some floor plates over a liquid or something, but the robot realizes it, and wants to avoid, then the guy jumps on it and goes down with it together.
does it sound familiar to anyone??
Hi, kaylee , the name of that film is ‘the Surrogates ‘
I’ve seen a movie. A flying saucer comes and drops a ball to earth. Its a small white ball that is of the size of a golf ball. It is like a probe, sent by the aliens. Though it has no hands or legs or eyes, it can move around and do a lot of things and its very intelligent. The ball is dropped in to a home where a family lives. A group of villains(i think they’re scientists) are trying to get this ball from some kids. And in the climax, when the villains have overpowered the kids and were about get it, this flying saucer comes again and drops hundreds of similar balls and they all defeat the villains and all of the balls returns to the saucer. Does anyone know the name of this movie ?
Looking for a movie where robots play football and the owner coach of the team gets inside one to play the rest of the game. Help
i cant remember all of this movie it been 15 years since i seen it but it had a guy that was turned into a cyborg and in one part of the movie his legs were damaged and he used a tank lower half to get around
Martie d that movie is Cherry 2000
ok so there was a movie with a robot chiald, a woman took him in while her son was in the hospital, when the son got back he got jelous of the robot chiald. the mom saw this and went and took the robot chiald onto the woods and left him there, this movie kinda takes a turn into pinnochio. any help would be great!
A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.
GUNHED aka GUNHEDDO
best robot movie
Was this a sci fi movie ?
The movie stars children in the 80s who play a console type game. As they progress in the game they unlock secret levels or mods.
These mods / levels are from the government and they teach the child how to play / pilot a mech.
The mechs fight on earth and at the end of the movie the camera pans out an show 3 or 4 houses left with a couple of kids in each playing defending their house.
Not space demons or Mathew Broderick in it.
Where the hell is CAIN from robocop 2. Don´t tell me he isn´t one of the badddest robots ever!!!!
SPACE PIRATES!
Im f’ing stoned.. I meant SPACE PIRATES! lol..