Robots are cool when they are friendly like C-3PO and R2-D2 but when they turn evil, they are one of the scariest creations of all time. Throughout the science fiction genre, we have many examples of bad robots who turn on their creator and wreak havoc on humankind. With TERMINATOR: DARK FATE hitting theaters this weekend, we breakdown ten of the best killer robot movies of all time. Some may be familiar and others more obscure, but all of these are memorable entries in the sub-genre.
If you disagree with our picks or think we missed one, let us know in the comments below.
The film that kickstarted a franchise is as different from JUDGEMENT DAY as ALIEN is from ALIENS. James Cameron's original movie is a dark and horrifying thriller with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a seemingly unstoppable killer. It is a brilliant movie that gave us a sequel that changed the dynamic and opened the franchise up to a very different brand of storytelling. But, as far as murderous robots go, Arnold's original turn as the T-100 is the best killer robot of them all.
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While Replicants always look just like humans, the philosophical quandary of just how human they can be is central to the themes of Ridley Scott's film. The lone film on this list where we never see a true robot, we come to identify with Pris, Leon and especially Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty. Roy's famous soliloquy at the end of the film is a masterful moment in movie history and shows just how dangeous and beautiful artificial life could be.
Wes Craven's departure from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET took sweet Kristy Swanson and transplanted a robot inside of her. The result is one of the scariest teenage girls you could imagine and one of the most disturbing uses of a basketball ever put to film. This cult classic has some very dated moments, but Swanson's performance keeps me coming back to watch this movie every year.
Paul Verhoeven's classic action film kickstarted a trilogy, a remake, four television series, and a bunch of video games, but nothing comes close to how awesome the original is. Peter Weller kicks ass as the police officer saved from the brink of death to become a killing machine, literally. Violent and gory, ROBOCOP is one of the few 80s franchises to get killer robots right.
Alex Proyas' adaptation of Isaac Asimov's classic novel was turned into a high octane action flick with WIll Smith in the lead. While the special effects may not hold up even fifteen years later, the concept and story are still eerily prescient. The idea of our Apple products coming to life to murder us comes to chilling reality in this film which is more fun than the concept makes it sound.
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Yeah, I know, it is TRANSFORMERS, but I had to include it on the list. I mean, the robots in PACIFIC RIM are controlled by humans so TRANSFORMERS is the only franchise about massive and autonomous machines that kill and cause destruction. As tiresome as the franchise has become over the years, the original movie and last year's BUMBLEBEE remain fun examples of how this series could work when not relegated to destruction porn.
If you aren't familiar with Michael Crichton's pulpy scifi noir, you should be ashamed of yourself. Starring Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons (yes, that Gene Simmons), RUNAWAY is a violent cop thriller about murderous spider robots. Yeah, they may look like rejects from a Sharper Image catalog, but in the context of the film they work pretty well. This is a fun 80s movie that should appeal to everyone who loves schlocky scifi.
Disney's cult classic will hopefully find a new audience when it is available on Disney+ in a few weeks, but smaller children should be wary. This scifi film is pretty scary, especially the giant red robot Maximilian. I had nightmares as a child after seeing this movie which also features some horrible robot “deaths” that will stick with you after you see it. Some view it as a STAR WARS rip-off/cash grab, but THE BLACK HOLE holds up pretty well 40 years later.
Alex Garland's science fiction thriller is a dark and slowly paced thriller about what A.I. could be. Alicia VIkander's performance is stunning as we see her evolve over the course of the film. While the film makes you question who is human and who is an android, by the film's end we see Ava immerse herself into a crowd and we lose all distinction between what is real and what is robot.
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While more a computer than an actual robot, the artificial intelligence that is HAL 9000 becomes the primary antagonist of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. Emotionless and calculating, HAL kills without a second thought and is terrifyingly inhuman. That is, until he sings himself to death in a haunting way that gives him far more humanity than you could expect.