Robot Movies

Updated April 1, 2024

Thinking about Robot Movies, there is no limit to the movies reporting on this idea. Here are 18 of the best ones.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

★★★★

3.4 out of 4 stars

From James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Rated R

Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick. The film is the sequel to 1984's The Terminator and is the second installment in the Terminator franchise. In the film, a cyborg assassin called the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) is sent back in time to kill John Connor (Edward Furlong), the son of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). To protect him, Sarah and the original Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) team up to stop the T-1000. Along the way, Sarah learns that there is more to the original Terminator than meets the eye as they battle to save John's future. The film was a box-office success and has since become a cult classic.

WALL·E (2008)

★★★★

3.4 out of 4 stars

From Andrew Stanton, starring Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard
Rated G

WALL·E is a 2008 American computer-animated science fiction movie directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter. The plot follows an adorable robot, who is the last of his kind, left alone to clean up a deserted Earth. WALL·E goes on a journey to find something more in life and falls in love with a female robot named EVE. They travel across the cosmos, discovering a new world on a far away planet and the story of how mankind changed its fate. WALL·E shows the power of love and explores themes of consumerism, the human condition, and environmentalism.

The Terminator (1984)

★★★★

3.2 out of 4 stars

From James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Rated R

The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film, a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" is sent back in time from 2029 to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, a young woman whose son will one day become a savior against machines in a post-apocalyptic future. As Sarah is targeted by the Terminator, she is aided by a soldier from the future, Kyle Reese, who has been sent to protect her. The two must join forces to stop the Terminator before it reaches Sarah and guarantees the future of machines. In the end, after a long and intense battle, Sarah and Kyle ultimately manage to destroy the Terminator.

The Iron Giant (1999)

★★★★

3.2 out of 4 stars

From Brad Bird, starring Eli Marienthal, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Vin Diesel
Rated PG

The Iron Giant is a 1999 animated science fiction film directed by Brad Bird and based on the 1968 novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. The film follows the story of a young boy named Hogarth Hughes and a giant robot from outer space that crash-lands near his home in the 1950s. After Hogarth befriends the robot and nicknames it "The Iron Giant", he discovers that it is actually a dangerous weapon capable of mass destruction. With the help of a local junkyard owner and a beatnik artist, Hogarth must find a way to stop the US military from destroying the Iron Giant and save his friend before it's too late. Along the way, Hogarth learns valuable lessons about friendship and courage, and the power of believing in yourself.

Blade Runner (1982)

★★★★

3.2 out of 4 stars

From Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Rated R

Blade Runner (1982) is a science fiction neo-noir directed by Ridley Scott and based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Set in a dystopian future in Los Angeles, the film follows Rick Deckard, a blade runner tasked with hunting down and “retiring” four replicants who have illegally escaped to Earth from an off-world colony. The replicants, led by Roy Batty, are advanced, bioengineered androids designed to look and feel like humans, created to serve in space colonies. Against the backdrop of a decaying, quasi noir future, Deckard is confronted with a moral dilemma as he pursues the replicants: how can he justify hunting down and killing creatures that are virtually indistinguishable from human beings? Blade Runner explores themes of identity, mortality, and the question of what it means to be human.

Ghost in the Shell (1995)

★★★★

3.2 out of 4 stars

From Mamoru Oshii, starring Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera
Rated TV-MA

Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 anime science fiction film directed by Mamoru Oshii. It is set in a future world of cybernetics, human-machine hybrids, and artificial intelligence. The film follows Major Motoko Kusanagi and her elite cyber-crime task force, Section 9, as they investigate a series of mysterious attacks from a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. The investigation leads them to discover a possible connection between the Puppet Master and a powerful artificial intelligence entity. As the conflict between the two forces escalates, Motoko must decide whether to protect the Puppet Master or destroy it. With its themes of identity and humanity, Ghost in the Shell is a classic of Japanese anime and one of the most influential films in the cyberpunk genre.

RoboCop (1987)

★★★★

3 out of 4 stars

From Paul Verhoeven, starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox
Rated R

RoboCop is a 1987 science-fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven which follows the story of Alex Murphy, a police officer mortally wounded in the line of duty who is transformed into a powerful cyborg known as RoboCop. With his new superhuman powers, RoboCop is tasked with stopping the rampant crime that has taken over Detroit. RoboCop faces off against a powerful and corrupt corporation while struggling to retain his humanity and protect the citizens of Detroit.