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Honestly, it’s hard to determine the 5 best artificial intelligence movies and series. There are so many hundreds (or possibly even thousands) of different ways in which we have tried to wrap our collective minds around the subject of AI through moving pictures. So, here just my, very subjective, personal, especially noteworthy Top 5.
Which are yours?
AI has been a recurring theme in the movie industry since its earliest days, captivating (and frequently, horrifying) audiences with the prospect of sentient robots capable of matching mankind’s unique traits like consciousness, learning complex skills, creatively applying them, etc.
Over the decades, potential technological advancements were imagined in a myriad of ways. Almost always as a threat to our species.
But more than that, movies about artificial intelligence have also asked questions related to the moral, ethical, and societal consequences of the use of technologies such as AI.
The very first movie imagining artificial intelligence was…
The expressionist film Metropolis is nearly 100 years old.
In this story, the AI takes the form of a humanoid robot intent on wreaking havoc on the titular mega-city.
Metropolis is an auspicious and perhaps pessimistic start for AI in movies, but it reveals a lot about the public’s perception of this new, “fantasy” technology at the time.
The movie was directed by Fritz Lang and was initially released on January 10, 1927.
The movie series was released in 1999, 2003, 2021, directed by the Wachowski sisters.
The movies revolve around a nightmare world in which AI has taken over.
The Wachowskis depict a world in which people live inside a simulation, with just a handful of humans aware of the truth.
When a computer hacker called Neo enters the fray, he decides to join a group of freedom fighters to battle the evil intelligence.
If you enjoy the first in the series, be sure to complete the trilogy. It’s an unusually intellectual, and complex tale, visually far ahead of its time.
Directed by Ridley Scott, this hard to beat classic premiered in 1982.
In my humble opinion, this is probably THE best science fiction film ever made.
Based on author Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Blade Runner is the quintessential cyberpunk classic that plunges viewers into a dystopian universe from which it is hard to escape untouched.
Set in a neon-lit 2019 LA, the movie pits bioengineered humanoids (human replicants developed without the capacity to have emotions) against real humans.
After six Replicants escape to earth in a bid to locate their creator and extend their limited life span of four years, a humanoid hunter, played by Harrison Ford, is tasked with finding and shooting these artificial individuals.
A Stanley Kubrick masterpiece, this movie premiered in 1964. It is based on a short story by science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke.
In this futuristic epic, the visionary director set out to explore the idea of human coexistence with sentient computers in outer space.
There, an imposing black structure provides a connection between the past and the future.
When Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and other astronauts are sent on a mysterious mission, their ship’s computer intelligent system, HAL, begins to display increasingly strange behavior. Leading up to a tense showdown between man and machine that results in a mind-bending trek through space and time.
The cult classic delves deep into the reliance of humans on technology – and what happens when intelligent robots simply decide to rebel and take over.
It’s a pretty chilling tale, especially when Kubrick’s dark apocalyptic thriller gets to HAL’s now infamous reply “I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
An extraordinary UK Netflix series, which aired from 2011-2019.
The Black Mirror series refers to our collective anxiety about the modern world and technological developments.
Each episode tells a different, vivid, gripping, and often nightmare-inducing story of our modern, technological world or what it may look like a few years hence.
With superior cinematography, this series reflects our society and the consequences of actions and inventions which may end up being very dangerous for humankind.
For example, one episode shows us a reality in which people have chips in their heads that record all events and allow them to be played back like a movie.
In another episode the concept of how many likes you receive, and what this means to your status in society, is taken to a whole new level.
Black Mirror won’t cheer you up. Instead, it is very thought-provoking, and will make you reflect on the technological aspects of our lives.
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Liam Klenk was born in Central Europe and has since lived on four continents. Liam has always been engaged in creative pursuits, ranging from photography and graphic design, to writing short stories and poetry, to working in theatre and shows. In 2016, Liam published his first book and memoir, 'Paralian'.
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