The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (2024)

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (1)

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (2)

By David Giatras & Robert Vaux

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (3)

The following reveals spoilers for Alien: Romulus, now playing in theaters.

From Metropolis to Avengers: Age of Ultron, robots are such a staple of movie-going that it's easy to forget they haven't always been around. The idea of automated machines doing work for us has existed for as long as civilization, but it wasn't until 1920 that Czech playwright Karel Čapek coined the word "robot" to describe a humanoid machine in a play called R.U.R.

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Robots have been part of science fiction since even before the word was coined, but as powerful as literary explorations of the technology can be, there's nothing like seeing it on-screen. Maybe it's because, through the power of visual effects and production design, movies can give even the most futuristic robot an existence viewers can actually see. Or maybe it's that watching real people react to robots allows audiences to explore the relationship between humanity and technology by watching actual human bodies and faces.

Updated by Robert Vaux on September 11, 2024: As society drifts more and more towards the "future" that has been featured in many past robot movies, there has been a shift in storytelling based on today's technology. The rise of AI has gone hand in hand with anything concerning robots, and this has been reflected in some contemporary robot movies that viewers have seen over the years. Five more entries have been added to the list -- including some sci-fi classics that approach the subject of robotics more obliquely than others -- and the formatting has been updated to meet CBR's current guidelines.

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40 X-Men: Days of Future Past Gives the Sentinels Their Due

The X-Men movies struggled to crack the formula on the Sentinels – giant mutant-hunting robots who stand at the top of their rogues’ gallery -- for a long time. Until 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, the best it could manage was a half-hearted opening scene in the Danger Room for X-Men 3: The Last Stand. That changed in a big way with the decision to adapt one of the comics’ most storied plot lines, sending Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine back in time to prevent a future apocalypse from destroying mutantkind.

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Besides adding a top-notch entry in the franchise, Days of Future Past finally gives the Sentinels the showcase they deserve. They’re terrifyingly effective – witness the real last stand as the remaining future X-Men fall one by one in an effort to protect the mission – and the film’s time travel plot reveals them in multiple comics-accurate incarnations. Fans might see them again on the big screen, but it’s hard to imagine anyone topping this outing.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (5)

7

10

X-Men: Days of Future Past

pg-13

Action

Sci-Fi

The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

Director
Bryan Singer

Release Date
May 22, 2014

Studio
20th Century Fox

Cast
Hugh Jackman , James McAvoy , Michael Fassbender , Jennifer Lawrence , Patrick Stewart

Runtime
132minutes

Main Genre
Action

Franchise
The X-Men

Production Company
20th Century Fox

Where to watch
HBO Max

39 Finch Features A Touching Story Amid A Post-Apocalyptic Earth

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (6)

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Finch stars Tom Hanks as the titular character, who lives with his dog Goodyear, and his helper robot, Dewey. Finch survives on a post-apocalyptic Earth dominated by extreme weather events. Suffering from an illness, Finch devises to build a new robot, dubbed Jeff, to take care of Goodyear after he dies.

Finch is another example of a touching story between humans and robots, as Finch does everything he can to make sure that Jeff will take care of Goodyear after his passing. While Jeff learns about the world during the film, Finch too learns how to come to terms with his mortality. The film will no doubt tug at viewers' heartstrings, especially when they see how much Finch cares for Goodyear and wants him to be taken care of after he dies.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (7)
Finch

PG-13

Sci-Fi

Drama

On a post-apocalyptic Earth, a robot, built to protect the life of his creator's beloved dog learns about life, love, friendship, and what it means to be human.

Director
Miguel Sapochnik

Release Date
November 5, 2021
Cast
Samira Wiley , Tom Hanks , Laura Harrier , Caleb Landry Jones , Skeet Ulrich

Writers
Ivor Powell , Craig Luck

Runtime
115minutes

Main Genre
Science Fiction

Production Company
Amblin Partners, Apple Original Films, Dutch Angle, ImageMovers, Misher Films, Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media

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38 I Am Mother Finds A Robot Overseeing The Repopulation Of Humanity

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (8)

I Am Mother is set after an extinction event that triggers a bunker that is designed to repopulate the planet. The story follows a robot, dubbed Mother, that raises a young girl in the bunker who is simply called Daughter. When Daughter is a teenager, a mysterious visitor arrives at the bunker, which implies that not everything is as it seems with Mother.

The film stars Clara Rugaard, Hilary Swank, and Rose Byrne (voice) in its lead roles. It received high praise for its intriguing themes that set it apart from other post-apocalyptic films. The Netflix film is one of the many robot movies that makes the viewer question if robots and AI can be trusted in the event of humanity's extinction.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (9)

I Am Mother

TV-14

Sci-Fi

Mystery

Drama

Director
Grant Sputore

Release Date
July 7, 2019

Cast
Clara Rugaard , Rose Byrne , Hilary Swank , Luke Hawker

Runtime
113 Minutes

Main Genre
Sci-Fi

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37 The Creator Is A Thought-Provoking Look At Humans Vs Robots

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (10)

The Creator stars John David Washington as Joshua Taylor, a sergeant in the US Army who is tasked with finding the “Creator” and eliminating the secret weapon in the war against humanity. The film takes place 15 years after a nuclear detonation leads to a war between humans and robots that are controlled by AI.

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Gareth Edwards' The Creator has a simple plot with Joshua using an AI weapon to stop an evil army but there are many glaring plot holes that appear.

The film was written and directed by Gareth Edwards, who made Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Washington received praise for his performance, and the film itself was commended for being thought-provoking. The central theme of how humans come to treat AI and robots carries the film and makes viewers wonder about their own feelings towards them.

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (12)
The Creator

PG-13

Action

Sci-Fi

Drama

Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child.

Director
Gareth Edwards

Release Date
September 29, 2023

Cast
John David Washington , Gemma Chan , Ken Watanabe , Sturgill Simpson , Allison Janney , Madeleine Yuna Voyles

Runtime
2 hours 13 minutes

Main Genre
Adventure

Production Company
20th Century Studios, New Regency Productions, Entertainment One

36 A.I.: Artificial Intelligence Is One Of Steven Spielberg's Underrated Gems

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (13)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence was directed by Stephen Spielberg and stars Haley Joel Osment as David, a childlike android whose programming gives him the ability to love. David sets out to become a “real boy” after he yearns to regain his human mother’s love after a horrific incident.

The film is woefully underrated and sometimes forgotten among Spielberg’s work. It received 2 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Score and Best Visual Effects. It was originally going to be made by Stanley Kubrick, who then gave the rights over to Spielberg after his long journey to making the film proved unsuccessful.

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A.I.: Artificial Intelligence

PG-13

Adventure

Documentary

Drama

Sci-Fi

A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.

Director
Steven Spielberg

Release Date
June 29, 2001
Cast
Haley Joel Osment , Frances O'Connor , Sam Robards , jake thomas , Jude Law , William Hurt

Writers
Brian Aldiss , Ian Watson , Steven Spielberg

Runtime
146 minutes

Main Genre
Adventure

Box Office
$235.9 million

Awards Won
Saturn Awards, Young Artist Awards

Awards Nominations
Academy Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Chicago Film Critics Association, Empire Awards

Production Company
Warner Bros., Dreamworks Pictures, Amblin Entertainment.

Budget
$90-100 million

35 Alien: Romulus Delivers a Robot Friend and Foe

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (14)

The Alien movie series has included robots, or “artificial people” as they style themselves, since Ridley Scott’s 1979 original. They’ve included both sinister versions, such as Ian Holm’s Ash, and more benevolent ones, such as Lance Henriksen’s Ash.Alien: Romulus carries one of each in its surprisingly effective mash-up of the franchise’s best elements.

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Controversy has arisen over Rook, a company android played by Danial Betts with the face and voice reference digitally transplanted from the late Ian Holm. David Jonsson’s Andy, on the other hand, is loyal and selfless, despite core programming that sometimes forces him to put the company’s interests first. Taken together, they constitute the yin and the yang of robotic for a franchise that just got a new lease on life.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (15)
Alien: Romulus

R

Sci-Fi

Horror

Thriller

While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe.

Director
Fede Alvarez

Release Date
August 16, 2024

Cast
Cailee Spaeny , David Jonsson , Archie Renaux , Isabela Merced , Spike Fearn , Aileen Wu , Rosie Ede , Soma Simon , Bence Okeke , Viktor Orizu , Robert Bobroczkyi , Trevor Newlin , Annemarie Griggs , Daniel Betts

Writers
Fede Alvarez , Rodo Sayagues , Dan O'Bannon , Ronald Shusett
Main Genre
Horror

34 Avengers: Age Of Ultron Has Gained More Love Over Time

Avengers: Age of Ultron follows the Avengers as they deal with the threat of Ultron, an all-knowing AI hellbent on destroying humanity. Built by Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, Ultron was meant to be a peacekeeping tool, but the robot became self-aware and decided that humanity needed to be eradicated.

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The climactic battle in Sokovia against Ultron and his robot minions is easily the highlight of the film. It is also another film that explores the potential dangers of AI and what can happen if it begins to think for itself. While Age of Ultron was not the most-loved movie in the MCU, it has fared better over time and included many plot threads that were explored in later MCU movies.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (16)

7

10

Avengers: Age of Ultron

PG-13

Action

Sci-Fi

Superhero

When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.

Director
Joss Whedon

Release Date
May 1, 2015
Cast
Chris Hemsworth , Clark Gregg , Robert Downey Jr. , Cobie Smulders , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jeremy Renner , Thomas Kretschmann , Chris Evans , Don Cheadle , Mark Ruffalo , Elizabeth Olsen , Scarlett Johansson , Paul Bettany , Samuel L. Jackson , James Spader

Writers
Joss Whedon

Runtime
141 minutes

Main Genre
superheroes

Producer
Kevin Feige

Production Company
Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures.

Studio(s)
Marvel Studios

Franchise(s)

33 Robots Could Have A Director's Cut Someday

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (17)

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Robots takes place in Robot City, a city in a world that is populated by robots. Rodney (Ewan McGregor), an idealistic inventor, moves to Robot City to showcase his latest invention to Bigweld Industries, a company that specializes in inventions with spare robot parts. Rodney slowly discovers that something sinister is happening within the company.

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Robots did not enjoy the same kind of success as other animated films at the time but has since gained a cult following. In the DVD commentary of the film, director Chris Wedge alluded to many things being cut out, leaving some hopeful that a director’s cut could be released someday.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (19)

Robots

PG

Adventure

Comedy

In a robot world, a young idealistic inventor travels to the big city to join his inspiration's company, only to find himself opposing its sinister new management.

Release Date
March 6, 2005

Director
Chris Wedge

Cast
Ewan McGregor , Robin Williams , Halle Berry , Mel Brooks

Runtime
1 hour 31 minutes
Main Genre
Animation

Writers
David Lindsay-Abaire , Lowell Ganz , Babaloo Mandel

Production Company
Twentieth Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios

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32 Westworld Debuted Much Earlier Than The Hit HBO Show

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (20)

HBO's Westworld may have been a hit upon release, but the concept made its debut in a much earlier age of visual effects. Written and directed by Michael Crichton, Westworld still managed to channel the novelist/filmmaker's amusement park-based fears into a forward-thinking thriller that fuses together future tech and America's Old West. While mostly sharing a premise with the show, the original Westworld actually features not just one, but three "world"-simulated parks, each populated by robots that facilitate visitors' fantasies.

Its stroke of genius, however, is casting. In West World, a main attraction is The Gunslinger, programmed to duel guests, so picking the original The Magnificent Seven lead Yul Brynner lends a layer of genre commentary. This is especially true once things go wrong and the robots start attacking humans. Westworld was the first movie to use digital image processing to create the pixilated, first-person point of view now standard in depicting the world through robots' eyes.

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (21)

Westworld (1973)

PG

Adventure

Science Fiction

Western

A robot malfunction creates havoc and terror for unsuspecting vacationers at a futuristic, adult-themed amusement park.

Release Date
August 15, 1973

Director
Michael Crichton

Cast
Yul Brynner , Richard Benjamin , James Brolin , Norman Bartold , Alan Oppenheimer

Runtime
89 Minutes

Main Genre
Adventure

Writers
Michael Crichton

Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

31 Pacific Rim Was Meant To Be A Sprawling Franchise

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (22)

Pacific Rim was the first film in the short-lived Pacific Rim franchise. The film depicts a war between humanity and sea monster creatures in the near future. To fight the monsters, humans have developed the Jaegers, giant robotic suits that even the odds. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the film stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, and Ron Perlman.

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The film was intended to start a franchise but was largely unsuccessful. It did get a sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, but not much else. It still stands as del Toro's most commercially successful film. There was talk of having the franchise cross over with the MonsterVerse to have the Jaegers fight Godzilla, Kong, and other movie monsters, but this plan never came to fruition.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (23)
Pacific Rim

As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Created by
Guillermo del Toro , Travis Beacham
First Film
Pacific Rim
Latest Film
Pacific Rim: Uprising

Cast
Rinko Kikuchi , Idris Elba , Charlie Hunnam , John Boyega

30 Treasure Planet’s B.E.N. Is a Little Glitchy

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (24)

Disney’s underrated Treasure Planet reimagines the Robert Louis Stevenson classic as a steampunk space opera, set in the far-flung starscape of a galactic civilization that never was. Except for Jim Hawkins and his mother, all the other characters are aliens, and in the case of B.E.N. – the film’s stand-in for castaway Ben Gunn – a very memorable robot. As voiced by Martin Short, he’s a comparatively late entry to the film and ends up stealing it out from under everyone’s nose.

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Technically, B.E.N. is a MacGuffin. His memory circuits have been removed because they point the way to the titular planet, which the late Captain Flint wants kept hidden. That gives short a grand opportunity to indulge in all manner of verbal riffs, matched by some very funny animation as B.E.N. struggles to keep his thoughts in one place. It helps make him one of the most memorable parts of a sadly overlooked movie.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (25)
Treasure Planet

Adventure

Family

Fantasy

Science Fiction

Director
Ron Clements , John Musker

Release Date
November 27, 2002

Cast
Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Emma Thompson , Martin Short , Corey Burton
Main Genre
Animation

29 Transformers: The Movie Is The Best Transformers Movie To Date

​​​​​

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (26)

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Forget Michael Bay — the greatest Transformers movie is from 1986. While it may not be quite as awe-inspiring as an adult to watch a movie effectively open with the deaths of both sides' leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron, there's plenty that will leave viewers at least surprised in a way they would not have been as a kid. The Transformers: The Movie features Monty Python member Eric Idle as the leader of a group of scavenging robots from a junk planet, who learned English by intercepting human TV signals.

The film also stars Leonard Nimoy in his second-most robotic role as Megatron's upgraded form, Galvatron. In addition to Nimoy, The Transformers: The Movie features the greatest Transformers villain ever, the planet-devouring Unicron. Unicron is voiced by none other than Hollywood legend Orson Welles, in the final role of his career.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (27)
The Transformers: The Movie

PG

Animation

Action

Adventure

Family

Sci-Fi

The Autobots must stop a colossal planet consuming robot who goes after the Autobot Matrix of Leadership. At the same time, they must defend themselves against an all-out attack from the Decepticons.

Release Date
August 8, 1986

Director
Nelson Shin

Cast
Norman Alden , Jack Angel , Michael Bell , gregg berger , Susan Blu , Arthur Burghardt

Runtime
84 minutes
Main Genre
Animation

Studio

Writers
Ron Friedman

Production Company

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28 The Mitchells vs. The Machines Finds the Funny Side of the Robot Apocalypse

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (28)

Robots certainly appear in their share of comedies, but few of them concern the end of the world. The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a most welcome exception, as a techbro's newest world-changing product decides that human beings are superfluous to the big plan. Using our propensity for social media addiction, it soon has everyone boxed up in little cubicles. It's up to a dysfunctional-yet-loving family of suburbanites to save the day.

Laughs are front and center -- humanity is captured, not killed, so a happy ending can prevail -- but the jokes come wrapped in a very familiar theme. Robot stories invariably focus on humanity's dependence on machinery, which The Mitchells vs. the Machines takes great glee in pointing out. It gives an otherwise pleasant romp some depth, and turns the movie into a surprisingly effective commentary on artificial intelligence.

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (29)

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

PG

Action

Adventure

A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.

Director
Jeff Rowe , Michael Rianda

Release Date
April 23, 2021

Cast
Abbi Jacobson , Danny McBride , Maya Rudolph

Writers
Michael Rianda , Jeff Rowe

Runtime
1 Hour 54 Minutes
Main Genre
Animation

Producer
Kurt Albrecht, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Production Company
Sony Pictures Animation, Lord Miller, Columbia Pictures, One Cool Film Production

27 The Stepford Wives Has A Far More Sinister Plot At Play

​​

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (30)

Not many movies can spawn a whole new phrase out of their title, but the original, 1975 sci-fi horror thriller The Stepford Wives certainly did. Adapted by The Princess Bride screenwriter William Goldman from Ira Levin's book of the same name, the film dives into the seemingly perfect Connecticut suburb of Stepford, where the Berhart family has just moved. But the wives of the town are suspiciously well-mannered and vacuous, and given that there are robots involved, there is something far more sinister at play.

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While director Bryan Forbes faced criticism of the film's depiction of women, the filmmakers maintained that the movie was really about the dangers of a male chauvinism-dominated world. Either way, the most praise should be due to the actresses playing the wives themselves, who manage to perfectly pitch their performances in a way that can be both frightening and darkly funny at the same time.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (31)

The Stepford Wives

PG

Sci-Fi

Horror

Mystery

Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family, but soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior of the female residents.

Release Date
February 12, 1975

Director
Bryan Forbes

Cast
Katharine Ross , Paula Prentiss , Peter Masterson , Nanette Newman , Tina Louise , Carol Eve Rossen , William Prince , Carole Mallory

Runtime
115 Minutes

Main Genre
Sci-Fi

Writers
Ira Levin , William Goldman

Production Company
Palomar Pictures International, Fadsin Cinema Associates.

26 Her Explores a Unique Love Between a Human and AI

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (32)

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Her stars Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore, a lonely writer who is about to divorce his childhood sweetheart Caroline. Theodore buys an operating system upgrade that includes an AI that is designed to adapt and evolve to his needs. The AI names itself Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) and Theodore begins to fall in love with her.

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As AI becomes more and more prevalent in society’s everyday life, the film’s themes of love and loneliness with artificial intelligence made for one of the unique films of the 21st century. Despite having one of its leads only be a voice, it proved to be one of the most poignant love stories ever captured on film.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (34)

Her

R

Drama

Romance

Science Fiction

In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.

Director
Spike Jonze

Release Date
January 10, 2014
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix , Amy Adams , Scarlett Johansson , Rooney Mara

Runtime
2 hours 6 minutes

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25 Real Steel Has Robots, But It's A Father-Son Movie At Heart

​​​​​​

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (35)

Real Steel stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up boxer who has turned to robot boxing to make money. He is reunited with his estranged son Max, and they train a robot, dubbed Atom, to go after the global boxing title held by the undefeated champion Zeus. It's based on an episode of The Twilight Zone, but brightens the decidedly grim themes of its inspiration with a strong father-son story in the middle of it all.

The film also provides commentary about robots taking over many facets of society, something many viewers can relate to in today's world. A modest success upon release, it has been a hit as of late due to streaming services. It has been compared to a Rocky robot movie, but many viewers fell in love with the personal family story that goes along with it. Due to recent interest, a sequel series is being developed for Disney+ and a sequel starring Jackman has been discussed.

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (36)

Real Steel

PG-13

Drama

Sci-Fi

In the near future, robot boxing is a top sport. A struggling ex-boxer feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.

Release Date
October 7, 2011
Director
Shawn Levy

Cast
Hugh Jackman , Evangeline Lilly , Dakota Goyo

Runtime
2 Hours 7 Minutes

Main Genre
Action

Writers
John Gatins , Dan Gilroy , Jeremy Leven

Production Company
Dreamworks Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Reliance Entertainment.

24 Enthiran Is a Wild Bollywood Sci-Fi Epic

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (37)

Bollywood embraces a much different aesthetic than American or European films, including their big-budget blockbusters. Newcomers to Indian cinema – especially genre fans – can use Enthiran (Robot) as a great introduction. The sprawling three-hour epic focuses on a scientist who perfects artificial life, only for his creation to grow beyond his control.

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Director S. Shankar has an exquisite sense of timing, which he uses to constantly top what has come before. Top-notch visual effects punctuate a series of increasingly imaginative action set pieces, topped by an attack from a robot army that has to be seen to be believed. Like many Bollywood productions Enthiran includes copious musical numbers, many centered around a love triangle between the scientist, his girlfriend, and the robot. In other words, it’s a ride like no other, and Western audiences in the market for something different will find one of the most original movies ever made here.

23 Alien's Robots Prove Both Treacherous and Noble

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (38)

Robots play a deceptively large role in the universe created by Ridley Scott's Alien in 1979. More specifically, they're corporate products, designed to serve the needs of the companies that control them, and sometimes turning on their creators in the process. Alien posits them as secondary antagonists, as the inhuman Ash prioritizes the return of the Xenomorph for weapons research over the lives of the crew he has successfully infiltrated.

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Related

Fede Álvarez believes Alien: Romulus will capture some of the magic that recent Marvel and DC movies have been lacking.

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The various sequels and prequels have included similar characters, though some -- like Lance Henriksen's Bishop in 1986's Aliens -- prove far more benevolent than others. They remain a part of the franchise because of what they represent: commodification and exploitation by a capitalist elite standing in contrast to the existential horrors carried by the rest of the galaxy. Good or evil, they remain singularly memorable, and like so many other sci-fi IPs, the Alien universe simply wouldn't be the same without them.

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (40)

Alien

R

Sci-Fi

Horror

The crew of a commercial spacecraft encounters a deadly lifeform after investigating an unknown transmission.

Director
Ridley Scott

Release Date
June 22, 1979

Cast
Sigourney Weaver , Tom Skerritt , John Hurt , Veronica Cartwright , Harry Dean Stanton , Ian Holm , Yaphet Kotto

Runtime
117 minutes

Main Genre
Sci-Fi

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22 Bumblebee Is The Highest-Rated Film Of The Transformers Franchise

The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (41)

Bumblebee, a prequel to the Transformers film series, brings the story back to 1987. Bumblebee is on the run from the Decepticons and lands on Earth in a California beach town with his memory lost. He is discovered by 18-year-old Charlie Watson (Hailee Steinfeld), who works with Bumblebee to figure out why he is on Earth and later helps fight the Decepticons.

​​​​​As the previous films in the Transformers series were not well-received, expectations were low for Bumblebee. It actually received positive reviews, particularly for its story and Steinfeld's performance, which breathed new life into the franchise. The film remains the highest-rated movie of the franchise to date by a sizable margin.

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (42)
Bumblebee

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. On the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, Charlie Watson discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

Release Date
December 15, 2018

Director
Travis Knight

Cast
Rachel Crow , Abby Quinn , Gracie Dzienny , Jason Drucker , John Cena , Ricardo Hoyos , Hailee Steinfeld , Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

Runtime
114 Minutes

Main Genre
Action

Writers
Christina Hodson

Producer
Michael Bay, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy, Mark Vahradian

Production Company
Hasbro, Tencent Pictures, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Allspark Pictures, Laika Entertainment, Paramount Pictures

21 M3GAN Infuses AI With Child's Play's Formula

M3GAN follows Gemma (Alison Williams), a robotics engineer, who builds a life-like doll, dubbed M3GAN. Things go from revolutionary to sinister when the doll takes on a life of her own, especially when Gemma’s 8-year-old niece Cady (Violet McGraw) becomes attached to it.

M3GAN was a surprise horror movie hit, delivering a modern spin on a story similar to Child’s Play and the infamous Chucky doll. The film’s success led to a sequel entering development, entitled M3GAN 2.0. The sequel is dated for January 17th, 2025 with Williams and McGraw planning to return.

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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (43)
M3GAN

PG-13

Sci-Fi

Thriller

A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own.

Release Date
January 6, 2023

Director
Gerald Johnstone

Cast
Amie Donald , Kimberley Crossman , Allison Williams , Ronny Chieng , Violet McGraw , Brian Jordan Alvarez

Runtime
1 Hour 42 Minutes
Main Genre
Horror

Writers
Akela Cooper , James Wan

Producer
Jason Blum, James Wan, Michael Clear, Couper Samuelson

Production Company
Blumhouse Productions, Atomic Monster Productions, Divide/Conquer
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The 40 Best Robot Movies Of All Time, Ranked (2024)

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