“The Matrix” (1999)
We know what you’re thinking; “The Matrix is…an A.I. movie? Whoa.” Whoa is right, friends. While it doesn’t speak to the theme of A.I. as directly as most of the other movies discussed here, this special effects phenomenon has its cyberpunk roots directly circuited around A.I. movies like “Tron” and aforementioned “Ghost In The Shell.” Moreover, the Wachowski siblings set their story in the simulated reality of the Matrix, which is controlled and monitored by sentient machines as a way of enslaving the human population while their corporeal bodies are harvested for energy. In this way, the theme of A.I. and its relation to humans seeps through the fiber optics of nearly every aspect of “The Matrix”: from Agent Smith’s (Hugo Weaving) existence as a sentient program (a good moment to remind everyone that A.I. doesn’t necessarily refer to artificially intelligent hardware, but artificially intelligent software as well) to the idea that humans have become so dangerously dependent on an artificial systems that they need “the One” to save them. When “The Matrix” blew up theatre screens in 1999, it heralded a new franchise, spawning two subpar sequels and the “Animatrix” anthology, parts of which detail the history of the world we see in the first film, and sure enough, it’s all connected to A.I. So next time you’re in conversation with someone who insists that “The Matrix” is all about “bullet-time” and stupendous action sequences, remind them of what lies beneath its polished special effects exterior: one of the most thoroughly compelling A.I. movies of all time. Then roundhouse kick them in slow-mo.
“Metropolis” (1927)
Fritz Lang’s monumental “Metropolis” is like an ancient scroll made of celluloid, revealing the depths, inventions and artistic heights of the silent era better than most of its contemporaries. Truth be told, its technical achievements in set and production design are the primary reason why almost a century later we still watch “Metropolis” with hearts aflutter and jaws a-dropped. It could suffice as our only truly essential A.I. movie due to the design and biomechanics behind the “False Maria” robot (directly inspiring the more culturally-inbred design of C3PO in “Star Wars”), as opposed to the thematic weight involved behind the concept of A.I. in movies, which evolved beyond this film’s on-the-nose religious parallels to something more complex and cerebral in future sci-fi films to come. Nevertheless, the tragic story of inventor Rotwang’s (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) “reincarnation” of his deceased lover as the Maschinenmensch is cinema’s A.I. prototype in both physical depiction and thematic roots. The idea of creating a machine out of emotional impulse has been carried through time and into films like ‘A.I.,’ while the threatening consequences built into the machine vs. human dynamic (as depicted by False Maria’s control of the people in “Metropolis”) has applied to every film on this list. In other words, ignoring “Metropolis” would defy all logic and make every A.I. from every movie featured here simultaneously self-destruct.
“Terminator” (1984)
If artificial intelligence is a manifestation of our collective fear of technology, then James Cameron brought that anxiety to its logical apogee with his 1984 classic “The Terminator.” While known as a sci-fi film, it’s a horror film in the classic sense: there’s a relentless, unstoppable boogeyman at its center, who’s been sent from that evil future we worry about so much where the singularity has occurred. The seemingly unstoppable juggernaut is disguised as a human being and is tasked to kill the woman who will give birth to a chosen one who will eventually take down the A.I. that is hellbent on killing humanity (how’s that for crazy mindfuck?) Time-travel movie; horror; sci-fi; cautionary tale —Cameron’s movie has it all. On top of how genuinely scary the film is thanks to the hulking presence of Arnold Schwarzennegger, it’s terrifically shot, features great performances from Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn and terrifically staged action. It’s really no wonder why Hollywood keeps trying to recapture the magic of the first film (and the sequel, which was reimagined as a straight action film) with remakes, reboots, redo-overs and TV shows. It’s a classic through and through, burrowing deep into the elemental unease about A.I. and distilling the elements into terrifying archetypes.
Honorable Mentions
A ton of ideas were thrown around for this feature, and once we settled on 10 movies, we begrudgingly started to anticipate this section. Among the most notable movies that were close in making the cut were “Tron,” “D.A.R.Y.L.” and “WarGames.” Films like “Alphaville” and “The Iron Giant,” were deemed a bit of a cheat since their A.I. came from alien planets, and we wanted to throw some emphasis on the human element in the genre. “Westworld” is good fun but questionable as essential viewing, and “I, Robot” could’ve been such a contender but turned into something of a Hollywoodized bum.
Got any favorites of your own? Proceed to input. —Nikola Grozdanovic & Rodrigo Perez.