Based on Philip K. Dick’s “Second Variety,” this Peter “Robocop” Weller-led feature is riddled with clichés, sure, and borrows liberally from far better movies. The big(gest) heavies from Star Trek: The Next Generation (and a big part of how the show was able to emerge from the long shadow cast by The Original Series), the civilization-ending, cybernetic zombie collective that was The Borg made the warp jump from the small to the big screen in the Next Gen crew’s second theatrical outing. BB8 Photo Source: Tf3dm BB8 is a new robot droid favorite in the famous sci-fi saga, Star Wars. 5. Hell of a day, innit? Ogle their “jumblies” at your own risk—that’s where they pack their real heat. Fully equipped with a “virgin alarm,” of course. Other than itself, though, the monstrous B.R.A.I.N. 8. 2. —J.V. And protein from the sea!, and so decided it might as well flash-freeze some fresh Runners instead. Sometimes they're the off-sider to the main character, sometimes they're the protagonist, sometimes they're the enemy. Played by: Tim Blaney (Voice) “Believe me, I’d rather not. It may be a point of triumph for our protagonist, but in perhaps the most subtle thematic move the director has ever made, Lucas is implying that even the organic characters in THX 1138 are mere tools for a higher power. T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Born of a hilariously forced acronym (“Canine HOMe Protection System”), C.H.O.M.P.S. They’re everything that’s frightening about automatons—non-thinking, remorseless, impersonal killing machines. In addition to boasting one of the most awesome titles for a movie ever, this end-of-the-world British sci-fi thriller contains a legitimately unique strain of robotic death machine. Ouch. And it just goes to show Marvel Studios that Bonebreaker can be done on the silver screen! Gigolo Joe from A.I. —S.W. —S.W. Though the movie eventually became profitable, what they ended up with was the stuff of pure nightmares for children, and earning Disney its first PG rating due to all the death and fire and brimstone. —S.W. There are greater things to fear than dying. By his own admission, he’s done “questionable” things (there’s that whole killing spree getting to and on Earth), but he is, at his core, a man with nothing to lose, given his terminally limited lifespan. If you’ve never heard of Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, drop whatever you’re doing and watch the trailer, at the very least, if only to hear the narrator say things like “these lush bikini babes are built to perform!” and “sex has never been funnier!” An absolutely bonkers comedy from B-movie mavens American International Pictures, Dr. Goldfoot stars Vincent Price at his zaniest, playing a gold booty-wearing mad scientist who invents the titular “bikini machine” that creates sexy fembots. MAX, the multilingual, wry mainframe computer in Disney’s 1986 family hit, is voiced by none other than Pee Wee, er, Paul Reubens (though credited as Paul Mall). The colossal walking stack of cubes, absorbing all of Earth’s energy (way before Galactus thought it was cool!) Rachael, Pris, Leon Kowalski & Zhora, 17. If you are like me, some of these characters you grew up with as a kid, others you will have gotten to know and love as an adult. If they get desperate! With sci-fi being as vogue in popular culture as ever—a seventh Star Wars and its adorable ’droids are but a few weeks away from theaters—now is the perfect time to reflect back on our favorite ’bots as represented in film. —S.W. Astro first appeared in a Manga series cartoon in 1952. —S.W. Don’t stop running. Who needs a “personality” when you’ve got a sweet talking mustache? A famous cartoon character or mascot design seems to have one thing in common: they are incredibly sticky. Played by: Brigitte Helm But that’s hardly the point. And one of the elements that made the (often quite dark) family film so amazing was its wounded (but soooo dangerously lethal) Big Bad, Syndrome (voiced with embittered perfection by Jason Lee). And they carry with them all the wonder, hubris, hope and dread that that drive compels. No matter his appearance, though, Mechagodzilla is consistently the greatest of all the giant robot kaiju. ), The Borg became time-traveling stealth-assimilators, and The Collective instead emerged in First Contact as the sexy, Machiavellian Borg Queen. Long before there was Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton wrote (and directed) about another disastrous theme park—Delos, housing the sophisticated amusement android characters of West World, Medieval World and Roman World. Joe’s Destro, the robot police force is governed solely on “budget,” which of course allows our hero THX (Robert Duvall) to escape the underground society, and the mysterious deity, OMM 0910, that represses him. We collected some of them to show you 10 of the most famous fictional robots. This big screen adaptation of the original manga was magnificently brought to life with stunning animation, most especially in regard to its cybernetic protagonist, Motoko Kusanagi. For more fun movie news and lists, you can follow Zach Seemayer on Twitter @ZachSeemayer. Atom—as far as robots go—looks like the scrappy underdog (in that he’s built from scrap) the story needs him to be, and the other boxing ’bots physically resemble advancing rungs of success along the (heh) circuit. —S.W. It has limited personality. In fact, he just may be the most human of the bunch, and a poignant example of an early onscreen identity crisis. Anthony Daniels’ voicework is, in its own way, as important to the film as James Earl Jones’—though, granted, “officious, prissy human” will never be as popular as “deep, threatening Sith lord.” Nonetheless, C-3PO strikes a blow for non-threatening robots everywhere with his role in the Star Wars films. Even though that human is Michael Biehn, you can only really keep chipping away at the T-800’s skin as you flee and he inexorably tracks you. Yeah, still futile. Played by: Yul BrynnerThe Gunslinger is a mechanical cowboy at a Wild West theme park who goes crazy and begins killing guests. 53. ROSSUMS' UNIVERSAL ROBOTS Czech author Karel Capek coined the term robot in his 1920 play about automaton factory workers. That big, intimidating red eye, silently judging all the time and deciding whether or not to kill you? But that doesn’t mean a certain protocol droid who is fluent in over six million forms of communication isn’t one of film’s most iconic and important robots in the history of film (undignified status as a glorified wookie backpack, notwithstanding). —S.W. The ability to toggle the humor setting of TARS in particular from 0-100 percent is such a wonderful running joke in the film that it succeeds in endearing the audience to a featureless slab of metal. But, ultimately, history will forget this, too—no matter how long any one lifetime, no matter how brightly it burns. The most recent entry in the X-Men franchise practically opens as a superhero snuff film. A little bit Iron Giant and a little bit Harpo Marx, Baymax is all heart. —J.V. The character of the robot policeman, Elle, sports a country-fried drawl and a strange vulnerability to cavemen’s clubs, and there’s a 100-foot-tall Amazonian gynoid who menaces our constantly shouting heroes. —S.W. And sea greens! This un-killable murder-bot stalks post-apocalyptic deserts and cities, making Hardware one of the only killer cyborg/wasteland films ever made. D&D Beyond These three little ‘bots took cinema a long way toward representing machines with distinct personalities. The Annihlatons, or “iron/mechanical men”. —S.W. —S.W. —S.W. Half man/half tanks! If only just the original animated movie existed, the wise, brave Autobot leader Optimus Prime would probably have an entry all his own. And Data is extraordinary—unique, really—within and outside of the Trek universe. Although it was our heroes’ fellow survivors who were the real monsters (twist!! Have a nice day.” —S.W. Instead, he’s a put-upon character bored with his own existence, constantly held down by the petty adventures of the characters whose company he’s forced to endure against his will. Robots don’t get any more retro-cool than they do in Kerry Conran’s unjustly underappreciated sci-fi throwback, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Yeah, as a killing machine, the Iron Monster’s pretty unimpressive—he’ll hug you to death if he manages to out-lumber you. ?” 2014 remake couldn’t bear to mess with it much, really only giving him a new paint job. He’s stubborn, deceptive, brave and yet, can have his feelings hurt all the same. Sure, the evil T-800 from the first Terminator film has all the great, quotable lines, but seeing that same emotionless killing machine develop into a true hero is one of the most entertaining character arcs in action movie history. As for which ’bot is best—the sleek, triple-armed Crimson Typhoon; the stolid, Russkie-flavored Cherno Alpha; the analog, chain sword-wielding Gipsy Danger; or the freshly minted, Aussie-helmed Striker Eureka—your choice probably reveals something important about you. Played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger Sadly, only a fraction of this silent-era sci-fi film survived the near-century since its release, but there’s enough of it left to see that André Deed’s silver screen robots shaped decades of visual conceptualization for the very idea of “robots” in cinema, before the word “robot” existed. Robbie the robot (not to be confused with the much more famous Robbie the Robot from movie and TV fame) is featured in the opening story bearing his name which opens the collection. —S.W. Unlike Moses, however, Roy was angry as hell at his Maker, and by Tyrell, he was going to be heard. Speaking of creeptastic, rape-y robots, Demon Seed, based on the Dean Koontz novel of the same name, features Proteus, the advanced computer A.I. While obviously taking … Who cares? —S.W. —S.W. —M.B. Unfortunately for those who think they’re entitled to a second act in life, escaping to find out can get you killed by Sandmen like Logan 5. You probably won’t have to saunter slowly away from his lethal embrace—you would just never get close enough to something that looks like him. If you’re anybody else, Tobor is a huge pain in the ass, being easily stolen and reprogrammed between noble U.S. scientists and evil (probably) Soviet spies. I’d still pay full admission for a three-hour buddy movie featuring those two. On the whole, Terminator: Salvation may have been as mechanical and perfunctory as its titular villain, but at least Sam Worthington’s “Wait, I’m actually an evil cyborg? —S.W. Godzilla ain’t here to save you this time, Tokyo. So yeah, this guy. Characters, Robot, Males. Give them a metallic sheen plus the ability to zero in on specific targets and they become downright terrifying. She is, as LeBrock once famously said, “Mary Poppins with breasts.” —M.R. He’s really nothing more than a 21st century slave catcher. The airheaded Gypsy, with her innocence and love of Richard Basehart. —S.W. itself is reasonably cool—if you happen to be a little kid who has a psychic bond with his big robot pal. One can kill God and still show mercy. Out of everyone in the film, Worthington— surprisingly—demonstrates himself to be a capable actor in the midst of the endless gray rubble. Of course, the Tin Man (played with aching sincerity by Jack Haley) already has one—he supplies the purest emotional compass for the iconic quartet’s journey—he simply doesn’t realize it. And it has Christopher Plummer as the Emperor of the Universe, looking like he’s having the time of his life, tearing out huge chunks of the beyond-cheap sets with his teeth. (Unlike other robots who made the cut due to a novel look, this entry was done so with the greatest possible hesitancy.) “It’s programmed to go off before you do!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=342HytXaoL4  – JV. Their personalities are startlingly human-like for beings without “faces,” but we’re given constant reminders of how these are all functions of their programming. —S.W. Ultimately, we care just as much for TARS as we do for any other members of Cooper’s crew, and to do that without preying on the human instinct to care for things in our own image is just one of Christopher Nolan’s many accomplishments in Interstellar. And the nostalgia many folks have for Clash of the Titans gives ol’ Bubo the right to be here. Though much better than its reputation, Disney’s “Treasure Island in Space” is probably most remembered as a massive box office bomb (that probably signaled the beginning of the end of its traditional, hand-drawn cell-animated features). For example, the following entry on this list! A struggling ex-boxer feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot.