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Cyberpunk is more than just a genre; it’s an exploration of a dystopian future where technology, humanity, and social structures collide in vivid neon shades.

This fusion of high-tech with low-life has inspired filmmakers for decades, and the result has been some of the most iconic movies of all time.

Here’s our list of some of the best cyberpunk movies of all time.

Blade Runner (1982)

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos

Set in a dystopian 2019, the world of “Blade Runner” is one where Earth’s environment is degraded, leading many humans to colonize off-world planets. Assisting them are bioengineered beings known as replicants, designed by the powerful Tyrell Corporation to be almost indistinguishable from humans. These replicants are used for various dangerous and degrading tasks in off-world colonies. However, due to their advanced physical and intellectual abilities, they are viewed as a threat and are illegal on Earth.

The film follows Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a retired “Blade Runner”, who is tasked with hunting down and “retiring” a group of rogue replicants who have illegally returned to Earth. As Deckard hunts them down, he grapples with moral and existential questions about the nature of humanity, especially after meeting Rachael (Sean Young), a special replicant who believes herself to be human.

The leader of the rogue replicants, Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), is on a desperate quest for a way to extend his short, predetermined lifespan.

Blade Runner: The Final Cut [Blu-ray]

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The Matrix (1999)

Director: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, Joe Pantoliano

Computer programmer Thomas Anderson, who operates under the hacker alias “Neo” (Keanu Reeves), is plagued by a singular question: What is the Matrix? This inquiry thrusts him into a rabbit hole of epic proportions. He’s soon contacted by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), a mysterious figure who offers Neo a choice between a red pill and a blue pill.

Choosing the red pill, Neo awakens to a harsh reality: humanity is enslaved by sentient machines that use human bodies as an energy source. The world he once knew, including the sprawling cityscapes and daily life, is a simulated reality known as the Matrix, designed to pacify and subdue the human population.

As Neo grapples with this revelation, he joins Morpheus and his team, including the formidable Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss), in a battle against the machines and their in-Matrix agents, led by the relentless Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving).

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Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Director: Mamoru Oshii

Starring: Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka, Iemasa Kayumi

Set in a future where cybernetic enhancement is commonplace and individuals can easily link their brains to the internet, the film follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, an agent of the elite Section 9, tasked with maintaining public security. The narrative revolves around their pursuit of a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master.

However, as Kusanagi delves deeper into the investigation, she grapples with existential dilemmas concerning her own identity and the nature of her existence. Is she merely a machine with human memories, or is there a genuine “ghost” – a soul – within her cybernetic “shell”?

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Akira (1988)

Director: Katsuhiro Otomo

Starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama

Set in 2019, 31 years after World War III decimated Tokyo, the city, now called Neo-Tokyo, is rife with political unrest. Against this backdrop, we follow Kaneda, a young biker gang leader, and his childhood friend Tetsuo. After a motorcycle accident exposes Tetsuo to a mysterious government project, he starts manifesting powerful telekinetic abilities.

As Tetsuo’s newfound power grows increasingly uncontrollable, it threatens to consume him and destroy Neo-Tokyo.

Kaneda, alongside a group of rebels and a mysterious girl named Kei, must find a way to save his friend and the city.

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Robocop (1987)

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Starring: Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O’Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer

Set in a crime-ridden Detroit of the near future, mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products (OCP) has a solution: a robotic law enforcer. When dedicated police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is gunned down by a gang of criminals led by the ruthless Clarence Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith), OCP sees an opportunity.

Murphy’s shattered body and remaining living tissue are used to create RoboCop, a hybrid of man and machine, programmed to serve and protect the public. However, as RoboCop patrols the streets, fragments of Murphy’s memories begin to resurface. He starts to rediscover his human side and sets out to seek vengeance.

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12 Monkeys (1996)

Director: Terry Gilliam

Starring: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer

In a devastated 2035, humanity has been forced underground due to a deadly virus that wiped out most of the population in 1996. James Cole (Bruce Willis), a convict, is selected for a mission to travel back in time to gather information about the origin of the epidemic, believed to be linked to a radical group called the Army of the Twelve Monkeys.

However, a mishap sends Cole back to 1990, where he is promptly institutionalized. In the asylum, he meets Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt in an Oscar-nominated role), an eccentric patient who may have connections to the Twelve Monkeys. Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), a psychiatrist, becomes Cole’s ally as she starts to believe his seemingly outlandish claims about the future.

As Cole jumps between the 1990s and his own time, the lines between reality, madness, and the inevitability of fate blur, leading to a shocking conclusion.

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Total Recall (1990)

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox

Set in the late 21st century, “Total Recall” introduces us to Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a construction worker plagued by recurring dreams of Mars. Seeking solace, Quaid visits “Rekall,” a company offering memory implants of vacations. Opting for a package that makes him a secret agent on Mars, Quaid’s procedure goes awry. He discovers that his life as Douglas Quaid might be a false memory and that he could, in fact, be Carl Hauser, a former operative for Mars’s oppressive government.

As Quaid grapples with his identity, he’s thrust into a conspiracy on Mars, battling the sinister administrator Vilos Cohaagen (Ronny Cox) and his henchman Richter (Michael Ironside). The stakes escalate as Quaid uncovers the truth about Mars, his own past, and a revolutionary plan to make Mars habitable for its colonists.

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