Favorite Technology Movies

This is a part of a multi-post on: Best Films On Technology

Here's more about the best of the best, and movies that you should not miss.These are the films that have not just a great story, but a theme that carry over time and generation. These have been very well directed and have been ahead of its time and have spawned countless other films and even genres.

Please feel to free to comment on what you think about this list and why something in this list should or should not be there!

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey The more I watch the movie, the more I marvel at it. Its not-so-subtle themes of evolution, AI, and extra-terrestrial life though covered by countless other films, have never been more thought provoking (with literally little to say). The ending is spectacular and probably why all of it made so much sense (or no sense to many). It is Kubrick's masterpiece, although he has done many other excellent films.
2. Terminator 2 If you were not afraid of cops, you certainly were after Terminator 2. James Cameron's highly successful film was a non-stop thriller ride and had cutting edge special effects that was dynamite in the movie and all the way to the bank making it one of the most successful films even today. Arnold's best movie to date and probably the one that won him the California governorship.
3. Gattaca Gattaca went unnoticed for a lot of people, but this quiet movie hit me like a perfect storm. The underlying identity theme, the 'you are not good enough' story line, and the post-modern futuristic world was powerful to keep me thinking for months and years. The film also had excellent acting that is rare in so many sci-fi movies and did not rely on action and explosions to make its mark.
4. The Matrix The horrendous sequels to the Matrix could not extract it from this list. The coolness factor in the film was not just the leather and vinyl, or the special effects, or the kungfu, or the action sequences, or even the badass sentient agents, but the fact that the Wachowski brothers gave themselves the license to do whatever they wanted with the inherent 'matrix' idea.
5. Mad Max - Road Warrior Despite the fact that Mel Gibson has lost all dignity, I still remember that as a kid no movie was as kick-ass as the Road Warrior. The crashing, burning, flying, boomeranging action in the film are some of the best ever. The strange characters, the Australian desert, and that crazy accent gives it an out-of-this-world feel. It still holds up against the big budget action and sci-fi films and hence walks into this list.
6. Back To The Future (I) Name me any other sci-fi movie that is also funny, has a great story, great music, eccentric characters taken from your own town, and a (literally) high-wired climax that's memorable and still does not need any geek status to enjoy. Back to The Future made sci-fi accessible for all and also made it fun. It opened up the doors for everyone else to enjoy a sci-fi and be able to relate to the experience.
7. Akira This powerful Anime based on the extremely popular manga series is not a 'cartoon' and not really for kids either. With overt tones of ESP, gang wars, anti-government, and terrorism, this film was ahead of the curve in many ways. Its detail to production, art, sound, and complexities in the storyline makes it a forerunner for not just animation films, but films in general. (Please watch it in Japanese to appreciate the details in voice and facial expression.)

Back to: Best Films On Technology