Although the science fiction genre was created long before the 1908s, its cyberpunk subgenre introduced more advanced movie robots than its predecessors. While these movie robots pale in comparison to what is available in today’s film and television, they got audiences excited about the 21st century. Unsurprisingly, many of these 80s techs are a reality today.
Unlike today’s overreliance on CGI, the 80s movie robots were designed as props. Unarguably, the designs were cheesy, but in the 80s, this was the best the science fiction genre could offer. It had its fair share of sentient robots, killer robots, and robots who played superheroes. Taking a trip down memory lane, here are the 7 best movie robots of the 1980s.
Robot spiders in Runaway
While today’s television audiences know Tom Selleck from playing New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods, he was one of the biggest action stars of the 80s. Besides playing the titular character Thomas Magnum on CBS’s Magnum, P.I., he led the cast of the 1984 science fiction action movie Runaway. As far as movie robots go in the 80s, Runaway had it all.
Robots were common household assistants until the first robotic homicide was committed. Sergeant Jack R. Ramsay is tasked with solving the case, leading him to unmask the villain, Dr. Charles Luther (Gene Simmons). Dr. Luther’s minions were robot spiders equipped to identify a human thermo-graphically. Runaway also featured robotic smart bombs and smart bullets (a miniature heat-seeking missile).
The Killbots in Chopping Mall
A state-of-the-art security system is installed at the Park Plaza Mall to curb theft. This included high-tech robots in Chopping Mall that are fitted with tranquilizer guns and tasers. However, things quickly turn to horror after three of these robots malfunction. Equipped with tools from destruction, three rogue robots hunt down a group of friends who stay back to party all night in the mall.
Johnny 5 in Short Circuit
Short Circuit centered around an experimental military robot that became sentient after being struck by lightning. The robot, tagged Number 5, is one of NOVA Laboratory robotics’ S.A.I.N.T. (Strategic Artificially Intelligent Nuclear Transport) prototypes. Being sentient, Number 5 escapes from the facility to learn more about humans and the world. As the movie’s protagonist, he finds support and friendship from Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy), Newton Crosby (Steve Guttenberg), and Ben Jabituya (Fisher Stevens). Sentient, he chose to name himself Johnny 5.
The Fix-Its in Batteries Not Included
Although Fix-Its has yet to become a reality, they were one of the best movie robots of the 1980s. In Matthew Robbins’ 1987 science fiction comedy-drama *Batteries Not Included, these tiny robots were extraterrestrials that arrived at an apartment building to help save it from demolition. Although critical reviews were mixed and average, *Batteries Not Included was a commercial success. It grossed $65.1 million on a $25 million budget.
Alex Murphy/RoboCop in RoboCop
“Thank you for your cooperation” was a catchphrase that stuck with movie audiences for over a decade. Thanks, in no small part, to Alex Murphy/RoboCop in Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 sci-fi action movie RoboCop. The film centered around Alex Murphy, a Detroit police officer who’s killed and turned into a cyborg robot by the megacorporation Omni Consumer Products. RoboCop defined several of today’s humanoid robotics. The movie was a critical and commercial success.
Bishop in Aliens
Not all movie robots in the 1980s were a clunk of metal parts. James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, Alien, had robots who weren’t only sentient and humanoid but were a perfect human look alike. Bishop was the famous android onboard the Sulaco. Although Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) initially distrusts Bishop, especially since the android on her Nostromo ship went rogue, Bishop proves himself a worthy ally. Aliens was a massive Box Office success, earning $131.1–183.3 million on a $18.5 million budget.
The T-800, Terminator (1984)
James Cameron set a standard for robots in the 80s with his 1984 Terminator movie. Before Terminator, movie robots were clusters of metals with robotic voices. With Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the title character, T-800, from the future, it set a precedence for robots designed like humans. The Terminator might have come off as the villain, but his weaponry and programming were futuristic. Seeing what James Cameron has achieved in the last 40 years, it’s easy to understand his creative mind was beyond those of his contemporaries in the 1980s. If you enjoyed reading about these 7 best movie robots of the 1980s, also read about these 6 best mob movies.
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