A Glean movie guide
Beyond the Circuit: Essential AI & Robot Films
Man meets machine.
From sentient androids to rogue systems, explore the best of synthetic cinema.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Ex Machina
A tense, claustrophobic examination of consciousness and manipulation between man and machine.
Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.
- 02
Blade Runner
A visually stunning neo-noir that questions what it truly means to be human.
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
- 03
Her
A poignant look at intimacy and loneliness through a man's relationship with an advanced OS.
In the not so distant future, Theodore, a lonely writer, purchases a newly developed operating system designed to meet the user's every need. To Theodore's surprise, a romantic relationship develops between him and his operating system. This unconventional love story blends science fiction and romance in a sweet tale that explores the nature of love and the ways that technology isolates and connects us all.
- 04
The Terminator
A relentless pursuit thriller featuring cinema's most iconic and terrifying robotic antagonist.
In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?
- 05
WALL-E
A charming yet profound silent-film-inspired journey about a lonely robot saving humanity.
- 06
2001: A Space Odyssey
A landmark masterpiece exploring human evolution and the chilling logic of a malfunctioning supercomputer.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
- 07
The Creator
A visually ambitious sci-fi epic set amidst a global war between humans and artificial intelligence.
Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and mankind itself.
- 08
After Yang
A quiet, meditative drama about family, memory, and the legacy of a beloved domestic android.
When his young daughter's beloved companion — an android named Yang — malfunctions, Jake searches for a way to repair him. In the process, Jake discovers the life that has been passing in front of him, reconnecting with his wife and daughter across a distance he didn't know was there.
- 09
Upgrade
A high-octane, inventive thriller where an experimental AI chip takes control of a man's body.
A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.
- 10
M3GAN
A sharp, satirical horror-thriller about the unintended consequences of an AI-driven companion doll.
A brilliant toy company roboticist uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll's programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend with terrifying results.
- 11
The Iron Giant
A touching animated adventure about a boy who teaches a giant war machine to choose its own path.
In the small town of Rockwell, Maine in October 1957, a giant metal machine befriends a nine-year-old boy and ultimately finds its humanity by unselfishly saving people from their own fears and prejudices.
- 12
Metropolis
The foundational silent epic that introduced the world to the first major cinematic robot.
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.