Science fiction is a varied genre, including a myriad of creative ideas that include everything from space pirates to big giant robots. In Japan, there's a separate genre of science fiction that's referred to as mecha, and it focuses on the joy of giant fighting machines. It's not just about fun with special effects, although that's a part of the genre's appeal. The real issue here is the relationship that humans have with machines, and it can be as chilling and ominous as it is optimistic and beautiful.
The mecha genre covers both enormous robots along with mechanized suits that augment ordinary humans into superheroes or, at the very least, super soldiers. In some cases, these suits of armor have a mind of their own. It's the perfect modern genre for today's movies, integrating creative CGI and cutting-edge costume designs with profound questions about human nature. Here are ten movies that feature robots of all sizes that fans of giant robot cartoons and/or anime would love.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Tony Stark's Iron Man suit is an intelligent robot along with a high-tech prosthesis, as the tycoon himself has stated, and it was in Age of Ultron that he finally succeeded in building a sentient one that could one-up JARVIS. Problem is, that artificial intelligence becomes the homicidal Ultron who sets out to kill all of humanity as a twisted means of bringing world peace.
This sequel was really a jam-packed special for robot fans, as it features the Iron Man movie is also a strong contender here, partly because it includes the very first prototype as well as Obadiah Stane's oversized Iron Man suit (aka Iron Monger) but it loses to Age of Ultron's sheer number of mechs on display.
Pacific Rim (2013)
There's an unspoken understanding that Pacific Rim is the closest to a live-action version of Neon Genesis Evangelion we're ever going to get. It's not only the big robots that fight giant monsters, but the not-so subtle German language connection and the idea of a giant robot being piloted with emotions rather than mere skill as well.
Although Pacific Rim isn't as deeply existential or apocalyptic as the anime that inspired it, there are still several obvious parallels, like the emphasis on the nationalities of the pilots and the relationships they form with their colleagues.
The Matrix: Revolutions (2003)
The first two movies in people and machines started to blur.
Humans had to work with machines as much as against them in this movie, and audiences got a close look at the high-tech ships and enhancement suits that were defending Zion. The dramatic scene when the last wall was breached included a gripping action scene that featured some badass mecha-enhancement suits known as Armored Personnel Units (APU).
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
The explanation for the "live, die, repeat" storyline of this movie is one of the clues that the main characters are trapped in a time loop that has drawn many comparisons to being stuck in a video game. This explains how their skills and memories seem to improve with each ing day, along with some of the technology that defines the action scenes.
The ExoSuits in Edge of Tomorrow are clearly designed for military use and include body armor along with creative and deadly weapons strapped on. Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) took this a step further and uses what appears to be a helicopter's tail rotor as a sword.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
The first Terminator movie was really a slasher film, telling the simple story of a rampaging monster that nothing could stop, but by the time the sequel came along several years later the role of the robot in movies had changed. Audiences were starting to ask questions about where humanity stops and robots begin, which is one of the themes in this beloved sequel.
This is summed up neatly in Sarah Connor's narration that sums up Judgment Day's last few moments: "If a machine can learn the value of human life, maybe we can, too."
Transformers (2007)
Here's an obvious one, but it's clear that Michael Bay had a different audience in mind than the creators of vintage series so memorable and use very little or none of the same lore.
That doesn't mean they aren't some guilty pleasures to be mined, especially the first movie when the special effects that clutter all the movies now was still a novelty then. The original film has more fanservice than the others, too. These are made for the viewer the only cares about the big giant robot tearing up the screen and little else.
The Lego Movie (2014)
It seems like a surprise, but for those of you that love big giant robots and can take a joke, there are plenty of jabs at the mecha genre in The Lego Movie. Given that most of the jokes in the movie use pop-culture references, it not a surprise that the Big Giant Robot ended up in there.
One example is whatever Metal Beard is supposed to be, but there's also Emmet's Construct-o-Mech and the power Boots Lord Business wears.
Real Steel (2011)
These two genres that should have been combined years ago. Robots and Real Steel. The plot is painfully typical, featuring a retired boxer who thinks he's found a new young talent, but this time the new young talent is an old discarded robot.
Symbolically named Atom is really the catalyst for the main character Charlie to forge some kind of relationship with his estranged son.
District 9 (2009)
A movie that blends realistic sci-fi with contemporary earthly problems can help mix things up with a little mecha. That doesn't just mean the enhanced weapons and body armor used in this film. The technology the alien refugees bring with them and use also includes enhanced bio-suits called mech-prawns, and the tech was developed by the aliens themselves for protection.
Don't get distracted by all these bells and whistles, though. The effects and ideas are indeed great, but District 9 takes on some very real issues about segregation and immigration, using the heightened ideas of aliens as a way to get an important point across. Think about how daring that is in post-Apartheid South Africa (specifically Johannesburg), which is where District 9 was set and filmed in.
Short Circuit (1986)
Yes, that's Ace Ventura made it cool. That explains why she decides to try and protect a wayward robot who claims to be alive from destruction via scientific dissection.
Although Short Circuit hasn't aged well as it oozes with crass jokes, racial stereotypes, and that wide-eyed blissful ignorance that defined the '80s, the basic premise of a robot that becomes sentient is still sound. The final test that proves Number 5 is really alive is simple, even childish, but profound and effective.
