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News / Columns / Total Recall
Total Recall: Best Movie Robots
We count down our favorite movie mechanoids.
by Matt Atchity | June 23, 2009
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This week's release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen marks the return of the famous "robots in disguise" to the big screen. That got us at RT thinking about movie robots, and specifically, what would be the best robot to actually own? So we've put together a pretty big list of the best robots in movie history.

A quick note on our methodology; for the most part, we're sticking to movie robots, so TV stars like Twiki that never made the jump to the big screen are left in the scrap pile. And we've ranked this list by a very subjective measurement we call "awesomeness," which is combination of fame, utility, physical appearance, and how great it would be to have one of these 'bots in your possession. So without further ado, let's get mechanical!



50. Box

Appears in: Logan's Run
Box is pretty handy; running a fish farm means he can supply a whole city with food, but he still finds time to dispose of pesky teenagers.





49. David

Appears in: A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Some robots are shiny, some are fearsome, some have wheels, and some, like David, are basically teddy bears. David's whole purpose is to actually feel love for an owner, which is both groundbreaking and extremely creepy.





48. Hector

Appears in: Saturn 3
Part of the Demi-God series, Hector has the potential to render a space station crew obsolete. Although it's unfortunate that his reprogramming results in Hector deciding that "obsolete" equals "needs to die."





47. D.A.R.Y.L. (Data-Analysing Robot Youth Lifeform)

Appears in: D.A.R.Y.L.
Another example of the "boy robot," D.A.R.Y.L. beats David from A.I. by being able to drive a car and fly a plane, important skills he learned from playing video games.





46. Huey, Dewey, and Louie

Appears in: Silent Running
These agrobots were excellent gardners, and (more importantly) served as the primary visual influence on the legendary R2-D2. Think of them as R2's long-lost uncles.





45. U.S. Robotics model NS-5 "Sonny"

Appears in: I, Robot
The NS-5s are pretty advanced, and they look very slick (not unlike what you might see in a Bjork video). Sadly, the entire model line loses points because of an unfortunate tendency to kill humans as part of an effort to "protect" us from ourselves. They also lose points for being in a Rotten adaptation of one of sci-fi master Isaac Asimov's seminal works.





44. NDR-113 "Andrew"

Appears in: Bicentennial Man
Andrew is another Asimov creation, a household servant android that develops a personality and eventually desires to become human. The Pinocchio trope (the desire to become a "real" person) is something that comes up a lot in robot stories, and Asmiov's original material won a Hugo award. But like Sonny, Andrew loses points for being in a Rotten adaptation, although we won't penalize him for deciding to look like Robin Williams.





43. Stepford Wives

Appears in: The Stepford Wives (1975), The Stepford Wives (2004)
This is what happens when scientists and technicians decide that they want perfect, traditional wives, free of all that pesky Women's Lib nonsense. Fembots might seem like a good idea, but they're no replacement for a real, adult relationship.





42. Johnny Cab

Appears in: Total Recall
A self-driving car! With a snappy personality! How awesome is that? Johnny's got a lot of potential, but ultimately falls short of greatness; he's installed in a pretty weak car, he's not much of a getaway driver, and leaving without paying means he'll explode.





41. Cylon Centurions

Appears in: Battlestar Galactica
Yes, they're basically Stormtrooper knockoffs. Yes, they were on TV. But there was a theatrical release of Battlestar Galactica. And even though they're basically cannon fodder, slick chrome armor and cool voices (the pinnacle of '70s audio technology) definitely earn a place on this list.


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Comments (1-20 of 149 posts) | Reply
D Effin W
D Effin W writes:
on Jun 23 2009 08:49 AM

Lol I love this list.

(Reply to this)
JohnnyJonJon
JohnnyJonJon writes:
on Jun 23 2009 08:55 AM

R2 is number 1! It doesn't get any better than that.

(Reply to this)
CFM
CFM writes:
on Jun 23 2009 09:12 AM

A very fun list, although my personal order would be different. I'd put David MUCH higher up on the list. I loved A.I.

(Reply to this)
sportzboy698
sportzboy698 writes:
on Jun 23 2009 09:12 AM

his list is so true...but I feel like they stuck random robots on to make it 50. One's that aren't deserving...(Red Planet....). They should have made it Top 25

(Reply to this)
crystalwhiteeyes
crystalwhiteeyes writes:
on Jun 23 2009 09:13 AM

This is a great list! Kudos for mentioning SID 6.7. In my opinion, I think Sid and Johnny 5 should have been higher, and of course T-1000 in the top 3. Overall though, a good list!

(Reply to this)
Draic K.
Draic K. writes:
on Jun 23 2009 10:00 AM

How is HAL-9000 not #1 on this list?

(Reply to this)
Racer Z
Racer Z writes:
on Jun 23 2009 10:09 AM

Darn right R2 is #1! Great list. I'd have like to have seen B.E.N. from Treasure Planet make the list though.

(Reply to this)
ColinTheCimmerian
ColinTheCimmerian writes:
on Jun 23 2009 10:23 AM

Haha very cool. Wasn't sure if you'd put RoboCop on there or not, but I'm glad you did. Would have been nice to see the ABC robot from Judge Dredd on there though, he was bad-***.

I think a sitcom starring Data and Bishop as roommates would be hilarious.


(Reply to this)
JUDGE DREDD
JUDGE DREDD writes:
on Jun 23 2009 10:23 AM

Good list R2-D2 number 1, accept NO substitutes! Its a bucket full of screwdrivers and a midget that cant speak, yet its just so damn authentic! LOVE R2!

Others on the list are in wrong order though.


(Reply to this)
Bob S.
Bob S. writes:
on Jun 23 2009 10:36 AM

The T-X ranks higher than Data?? The former was one of the lamest additions to the Terminator franchise, whose signature robots are 2 of the top 8 on your list, while Data was the savior of humanity in FIRST CONTACT. Hate to ***** about a list like this, but T-X should have been closer to 50 than she was.

(Reply to this)
spooksmagee
spooksmagee writes:
on Jun 23 2009 10:49 AM

This is the best RT list I've seen in a long time, good job guys!



(Reply to this)
g.mauler
g.mauler writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:02 AM

Great list, very entertaining, but it's all but COMPLETELY invalidated by Gort's embarrassingly low placement! Some other gripes but nothing I'd get up in a knot over, but Gort #29??? Come on people!!

(Reply to this)
tomwaitsjr
tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:07 AM

I like R2 at #1 as well.

This list was great! Brought back lots of good memories. I forgot about that mechanical OWL from Clash of the Titans until now.


(Reply to this)
DarthRage
DarthRage writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:12 AM

I thought GORT from the remake was the best part of that movie. He was an absolute badass, and no robot on this list could even put a scratch on him.

(Reply to this)
chewie louie
chewie louie writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:25 AM

Yep, R2 deserves #1, but the rest of the list is indeed badly out of order.

(Reply to this)
tomwaitsjr
tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:31 AM

I remember now which one I thought was missing.

Mark 13 from HARDWARE. That was one bad mo-fo robot!


(Reply to this)
Zettsyuk
Zettsyuk writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:37 AM

Where's the robot from Rocky IV? Just kidding, it was good list.

(Reply to this)
tomwaitsjr
tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jun 23 2009 11:42 AM

Mark13 from Hardware gave me nightmares!

(Reply to this)
JohnnyJonJon
JohnnyJonJon writes:
on Jun 23 2009 12:00 PM

In reply to this comment (#2515878)
Happy Birthday Paulie.

(Reply to this)
Matt R.
Matt R. writes:
on Jun 23 2009 12:11 PM

As much as I love Bender, the Terminator and Star Wars; I have to say that HAL got cheated.

(Reply to this)
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