[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by Reaver

I hate eXistnZ. I really do. I fucking hate it. I can't explain why or when or how it happened, but it's one of those few films I wish I could get back the time I spent watching that piece of crap.

So what are ya sayin here Reaver? I'm getting a vibe that you disagree with my #27 choice. I'm almost hearin that you don't like it. Say it ain't so!

Apparently eXistenZ more controversial than I thought. hmm, such is life I suppose. I have truly enjoyed the time spent watching this movie, and fully intend to devote more hours in the future

[Reaver]

Originally Posted by SciFi-ActionMan

So what are ya sayin here Reaver? I'm getting a vibe that you disagree with my #27 choice. I'm almost hearin that you don't like it. Say it ain't so!

Apparently eXistenZ more controversial than I thought. hmm, such is life I suppose. I have truly enjoyed the time spent watching this movie, and fully intend to devote more hours in the future

Have at it, bro. You can take up my slack, 'cause if I never see it again it'll be too soon. A total piece of shit.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by Reaver

Have at it, bro. You can take up my slack, 'cause if I never see it again it'll be too soon. A total piece of shit.

One thing I can't stand is someone who has wishy-washy opinions. Common already Reaver, stop beating around the bush! Did you like it or not?

[Skitch]

I own it. WEEEEEEE!

[The Vile One]

One thing about Akira, the movie is only a scratch on the surface in comparison to the manga its based on.

[GundamRT]

^^^
True. I've only read the first two volumes of the manga and there's so much stuff that wasn't in the anime...but it doesn't detract from my love of the anime in the slightest. SFAM, if Akira rates this low then I'm definitely intrigued as to the next 24 choices... *rubs hands together in anticipation*

I absolutely loved Lain, even though it left me scratching my head half the time I was watching it. The only real complaint I have about it is that the actual artwork isn't nearly as polished as the covers of the DVDs would lead you to expect.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by The Vile One

One thing about Akira, the movie is only a scratch on the surface in comparison to the manga its based on.

I've heard that as well. I must confess, I haven't had the pleasure of reading the manga yet.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by GundamRT

^^^
SFAM, if Akira rates this low then I'm definitely intrigued as to the next 24 choices... *rubs hands together in anticipation*

I think you'll find some pretty fun choices here. I'm guessing there may even be a decent few you haven't even heared of. I must say though, being 25th is NOT a bad thing as I truly love all the movies in the lower two-thirds of this list. I FULLY understand others placing Akira even in the top 5. This is just a personal choice on my part - this list shows my favorites. There's another film that doesn't make it to my top 10 that most others would easily place there. Different strokes...

[SciFi-ActionMan]

#24: Total Recall (Verhoeven, 1990)



Overview: Taken from pre-cyberpunk guru, Philip K. Dick's story, "We Can Remember it for You Whilesale, Tptal Recall stars Arnold as an everyday man who craves something different in his life. He goes to "the Recall corporation to get new memories manufactured and installed - ones that are exciting, and speak of espionage and slutty, athletic women!



Unfortunately, in the process of getting his new memories installed, he wakes up to find that things are not as they seem. Things get wierder and wierder, and involve a trip to Mars, and major corporate plots. Total Recall gets arnold to truly stretch his emotion capabilities, as we get to see him act in ways he really hasn't done elsewhere. The visuals are cheesy but fun, and include various shots like a 3-breasted woman, exploding heads, bulging eyes, and this guy below:



All in all, Total Recall is not the greatest movie ever, but its a truly fun ride with lots of replay potential. It does the memory modication pretty well, and while you get your head jerked around a bit, overall, the plot works. And most important for this list, its cyberpunk all the way.


Bonus Movie #1: The 6th Day (Spottiswoode, 2000)



Overview: Although not as good, Schwarzenegger's 6th Day is also a pretty fun cyberpunk movie. This time instead of messing with memories, we deal with clones. Schwarzenegger, who again plays a common man, gets caught up in another corporate plot, this one involves replacing him with a clone of himself - only the clone thinks he's the REAL arnold. This movie is somewhat over the top, but its certainly far better than the flop at the box office indicated. Give it a try if you haven't seen it.


Bonus Movie #2: Total Recall 2070



Overview: This is another one I should have, but just haven't gotten my hands on this yet - it was really a pilot for a TV series that never went anywhere, but I hear it was pretty good. I hear its a cross between Blade Runner and Total Recall. Perhaps someone can review it.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

#23: Strange Days (Bigelow, 1995)



Overview: Strange Days is a near-future (now in the past as it takes place the day before Y2K) film noir written by James Cameron that puts the "punk" in cyberpunk. This is truly a great underground ride. Strange days is about a down and out former vice-cop named Lenny (Ralph Fiennes), who's life has long since seen its better days - he now makes his living, such as it is, by selling illegal VR experiences that can damage the brain if played too much. Similar to IKU, people can capture VR "experiences" by placing a "Jack Thursby-like" thing on their heads (called a Squid) to capture the emotional experience. Ralph wants more than anything else to have his former girlfriend back (played by Juliette Lewis) - who is now in the clutches of a sadistic music producer. Ralph's friend (played by a very hot Angella Bassett) is the voice of reason in this, not to mention an awesome ass-kicker!



All the actors in this are terrific, including Tom Sizemore (Lenny's best friend) and Michael Wincott (the psychopath). This movie is really more "punk" than cyber, but it does have enough to matter, and more importantly, the visuals are terrific!

[GundamRT]

I re-watched Total Recall a few months ago and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as when I first saw it...but then, I was 14.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by GundamRT

I re-watched Total Recall a few months ago and didn't enjoy it nearly as much as when I first saw it...but then, I was 14.

I liked it when it first came out, eventually got sick of it, now I like it again.

[Vienna]

Originally Posted by SciFi-ActionMan

#23: Strange Days (Bigelow, 1995)

Yes! This movie is *painfully* underappreciated. My only quibble with it is that I wish they hadn't dated it by sticking the Milennium in there as a backdrop - leading to one of the weirder resolutions to a fight scene I've ever seen.

I've gotta see if I can track this down again sometime.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

#22: Texhnolyze (Hamasaki, 2003)



Overview: Written by one of the most prolific anime writers, Chiaki Konaka (Who also wrote Lain, Malice@Doll, Hellsing, Bubblegum Crises, etc.), Technolyze is a virtual feast of visuals wrapped up in a Lain-style fragmented cyberpunk gangster story. Like Lain, the beginning is almost non-sensical, but creates the foundation for the mood of the rest of the story.



Texhnolyze is the name for the technology to make fully integrated cybernetic limbs like those above. The story follows Ichise, a former down-and-out boxer living in Luckass, a truly disturbed city with the elite rich side and the poor slums. Ichise inadvertently crosses the local mafia (called the Organo), and ends up getting an arm and leg chopped off. But luck would have it that he's a perfect candidate for a hot chick Texhnolyze's doctor's experiments in the latest texhnolyze research. Ichise carries around a capsule containing his dead mother's body cells, which the doctor integrates into the limbs. Ichise spends many episodes figuring out how to get revenge for how he changed, but based on discussions with a girl who can see the future, his motivations change as the series moves forward.



This is NOT a kids story. Every episode has LOTS of gangster-like killings. We get lots of guns and a few cool sword fights. We also get some nice Texhnolyze deaths with fists going through faces. Truly, this might be described as Goodfellas meets Serial Experiments Lain. And while I haven't gotten the last DVD set, I'm guessing this is is NOT going to be an uplifting story.




Unlike Lain, Texhnolyze is as Neo-noir as they come. The use of shadows is amazing. We get lots of stark white on blacks, interesting gray patterns, and lots of yellows and browns. Also, virtually every character is flawed and mysterious. While the anime is truly riviting, you won't find yourself becoming attached to anyone. The characters simply aren't sympathetic.



Texhnolyze is a virtual feast of visual textures and palettes. Whenever you look through a texhnolyzed person's eyes in first person, you see almost a terminator-like display, only the screen is filled with noise. We also get the most incredibly detailed background sets. Truly, you feel like you know this city after watching a few DVDs worth of this. We also get great camera angles, with sweeping shots, extreme closeups intermixed with psychadelic-like image merges. Top this with a terrific score and wonderful surround sound, and the WOW effect hits you in total.



Truly, its clear that the creators of Texhnolyze wanted to make something as overtly cyberpunk as possible. They truly have succeeded. Texhnolyze is not for everyone, as the story is violent, obscure, and cold. It is however, a truly awesome and totally original cyberpunk series!

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by Vienna

Yes! This movie is *painfully* underappreciated. My only quibble with it is that I wish they hadn't dated it by sticking the Milennium in there as a backdrop - leading to one of the weirder resolutions to a fight scene I've ever seen.

I've gotta see if I can track this down again sometime.

The whole melinnium thing was totally wierd. Its amazing how far we thought VR was going to go by the early nineties. After Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash came out, the world was affluter with making virtual worlds everywhere! Unfortunately they didn't catch on for a variety of reasons. And we still have no idea how to truly link up our senses to them.

[GundamRT]

Originally Posted by SciFi-ActionMan

#22: Texhnolyze (Hamasaki, 2003)

I've been wondering about this title ever since I saw the first ads for it. Thanks for the info, definitely gonna have to give it a view.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by GundamRT

I've been wondering about this title ever since I saw the first ads for it. Thanks for the info, definitely gonna have to give it a view.

Fair warning, the first episode only has ONE word in it. And you really don't even get a sense of what's going on till about the 4th episode.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

#21: AI (Spielberg, 2001)



Overview: Originally convieved of by Stanley Kubrick, Spielberg took the reigns of this wonderful pinocchio tale done in cyberpunk. This story is about a robot who wants to be a "real boy" so that his mother will really love him. Like Pinocchio, he goes on a journey of discovery. The ending, which causes much discussion, does bring finality to this story, and in a way that I thought was wonderful.



This is another film I'm guessing most have seen or heard about, so I won't gush endlessly, only to say that AI is a visual feast of dystopia and human morals run amok. The CG is among the best ever on film. It doesn't serve to astonish us, but instead, attempts to integrated seemlessly into the film. The acting is terrific, especially from Haley Joel Osment (David the robot boy) and Jude Law (Gigolo Joe).

[SciFi-ActionMan]

#20: Terminator (Cameron, 1984)



Overview: You've all seen it - you all LOVE it. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator has been imitated more than any other film in scifi. Everying from the truly bad American Cyborg - Steel Warrior (which WON'T show up on this list) to some truly great movies - like my choice that's sitting at #13! So why doesn't it make it into the top 10 here? Certainly not for quality, as Terminator is simply unmatched for what it does. I don't put it in the top 10 because really, Terminator takes place in modern times, and has little of the cyberpunk elements we look for. It gets here solely on the battle between the Terminator and Reese (played wonderfully by Michael Biehn). Also, the future shots certainly apply.

If there's any movie on my list that qualifies as a MUST SEE, this certainly does, but then again, I'm guessing you've all already seen it.


Bonus Movie: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (Mostow, 2003)



Overview: What happens if you take the original terminator idea, morph it with T2, get rid of any semblance of cool story, but add a really hot chick to it? Answer: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines! If we're on my Hot Chicks Kicking Butt movie list, this movie makes it to #12. But as a cyberpunk flick, it only merits an honorable mention. Partially this is due to its rather poor comparison to its predecessors. Terminator 3 certainly was enjoyable, but not in the sophisicated sense that the first one was, or even the Wow visuals that the second one was. This is a bubble-gum chewing summer blockbuster, pure and simple. But on that level it works fine, and Lokkan truly is HOT!!

[SciFi-ActionMan]

#19: Minority Report (Spielberg, 2002)



Overview: Minority Report, another terrific story from Phillip K. Dick, has Tom Cruise starring as the head of an elite pilot police program that prevents crimes BEFORE they are committed. They year is 2054, and the ability now exists within strange people called "precogs," to tell when someone is about to commit a crime - people are being imprisoned for the crime PRIOR to committing it. Unfortunately, Cruise finds out that HE is supposed to commit a murder in 36 hours. Cruise goes on a crusade to clear his name, while the police department attempts to bring him down.



The overall mood and FX in Minority Report are terrific. The acting is great - Cruise has rarely been better, but also Von Sydown, Collin Ferrel and Somantha Morton as the precog are terrific. The visuals are sleek and well integrated, with some nice aqua and blue tones throughout. Some might even rate this film in the top 10. I drop it down a bit due to the believability of the technology. Still, Minority Report is great, and effectively examines the whole notion of fate and freewill.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Yo - anyone still with me here?

BTW, The front post is now updated with direct links to all the reviewed movies.

[The Vile One]

I'm still with ya SFAM. I definitely want to see you finish the list.

[Malchickiwick]

While I love the genre, I've apparently got a very different taste in movies than Sci-Fi Actionman. I didn't care for Minority Report or AI, and absolutely hated Johnny Mneumonic (especially after reading Gibson's excellent short story). Other picks, like The Returner, just don't strike me as cyberpunk, but instead more general sci-fi action.

I'm not totally down on the list, I like a lot of the other picks, like Strange Days, Brazil, and Dark City, and I might check out some of these foreign films I've never heard of.

By way of recommendation, has anyone seen Cypher? That was a decent indie movie that smacked a bit of cyberpunk, what with the ominous megacorporations and memory manipulation.

[Grand SACHI]

With the exception on Brazil which I would have ranked much higher and Jonny Mnemonic which I would have ranked much lower, I kind of agree with every choices so far. Looking forward…

[RitterRed]

I'll say what I've said before about Minority Report. The film is massively flawed and specifically in the writing department...but, I think the overall concept of this near-future is clumsily imagined, as well. If this had been Agatha's story and the film had given the viewer enough structural support for this approach everything...EVERYTHING...would've made sense. But, the script fails at this venture and makes it Anderton's story. Nonetheless, Spielberg knows how to keep a viewer engaged and does so very well, which means it's still great fun. (I know, I know...this isn't the place to discuss these issues, sorry.)
Yeah...still here, SciFi, just haven't had the time before now to post my comments. I understand Mal's discontent with some choices here, but I also understand your inclusion of them -- making Cyberpunk an extremely flexible film genre allows for the opportunity to mention them here.

I expect to see one of my favorite little films appearing soon, with that hot Polish chick, Malgorzata Foremniak.

[David Noodles]

Interesting list, I'll keep an eye out for some of the stuff I haven't seen (always intended to see Imposter, but never got around to it for some reason).

Originally Posted by SciFi-ActionMan

The CG is among the best ever on film.

Hell yeah!

Strange Days

Has a really good opening; get's your heart pumping faster.

If there's any movie on my list that qualifies as a MUST SEE, this certainly does, but then again, I'm guessing you've all already seen it.

I've heard of it. Stars some austrian politician if I'm not mistaken.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by Grand SACHI

With the exception on Brazil which I would have ranked much higher and Jonny Mnemonic which I would have ranked much lower, I kind of agree with every choices so far. Looking forward…

Just to clarify, in just comparing movies with one another, its no choice - Brazil is TONS better. But the ordering of the list also takes in account the degree of "cyberpunkness." While Johnny Mnemonic is fully cyberpunk, really, Brazil is only partially cyberpunk. That's why its not sitting in the low teens - which is where it would be if I were just doing my favorites list.

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by Malchickiwick

While I love the genre, I've apparently got a very different taste in movies than Sci-Fi Actionman. I didn't care for Minority Report or AI, and absolutely hated Johnny Mneumonic (especially after reading Gibson's excellent short story). Other picks, like The Returner, just don't strike me as cyberpunk, but instead more general sci-fi action.

I certainly didn't care for Minority Report as much as some, especially considering the debates on RT concerning whether Minority Report or Blade Runner is better. I do however think its a terrific film and CERTAINLY belongs on a top 50 cyberpunk list, as does Johnny Mnemonic (even if you do think I rated it too high). As for Returner, to me this is clearly cyberpunk - I'm not sure how you could say otherwise. Yes, it has aliens, but the plots, themes and visuals are all very cyberpunk in nature.

But different tastes are certainly OK. I think I mentioned I didn't think Mnemonic was a great movie, but was a guilty pleasure of mine. As for AI, I think its terrific, but there's wide-spread disagreement on this apparently. In any event, I hope you've at least gotten some new choices to consider.

Originally Posted by Malchickiwick

I'm not totally down on the list, I like a lot of the other picks, like Strange Days, Brazil, and Dark City, and I might check out some of these foreign films I've never heard of.

By way of recommendation, has anyone seen Cypher? That was a decent indie movie that smacked a bit of cyberpunk, what with the ominous megacorporations and memory manipulation.

Jack Thursby brought this to my attention and did a really nice write up on it over at axis. I just saw this the other day, so I didn't include it in my list. The short answer is I LOVED it, but didn't think it was totally cyberpunk - here's my mini-write-up:



BTW, I just got done watching Cypher. Wow - what a cool movie! While it only borders on the cyberpunk, its very well done - truly a great action thriller. The scene from the picture above is the cyberpunk element - all part of an approach to brainwash people to become espionage spies. Jeremy Northham and Lucy Liu both do a terrific job in this. Thanks for the recommendation Mr. Jack Thursby!

[SciFi-ActionMan]

Originally Posted by RitterRed

I'll say what I've said before about Minority Report. The film is massively flawed and specifically in the writing department...but, I think the overall concept of this near-future is clumsily imagined, as well. If this had been Agatha's story and the film had given the viewer enough structural support for this approach everything...EVERYTHING...would've made sense. But, the script fails at this venture and makes it Anderton's story. Nonetheless, Spielberg knows how to keep a viewer engaged and does so very well, which means it's still great fun. (I know, I know...this isn't the place to discuss these issues, sorry.)
Yeah...still here, SciFi, just haven't had the time before now to post my comments. I understand Mal's discontent with some choices here, but I also understand your inclusion of them -- making Cyberpunk an extremely flexible film genre allows for the opportunity to mention them here.

Regardless of whether people love or hate Minority Report (I'm sort of in between - I thought I'd be getting flack for not including it in the top 10!), it CERTAINLY belongs on a cyberpunk thread. Truly, its an interesting excercise trying to place everything in a genre in order. The ones that are on the fringe of the genre, like Brazil, for instance, really should drop down in the list even if they are great movies.

Originally Posted by RitterRed

I expect to see one of my favorite little films appearing soon, with that hot Polish chick, Malgorzata Foremniak.

Soon? This early?? Geeze, how bad do you think I think that film is?

[David Noodles]

Originally Posted by SciFi-ActionMan

Excellent film, very entertaining even on repeat viewings.

Gotta love that scene from Thursby's avatar.