There are many different kinds of robots that have appeared on the big screen over the years, though some of them are more dangerous than others.
As humanity continues to push the technology of robots further towards the realm of science-fiction, movie lovers are quick to point out the dangers that come with the development of artificial intelligence and robotic automatons thanks to decades of films that have introduced increasingly more dangerous machines.
These dangerous robots have appeared throughout all kinds of film genres, from science-fiction films to action-packed blockbusters and terrifying horrors, leaving fans to worry about the robot-filled future society is headed towards. Hopefully, none of the following dangerous cinematic robots will follow the trend of science-fiction becoming reality, or humanity could be in trouble.
10 False Maria - Metropolis (1927)
Fritz Lang’s iconic 1927 film Metropolis introduced one of the first cinematic robots ever with the Maschinenmensch, a female humanoid robot that has gone by many names over the years, including False Maria.
Metropolis explored an exploited labor class that was dangerously manipulated by the robotic creation of the mad scientist Rotwang, who designed his mechanical being in the image of their beloved Maria. The Maschinenmensch drove the labor force to commit terrible acts that almost resulted in the deaths of their children.
9 Killbots - Chopping Mall (1986)
1986’s Chopping Mall was a horror comedy that took place in a mall that had recently installed a new security device that included a trio of armed Protector robots that patrolled the mall after hours.
As a group of co-workers has a party in the mall after hours, they find themselves hunted by the heavily-armed “Killbots” after a lightning storm fries their programming and launches them on a bloody murder spree. The film wasn’t very successful when it originally released but it has developed a fairly loyal cult following over the years.
8 Screamers (1995)
Philip K. Dick’s 1953 short story Second Variety was loosely adapted by 1995’s Screamers, which starred Peter Weller as the leader of a group of striking miners known as the Alliance locked in a toxic war on a distant planet.
The Alliance scientists created deadly robots that became known as “Screamers” due to the high-pitched sound they make when they attacked from underground. While the Screamers were originally targeting only the opposition, they soon began to evolve into even more dangerous forms that threatened to destroy both sides.
7 ED-209 - RoboCop (1987/2014)
While the human-cyborg police officer known as RoboCop has proven to be the victor in both of his encounters with the advanced military robot known as ED-209 in the original 1987 film and the 2014 reboot, it doesn’t make ED-209 any less dangerous.
OCP’s heavily armored and weaponized Enforcement Droid spectacularly malfunctioned in the original film before almost taking Robocop down, and the updated version in the reboot was mass-produced and heavily used in active warzones that continued to display the robot’s deadliness.
6 The Iron Giant (1999)
While the appearance of dangerous robots is usually restricted to more adult-oriented films, 1999’s animated hit The Iron Giant introduced a kind and loveable giant robot that secretly housed a number of high-powered weapons systems.
These defensive weapons were also activated without the Iron Giant’s active control as they responded to outside threats independently, making him both powerfully deadly and unpredictably dangerous. Iron Giant also recently appeared in 2018’s Ready Player One as one of the robotic powerhouses in the film.
5 Ultron - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced the artificial intelligence known as Ultron in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, who quickly created his own robotic body that was partially modeled after his co-creator Iron Man’s armors.
Ultron not only created an incredibly powerful body made out of Vibranium for himself, but he also manufactured an army of robotic drones that he controlled that would have led to the near-extinction of humanity if it wasn’t for the combined efforts of the Avengers.
4 Transformers (2007-2018)
The Transformers are an alien race of robotic beings that found fame in the 80s before jumping to the big screen in Michael Bay’s live-action film franchise that introduced a new generation of fans into the ongoing war between the Autobots and the Decepticons.
Over the course of the film franchise, the robotic threats have grown bigger and more dangerous with each new entry. A few powerful robots in disguise from the live-action franchise that stand out are Megatron, Optimus Prime, The Fallen, Lockdown, and the planet-sized Unicron.
3 Sentinels - X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The mutant-hunting robots known as the Sentinels first appeared in 1965’s Uncanny X-Men #14 before they made the jump to the big screen years later in X-Men: Days of Future Past, after a brief cameo in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.
The Sentinels appeared in their earliest and still incredibly powerful forms during the 70s era seen in the film, though a deadlier evolved version that was able to shapeshift and replicate various mutant abilities appeared in the future. These future Sentinels had taken over the destroyed world with their incredible power and overwhelming fleets of robots.
2 Terminators (1984-2019)
James Cameron’s 1984 hit The Terminator launched an ongoing franchise of films that explored the frequent attempts by the deadly machines known as Terminators to travel back in time in order to take out the young leader(s) of the human rebellion.
Skynet was the larger artificial intelligence that launched the first devastating attack on humanity that turned the planet into a warzone. The AI then created increasingly deadly models of Terminators with incredibly advanced technology that were designed specifically to hunt down and terminate humans.
1 Gort/G.O.R.T. - The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951/2008)
1951’s The Day The Earth Stood Still is an iconic science-fiction film that was remade in 2008 and featured an alien visitor to Earth named Klaatu who arrived with a message of peace or destruction, which would be carried out by his powerful robotic partner, Gort.
The remake reimagined the robotic being significantly as a being composed of nano-machines, and its name came from the military acronym for “Genetically Organized Robotic Technology.” The newer version of G.O.R.T. was infinitely more dangerous, though both promised to destroy humanity with extremely advanced technology.
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