Introduction: Throughout cinematic history, especially in science-fiction tales, robots have played a primary role. Throughout history and popular culture, robots have reflected the mood, social and cultural issues, and technology of their times. For example, in the Cold War 1950s, robots were generally viewed as threatening forces, but in later years reflected both the conflict and the continuity between man and machine. Robots have also functioned as both servant-helpers or oppressors of humanity, portraying the good and evil sides.

This compilation is not designed to be too strict in its choices of 'robots'. Herein are examples of various films with robotic characters.

Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star are the films that "The Greatest Films" site has selected as the 100 Greatest Films.

D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

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

Weird Science (1985)

Lisa

In this wacky John Hughes' comedy about teenage geek dream fulfillment, unpopular teenaged nerds Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) decided to use Wyatt's computer to create a "perfect" woman after watching a colorized print of The Bride of Frankenstein (1935); in order to "simulate a girl," they connected up their phone modem and started feeding their computer cut-out magazine images of supermodels, Albert Einstein, and art/music skills while wearing brassieres on their heads ("It's ceremonial," explained Gary); they also connected electrodes to a plastic Barbie-doll figure; the computer started to act on its own while connecting into a government mainframe as it assembled the data - and an electrical storm activated the doll; suddenly after lots of explosions and wind, everything stopped and the door to Wyatt's room began to bulge inward, before finally exploding; out of the red-lit, foggy hallway entered a sexy, leggy red-headed Ultimate sexy woman named Lisa (supermodel Kelly Le Brock), wearing nothing but micro-panties and a small white muscle-shirt top; she stood in the doorway, as Dr. Frankenstein from Frankenstein (1931) shouted from their television: "She's alive! Alive!"; their creation cooed with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes: "So... what would you little maniacs like to do first?"; the film's concept was later expanded as a TV series in the mid 1990s, starring Vanessa Angel as the red-headed fantasy "magic genie" and John Mallory Asher and Michael Manasseri as the two teens

Aliens (1986)

Bishop

In this James Cameron action-packed sequel to the original Ridley Scott film of 1979, Lance Henriksen portrayed an upgraded A2 model android, a knife-carrying model that was derived from the earlier Hyperdine System 120-A2 android (played deviously by Ian Holm (as Ash) in the first film), but now designed to be pacifistic ("The A2s always were a bit twitchy. That could never happen now with our behavioral inhibitors. It is impossible for me to harm or by omission of action, allow to be harmed, a human being"); Bishop preferred the label "Artificial Person" rather than "synthetic," although he also was quoted as saying: "I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid"; he served as the Executive Officer of the warship Sulaco investigating the missing colony on the planetoid LV-426; he performed an impressive knife trick, stabbing it between the open fingers of crewmember Pvt. Hudson's (Bill Paxton) hand; in his demise, he was impaled in his midsection by the Alien, causing him to spew whitish blood; he was then ripped in two by the alien Queen Mother, but kept struggling

Chopping Mall (1986) (aka Killbots)

Killbots

In this short, low-budget stalker-slasher, Roger Corman-produced film (with the tagline: "Where shopping can cost you an arm and a leg"), three high-tech security Protector 101 Killbot robots (with one horizontal red eye slit, retractable claw arms, two low-mounted headlights, and treads for motion), manufactured by the Secure-Tronics company, were installed in the Park Place 2000 shopping mall; the motorized security guards became murderous and malfunctioned after several lightning strikes struck the central roof-top computer, and went on a rampage against a group of teens (having a wild and drunken after-hours sex-party in the mall's furniture store); they were equipped with close-range sleeping darts and electrical shocks, but could also shoot lethal pink laser beams that exploded a human head; after each kill or demolition, they politely said: "Thank you--have a nice day"

Deadly Friend (1986)

Bee Bee

Short Circuit (1986)

Nova S-A-I-N-T (Strategic-Artificially-Intelligent-Nuclear-Transport)
Number 5, renamed Johnny-5

This John Badham comedy/sci-fi fantasy film told about a group of prototypical robots that were made by a defense-military contractor (Nova Robotics in Damon, Washington) for $11 million each; one of the five wheeled killing machines with deadly lasers, after it was struck by lightning during recharging - a symbolic act of creation - came alive with a conscience and pleasant personality; it now had a pacifist outlook on life with no desire to kill (or "disassemble"); since the robot was "Number 5" in the series, it was renamed Johnny 5 (voice of Tim Blaney) - after hearing the song "Who's Johnny" (performed by El DeBarge); it was an endearing, adorable, sophisticated drone-robot possessed of a processor made of gold, that was AWOL with the assistance of animal-loving protector Stephanie (Ally Sheedy); it quickly learned lots of information and pop cultural trends by speed-reading dictionaries/encyclopedias, and by watching television, and could soon imitate Saturday Night Fever's dancing John Travolta as well as cook in the kitchen; the film spawned a sequel in 1988, with rumors of a contemporary re-make 20 years later

*batteries not included (1987) (aka Miracle on 8th Street)

"Fix-it" Robots

Mysterious philanthropic, flying-saucer-shaped, living “fix-it” mechanical robots came to the aid of elderly tenants (including diner owners Frank and Faye Riley, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy) who were threatened with eviction in their soon-to-be-demolished New York apartment building, in this Steven Spielberg-produced film; the two good-natured but shy adult fix-it robots had three babies: Wheems, Jetsom and Flotsom, and continually repaired broken items, as well as served cheeseburgers in the diner; the film was a composite of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Cocoon (1985)

Cherry 2000 (1987)

Cherry 2000