Cyberpunk/Cyborg film recommendations -

[Yellow Yam Scam]

My friend and I are going to take a month to study cyberpunk. We want to explore varied parts of the genres so we're looking for classics, but also more obscure or surprising films or films that are only technically cyberpunk or inspired/inspired by cyberpunk traditions (As an example, the way Yojimbo is essentially a Western despite taking place in Japan.)

Any recommendations? Novels and Story-rich Video game recommendations are helpful too.

 

[millais]

William Gibson's short story anthology ("Burning Chrome"), in addition to his Sprawl Trilogy of novels are considered some of the genre-defining literature of cyberpunk. The short stories are very quick to get through if you don't have a lot of time to spare and they capture most of the basic atmosphere and concepts of the novels, which will take a much greater time investment to get through. You can torrent e-book version of his stuff almost anywhere, and I suggest you do as he has gone full TDS on social media since 2016 election.

 

[eldri]

There are very few movies that are truly cyberpunk like Blade Runner, Fifth Element, and Akira. Most movies just take certain aspects from cyberpunk.

Regarding books, Neuromancer is the OG for cyberpunk.

EDIT: Also check the cyberpunk section here

 

[Devilish Jack o Lantern]

Ok you begin with the blade runner movies , then I robot ( the book), then neuro Mancer and the Takeshi Kovacks trilogy ( or watch altered Carbon)and if you really want to be confused delve into Shatners Tekwar

 

[Kamov Ka-52]

Read the Shadowrun or Cyberpunk RPG series' lore.

 

[Y2K Baby]

Cyberpunk is bad.

 

[Rand /pol/]

Gay niggers from outer space is good cyberpunk

 

[The Shadow]

The original Terminator and Robocop are pretty good in Cyberpunk themes. Screw the Blade Runner aesthetic.

Ok you begin with the blade runner movies , then I robot ( the book), then neuro Mancer and the Takeshi Kovacks trilogy ( or watch altered Carbon)and if you really want to be confused delve into Shatners Tekwar

Gotta learn about TekWar sometime.

 

[millais]

Also I hate be caught recommending the Chinese cartoons, but that Ghost in the Shell series does adequately explore some of the themes regarding transhuman augmentation and information/cyber espionage

 

[Woke Blue Muttlema]

Does Cowboy Bebop count?

 

[Zaragoza]

William Gibson's short story anthology ("Burning Chrome"), in addition to his Sprawl Trilogy of novels are considered some of the genre-defining literature of cyberpunk. The short stories are very quick to get through if you don't have a lot of time to spare and they capture most of the basic atmosphere and concepts of the novels, which will take a much greater time investment to get through. You can torrent e-book version of his stuff almost anywhere, and I suggest you do as he has gone full TDS on social media since 2016 election.

There's also a BBC radio play of Neuromancer which stays pretty faithful to the book source, it's a good listen if you've read the novel.

 

[Commander X]

In the "very early 1990s sci fi/horror film" category there's the sort of goofy Death Machine . In the near future, a newly installed executive at a high tech armaments firm orders some house cleaning in the wake of the PR disaster that caused her to be hired in the first place: yet another human subject in the company's super solider/powered armor project has gone on an insane rampage. This move negatively affects the company's resident mad genius Jack Dante, a weapons designer whose eccentricities were tolerated until now - played as a creep locked in perpetual adolescence by Brad Dourif, who dresses like a early 1990s conception of a trenchcoated mall rat from the year 20xx.

Some anti-corporate rebels bust into the HQ late one night looking to cause some sabotage and accidentally unleash Dourif's latest creation - the "Warbeast" aka "Frontline Morale Destroyer", a big fast-moving chompy robot with giant claws that can lock onto peoples' "fear" and can soak up a lot of damage.

 

[Samuel Belmont]

Mechanical Violator Hakaider, sometimes referred to as Roboman Hakaider or Japanese Terminator. Keita Amemiya has such an interesting sense of style in all his work. I've always liked his Hero stuff like Garo or Jetman but this was him turning an existing property, namely Kikaider's villain Hakaider, into it's own thing and it's amazing.

 

[Pickle Inspector]

Johnny Mnemonic is a goofy and dated but fun cyberpunk film.

As for anime shows not mentioned there’s Akira and Serial Experiments Lain.

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

Ok you begin with the blade runner movies , then I robot ( the book), then neuro Mancer and the Takeshi Kovacks trilogy ( or watch altered Carbon)and if you really want to be confused delve into Shatners Tekwar

Blade Runner is based off of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

 

[AnOminous]

I don't think there really are any cyberpunk films. There are just some action films with a thin veneer of cyber over them.

The closest IMO isn't overtly cyberpunk material but things like Tetsuo: the Iron Man.

(This is actually considered cyberpunk now but doesn't really emerge from any Western tradition.)

 

[Devilish Jack o Lantern]

Blade Runner is based off of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Yes

 

[AnOminous]

Blade Runner is based off of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Ridiculously loosely but yes. It's also odd this is considered cyberpunk because Phil Dick certainly wasn't although he touched on some similar issues.

 

[BrunoMattei]

Ghost in the Shell.

 

[Commander X]

Also, it sort of fits, I think - Richard Stanely's Hardware set in a polluted metropolis in a grim future with a sort of 2000 A.D. comic magazine story-vibe; in fact it was sort of based on a short comic strip tale originally taking place in the same setting as Judge Dredd. A scavenger digs up the remains of a robot in the wastelands, another scavenger played by Dylan McDermott buy some of the parts from a dealer as a Christmas gift for his girlfriend, an artist who begins to integrate the parts in one of her art pieces. Unfortunately, it turns out to have been a self-repairing prototype designed by the government for a sinister agenda. All it needed was access to any sort of power source to get up and running again...

Yes, it's one of those "technically it's a Christmas movie" films as well.