There’s no shortage of science-fiction dystopias—”The Hunger Games,” “Mad Max,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” to name a few—but as these imagined futures come inevitably hurtling toward the present, none is perhaps more prescient than the cyberpunk genre. These grim, neon-drenched tales imagine a world where technology, corporations, and governments unite in an unholy trinity of greed, exploitation, and corruption.
Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that typically juxtaposes high tech (cybernetic implants and AI) with “low life” (outsider protagonists who question and challenge their totalitarian overlords). Films in the genre often reflect on contemporary social and political motion toward conservative ideology and free-market economics.
History of the cyberpunk genre
Cyberpunk emerged from New Wave science fiction of the ’60s and ’70s with authors like Philip K. Dick and Michael Moorcock, who were skeptical (to the point of nihilism) about the possibility of a highly technological society. Though the name comes from a 1983 short story by Bruce Bethke, the cyberpunk genre as we know it can be traced back to two seminal works: Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” (1982) and William Gibson’s novel “Neuromancer” (1984). These foundational stories established and codified what would come to be the cyberpunk aesthetic. In fact, Bethke claims in a 1997 forward to “Cyberpunk” that author Norman Spinrad argued for writers of the genre to be called “neuromantics” in honor of the Gibson novel. On the film side, one might wonder if these creatives should have a name like “Dick-ensians,” considering that many of the most beloved cyberpunk films are clearly inspired by, if not outright adapted from, Dick’s work.
Japanese vs. Western cyberpunk: Inspired by similar technological anxieties compounded by the everlasting effects of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, cyberpunk in Japan developed alongside the genre’s growth in the West. The same year that “Blade Runner” debuted, the cyberpunk movement in Japan kicked off with “Burst City.” The dystopian punk-rock musical about bikers, police brutality, and class divide set the stage for the budding cyberpunk genre. The same year also saw the debut of the manga “Akira,” created by Katsuhiro Otomo, which was adapted in 1988 in a groundbreaking anime film of the same name. Following in the footsteps of “Burst City,” “Akira” brims with (as put in Arrow Film’s “Introduction to Japanese Cyberpunk”) “Blade Runner-esque cityscapes and Cronenbergian body horror.” It would inspire further cyberpunk cinema in Japan, including “Tetsuo: The Iron Man” and “Ghost in the Shell.”
American cyberpunk cinema, in turn, began mimicking Japanese cyberpunk with the release of “The Matrix” in 1999. Following hacker Neo as he fights for humanity against the parasitic AI overlords enslaving them for their energy, the movie propelled the cyberpunk film genre into the 21st century. It not only influenced the genre’s direction but also much of film at large. Visually, “The Matrix” echoes its cyberpunk influences in places like the neon green code raining down the screen, the heroes’ penchant for sleek, dark apparel, and, of course, the strongly anti-authoritarian message of the film and ensuing franchise.
Cyberpunk characteristics
Anti-authoritarianism: Consider Harrison Ford’s Rick Deckard from “Blade Runner,” an ex-officer brought out of retirement to hunt down replicants (synthetic humans), who may in fact be a replicant himself. Deckard transforms from an apathetic cog in the machine to an empathetic anti-authoritarian figure.
Low life vs. high tech: Similarly, take Alex Murphy of “RoboCop,” a once-eager young police officer and father tortured to the brink of death—only to be forced into a hellish existence as a literal machine of the state. Beyond the explosive effects and action-movie machismo, the film is both a tragedy and a farce about kleptocracy and the power of technology to enslave humanity to the will of an elite few—familiar themes to any cyberpunk film fan. Perhaps the only significant hit to Alex’s place among favorite cyberpunk protagonists is his return to the status quo as he’s folded back into OCP’s corruption.
Urban decay: Aesthetically, “RoboCop” and “Blade Runner” both offer many of the looks that typify the cyberpunk film genre. Set in towering, gloomy cities overrun with technological “advancements,” these films imagine societies where humanity and technology are inseparable (quite literally in the case of “RoboCop”). The cities’ darkened skies blaze with the lights of thousands of screens and signs, the natural world completely covered by human progress. Newer film technology and creative talent have made these cyberpunk dystopias especially pop; Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up “Blade Runner 2049” sees this future brought to life in the director’s vibrant style, as epitomized by the hologram companion, Joi.
Dystopian future setting: There’s a general rule for setting a speculative fiction story: Try to avoid placing it in a time too close to the present. And while 2019 has come and gone without the Earth yet devolving into the dystopian nightmare of “Blade Runner,” it’s easy to imagine it coming to fruition. Given the film’s continued popularity as a franchise—Prime Video’s miniseries “Blade Runner 2099” wrapped production at the end of 2024—and its ever-continuing relevance in a rapidly changing world, one’s left to wonder what other wonderfully terrifying and topical cyberpunk stories we might see in the coming years.
Film noir influence: Western cyberpunk stories in particular pull heavily from works by the likes of Raymond Chandler, film noir essentials such as “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) and “Touch of Evil” (1958), and the tech-noir precursor “Soylent Green” (1973). Hardboiled crime stories, femme fatales, moral relativism, and a hefty dose of chiaroscuro lighting: Cyberpunk movies such as “Videodrome,” “Total Recall,” “Dark City,” and “eXistenZ” get especially into this space, highlighting some of the headier themes of the genre than their more action-oriented counterparts.
Neo-Noir: A Full Guide to the Genre1. “Blade Runner” (1982), dir. Ridley Scott
Considered one of the genre’s pillars, “Blade Runner” depicts a future in decay brought on by the hands of evil corporations and for-profit governments. As a thoughtful adaptation of Dick’s classic novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,” the film imports many of the neo-noir aesthetics and anti-authoritarian themes that would come to represent the cyberpunk genre.
2. “Brazil” (1985), dir. Terry Gilliam
Gilliam’s sci-fi comedy satirizes the growing threats of bureaucracy and surveillance capitalism in the 1980s. One can’t help but see this grimly funny future rampant with broken technology and even more broken systems and be reminded of the absurdity behind the cyberpunk dystopias of “Neuromancer” and the novels it inspired.
3. “RoboCop” (1987), dir. Paul Verhoeven
A quintessential ’80s sci-fi classic, “RoboCop” feels like it could be based on a Dick story—the combination of corporate corruption, grungy punk visuals, and an eye for the absurdities of capitalism and bureaucracy expertly captures the same anxieties as its cyberpunk forebears.
4. “Akira” (1988), dir. Katsuhiro Otomo
Set in the futuristic Neo-Tokyo, “Akira” follows biker gang leader Shotaro Kaneda as he tries to stop his childhood friend from using his telekinetic powers to unleash nuclear Armageddon on the country once again. With its depiction of biker gangs, government corruption, and nuclear war, the animated film epitomizes much of the look and feel of Japanese cyberpunk.
5. “Ghost in the Shell” (1995), dir. Mamoru Oshii
A reflection on what it means to be human in an age of rapidly advancing cybernetics, “Ghost in the Shell” brings many of the existential questions of the cyberpunk genre to the forefront. The film’s imagined New Tokyo and stylish rendition of trawling through cyberspace aesthetically inspired the direction cyberpunk would take in “The Matrix” and beyond.
6. “eXistenZ” (1999), dir. David Cronenberg
Like any Cronenberg film, “eXistenZ” takes preconceived sci-fi ideas and makes them a lot gooier, more grotesque. The story of a game designer under threat of assassination within her own virtual reality features many of the transhumanist themes that infuse cyberpunk fiction.
7. “The Matrix” (1999), dirs. Lana and Lilly Wachowski
The freedom-fighting hackers at the center of the Wachowskis’ groundbreaking sci-fi epic are exemplars of cyberpunk protagonists. Not only do they work to free humanity from the grip of their AI overlords, but they do it clad in classic cyberpunk attire—the trench coat/dark glasses combo would never be the same again.
8. “Dredd” (2012), dir. Pete Travis
While “Dredd” lacks the noir elements in many cyberpunk stories, the film visually represents the genre in the grungy metropolis Mega-City One and highly militarized (and corrupt) police force.
9. “Blade Runner 2049” (2017), dir. Denis Villeneuve
A follow-up to the beloved cyberpunk classic, Villeneuve’s return to dystopian L.A. sees Ryan Gosling’s K searching for the answer to a replicant mystery with the help of former agent Deckard. The film brings audiences back to Scott’s grimy vision of the future with newfound clarity; Villeneuve’s version comes together as the ultimate depiction of a cyberpunk dystopia onscreen.
10. “Upgrade” (2018), dir. Leigh Whannell
Taking place in the dystopic future of 2046, “Upgrade” contains cybernetic body augmentation, AI, corporate surveillance, and a general feeling of tech-engendered unease, making it a perfect example of the “high tech, low life” principle guiding the cyberpunk genre.
