Technology and film go hand in hand, and the cinematic landscape is filled with movies that have tech at their core. From Matthew Broderick tapping into NORAD in WarGames and Angelina Jolie and her team of rogue whiz kids causing havoc in Hackers, to Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan attempting to escape the omnipresent Eagle Eye, there’s no shortage of films filled with high-tech machines, innovations, gadgets and predictions. Here are some of our favourites.
1. Avatar (2009)
In director James Cameron’s blockbuster – which remains the top-grossing film of all time, with an estimated worldwide gross of $2.8 billion – technology plays a key role both on screen and behind the scenes. Cameron developed ground-breaking 3D technology to shoot his opus and, in the story that unfolds onscreen, technology has allowed 22nd-century humans to regenerate damaged cells and link themselves to alien bodies. Using CGI and motion-capture technology, Avatar manages to erase the line between animation and live action, making it one of the most technologically innovative films of our time.
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2. Gattaca (1997)
In the future as seen in this sci-fi thriller, a visit to your local geneticist will be commonplace. Why? Because technology has ensured that almost everyone is born via genetic engineering, and one’s social class is determined by genes – not to mention some seriously stringent government-screening protocols. In order to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut, natural-born, “genetically inferior” Vincent (Ethan Hawke) borrows the identity of a paralyzed-but-genetically-perfect former swimming ace (Jude Law).
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3. The Matrix (1999)
Sometimes, the very technology we think will save us turns out to oppress us – or evolves to create its own legion of mechanized overlords. No film better demonstrates that than this slick and stylish sci-fi actioner that turned “Neo” into a household name and revolutionized digital effects in filmmaking. In the Wachowskis’ best-known film, a war between mankind and machines has raged for generations, and a leather-clad hacker (Keanu Reeves) discovers he’s destined to restore balance and save humanity from digital enslavement. Rent it on Rogers On Demand.
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4. Minority Report (2002)
It’s the year 2054 and technology has advanced to let authorities catch criminals before they even commit a crime. Loaded with touchscreens, retina scans, robot insects, newspapers that update themselves and ads that watch you wherever you go, director Steven Spielberg’s futuristic flick – starring Tom Cruise as a crime fighter who finds himself targeted by the very tech he embraces – feels like a glimpse of an eerily possible future.
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5. The Social Network (2010)
Many tech wizards hide behind the shadows of their creations. But not Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, who’s become as famous as his creation and on whom director David Fincher’s critically acclaimed biopic is based. Jesse Eisenberg stars as college student turned billionaire Zuckerberg, and The Social Network chronicles the founding of his social-media empire – including the eventual legal drama that enveloped him. Rent it on Rogers On Demand.
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6. TRON (1982)
At a time when video games were still the new kids on the block, TRON took things to the next level. The film centres on a software engineer (Jeff Bridges) who’s sucked into a mainframe and turned into a “player” in a series of game-like scenarios he must win in order to escape his digitized prison. As one of the first films to prominently feature computer-generated imagery (CGI), TRON helped pave the way for the dazzling, large-scale CGI used in films we watch today.
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7. WALL-E (2008)
True love transcends all boundaries – even when you’re a machine. Pixar’s Oscar-winning, environmentally conscious romantic comedy tells the tale of the titular robot, who’s spent hundreds of years alone, cleaning up a desolate, ravaged Earth after humans have moved on to greener (virtual) pastures. After finding a sprouted seedling – and then falling for a comely machine on a mission – our adorable, sentient-but-silent hero embarks on a sweet and poignant intergalactic adventure.
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