5 Hollywood films where technology is the villain
We are living in the dystopian future the '60s-'70s classic Hollywood films had once fictionalized. The era is already here when AIs engineered by humans are taking over the world. Hollywood itself is on an unending strike where writers and actors are demanding fair pay and protection from AI's intrusion. Here are some of the best Hollywood films with the technology goes evil trope.
'Mission Impossible 7' (2023)
Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh installment of the American spy-thriller franchise Mission: Impossible. It stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). In this part, Hunt and his IMF team search for a terrible new weapon that "threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands," an AI.
'I, Robot' (2004)
Starring Will Smith in the lead, next on the list is the 2004 American sci-fi action film I, Robot, an Oscar-nominated film. Set in a dystopian society in 2035, Chicago is populated by extremely intelligent robots that follow three laws to keep people safe, an investigation into the apparent suicide of a US Robotics inventor reveals that he was actually killed by a humanoid.
'Blade Runner' (1982)
Set in Los Angeles in 2019, the 1982 film Blade Runner, shows advanced technology gone wrong. It is one of the greatest sci-fi films and is now considered a cult film. It features a powerful corporation that has bio-engineered replicants (synthetic humans) to labor in space colonies. A burnt-out officer hunts down a fugitive group of advanced replicants as they escape back to Earth.
'Westworld' (1973)
The 1973 American sci-fi film Westworld is a must-watch for this genre and especially for a villainous "tech." In the film, lifelike androids that are part of an interactive theme park for adults-only visitors suddenly start acting strangely. The film has a sequel titled Futureworld (1976) and was also adapted into a television series of the same name by HBO in 2016.
'2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)
The 1968 epic sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey gave birth to one of the most dangerous tech villains- HAL 9000. It follows the supercomputer sent to Jupiter along with two men to find the origins of a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface. The film was critically acclaimed for its cryptic imagery, groundbreaking special effects, and realistic portrayal of space travel.
