Humanity vs Machine

Humanity vs Machine

Exploration of Man v Machine narratives within 80s movies

The increase in state-of-the-art consumer-grade technology entering the market gave some filmmakers the inspiration to appeal to the Luddites of old. The shot above is from "Superman III"(1983) which features an evil corporate computer that turns people into androids as the main villain. The movie "War Games"(1983) portrays a high schooler trying to prevent the outbreak of a third world war after hacking into a military supercomputer under the assumption that it was a harmless game. Additionally, "Robocop"(1987) echos cyberpunk themes in its depiction of monitored cybernetics.  
Less literal adaptations of the motif exist in other famous movies of the 80s, such as "Predator"(1987), in which a group of soldiers faces off against an ultra-technological alien hunter. Similarly to the blockbuster "Die Hard"(1988), the main protagonists are masculine figures who often rely on their MacGyver-esque(Also iconic 80s show in 1985) conventions than rely on newer technology.

Warner Bros. Pictures

05/20/2017