Top 10 Movie Robots
Though robots & artificial intelligence are continuing to gain more relevance each passing day in real life, they have always been prominent in film, specifically in the sci-fi genre. In this list I will countdown the Top 10 Movie Robots, limiting to one entry per film/franchise. I’m also excluding cyborgs (looking at you RoboCop) & have a few other bots that are worth honorably mentioning. Sox (Peter Sohn) from ‘Lightyear,’ Marvin (Warwick Davis/Alan Rickman) from ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ Chappie (Sharlto Copley) from ‘Chappie,’ Maschinenmensch (Brigette Helm) from ‘Metropolis,’ Sonny (Alan Tudyk) from ‘I, Robot,’ & all the characters from the film ‘Robots.’
C-3PO & R2-D2 (Anthony Daniels & Kenny Baker) from ‘Star Wars’- The galaxy of the Star Wars universe is home to so many iconic characters, both organic & robotic. Known in the franchise as ‘droids’ some notable droids worth mentioning include BB-8 from the sequel trilogy, L3-37 from ‘Solo,’ K-2SO from ‘Rogue One,’ & the battle droids from the prequel trilogy. But come on. None of those droids come close to the iconicity of Threepio & Artoo. Some of the only characters to be featured prominently all across the series, the two provide some comedic relief alongside all the different generations of characters. And if you thought I was just going to pick one… well you really can’t have one without the other.
The Iron Giant (Vin Diesel) from ‘The Iron Giant’- A 50 foot tall robot designed for war but with a heart of gold, the titular giant made this 1999 film one of the most highly revered animated films there is. Discovered by a young boy who tries to keep the robot out of the hands of the government, the otherworldly origins of this robot are unknown, but his intentions to be a weapon are clear, but he doesn’t conform to his intended purpose.
Baymax (Scott Adsit) from ‘Big Hero 6’- This Disney film based on a Marvel comics series, we meet a young boy, Hiro, who loses his brother but is given a robot his brother designed before his death. The robot, Baymax, is meant to be a medical caregiver, but also becomes a friend to Hiro. The two become a part of a superhero team who intend to take down the villain Yokai and bond along the way.
WALL-E (Ben Burtt) from ‘WALL-E’- Another Disney robot, this trash compacting robot leads his own Pixar film and manages to steal the hearts of the audience. Though he has a limited vocabulary, WALL-E can communicate exactly how he feels & goes on a journey that he was never programmed to be a part of. I should also mention his love interest, EVE, who could earn her way onto this list herself.
TARS (Bill Irwin) from ‘Interstellar’- From Christopher Nolan’s epic sci-fi film, this character has an awesome design & brings some necessary comedic relief to this heavy film. Along with his counterpart, CASE, the robots help get our crew to their destination & TARS forms a friendship with Matthew McConaughey’s Cooper.
Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) from ‘Transformers’- I don’t know a lot of the lore from this franchise so I’m not 100% if the Cybertronian species are actually robots or just resemble them? But either way, I had to include at least one Transformer here because they are some of the most recognizable robots in pop culture. And between all the Autobots & Decepticons, the choice was clear as to who the single representative should be. With the likes of Bumblebee & Megatron, Optimus Prime stands above them all as the Autobots brave leader.
The Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) from ‘The Terminator’- There is a heavy push right now in Hollywood for robots/androids that just look like normal humans. But none of them have done it better than the OG, T-800 played by Arnold himself. Though different robots would came in different packages in later films (most prominently Robert Patrick’s T-1000 in the second film), Schwarzenegger’s Terminator will always be one of the most iconic characters in film history, easily earning himself a spot here.
David 8 (Michael Fassbender) from ‘Prometheus’- The ‘Alien’ franchise is another that implements the use of humanoid robots, known as androids. David first appears in the first prequel film & appears in its follow up, ‘Alien Covenant’ where Fassbender also plays another android, Walter One. Some other prominent androids from the series include Ash from the original ‘Alien,’ Bishop from ‘Aliens,’ & Andy from ‘Alien: Romulus,’ played by Ian Holm, Lance Henriksen, & David Jonsson, respectively. Another android from the ‘Alien’ franchise will be appearing in the upcoming ‘Predator: Badlands’ (as those two franchises are closely intertwined) played by Elle Fanning.
Mechagodzilla from ‘Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla’- One of Godzilla’s greatest adversaries in his countless film appearances is a robotic version of the character himself. Sometimes depicted as an mech created by aliens, but usually shown as man-made answer to Godzilla, the character has made nearly ten film appearances between 1974 & 2024.
Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) from ‘The Wild Robot’- Our final entrant is also our most recent, with this character debuting in 2024’s ‘The Wild Robot.’ An abandoned helper robot, ROZZUM Unit 7134, adapts to her new wild environment while also becoming a mother to Brightbill, a young goose she encounters. One of the best recent animated films, including Roz on this list was really a no brainer.
