With Chappie coming out this month and looking to add another awesome ‘good guy’ robot to the cinematic universe, we figured what better time than now to come up with a list of some of our favorite good guy robots from the world of cinema. Keep in mind, there are dozens upon dozens of good guy robots in movies, so fret not if one you love is left off the list. A follow-up will surely be needed for an idea as grand as this one. You will also notice a lack of androids or robots who look like humans on the list, as they deserve their own list, too. Looking at you, T-800 and Bishop.
Iron Giant from The Iron Giant
Don’t assume just because a character is animated they might not make the list. The Iron Giant is one of the greatest animated movies ever, and the character is a huge part of that appeal. Sweet and tender, yet capable of destroying the earth if he so chooses, he ultimately proved he just wanted to be super(man).
*Wipes tear
Johnny-5 from Short Circuit
Johnny-5 had a huge impact on us nerds who saw Short Circuit because he was REALLY a robot. I mean, we know now he was more of a puppet, but it CLEARLY was not a guy in a suit. That was enough to make most nerds sit up and think that a friendly robot sidekick might actually be possible one day.
Plus, who can even be mad at the above montage? No one. That’s who.
Bubo from Clash of the Titans
Okay, I’ll admit, I have NO IDEA why a robotic owl was in a movie about Greek myths, but I don’t care, either. Bubo was awesome. Not having Bubo in the remake was just one of a myriad of glorious mistakes that movie made. Bubo may not make much sense in the universe and timeline it is in, but if someone offered you a pet Bubo tomorrow, you would NOT say no.
THAT, my friends, is why Bubo is on the list.
Gerty from Moon
Kevin Spacey as a robot with a smiley face emoticon who helps a stranded Sam Rockwell and keeps him both sane (kind of) and alive. The best part about Gerty from Moon is that we are so predisposed to 2001 and the keen A.I turning on its masters that you watch Moon expecting that to happen, and really, Gerty is just a nice robot.
Speaking of 2001 and Gerty…
TARS from Interstellar
TARS from Christopher Nolan’s most recent opus, Interstellar, was an interesting concept for a robot. Essentially, a robot version of the monolith from 2001 (that made 2001 jokes, how meta). The truth is, I wasn’t impressed with TARS immediately. But as the movie went on and I saw how versatile and practical the design was, it really became impressive.
Hoping we get some more TARS and a sequel with a bit more outer space and less family drama. Hey, someone had to say it.
Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Imagine being a robot cursed with a brilliant mind (the size of a planet) but being surrounded by idiots like us humans and never being able to use it? That is basically the curse of Marvin, and also factors into why he is so depressed. People may scoff at the film version of Hitchhiker’s, but it did a good job considering what it had to take on.
And honestly, Marvin was one of the best things about that movie. Well, Sam Rockwell, too. I guess Sam Rockwell and awesome robots just go hand-in-hand for some unknown reason.
Wall-E from Wall-E
Wall-E proved you don’t need to speak many words or have shoulder mounted laser beams to be considered for this list. You can just be a small, humble, old-school robot in love. That is enough to charm us and land Wall-E among these other amazing robots.
With the looks of Johnny-5 and the personality of Bubo, Wall-E was the best of ALL worlds when it comes to good guy robots in cinema.
C-3p0 and R2-D2 from Star Wars
Come on, you didn’t actually think I was leaving these two off, did you? And yes, I am counting them as one because they basically are always connected at the hip. Plus, as you can see above, they were against smoking way before it was cool to be against smoking.
Honorable Mentions:
Huey, Dewey, and Louie from Silent Runnings
These three are ONLY off the main list because most of you have never seen or heard of this film. But trust me, as far as good robot companions go, these three rule (and you really should see this movie).
Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Plant
You cannot make a list about good guy robots and not include the one robot design and style all our parents and grandparents grew up on. Robbie the Robot. You have seen this design everywhere, and it sort of set the tone and template for many of the robots you see above. Robbie was a trend setter in that way.
So who is your favorite good guy robot from the movies? Take to our comments and let us know. We might even put your choice in the follow-up list!
[Pic via Uproxx]
Tags: androids, bots, Chappie, good guy robots, iron giant, robot movies, robots, robots in movies, short circuit, wall-e