John Carter: Book vs Movie

John Carter (2012) was based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars and is most notable for its disastrous box office than the actual quality of the film, and I think most can agree that the biggest stumbling block the movie had was that it was saddled with one of the worst marketing plans in film history. Trailers and posters both seemed intent on hiding the fact that the planet Mars was involved at all, which is kind of a strange thing to do when your movie is based science fiction fantasy series based almost solely on Mars. But because the heads of Disney were still reeling from the failure of the film Mars Needs Mom, and somehow got it into their heads that it was the use of the word “Mars” in the title that caused that film to flop, they did their best to dance around the Mars aspect in their ads. The studio heads are not totally to blame for all this as Andrew Stanton’s trailers, which he insisted show little of the story, failed to hook audiences and most likely the biggest reason for its poor box office results.

A movie based on Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series had been in the works in Hollywood for decades and would make fascinating film all on its own. Bob Clampet, of Looney Tunes fame, back in 1931 wanted to adapt A Princess of Mars into an animated feature. Burroughs was excited with that notion as at the time animation would be about the only way one could do that book series justice. Sadly the test footage shown to local exhibitors did not receive much positive feedback and the project was shelved.

1936 Test Footage 

It wasn’t until 1980 that Disney acquired the rights to the book and approached John McTiernan (Die Hard) to direct and Tom Cruise to star as John Carter. Realizing that the current movie magic still wasn’t up to the task of bringing Barsoom to life McTiernan exited the picture and John Carter went into limbo again.

 

This could have been John Carter.

Next up at bat was Robert Rodiguez at Paramount with the plan to use the same digital backlot technology that they used for Sin City. Studio politics ended this teaming which they led Jon Favreau entering the picture. Favreau wanted to remain faithful to the books but also wanted the first movie to contain; A Princess of Mars, Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars and to use mostly practical effects with as little as much CGI as possible. I love Favreau but cramming three books into one movie is a bad idea. But he went on to make Iron Man so that worked out for the best.
Disney Studios re-acquired the rights and Pixar director Andrew Stanton was given the task of once again trying to bring this Martian epic to life. Stanton was a professed Burroughs fan and always wanted to see the Barsoom stories on the silver screen, so what went wrong?

 

The lame title for one.

To best understand we look back to 1912 when Edgar Rice Burroughs released his story Under the Moons of Mars which was published in serial form under the pen name Norman Bean to protect his reputation because Burroughs himself believed the book to be “Too outlandish.” Much to his surprise his story of a Confederate soldier on Mars went over like gangbusters with the public and his
 publishing company decided to later collect the stories in novel form and title it A Princess of Mars.

And here begins the first problem in adapting A Princess of Mars to film. The book is basically a travelogue of adventures with no main plot or story structure, John Carter arrives on Mars, has exciting adventures and that’s about it. That’s a pretty simple format and as a monthly serial this works great but as a two hour movie not so much, so Andrew Stanton and the folks at Disney had their work cut out for them. How do you remain faithful to the source material but still make a structural coherent movie out of it. It’s a balancing act that many have tried and more have failed.
Another difficulty in translating a story written back in the early Twentieth Century is that audience sensibilities change, things that were wildly acceptable in 1912 may not fly so well 2012. The biggest change the movie John Carter made is that of the lovely Martian princess Dejah Thoris who in the book is your standard damsel in distress but in the movie she is a kick ass action hero and a scientist. I whole heartedly agree with this change, Lynn Collins as Dejah Thoris was damn awesome and she gave us a character I think worthy of starring in her own movie.

 

Dehah Thoris, Badass!

As much as agreed with that change there were a few a really questionable choices throughout the film and the one that stands above them all like a sliced Achilles is that of the film’s opening…or should I say openings.

 

“Bad kitty!”

The book A Princess of Mars starts out with a forward by Edgar Rice Burroughs stating that he has decided to publish this manuscript about his incredible Uncle John Carter and his adventures on Mars. He describes his Uncle as to have been this most amazing man; great horseman, excellent swordsman but still one of the courtliness men he knew. Upon hearing of his Uncle’s death Burroughs arrives at his estate to find instructions about putting the untreated body of John Carter into a strange tomb that can only be opened from inside and that this manuscript would remain sealed and unread for eleven years and not divulged to anyone its contents for twenty-one years after his death. The forward is roughly three pages and is beautifully economical in its set-up.
The movie John Carter  starts off with a prologue giving the viewer a crash course history of Martian or Barsoomian politics, of how only the city of Helium stood against the evil world conquering forces of Zodanga and how for a thousand years they kept them at bay until one day the Therns, led by priest Matai Shang (Mark Strong) stepped in to offer the Zodangan’s villainous leader Sab Than (Dominic West) an ultimate weapon and a plan to marry the Princess of Helium (Lynn Collins) thus ending this destructive conflict.

 

Evil Therns.

The adventures of John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is your basic fish out of water story, the hero is the readers or viewers identification figure and we learn and explore wondrous new lands with him, we do not need a six minute prologue explaining the machinations of the people of Barsoom. We will find out about these things along with Carter. In Star Wars: A New Hope our hero Luke is part of this expansive universe and knows much of what is going on so we get an opening crawl getting us up to speed with what’s going on but then the rest we find out while traveling with Luke. In the case of John Cater he knows as much about Mars as we do and so we should be finding information on this strange world at the same time as he does. Also the opening crawl at the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope was not six minutes long.
The movie then jumps to Earth and we get the Forward that was in the book with young Edgar Rice Burroughs (Daryl Sabara) inheriting his Uncle’s estate and receiving the manuscript of his adventures. This section uses some elements from the book while introducing the idea that there are villains on Earth that were pursuing John Carter.

 

“Dear Diary.”

Chapter one of the book has John Carter, late of the Confederate Army, telling how while working as a prospector he discovered a mysterious cave while running from a group of Apaches that killed his partner. In the movie we get this overly long set-up where he is arrested by the Union Army who wants his expert skills to fight the local Indians. Carter just wants to find this mysterious “Spider Cave” and its rumored gold and has no interest in fighting. He escapes and while fleeing the army runs into the Apaches and a nasty skirmish which ends up with him hiding in the vary cave he had been looking for all along. Nothing says well written script then starting off with a major coincidence, and it doesn’t stop there because in the movie it just so happens a Thern was using the cave transport system as Carter arrived. The Thern activates his transport medallion after being mortally wounded by Carter and accidentally sends John Carter to Mars. If that many contrived elements in so short of a time is required to get your heroes journey started you best chuck the script and start over.

 

Space MacGuffin

In the book there is no Thern in the cave. There is no MacGuffin transport device that moves a person between planets, Carter enters the cave and is overcome by some sort of gas and is paralyzed, when he tries to force himself up off the cave floor he ends up yanking himself out of his own body.  This would freak anyone out.  A naked John Carter looks down at himself wondering if he is dead, but he feels solid enough and so wanders out of the cave to look up at the stars. He notices Mars, god of war, bright and mysterious in the heavens and he reflects on how it has always fascinated him. Whoosh bang he is whisked off to Mars. Why the movie thought we needed such a huge set-up for getting our hero to Mars is beyond me. If your audience is already set to go along with your story about life on Mars you really don’t need to spend that much time getting us there.

Able to leap tall plot devices in a single bound.

Now that we are finally on Mars/Barsoom let us take a quick look at the differences in plot. In the book as I said early it is more of a travelogue of adventures rather than plot centric story. Almost immedialty after his arrival Carter is discovered by the Tharks, the green men of Mars, who think he is raiding their hatcheries (all the humanoid races on Mars lay eggs) but quickly upon realizing a naked unarmed individual isn’t much of a threat they bring him to a nearby dead city. His ability to leap great distances due to the planet lesser gravity as well his great fighting skill earns him great respect and titles among the Tharks. It’s when the Tharks shoot down a Helium science vessel and capture the Helium princess Dejah Thoris that things for Carter get complicated. The Tharks hate the people of Helium, the red men of Mars, and when Carter finds out that they plan to take her to the Jeddak of the Tharks, where she will most likely be tortured to death. This is something he will not allow to happen so he decides to rescue her. That is the plot in a nutshell. Everything that follows is basically a serial adventure of Carter trying to escape with the Princess and getting her home to her people. Many misadventures befall them along the way but that’s the gist of it.

 

“Come with me if you want to live.”

The movie has John Carter encounter the Tharks in roughly the same way though they take his jumping ability as some kind of indicator that he is a “prophesied one” that will lead the Tharks in battle, but how Carter encounters Dejah Thoris is vastly different here. In the movie it is a Zodanga craft that attacks Dejah Thoris’s ship not the Tharks, and it is John Carter who saves her from the clutches of Sab Than the evil ruler of Helium’s mortal enemies. The movie’s plot is basically Carter escaping the Tharks with Dejah Thoris and then eventually helping defeat Sab Than and the evil Therns. And when I say “eventually” I mean it takes forever for him to step up as a hero. So now let’s take a look at the characters and how the differ from book to movie.

 John Carter: In the book John Carter is a bit of an enigma, he states he has no memory before the age of thirty and has always appeared the same, without ever aging. When we later learn that the humanoid races on Barsoom are basically immortal we start to wonder just where John Carter originally came from. That he and Dejah Thoris are able to have a child together is another clue. As to John Carter’s character in the book he is your standard stalwart hero that cannot stand by when he says an injustice, he will fight against incredible odds if he thinks someone is being wrongfully treated. His superior strength and fighting skills keep him and his friends alive on more than one occasion.

 

Taylor Kitsch is John Carter.

Movie John Carter is slightly different animal, gone is any hint of a mysterious origin and it is sadly replaced by a tragic past where is family was killed during the Civil War and so he has decided to no longer fight for anything. Your character is going to lose points right off the bat when you introduce him as an ex-Confederate soldier and then add on the “Reluctant Hero” trope, this is a mistake. John Carter is Superman on Mars; we don’t need him to be a brooding hero with tons of emotional baggage. When Dejah Thoris tells Carter that she is being forced to marry the evil Sab Than he refuses to help her, it’s not his problem, he’s done fighting. That’s not a reluctant hero that’s a dick.

Deja Thoris: As mentioned earlier this is the one great improvement Disney makes as in the book she is your standard damsel in distress and her beauty and unbridled love for John Carter her only real character traits. In the movie she is shown to be an incredible fighter as well as a scientist, not something common in science fiction heroines. Movie Dejah Thoris is being forced into marriage with Sab Than by her father and she tries everything to get out of it, while book Dejah Thoris agrees to marry Sab Than to end the war even though her people would rather die than see their beloved princess marry for any reason other than love. I kind of like the book better here as it gives her a nice noble aspect in what was mostly a generic heroine, but overall action movie Dejah Thoris is the fuller, richer character in the end.

 

Lynne Collins is Dejah Thoris.

Tars Tarkas: In the book the Tharks are green four armed humanoids that stand fifteen feet tall and sport nasty tusks, movie Tharks are only a bit taller than humans but everything else is the same and one can only say that cinematically a fifteen foot dude talking to a six foot human would be hard to film. So that comparison is wash as they work for each’s medium. As for the great and noble Tars Tarkas himself, well Willem Dafoe gives a very nice performance but sadly because of the added Zodanga plot his character in the movie isn’t given much backstory. In the book Tars Tarkas is notable for being one of the few Tharks that has the rare ability to feel compassion, friendship and love towards others. He had a forbidden love affair that resulted in a child which was incubated in secret (Like in the movie Tharks children are not raised by parents as out of the hatchery no one knows whose kid is whose), while off on a campaign his lover was exposed and killed for the crime of childbearing.  Even under torture she never revealed who her lover was and was able to hide their child among the other newborns before she was executed. In the movie Tars Tarkas is Jeddak (head chief) of the Tharks while in the book he was just a low level chieftain but who becomes Jeddak with the aid of John Carter.

Sadly movie Tars Tarkas is given no backstory, he does have a daughter that he has kept his parentage a secret from his people as well the girl herself, but because the movie spends very little time explaining how Thark society works it doesn’t come across as that big of deal. In the book Tars Tarkas eventually challenges the Jeddak who murdered is true love and when he defeats him Tars Tarkas becomes Jeddak of the Tharks, while in the movie John Carter kills the evil Jeddak who usurped Tars Tarkas giving his friend his throne back. So basically we get another “White man is better at everything” moment.

 

Willem DeFoe is Tars Tarkas.

Sab Than: In the book Sab Than is just a minor obstacle on the way to true love while in the movie he is one of the chief villains that John Carter must defeat. In both the book and movie Zodanga has been warring with Helium for ages but in the book things didn’t go south because of any interference from magical Therns, no it was when the Helium navy went out to look for their lost princess and left the city vulnerable to a siege. Sab Than barely is a presence in the book, he is just this dude she agrees to marry to end the war. This takes place during the last third of the book when Dejah Thoris believes Carter is dead and when she marries Sab Than and John Carter turns out not to be dead things get complicated. Carter immediately plans to murder Sab Than for the crime of marrying his beloved but Barsoomian culture will not allow Dejah Thoris to marry a man who murders her husband so that plan is out. John Carter goes with the easy work around by having his friend Tars Tarkas kill Sab Than in battle.

 

Dominoc West is Sab Than.

Movie Sab Than is almost cartoonishly evil, when the Therns show up to rescue him in the middle of a battle he was losing he turns the super weapon they give him on the Therns themselves. Dick move dude, also very stupid.  It of course doesn’t work on the Therns and he agrees to their aid in conquering Barsoom. Their plan involves him marrying Dejah Thoris and then murdering her on their wedding night. I think someone may have watched The Princess Bride. It’s hard to compare these two Sab Thans because the book version has almost no character at all, but as he is only a small part of the book he didn’t need much of one, while the movie Sab Than is your typical two dimensional villain that we see all the time, but as he is one of the main antagonists in the movie he needed to be better written.

Matai Shang: The character of Matai Shang as portrayed in the movie has to be the greatest departure from the books, in the movie the Therns are this mysterious bald race of manipulators that move from planet to planet, controlling things from behind the scenes. They had discovered the Ninth Ray which powers their weapons and teleportation devices and its Dejah Thoris’s discovery of the Ninth Ray that has the Therns so eager to see her dead. This is not at all how the Therns operate in the book and the Ninth Ray isn’t a weapon but the very thing that operates the Atmosphere Factory which keeps Barsoom alive.

 

Mark Strong is Matai Shang.

The race of Therns do not appear until the second book in the series Gods of Mars, though A Princess of Mars does make references to aspects of the religion that the Therns are the head of, and they are not that pale bald shape shifters that we see in the movie. The Therns are bald, actually completely hairless, they wear blonde wigs to hide this fact. Also they are not pale like in the movie but Caucasian white like an Earthman, but their appearance is a minor quibble compared to what the movie changes or leaves completely out. This leads us to one of the most intriguing element of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoomian books and that is it’s religions.

 

White Apes in the Garden of Eden.

The Holy Therns and their churches promote that down the River Issus is the Barsoomian equivalent of Heaven and when one has reached 1,000 years of age, or has just tired of living, they take a pilgrimage down the River Issus to the Valley of Dor where they would spend their rest of eternity in a land of plenty. A nice step up from the arid landscapes of Barsoom. A little wrinkle in this is that it is all total bullshit as the Valley of Dor is inhabited by ferocious white apes and plant men that devour you immediately upon your arrival, those that survive or are spared by the Therns become slaves.

 

Fighting the plant men in the Valley of Dor.

John Carter has a hard time exposing this evil society because to say anything against is blasphemy and punishable by death, also if one was to escape the Valley of Dor and return home that would also be considered a blasphemous act and you would be put to death. Even stranger is that Carter discovers that the Therns themselves worship the Goddess Issus who turns out to be a living ancient Black Martian who rules over “The First Born”  who are most notable for being one of the oldest humanoid races on Barsoom. This race of black skinned Barsoomians survive by pirate raids against the Holy Thern, taking their brightest and most beautiful subjects to be their slaves. So basically religion on Barsoom is a giant pyramid scam and gives us quite the insight into how Burroughs himself thought of religion.

This certainly would have made a better movie; sure a plot about generic evil guys wanting to remove smarty pants princess so they can continue to play puppet masters with a bunch of one note villains isn’t terrible, but wouldn’t an adventure where the hero exposes the world’s religion to be a giant fraud be vastly more interesting?  Or maybe that’s just me.

I liked John Carter, it pays better homage to Burroughs than Lucas did in his Star Wars prequels, and it certainly didn’t deserve the box office drubbing it got, but if they had just trimmed up that terrible opening, and maybe gotten a little ballsier with the script, we could have ended up with a great franchise.  As for the cast I liked pretty much every actor in their perspective roles with the possible exception of Taylor Kitsch as John Carter, now he wasn’t terrible but he just seemed a little young for the part and when standing next to James Purefoy  who played the Helium soldier Kantos Kan I couldn’t help but think that Purefoy may have been the better choice to play Carter.  I’m sure the writing of the characters had something to do with it but it just seemed that Purefoy was having a lot of fun with his role while Taylor as John Carter was not.

 

Woola, man’s best friend.

Special shout out to Woola the Barsoomian dog that befriends John Carter, in the book he is this awesome beast that is loyal and fierce beyond compare and generally just a kick ass companion, while in the movie he is exactly the same thing. Every moment in the movie with this lovable hound was a joy to watch, and it is only sad that with the truncated version of Tharks in the movie we don’t get the sense as to why Woola so loves John Carter. Still Woola is amazing either format.

There you have it, my rather long winded diatribe on John Carter and A Princess of Mars, I hope you found it if not educational at least a little entertaining.

H.G. Wells' Things To Come

H.G. Wells’ Things to Come is one of the more interesting early entries in the history of science fiction movies.   Unlike films such as Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Wells believed that man could achieve Utopia and not the horrible dystopia or post-apocalyptic world’s we still get in today’s sci-fi movies. H.G. Wells was a socialist who believed strongly in a one world government and an abolition of religion as independent nations and religions are responsible for most the world’s strife. Not an easy statement to argue with. He argued with Stalin that his revolution was a good starting point but he was going about it all wrong by putting the factory workers and farmers in charge, if you want to create perfect society scientists and men of learning should govern. Talks broke down after that.

Teaming up with Alexander Korda and based on is book “The Shape of Things to Come” H.G. Wells was given almost unprecedented creative control over the project. Director William Cameron Menzies was not allowed to deviate from Wells’ screenplay, also Wells had veto power on casting and he even hired composer Arthur Bliss to score the film before even one frame of had been shot. Wells was not so much worried about making a profitable movie but more on it being a perfect translation of his prophetic writings. This was not really an ego thing either as he truly believed that if society could see what was possible then maybe it could eventually come to be. This from a man staring out at a world readying itself for World War II.

Future War!

The movie begins in the near future of 1940 on Christmas Day located in the fictional British city of “Everytown.” The streets are full of people panicking at the thought of a possible upcoming war, some such as John Cabal (Raymond Massey) greatly worried while other says that even if there were to be a war it will only provide technological advancements.

 Note: H.G. Wells was firmly against the belief that anything good could come of war, so in this film such thoughts are mocked and are one of the bigger misses in his predictions of the future.

 

Everytown on the brink of war.

War does break out and Everytown is reduced to horrifying hellscape of death and destruction. Something the real British subjects watching this film at the time of its release would become accustomed to rather shortly (Wells prediction for the start of the next World War was only off by sixteen months). Later we find Cabal flying the not so friendly skies as he dogfights with an enemy bomber (John Clements), he shoots the man down but then lands to give the dying man comfort. As poisonous gas, presumably dropped by the dying bomber approaches, a little comes running and coughing before the deadly fog. The injured man saying he is dying anyway gives gasmask to the girl and urges Cabal to take the girl and go. Cabal does but not before giving the man his service revolver so he can end his life before the gas does.

 

Newtown has seen better days.

The war rages on for decades until the 1960s more resemble the Dark Ages than anything else. Manufacturing has ceased and people live squalid conditions as technology is almost non-existent. Biological weapons have also created a plague called “The Wandering Sickness” that has wiped out half of the world’s population.

 

“The Walking Dead”

This leads to the films second act as we return to Everytown, though still in ruins is now being ruled by “The Boss” (Ralph Richardson) a Mussoliniesque dictator that demands of his subjects more effort in wiping out the “enemies in the hills.” (The enemy or causes of the war are never name checked in this movie but are more of a shadowy force that threatens the world order.) The Boss wants airplanes but his chief mechanic Gordon (Derrick De Marney) tries to explain to him that even if he can fix the planes they have there is not petrol to fuel them. Also on the agenda is getting local scientist Dr. Harding (Maurice Braddell) to develop poisonous gas, but Harding and his daughter refuse to aid in the deaths of even more people. Then out of the blue a strange plane appears and lands at the outskirts of Everytown, John Cabal is back!

 

Nice helmet, dude.

The Boss has Cabal arrested and demands that he aid him in his war effort, but Cabal will have none of this as he is part of “Wings Over the World” a society founded by scientists and engineers whose goal is to wipe out independent nations and thus end war forever.

 

“And don’t call me Chief!”

Cabal is forced to work with Gordon and Harding in the repairing of Newtown’s decrepit air force, but it is all a ruse on Gordon’s part as once the plane is fixed he flies of to Basra, Iraq to notify Cabal’s people of their leader’s capture.

 

“What do you mean, Flash Gordon approaching?”

Wings Over the World attack Newtown via a squadron of massive futuristic flying aircraft and proceed to drop so called “Peace Bombs” on the populace. The bombs contain a harmless knock out gas so once Cabal is rescued the town wakes up to find themselves in the hands of new rulers. Rulers for science!

 

“Damn, I love Peace Bombs!”

We are then treated to a montage of the science leaping forward through time, making a better world for everyone. For undisclosed reasons Wings Over the World decided that underground cities is the way to go opposed to futuristic skyscrapers, and we see cool drilling machines carve into the hillsides as an innovative society is created and a technocracy is born.

 

“I hope we don’t run into any Morlocks down here.”

No time is spent showing how awesome this society has become as almost the second we see the new and improved Everytown we are introduced to the sculptor Theotocopulos (Cedric Hardwicke) as he is bitching about how science is progressing too far, that mankind should sit back and smell the roses for a bit. He also strongly believes that this latest idea of sending people to the moon via a Space Gun is terrible.

 

The Space Gun.

Okay, the artist has a point here as this is a terrible idea though not on any philosophical basis but by the fact that a capsule fired out of a giant gun would turn its occupants into the consistency of grape jelly. For some reason both Wells and Verne were hung up on Space Gun technology versus rocket powered spacecraft. Thematically it doesn’t even work as a gun being used for the benefit of exploration is showing something of war furthering the advancement of science; this stands in the face Wells’ stated viewpoints on the benefits of war. That being there are none.

 

Hey, Wells got giant flat screen TVs right.

Theotocopulos, via Jumbotron, rallies the populace against Oswald Cabal (Massey again) who is their current leader and great grandson of the original founder of Wings Over the World. So apparently Wells has created a Science Monarchy where one family of scientist will rule in perpetuity. Not sure he thought that one through.

 

“Down with science, up with sleeping in on Sundays!”

The mob storm the Space Gun but Oswald, his daughter and her boyfriend, who both volunteered for this space mission, beat the rioting Luddites to the platform and are fired into space.   Cabal and the father of the boyfriend stand together as their children venture off into the future.

  

“There they go, first star on the right and straight on till morning.

Cabal then gives a long speech about how man cannot stop advancing. “For man there is no rest and no ending. He must go on…conquest beyond conquest. This little planet and its winds and ways, and all the laws of mind and matter that restrain him. Then the planets about him, and at last out across immensity to the stars. And when he has conquered all the deeps of space and all the mysteries of time—still he will be beginning. If we’re no more than animals, we must snatch at our little scraps of happiness and live and suffer and pass, mattering no more…than all the other animals do…or have done. It is that…or this? All the universe—or nothingness. . . . Which shall it be?”

 

Visionary leader or pompous ass, you decide.

That’s pretty fine speechifying there Cabal and kind of sums up the problem with the film, it is very, very preachy. It is so full of grand and important ideas that it doesn’t seem to want to get bogged down with things like a plot or characters. Wells and Korda had gathered together an excellent cast of actors but then gave them a pretty hammy script and put them in the hands of a director who found actors to be much less interesting then shot composition or lighting.

That said this is still a film worth checking out as it is visually stunning and creepily prophetic at times. Wells and company put together a fascinating “What if?” utopia based on some startling political viewpoints and has earned a good spot in the history of science fiction movies.

Top Ten Movie Robots

Robots and science fiction movies have always gone hand in hand. Since the earliest days of cinema, these mechanical beings have fascinated audiences, serving as loyal allies or dangerous threats while reflecting our hopes, fears, and curiosity about technology. More than just genre staples, they reveal how each era understands the relationship between humanity and the machines it creates.

From the earliest days of cinema, robots have reflected both our brightest ambitions and our deepest anxieties, evolving alongside the medium itself into some of its most enduring icons. Beginning with Maria in 1927’s Metropolis, a striking symbol of technological wonder and social upheaval, film robots quickly captured the imagination of audiences, paving the way for more personable creations like Robby the Robot in Forbidden Planet, who blended advanced intelligence with a surprisingly human charm. By the time Star Wars introduced R2-D2 and C-3PO, robots had become indispensable companions, providing humour, loyalty, and emotional grounding amid epic storytelling. That relationship took a darker turn with 1984’s The Terminator, embodying fears of artificial intelligence as an unstoppable force of destruction. Yet cinema has just as often reminded us of the humanity within these mechanical beings, as seen in the gentle innocence of The Iron Giant and the quiet, hopeful resilience of WALL-E. Together, these characters chart a fascinating journey through film history, revealing how robots have continually mirrored our evolving relationship with technology, identity, and what it truly means to be alive.

Below is my list of top ten favourite robots in cinema based on design, how they impact the story, and just how overall awesome they are.

 

Maria from Metropolis (1927)

Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s towering dystopian masterpiece, has inspired generations of filmmakers, and its importance in the history of science fiction can’t really be overstated. You could argue this film gave us the first cinematic Terminator, as the robot double of Maria functions much like Cameron’s T-800 infiltration unit, only instead of outright killing, her purpose is to sow dissent and chaos among the workers. Her sleek, beautiful design and eerie elegance make her instantly unforgettable, and as one of the very first robots on screen, she earns her place on this list without question

 

The Gunslinger from Westworld (1973)

If Maria can be seen as a precursor to James Cameron’s The Terminator, then Yul Brynner’s robot gunslinger in Michael Crichton’s Westworld feels like its closest ancestor. Set in a futuristic theme park where guests indulge in fantasies across Ancient Rome, Medieval England, and the Wild West, the illusion of safety comes from robots programmed to never harm humans. Naturally, that safeguard collapses, and the park becomes a killing ground. Brynner’s relentless Gunslinger, stalking his prey with mechanical precision, and his cold, emotionless performance, is so iconic it’s hard not to see the blueprint for both Cameron’s film and Schwarzenegger’s T-800.

 

C-3PO and R2-D2 from Star Wars (1977)

In 1977, Star Wars reshaped science fiction with its sweeping space fantasy, but weaving through the entire saga are two unlikely heroes, a pair of robots who became beloved icons. C-3PO clearly owes a debt to Maria from Metropolis, while R2-D2 looks more like a glorified trashcan on wheels, yet together they are perfect. Threepio’s constant fretting paired with Artoo’s silent resilience creates a dynamic that rivals classic comedy duos like Laurel and Hardy. That summer, it felt like every kid had them somewhere, plastered on bedsheets, posters, or stacked on toy shelves, proof that these two droids had truly captured the imagination.

 

Mechagodzilla from Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974)

Created as the ultimate adversary for Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Mechagodzilla is pure cinematic spectacle. First appearing in 1974’s Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, he has returned time and again, often with wildly different origins. Sometimes an alien weapon sent to conquer Earth, other times a human-built defence system designed to protect Japan, his purpose may change, but his impact never does. No matter who controls him, Mechagodzilla is undeniably badass, and as one of the few opponents to defeat Godzilla more than once, his place among the greats is secure.

  

Ash from Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott’s Alien masterfully blends horror and science fiction into one of the most unsettling films ever made, but while most point to the xenomorph as the primary threat, Ian Holm’s Ash is the real menace. Revealed to be a robot, the ship’s science officer works quietly against the crew, prioritizing corporate interests over human life. The alien may simply be surviving, but Ash knowingly sacrifices the crew in service of a faceless company. His chilling detachment is captured perfectly in lines like “I admire its purity” and “I can’t lie to you about your chances… but you have my sympathies.” On repeat viewings, Holm’s subtle performance, particularly in his eyes and expressions, makes it clear he was never on their side.

  

The T-800 from The Terminator (1984)

The Cyberdyne Systems Model 101, a living tissue exterior over a metal endoskeleton, was designed for infiltration and combat, with the singular goal of aiding humanity’s destruction. This role catapulted Arnold Schwarzenegger into superstardom, his calm, mechanical delivery turning the T-800 into an instant icon. What began as a sleeper hit exploded into a franchise, and in a rare twist, the villain returned as a hero in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. As John Connor’s protector, the T-800 became even more compelling, especially in his showdown with the liquid metal T-1000, a benchmark for action cinema. And when that flesh burns away, revealing the skeletal machine beneath, it’s nothing short of terrifying, a metallic Grim Reaper.

  

Gort from The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

“Klaatu barada nikto.” With those words, the alien messenger halts Gort, the towering robot capable of destroying the Earth, and while it saves humanity, part of us can’t help but wonder what would have happened if he hadn’t. Robert Wise’s 1951 classic The Day the Earth Stood Still uses Gort as a Cold War warning, an enforcer of peace who operates with absolute authority. His simple design, combined with that devastating eye beam, makes him unforgettable, but it’s his autonomy that truly unnerves. Gort doesn’t just follow orders, he enforces them, even against those who created him. The less said about the 2008 remake, the better.

  

WALL·E (2008)

Not since Charlie Chaplin made dinner rolls dance has a character conveyed so much emotion with so little dialogue. Pixar and director Andrew Stanton took a real gamble with WALL·E, crafting a love story between two robots who barely speak, and opening the film with nearly twenty minutes of silence. It shouldn’t work, especially for a film aimed at younger audiences, but it works beautifully. WALL·E’s simple, utilitarian design is brought to life through expressive eyes and small gestures, making him instantly lovable. Moments like him gently holding EVE’s inert hand through storms and time are quietly devastating, proving just how much heart can exist in the smallest of characters.

  

Robby the Robot from The Forbidden Planet (1956)

Robby the Robot is one of the rare cases where a creation transcends its original purpose. Built for the 1956 film Forbidden Planet, he quickly became a science fiction icon, notable for being one of the earliest robots to clearly follow Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. When ordered to kill, his programming conflicts to the point of near self-destruction. Robby’s popularity carried him far beyond his debut, appearing in films like The Invisible Boy and across television, from The Twilight Zone to The Addams Family. Whether solving problems or standing trial, he proved to be as versatile as any human actor, and far more enduring than most.

  

The Iron Giant (1999)

Vin Diesel has delivered plenty of memorable performances, but his voice work as The Iron Giant stands out as his best. This story of a boy and his unlikely friend blends humour, action, and emotion into something genuinely special. The supporting cast, from the curious young Hogarth to the beatnik artist and the ever-suspicious Kent Mansley, all add to its charm, but it’s the film’s core message that elevates it. A machine built for destruction chooses instead to be a hero, embracing the idea that “You are who you choose to be.” And when the Giant makes his final sacrifice, flying toward the missile and whispering “Superman,” it’s hard not to feel it

 

“Superman.”

So there you have my top ten movie robots, though the order shifted more times than I’d like to admit and could probably change again tomorrow. Before wrapping up, a quick nod to Mechani-Kong from King Kong Escapes, who just missed the cut. He only loses out to Mechagodzilla because he had a single outing, but it’s a memorable one.

 

Built by “My old friend that international Judas, Dr. Who.”

In conclusion, the greatest robots in cinema are far more than impressive machines brought to life through special effects and imagination. From the haunting presence of Maria in Metropolis to the unforgettable personalities of R2-D2, C-3PO, and WALL-E, these characters have entertained audiences while exploring what it means to be human. They have represented our dreams of technological progress, our fears of losing control, and our hope that even something created by humans can develop compassion, courage, and a sense of purpose. Whether they are saving the day, threatening humanity, or simply reminding us of our own humanity, these cinematic robots have earned their place among the most memorable characters in film history.