10. Extinction (2018)
Directed by Ben Young and written by Spenser Cohen and Brad Kane,Extinctionis surprisingly compelling for a Netflix movie about robots—even with all the negative reviews it got from critics.
Michael Peña stars as an engineer named Peter who incessantly has vivid nightmares of his friends, family, and everyone he knows all suffering violent deaths at the hands of a faceless, alien horde.
We won’t spoil the film as to how robots are involved in the picture, but suffice it to say that there are some big twists. Is it the best movie about robots on Netflix? Maybe not. But it’s entertaining!
Related:The Best Netflix Movies With Plot Twists and Unexpected Events
9. BigBug (2022)
From Jean-Pierre Jeunet—the acclaimed director who gave us bothAmélie(2001) andDelicatessen(1991)—comesBigBug, a film about robots that have finally had enough.
The plot follows a group of wealthy suburbanites in 2045, whose domestic robots decide to revolt one morning. And not just that! They decide to take their owners hostage in an attempt to make their demands met: world domination.
Distributed by Netflix,BigBugprobably won’t have the lasting impact that a film likeAmèliehas, but it’s funnier and deeper than you might expect, especially in its exploration of human nature and what people tend to do when put into a bad situation.
8. Next Gen (2018)
Next Genis one of the best animated sci-fi movies Netflix has ever put out, one that’s just as much about the meaning of friendship as it is the importance of morals.
Our protagonist is Su, a young rebellious girl who lives in a futuristic world where robots are sentient and walk alongside humans. However, when she encounters 7723—a weaponized robot—they team up to stop a threat that could destroy the world.
Related:The Best Movies About Robots, Machines, and Artificial Intelligence
7. Outside the Wire (2021)
Anthony Mackie stars inOutside the Wireas Lieutenant Harp, a dishonored military man who’s sent into a highly dangerous warzone as punishment for disobeying orders.
However, he isn’t sent alone. There’s also Captain Leo, a drastically advanced super-soldier who just so happens to be an android.
Harp doesn’t like his robotic counterpart at first, but there’s a global catastrophe that they have to prevent from occurring and they’ll only get it done if they can find a way to get along.
Directed by Mikael Håfström,Outside the Wireis another solid Netflix robot film that’s better than its review scores would suggest, about the triumphs of trust over differences—even between man and robot.
6. F.R.E.D.I. (2018)
After a hyper-smart—and not to mention adorable—robot (voiced by Candace Cameron Bure) is kidnapped from a top-secret scientific military base, she ends up lost in the Arkansas forests.
Eventually, she’s found by James (Lucius Hoyos), a curious 15-year-old boy, and the two develop a bond where they teach each other about what they know of the world.
Directed by Sean Olson and distributed by Netflix,F.R.E.D.I.is a film that probably flew under your radar, but it’s worth checking out if you want a family-friendly movie about a lovable robot.
5. Space Sweepers (2021)
Space Sweepersis a South Korean film that features a world where Earth has become uninhabitable. It’s not the only film on this list with that premise, but it has some unique twists that feel fresh!
The story follows a crew of “space sweepers” who fly around in the vast expanse of space, collecting debris to sell back to the company for whom they work.
However, when they come across a robot that’s floating out in the middle of nowhere with a weapon of mass destruction attached to him, everything changes.
Widely regarded as the first South Korean blockbuster film set in outer space and one of the best films to make fun use of this premise,Space Sweepersis one that you don’t want to miss.
Related:The Best Space Movies on Netflix
4. Code 8 (2019)
Written and directed by Jeff Chan,Code 8started out as a short film in 2016, which was later developed and expanded into a full-length feature film in 2019.
The plot finds Connor Reed (Robbie Amell), a young man with superpowers who’s just trying to get the medicine he needs to help his sick mother, but he’s out of options—so he resorts to theft.
ButCode 8takes place in a dystopian future full of robot police officers determined to stop him. The faceless expressions of these robots are pretty unsettling, which really elevates the dystopian feel.
The film was good enough to warrant a sequel titledCode 8: Part II, which is set to be released soon.
Related:The Best Superhero Movies on Netflix Worth Checking Out
3. The Mitchells vs. The Machines (2021)
The Mitchells vs. The Machinesis one of Netflix’s best family-friendly movies ever made. Coupled with the fact that it has a whole bunch of robots trying to take over the world? It’s a massively fun romp.
The plot follows the Mitchell family, a dysfunctional group on a road trip who are suddenly tasked with saving the world from machines that have usurped mankind.
Written and directed by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe—in their directorial debut no less—The Mitchells vs. The Machinesis fantastically animated and features some truly heartfelt moments.
Related:The Best Movies About Family Vacations, Ranked
2. I Am Mother (2019)
Directed by Grant Sputore,I Am Motheris an Australian cyberpunk movie about robots aiding the repopulation of humans on a ruined Earth, but it’s more than just thrilling action set-pieces.
I Am Motheris a thought-provoking film that surpasses most sci-fi films that want to be deep, contemplative, and philosophical.
The film kicks off with an extinction event. In response, an automated bunker kicks into high gear as a robot (that simply goes by the name of Mother) begins to grow a human embryo.
The embryo grows up into a little girl, who’s referred to as Daughter by Mother. This complex relationship—between human daughter and human mother—is led by the mechanical Mother as best as she can.
But the older she gets, the more curious Daughter becomes about the outside world that she’s forbidden from entering…
Related:The Best Movies About Mother-Daughter Relationships
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Never has there been a robot with more charisma, more screen presence, and more heart than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 inTerminator 2: Judgment Day.
Originally the bad guy in the firstTerminator, the T-800 makes a shocking—and crowd-pleasing—turn in this superb sequel as John Connor’s relentless bodyguard.
Directed by James Cameron,Terminator 2: Judgment Dayis still one of the best action movies of all time, complete with some of the funniest lines and heartfelt scenes of any brilliant action flick.
Terminator 2: Judgment Daywon’t always be on Netflix, so if you’re looking for a phenomenal movie about robots on Netflix, you should watch this one ASAP. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better film!
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