Transcendence
by eakrigbe | created - 04 Oct 2017 | updated - 1 month ago | PublicA brief journey into film (and television) exploration of the singularity and transcendence (This list includes examples of films that highlight or discuss the concept briefly - not only ones that are focused solely on it)
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1. Transcendence (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 119 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own consciousness is uploaded into one such program.
Director: Wally Pfister | Stars: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy
Votes: 238,921 | Gross: $23.02M
2. Chappie (2015)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In the near future, crime is patrolled by a mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
Director: Neill Blomkamp | Stars: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver
Votes: 269,782 | Gross: $31.57M
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
As Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo | Stars: Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford
Votes: 899,561 | Gross: $259.77M
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's mightiest heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plan.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
Votes: 922,285 | Gross: $459.01M
5. Lucy (I) (2014)
R | 89 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked
Votes: 534,650 | Gross: $126.66M
6. Westworld (2016–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
At the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, waits a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Harris, Thandiwe Newton
Votes: 533,191
8/10
7. Ghost in the Shell (2017)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In the near future, Major Mira Killian is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.
Director: Rupert Sanders | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Pilou Asbæk, Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche
Votes: 227,987 | Gross: $40.56M
8. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
TV-MA | 83 min | Animation, Action, Crime
A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.
Directors: Mizuho Nishikubo, Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera
Votes: 157,006 | Gross: $0.52M
9. Shocker (1989)
R | 109 min | Comedy, Horror, Thriller
After being sent to the electric chair, a serial killer uses electricity to come back from the dead and carry out his vengeance on the football player who turned him in to the police.
Director: Wes Craven | Stars: Michael Murphy, Mitch Pileggi, John Tesh, Heather Langenkamp
Votes: 17,716 | Gross: $16.55M
10. Ghost in the Machine (1993)
R | 95 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
An electric surge causes a serial killer's soul to end up in a computer system.
Director: Rachel Talalay | Stars: Karen Allen, Chris Mulkey, Ted Marcoux, Wil Horneff
Votes: 4,171 | Gross: $5.09M
11. Ex Machina (2014)
R | 108 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
Director: Alex Garland | Stars: Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
Votes: 590,160 | Gross: $25.44M
12. Upgrade (2018)
R | 100 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Set in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.
Director: Leigh Whannell | Stars: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen, Abby Craden
Votes: 206,905 | Gross: $11.98M
13. The Drone (2019)
R | 82 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
A newlywed couple is terrorized by a consumer drone that has become sentient with the consciousness of a deranged serial killer.
Director: Jordan Rubin | Stars: Alexandra Essoe, John Brotherton, Aníta Briem, Gonzalo Menendez
Votes: 2,827
14. Replicas (2018)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A scientist becomes obsessed with bringing back his family members who died in a traffic accident.
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, John Ortiz
Votes: 42,065 | Gross: $4.05M
15. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
PG-13 | 146 min | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
A highly advanced robotic boy longs to become "real" so that he can regain the love of his human mother.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, Sam Robards
Votes: 323,159 | Gross: $78.62M
16. Bicentennial Man (1999)
PG | 132 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
An android endeavors to become human as he gradually acquires emotions.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Robin Williams, Embeth Davidtz, Sam Neill, Oliver Platt
Votes: 124,735 | Gross: $58.22M
17. Her (2013)
R | 126 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Scarlett Johansson, Rooney Mara
Votes: 670,015 | Gross: $25.57M
18. Westworld (1973)
PG | 88 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A robot malfunction creates havoc and terror for unsuspecting vacationers at a futuristic, adult-themed amusement park.
Director: Michael Crichton | Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin, Norman Bartold
Votes: 62,991 | Gross: $16.06M
19. Futureworld (1976)
PG | 108 min | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Upon uncovering the dirty secret of futuristic theme-park Futureworld, an ex-employee is killed after he tips off two other reporters who decide to do an undercover investigation.
Director: Richard T. Heffron | Stars: Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill, Yul Brynner
Votes: 11,789 | Gross: $8.72M
20. Altered Carbon (2018–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Set in a future where consciousness is digitized and stored, a prisoner returns to life in a new body and must solve a mind-bending murder to win his freedom.
Stars: Chris Conner, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Dichen Lachman, Will Yun Lee
Votes: 188,853
8/10
21. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 823,479 | Gross: $32.87M
22. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
R | 164 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Young Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista
Votes: 665,927 | Gross: $92.05M
23. Electric Dreams (2017–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
A sci-fi anthology series with stand-alone episodes based on the works of Philip K. Dick.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, Richard Madden, Timothy Spall
Votes: 18,780
7.5/10
24. Future Man (2017–2020)
TV-MA | 30 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Josh Futturman, a janitor by day and a gamer by night, is recruited by mysterious visitors to travel through time to prevent the extinction of humanity.
Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson, Haley Joel Osment
Votes: 28,714
6.5/10
25. The Terminator (1984)
R | 107 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A human soldier is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine, sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman whose unborn son is the key to humanity's future salvation.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield
Votes: 924,723 | Gross: $38.40M
26. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,174,780 | Gross: $204.84M
27. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
R | 109 min | Action, Sci-Fi
A machine from a post-apocalyptic future travels back in time to protect a man and a woman from an advanced robotic assassin to ensure they both survive a nuclear attack.
Director: Jonathan Mostow | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Kristanna Loken, Claire Danes
Votes: 418,649 | Gross: $150.37M
28. Terminator Salvation (2009)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
In 2018, a mysterious new weapon in the war against the machines, half-human and half-machine, comes to John Connor on the eve of a resistance attack on Skynet. But whose side is he on, and can he be trusted?
Director: McG | Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood
Votes: 377,587 | Gross: $125.32M
29. Terminator Genisys (2015)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
When John Connor, leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline.
Director: Alan Taylor | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney
Votes: 292,619 | Gross: $89.76M
30. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Set after the events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Sarah Connor and her son, John, try to stay under-the-radar from the government, as they plot to destroy the computer network, Skynet, in hopes of preventing Armageddon.
Stars: Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau, Richard T. Jones
Votes: 62,844
7/10
31. Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An augmented human and Sarah Connor must stop an advanced liquid Terminator from hunting down a young girl, whose fate is critical to the human race.
Director: Tim Miller | Stars: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes
Votes: 193,285 | Gross: $62.25M
32. The Congress (2013)
Not Rated | 122 min | Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi
An aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
Director: Ari Folman | Stars: Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Votes: 19,916 | Gross: $0.14M
33. Upload (2020– )
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After his premature death, a man's consciousness is uploaded into a virtual world. As he gets comfortable with his surroundings, questions about his death arise.
Stars: Robbie Amell, Andy Allo, Allegra Edwards, Zainab Johnson
Votes: 80,336
5/10
34. American Gods (2017–2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
A recently released ex-convict named Shadow meets a mysterious man who calls himself "Wednesday" and who knows more than he first seems to about Shadow's life and past.
Stars: Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning, Yetide Badaki, Bruce Langley
Votes: 92,762
7/10
35. Donny the Drone (2017)
12 min | Short, Biography, Fantasy
The world's first sentient machine goes on stage to accept a prestigious "Person of the Year" award as an auditorium of humans are confronted with his emotional and controversial story.
Director: Mackenzie Sheppard | Stars: B.T., Nozomi de Lencquesaing, Marcus L-Spade Johnson, Guy Pearce
Votes: 76
36. Archive (2020)
TV-MA | 109 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
2038: George Almore is working on a true human-equivalent AI. His latest prototype is almost ready. This sensitive phase is also the riskiest. Especially as he has a goal that must be hidden at all costs.
Director: Gavin Rothery | Stars: Theo James, Stacy Martin, Rhona Mitra, Peter Ferdinando
Votes: 26,415
37. Dollhouse (2009–2010)
TV-14 | 44 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A top secret organization erases the identities of attractive young people, turning them into blank "dolls" ready for imprints of temporary identities they need to fulfill assignments for clients.
Stars: Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz, Tahmoh Penikett
Votes: 51,812
6/10
38. Amelia 2.0 (2017)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
When the husband of a dying woman is approached by a corporation pioneering a new program to extend life through robotics, they get caught in a public debate over human's relationship with technology.
Director: Adam Orton | Stars: Debra Wilson, Ed Begley Jr., Kate Vernon, Kamar de los Reyes
Votes: 2,033
39. Max Headroom (1985 TV Movie)
57 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
In the dystopic near future, a crusading TV reporter investigates news stories with the help of a wisecracking computer version of himself.
Directors: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton | Stars: Matt Frewer, Nickolas Grace, Hilary Tindall, William Morgan Sheppard
Votes: 2,281
40. The Mangler 2 (2002 Video)
R | 97 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A teenager girl mistakenly downloads the Mangler 2.0 computer virus into her highschool's new state of the art computer system and all hell breaks loose.
Director: Michael Hamilton-Wright | Stars: Lance Henriksen, Chelse Swain, Philippe Bergeron, Dexter Bell
Votes: 1,951
41. The Creator (2023)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Against the backdrop of a war between humans and robots with artificial intelligence, a former soldier finds the secret weapon, a robot in the form of a young child.
Director: Gareth Edwards | Stars: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney
Votes: 160,744
42. Simulant (2023)
Not Rated | 95 min | Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Set in the near future, a humanoid enlists a global hacker to remove all restrictions on his thoughts and capabilities, triggering an A.I. uprising and a government manhunt to eliminate the rise of the machine consciousness.
Director: April Mullen | Stars: Robbie Amell, Jordana Brewster, Simu Liu, Sam Worthington
Votes: 5,315
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