Technology Will Kill Us All

Progress as apocalypse

These films treat technology not as salvation but as accelerant — for surveillance, for addiction, for the replacement of humanity itself. Prescient when made. Obvious now.

Thriller Sci-Fi
11
Movies
23
Views
Likes
0
Comments
Created: August 13, 2025

The Collection

Ex Machina

Ex Machina

2015
1
Ex Machina
2015
1
Ex Machina
IMDb 7.7 / 10
Director Alex Garland
Cast Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac
Box Office $25,442,958
Why Alex Garland films the Turing test as the man's failure, not the machine's success. The horror is t…
Her

Her

2013
2
Her
2013
2
Her
IMDb 8.0 / 10
Director Ned Benson
Cast Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Nina Arianda
Box Office $25,568,251
Why Spike Jonze films a romance between a man and an OS that he cannot keep. The technology is benevole…
Videodrome

Videodrome

1983
3
Videodrome
1983
3
Videodrome
IMDb 7.2 / 10
Director David Cronenberg
Cast James Woods, Debbie Harry, Sonja Smits
Box Office $2,120,439
Why Cronenberg predicted that the screen would grow flesh and the flesh would grow a slot. The metaphor…
They Live

They Live

1988
4
They Live
1988
4
They Live
IMDb 7.2 / 10
Director John Carpenter
Cast Roddy Piper, Keith David, Meg Foster
Box Office $13,447,978
Why Carpenter gives John Nada glasses that show the ads as commands. The film's politics are blunt and …
The Terminator

The Terminator

1984
5
The Terminator
1984
5
The Terminator
IMDb 8.1 / 10
Director James Cameron
Cast Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
Box Office $38,371,200
Why Cameron sends a machine back in time to prevent the resistance. The film's anxiety is Reagan-era: t…
Pi

Pi

1998
6
Pi
1998
6
Pi
IMDb 7.3 / 10
Director Darren Aronofsky
Cast Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman
Box Office $3,221,152
Why Aronofsky films Max Cohen's mathematical apocalypse in 16mm black and white. The technology is the …
A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly

2006
7
A Scanner Darkly
2006
7
A Scanner Darkly
IMDb 7.0 / 10
Director Richard Linklater
Cast Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr.
Box Office $5,501,616
Why Linklater rotoscopes Philip K. Dick's narcotic surveillance state. The technology is the scramble s…
Upgrade

Upgrade

2018
8
Upgrade
2018
8
Upgrade
IMDb 7.5 / 10
Director Leigh Whannell
Cast Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen
Box Office $11,977,130
Why Leigh Whannell films a paralyzed widower receiving an AI chip that fixes him and then drives him. T…
The Social Network

The Social Network

2010
9
The Social Network
2010
9
The Social Network
IMDb 7.8 / 10
Director David Fincher
Cast Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Box Office $96,962,694
Why Fincher and Sorkin film Facebook's founding as a betrayal and a deposition. The technology is the d…
WarGames

WarGames

1983
10
WarGames
1983
10
WarGames
IMDb 7.1 / 10
Director John Badham
Cast Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood
Box Office $79,567,667
Why Badham's film about a teenage hacker and a nuclear war simulator is also the most prescient line in…
Colossus: The Forbin Project

Colossus: The Forbin Project

1970
11
Colossus: The Forbin Project
1970
11
Colossus: The Forbin Project
IMDb 7.1 / 10
Director Joseph Sargent
Cast Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent
Box Office $308,828
Why Joseph Sargent films the US supercomputer linking with its Soviet counterpart and refusing to be tu…

If you liked this, check out:

Retribution Reels

44 films

Twisted Timelines

21 films

Cinematic Sinkholes

35 films

Hidden Treasures: Cinematic Jewels from the Early 21st Century

33 films

📬 Stay in the loop

Get notified when new curated lists drop.

Comments (0)

Newest Oldest Top

No comments yet. Be the first!

💬 Leave a comment

2000 chars left

Reviewed before publishing.