The successful blockbuster franchise Deus Ex is one of cyberpunk’s most firmly interred pillars of inspiration.
The Deus Ex brand has always been about exploring the ethics of transhumanism, occultism, and the theme of blurred humanity. The world of Deus Ex embraces the cyberpunk genre with its multi-layered characters who strive to preserve their humanity in a world where values have lost all proportion.
Throughout the years, the Deus Ex series has extended its influence in literature, comic books and is about to make its debut with a video game adaptation of its stellar 2011 entry Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Here are 10 movies that will surely keep you entertained until the release of the aforementioned Deus Ex movie adaptation:
1. Surrogates (2009)
"Surrogates" - Official Trailer [HQ]
Inspired by the decade-old comic series The Surrogates, the on-screen adaptation takes place in the year 2025, where humankind experiences the real world through robotic copies of themselves that are called surrogates, which live an ordinary everyday life while their human operators control them from the comforts of their own homes. In the midst of this blurred reality, FBI agent Tom Greer investigates the murder of his son prior to the beginning of the movie while trying to reinforce the crumbling marriage with his surrogate wife.
2. Repo Men (2010)
'Repo Men' Trailer HD
With the novel The Repossession Mambo by Eric Garcia serving as an impetus for a movie adaptation, Repo Men depicts a possible futuristic society where medical technology has reached its acme of evolution, allowing every citizen to acquire artificial organs so as to extend their life forever. However, when a buyer doesn’t provide the necessary payment, a corporation called "The Union" sends its agents, called “repo men”, to reclaim the artificial organ, resulting in the death of the organ’s possessor. The tide turns when one of its agents, Remy, becomes the owner of an artificial heart and is on the run when he finds himself on the same wavelength as many of the people who have failed to pay back the corporation’s services.
3. Total Recall (2012)
Total Recall - Official Trailer #1 Colin Farrell Movie (2012) HD
Based on the 1990 film of the same name, Total Recall takes place at the end of the 21st century, in a world ill-ridden by chemical warfare. The film centers round protagonist Douglas Quaid, a factory worker whose fate changes the moment he realizes his current state of being was an artificial fabrication interred into him by the government, and that his true identity was that of a highly-skilled covert agent. Douglas joins rebel fighter, Melina, in order to uncover the truth and pick up the shattered pieces of his forsaken past life.
4. The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix (1999) Official Trailer #1 - Sci-Fi Action Movie
Considered by many as the archetypical cyberpunk movie, The Matrix depicts a possible dystopian future where sentient machines turn the tide of the human population, attempting to subdue them by enclosing them in a virtual reality while their real-life bodies serve as an indispensable source for the machine’s essential power force. Computer hacker "Neo" is interlocked into a rebellion with these machines once he is awakened from his prolonged sleep, attempting to overthrow them while backed by a camaraderie of other people who have also shattered their disillusioned dream world.
5. Dredd (2012)
Dredd 3D Official Trailer #1 (2012) - Karl Urban Movie HD
With the 2000 AD comic strip Judge Dredd serving as a basis, Dredd depicts an elucidating, apocalyptic, dystopian take on the United States in the far future, depicting it as a rugged wasteland known as The Cursed Earth. The plot centers round policeman Judge Dredd from the tumultuous metropolis Mega-City One, where the principal peacekeeping force is called the Judges, who embody the role of judge, jury and executioner. Dredd is a renowned, yet feared Judge who is tasked to undergo a hazardous quest to overthrow Ma-Ma the drug lord of an uncharted area, assisted by his extraordinary psychic partner, the rookie Cassandra.
6. I, Robot (2004)
I, Robot - Official Trailer [HD]
Set in 2035, I, Robot tells the story of a grim, dystopian society where robots fill out the majority of public service positions worldwide, governed by the Three Laws of Robotics. Augmented police detective, Del Spooner, surmises and scorns these robots after being rescued by one of them from a car accident, at the expense of leaving a young girl to die as her life was less meritorious than Spooner’s. After U.S. Robotics CEO Alfred Lanning’s clandestine suicide, Del Spooner, accompanied by robot expert Susan Calvin, delves deep into a robot conspiracy that threatens to subjugate the whole human race.
7. Gamer (2009)
"Gamer" - Official Trailer [HD]
In 2024, entrepreneur and astute computer programmer Ken Castle devises self-replicating nanites which allow an individual the power over another person’s body. From this discovery stems an online computer game called Society which allows gamers temporary control over a person’s life in a pseudo-community. Kable, portrayed by Gerard Butler, is a player-controlled character in a violent online brawl game called Slayers, and the key to stop Ken Castle’s invention.
8. Terminator Genisys (2015)
Terminator: Genisys Official Trailer #2 (2015)
The fifth installment in the Terminator franchise, the film follows human resistance soldier Kyle Reese in an unyielding war against Skynet, an artificial general intelligence system which aims to eliminate the human race. By order of his leader John Connor, Reese is sent back to 1984 to protect John’s mother, Sarah Connor, and is hurled in a race against time with a T-800 Terminator who seeks to assassinate her. However, much to Reese’s surprise, instead of a feeble waitress, Sarah Connor is a veteran fighter with a seasoned Terminator guardian at her side. Faced with an unprecedented alteration to the timeline, Reese is faced with a new arduous task – to reset the future.
9. Elysium (2013)
Elysium Official Extended Trailer (2013)
In the year 2159, humanity is burdened with social and political strife. While the prestigious upper class live a pampered lifestyle aboard a space station called Elysium, its less fortunate citizens are forced to persist in a dissolute society on Earth. When a man named Max discovers a possible outcome to bring equality to society, a resident of Elysium called Secretary Delacourt will try to stop him, no matter the cost for humanity.
10. Equilibrium (2002)
Equilibrium (2002) Official Trailer #1
Taking place post-World War III, the movie focuses on enforcement officer John Preston, who inhabits an Orwellian-dominated dystopian society where citizens are subject to daily doses of a drug called Prozium II which reduces human emotions. When Preston accidentally misses his daily dose, he is prone to a plethora of emotions which make him rethink his own morality and stance in the world, which, in turn, lead him to form a rebellion to overthrow their inhumane leaders.
As a bonus, you can view below a fan-made Deus Ex: Human Revolution short movie that was two years in the making and was written, directed and produced my Moe Charif, who played the character of Adam Jensen. It is a reimagining and a more versatile approach toward the game’s plot, abounding with visual effects and exertive creative effort that one should expect from the forthcoming Deus Ex: Human Revolution movie adaptation.
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