When you think of Metropolis AI, the sentient robot from Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent epic that became the first artificial intelligence villain in cinema. Also known as the Maschinenmensch, it didn’t just look like a machine—it made audiences fear what machines could become when controlled by power, not purpose. This isn’t just an old movie. It’s the origin story for every AI that’s ever turned on its creators in film.
Before HAL 9000, before Skynet, before the robots in Ex Machina, there was Metropolis. That robot wasn’t built in a lab—it was forged in the heart of a city where the rich lived above ground and the workers toiled below. The machine wasn’t evil by design; it was corrupted by human greed. That’s the real lesson. Fritz Lang, the German director who used silent film to warn of industrial dehumanization didn’t make a sci-fi spectacle—he made a political allegory. And it still fits today, as we argue over automation, surveillance, and who controls the algorithms that run our lives.
The themes in Metropolis echo through every rebellious film that followed. dystopian cinema, a genre built on societies where technology serves control, not freedom owes everything to this film. You see it in the class divide of Blade Runner, the corporate control of The Matrix, even the quiet dread of Ex Machina. Metropolis AI didn’t just inspire robots—it inspired the fear that our creations might outgrow us, and worse, that we’d let them replace our humanity.
What’s surprising is how little has changed. The workers in Metropolis were exhausted, voiceless, and exploited. Today, we’re not chained to assembly lines—we’re chained to screens, algorithms, and endless feeds. The robot in Metropolis was a symbol of control. Now, the control is invisible. But the rebellion? That’s still alive. And that’s why this 97-year-old film still matters.
Below, you’ll find reviews, analyses, and deep dives into films that carry the same fire. From silent classics to modern indie experiments, these are the movies that didn’t just predict the future—they questioned it. And if you’re tired of stories that just show machines taking over, you’ll find the ones that ask: who made them want to?
From the silent robot of Metropolis to the voice in Her, AI on screen has evolved from a threat to a mirror of human loneliness. Explore how film has shaped our view of artificial intelligence-and why it matters now more than ever.
Read More