# Movies about tech paranoia for TechTV appearance **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737 "2002-04-09T22:59:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/1 "2002-04-09T22:59:15Z")
Dopers-- here’s your chance to influence TV history! An extremely microscopic portion of it! I will be on TechTV on April 26. TechTV is a channel about, duh, technology, mostly computers. I’ve been on a couple of times before ([see my previous appearances here](http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/projects/story/0,24330,3359017,00.html)), talking about bad science in movies. The theme for the next show is Fear of Tech. I am trying to think of movies that feature some sort of tech paranoia which I can talk about, mostly to point out the errors. A few that come to mind are “The Matrix” (using people for power is a huge waste of energy), “Capricorn 1” (which I can use to make fun of the Moon hoax), and maybe “Colossus: The Forbin Project” (a great 60s flick in which a supercomputer takes over the world’s nuclear weapons). I am looking for a list of movies I can use on the segment, and I figured Dopers would know some good ones. I need to have seen the movies already (which of course you can’t know, but I’ll winnow the list that way) and they need to be out on DVD so the producers of the show can edit them. I need to make sure the list gets sent to the folks there by April 17. So, what say you? ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2002, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/2 "2002-04-09T23:14:14Z")
How about [Enemy of the State](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0120660)? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/3 "2002-04-10T00:04:17Z")
How about _Independence Day_, where an Apple Powerbook speaks an alien machine code? And of course, there’s always that pesky AE-35 unit… ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/4 "2002-04-10T00:24:47Z")
It seems to me that _The Terminator_ has a pretty hefty amount of techno-paranoia. ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/5 "2002-04-10T00:46:31Z")
Aw, man, I immediately thought of _Colossus: The Forbin Project_ when I saw the thread title. How about another one from the 70s, _Demon Seed_? This movie can be read as a typical screed against the dehumanizing effects of technology but there may also be an undertone of paranoia about reproductive technologies. Here’s a quote from the IMDB: > [@](#): > > Scientist Alex Harris, doing research on artificial intelligence, is working on a special kind of computer. This computer grows more and more powerful, and succeeds in raping the scientist’s wife, Susan Harris. In the end she gives birth to a hybrid baby. Along the same lines, there’s the more recent _GATTACA_ which is paranoid about designer genetics. Again from the IMDB: > [@](#): > > Vincent is one of the last “natural” babies born into a sterile, genetically-enhanced world, where life expectancy and disease likelihood are ascertained at birth. Myopic and due to die at 30, he has no chance of a career in a society that now discriminates against your genes, instead of your gender, race or religion… It seems that movies have always displayed a distrust of technology (mad scientists, atomic monsters, etc.). I’m sure you’ll have no shortage of movies to choose from. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/6 "2002-04-10T00:59:58Z")
How about _War Games_? Any kid and the contents of a Radio Shack warehouse can destroy the world. And how about that whole “pissing on a sparkplug” thing? Also, _The Manhattan Project_. Any kid and the contents a nuclear reseach lab can destroy the world. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/7 "2002-04-10T01:21:27Z")
How about the grandaddy of them all, _Frankenstein_ ? Or Stephen King’s _Maximum Overdrive_ ? Or _Man’s Best Friend_ ? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/8 "2002-04-10T01:40:08Z")
You can even throw in _Star Wars_, re: the Death Star bombing run: Rebel leader: “Red five’s turned off his targeting computer!” Leia: (speaking into radio) Luke, is something wrong? Obi-Wan: (speaking into Luke’s brain directly) Trust your feelings, Luke. Despite all its gosh-golly-gee tech, the movie hinges on the semi-mystical Force. Puh-leeze. And you set up a harsh zing of _Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ during the scene when the crew confronts V’Ger, a.k.a. Voyager VI, directly. When Stephen Collins says the line “V’Ger needs to merge with a human because of our ability to leap beyond logic,” you can pause the film and say “Yeah, like the writer of this stupid movie is _doing right now!_” ---
**Author:** ![Mike\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mike\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_H)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/9 "2002-04-10T01:43:16Z")
I’m suprised nobody has mentioned THX 1138. Not so much fear of technology on the part of the characters, but definitely meant to convey a sense of dread on the audience about how technology could be used to remove emotion all together from man’s experience. ---
**Author:** ![Eternal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@Eternal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eternal)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/10 "2002-04-10T02:35:03Z")
Hell, I can’t think of any movie coming out nowadays that doesn’t have some kind of anti-technology message. That’s what you get when Hippies run Hollywood. Hey, how about every single episode of the new _Outer Limits_ series? I swear to God they could have the same out-tro to each show. Come to think of it, they do. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/11 "2002-04-10T02:55:49Z")
**Westworld** 1973 Yul Brynner as a robot with a little wiring problem in the amusement park of the future. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/12 "2002-04-10T03:09:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mike H \* > \*\*I’m suprised nobody has mentioned THX 1138. Not so much fear of technology on the part of the characters, but definitely meant to convey a sense of dread on the audience about how technology could be used to remove emotion all together from man’s experience. \*\* Ooh! Along those lines can we throw in maybe _Zardoz_ (awful Sean Connery movie) and _Logan’s Run_? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/13 "2002-04-10T03:59:30Z")
These are good suggestions! I had thought of Terminator, which is a great flick. One of the best, actually. Remember, we’re talking about direct fear/paranoia of technology. Star Wars wouldn’t fit that category. ST:TMP doesn’t either since it isn’t about fear, it’s about transcending technology. Also, it’s the _implications_ of tech that count. That’s why Colossus fits. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@The\_Bad\_Astronomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bad_Astronomer)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/14 "2002-04-10T05:15:38Z")
These are good suggestions! I had thought of Terminator, which is a great flick. One of the best, actually. Remember, we’re talking about direct fear/paranoia of technology. Star Wars wouldn’t fit that category. ST:TMP doesn’t either since it isn’t about fear, it’s about transcending technology. Also, it’s the _implications_ of tech that count. That’s why Colossus fits. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/15 "2002-04-10T06:06:07Z")
Well, that last duplicate post reminded me: don’t forget about cloning and genetic movies: One of the best: _Gattaca_ One of the Worst!: _The Clones of Bruce Lee!!_ :eek: [http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/clones\_brucelee.html](http://www.stomptokyo.com/badmoviereport/clones_brucelee.html) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/16 "2002-04-10T06:10:15Z")
Sorry **Hodge** , Somehow I missed your reply. I am still in total shock about that Bruce lee clone movie! ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/17 "2002-04-10T06:10:31Z")
How about that silly movie with the chick from _Speed_? Um…_The Net_? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/18 "2002-04-10T06:14:44Z")
Well, lemme look at my DVD collection here… **Brazil** - in a bureaucratic future, a typographical error gets the wrong man arrested and killed. **Event Horizon** - faster-than-light travel transports you to hell. **Godzilla** - nuclear tests create killer überbeast. **Jurassic Park** - genetically-engineered dinosaurs run amok and reproduce, even though they’re all female. **Mimic** - scientists engineer an insect to kill roaches; it grows to six feet tall and starts preying on humans. **Tomorrow Never Dies** - James Bond movie. In the race to be the #1 world news agency, a megalomaniacal media mogul starts wars (almost) by manipulating the Global Positioning System, then being the first to report on the international tension. And just about any science fiction movie from the 1950s. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/19 "2002-04-10T06:47:25Z")
The Net, bad Sandra Bullock film where malicious people ruin her life via altering her computer records. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737/20 "2002-04-10T07:44:18Z")
Well, since **Papermache Prince** stole my suggestion for [Westworld](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070909), what about [War Games](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0086567)? Maybe not quite _about_ tech paranoia, but surely an incentive towards it. > [@](#): > > **A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.** Haven’t seen it, but it’s all that came to mind after Mr. Brenner’s opus. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-about-tech-paranoia-for-techtv-appearance/102737.md?page=2)