List Rules Your favorite future noir and tech noir films, regardless of box office or critic rating.
We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, Ranker may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
The best tech noir and future noir movies bring the classic film noir feel into the future with science fiction backdrops and characters. Sure, they may not be filmed in black and white, but their stories very much embody film noir. So which are the best techno noir and future noir movies of all time? See what fans of films think below.
What defines the future noir genre? One way to define it is as a combination of film noir storytelling with a science fiction setting. However, that definition can be problematic in itself because there is some disagreement on what film noir encapsulates. Generally, the best future noir films have to do with a crime or mystery that the hero (who sometimes but not always is a detective) must solve.
Some examples of future noir or tech noir include Gattaca and Blade Runner. In fact, Blade Runner is probably the strongest example of a tech noir film, as it features both a detective and a femme fatale. A more recent tech noir film is I, Robot, which stars Will Smith as a police office that has to get to the bottom of a murder mystery.
So now that we’re all on the same page as to what makes a science fiction movie a future noir or tech noir, it’s time to see which are actually the best ones. Vote for your favorite future noir films below or add any you feel are missing. If you’re looking to see where a particular future noir film is ranked, you can use the search box at the top of the list. Otherwise, let’s solve the mystery of which is the best future noir movie ever!
All sorts of directors have taken on Future noir movies. Examples include Mamoru Oshii, Alejandro Amenábar, and Colin Budds.
list ordered by
1
221 19
Blade RunnerHarrison Ford, Daryl Hannah, Sean Young Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The screenplay, ...more
2
94 29
GattacaUma Thurman, Jude Law, Ethan Hawke Gattaca is a 1997 American science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol. It stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, with Jude Law, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal, and Alan ...more
3
96 40
Total RecallArnold Schwarzenegger, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, and Sharon Stone. The film is loosely based on the Philip ...more
4
57 11
The TerminatorArnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Paxton, Linda Hamilton The Terminator is a 1984 American science fiction/horror action film directed by James Cameron, written by Cameron and the film's producer Gale Anne Hurd. Schwarzenegger plays the Terminator, a ...more
5
89 37
12 MonkeysBrad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Christopher Plummer 12 Monkeys, also known as Twelve Monkeys, is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film La Jetée, and starring Bruce ...more
6
84 31
BrazilRobert De Niro, Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm Brazil is a 1985 British film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard. British National Cinema by Sarah Street describes the film as a ...more
7
68 23
Ghost in the ShellMaaya Sakamoto, Akio Ōtsuka, Kōichi Yamadera Ghost in the Shell is a 1995 anime science fiction film based on manga of the same title by Masamune Shirow. The film was written by Kazunori Itō, directed by Mamoru Oshii, animated by ...more
8
44 8
AlienSigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm Alien is a 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. ...more
9
81 36
Minority ReportCameron Diaz, Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell Minority Report is a 2002 American neo-noir science fiction mystery-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and loosely based on the short story of the same name by Philip K. Dick. It is set ...more
10
47 12
Dark CityJennifer Connelly, Kiefer Sutherland, Melissa George Dark City is a 1998 neo-noir science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer. The film stars Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, ...more
11
75 40
Children of MenJulianne Moore, Clive Owen, Michael Caine Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction thriller film directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James's 1992 novel of the same name, was credited to five ...more
12
55 27
A Scanner DarklyRobert Downey Jr., Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder A Scanner Darkly is a 2006 American animated science fiction thriller film directed by Richard Linklater based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick. The film tells the story of ...more
13
33 7
Escape from New YorkJamie Lee Curtis, Kurt Russell, Ernest Borgnine Escape from New York is a 1981 American science fiction action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter. The film is set in a then near-future 1997 in a distopian United States ...more
14
33 9
Terminator 2: Judgment DayArnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science fiction action thriller film written, produced and directed by James Cameron. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert ...more
15
31 9
AliensSigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn Aliens is a 1986 American science-fiction action horror film written and directed by James Cameron, produced by his then-wife Gale Anne Hurd, and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael ...more
16
39 18
Strange DaysRalph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis Strange Days is a 1995 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It stars Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Vincent D'Onofrio, and ...more
17
31 11
RobocopPeter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy
18
37 21
Delete Matrix is a 1999 short film directed by Nicky Hamlyn.
19
54 43
V for VendettaNatalie Portman, John Hurt, Hugo Weaving V for Vendetta is a 2006 American political thriller film directed by James McTeigue and written by the Wachowski Brothers, based on the 1988 Vertigo graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore ...more
20
30 21
AlphavilleAnna Karina, Jean Piere Leaud, Akim Tamiroff Alphaville: une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution is a 1965 black-and-white French science fiction film noir directed by Jean-Luc Godard. It stars Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, Howard ...more
21
36 29
EquilibriumChristian Bale, Sean Bean, Taye Diggs Equilibrium is a 2002 American dystopian science fiction film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer and starring Christian Bale, Emily Watson, and Taye Diggs. The film follows John Preston, an ...more
22
29 23
The Thirteenth FloorGretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, Shiri Appleby The Thirteenth Floor is a 1999 film directed by Josef Rusnak.
23
19 11
The ThingKurt Russell, Keith David, John Carpenter The Thing is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter, written by Bill Lancaster, and starring Kurt Russell. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a ...more
24
27 24
ExistenzJude Law, Willem Dafoe, Jennifer Jason Leigh Existenz is a 1999 Canadian science fiction body horror film written, produced, and directed by Canadian director David Cronenberg. It stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jude Law. As in Videodrome, ...more
25
20 13
I, RobotWill Smith, Shia LaBeouf, Bridget Moynahan I, Robot is a 2004 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, and is inspired by Isaac Asimov's ...more
not on the list? add item #44
List Rules: Your favorite future noir and tech noir films, regardless of box office or critic rating.
