One of the coolest parts of any movie focusing on cyborgs, robots, androids or what have you is the scene or scenes where the inner-workings of the machine are revealed to the audience for the first time. Sometimes it’s a twist, other times its just a chance to see what makes a robot tick. With Paramount’s live-action Ghost in the Shell fast approaching on March 31, we thought we’d take the opportunity to compile a list of The 10 Best Cyborg Reveal Scenes in Movies, which you can check out in the gallery below!
This is a great time to be celebrating all things robotic, as Anchor Bay is putting out a new limited edition Mondo steelbook Blu-ray of Mamoru Oshii’s original 1995 anime masterpiece Ghost in the Shell, which we previewed and can say it still looks incredible for a 20+ year-old movie. Our friends at Scream Factory are also putting out two cyberpunk favorites to Blu-ray, 1990’s RoboCop 2 and 1993’s RoboCop 3, both packed to the gills with amazing bonus features that even those disappointed by the sequels will find fascinating.
Click here to pre-order RoboCop 2 and here to pre-order RoboCop 3 on Scream Factory Blu-ray before their release on March 21!
Which of the cyborg reveals on our list is your favorite? What are some other great cyborg reveal scenes in movies? Let us know in the comments below!
The 10 Best Cyborg Reveal Scenes in Movies
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Ex Machina (2015)
We know from the get-go that Oscar Isaac's software CEO Nathan Bateman has created a robot with artificial intelligence named Ava (Alicia Vikander). However, its not revealed until later that his assistant Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) is also an android!
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The World's End (2013)
Edgar Wright's comedy about a group of high school friends who get back together to complete a pub crawl is interrupted by a sci-fi plot for a world takeover by robots. This is discovered when Gary (Simon Pegg) accidentally knocks one of their heads off during a drunken bathroom brawl.
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I, Robot (2004)
This dystopian story suggested by Isaac Asimov's writings casts Will Smith as a future detective Del Spooner, who harbors deep anger and resentment towards the growing presence of robots in society. During a fight with an evil one, we learn that Spooner himself has been partially augmented with a robot body (mainly his arm), which is certainly a surprise. Guess that makes him a self-hating cyborg!
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A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
During the opening scene of Steven Spielberg's Stanley Kubrick collaboration, robot company magnate William Hurt is giving a pep talk to employees when he reveals the secretary taking notes is a robot. Sheila (Sabrina Grdevich) is able to open her face from the middle to reveal the bot beneath the flesh.
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Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Major Motoko Kusanagi, a tough-as-nails female cop in future Japan circa 2029, explains throughout the film that most of her body is cybernetically enhanced, but we don't get the full measure of this until a final battle sequence. In a tussle with an armored tank, she attempts to pull open the top of it, but the seal is too powerful and she winds up ripping her own arms and legs off to reveal the mass of circuits and parts beneath.
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Toys (1992)
Barry Levinson's underrated satire is full of surreal gags, but none more memorable than the moment when we realize Robin Williams' sister Alsatia (Joan Cuasack) is actually a robot when she's shot and her head shoots off her body. Don't worry, though, she's okay!
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Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
One of the most indelible moments in James Cameron's brilliant sequel is when Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800 slices the flesh of his arm and degloves himself to reveal the mechanical endoskeleton underneath. It's all to convince computer scientist Miles Dyson (Joe Morton) that he has to destroy the work he's done that will lead to Skynet.
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Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
Evil Robot Bill and Evil Robot Ted reveal their evil robot selves to distressed future people by opening their faces in a pretty gross moment.
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RoboCop (1987) and RoboCop 2 (1990)
Rob Bottin did a brilliant make-up job on the first RoboCop to reveal what was left of Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) underneath that robotic helmet. There was still a lot more humanity left of him than poor psychotic Cain (Tom Noonan) in RoboCop 2, who was nothing more than a brain in a jar with some wires hanging out.
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Alien (1979)
Although the chest burster scene is understandably iconic, almost as shocking is the moment when Ash's (Ian Holm) head gets knocked off by Parker (Yaphet Kotto) to reveal he's nothing but "a damn robot" sent by the company. The white milky fluid that pours out of him is utterly revolting!
