Neptune Frost

eXistenZ follows virtual reality video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whose new project is sabotaged by activists. Before becoming a filmmaker, director David Cronenberg studied organic chemistry and cell biology, and this resonates in his approach to themes, props, and makeup: players interact with a fleshy controller that connects to their bodies via umbilical-like power cords. Cronenberg’s fifteenth feature considers cyberpunk concepts like biohacking, wearable technologies, body modification, and transhumanism not through mechanical devices but via common organic material, setting the film in dialogue with similar Y2K-era works of cyberpunk cinema like The Matrix (1999).

eXistenZ follows virtual reality video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whose new project is sabotaged by activists. Before becoming a filmmaker, director David Cronenberg studied organic chemistry and cell biology, and this resonates in his approach to themes, props, and makeup: players interact with a fleshy controller that connects to their bodies via umbilical-like power cords. Cronenberg’s fifteenth feature considers cyberpunk concepts like biohacking, wearable technologies, body modification, and transhumanism not through mechanical devices but via common organic material, setting the film in dialogue with similar Y2K-era works of cyberpunk cinema like The Matrix (1999).

eXistenZ follows virtual reality video game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh), whose new project is sabotaged by activists. Before becoming a filmmaker, director David Cronenberg studied organic chemistry and cell biology, and this resonates in his approach to themes, props, and makeup: players interact with a fleshy controller that connects to their bodies via umbilical-like power cords. Cronenberg’s fifteenth feature considers cyberpunk concepts like biohacking, wearable technologies, body modification, and transhumanism not through mechanical devices but via common organic material, setting the film in dialogue with similar Y2K-era works of cyberpunk cinema like The Matrix (1999).

This animated adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s manga dives into the networked urban landscape of New Port City, Japan. In the year 2029, technological advancements have allowed humans to optimize their bodies, or “shells,” with physical augmentations. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body synthetic female cyborg, is tasked with tracing the Puppet Master, a cybercriminal mastermind suspected of a nefarious hacking job. Extraordinary photorealistic cityscapes realized through cel animation and computer-generated images are enhanced by an enthralling score by Kawai Kenji to shape the story’s dystopia into a gritty realism. Its prescient symbols and themes resonate in later films by James Cameron (The Terminator) and the Wachowskis (The Matrix).

This animated adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s manga dives into the networked urban landscape of New Port City, Japan. In the year 2029, technological advancements have allowed humans to optimize their bodies, or “shells,” with physical augmentations. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body synthetic female cyborg, is tasked with tracing the Puppet Master, a cybercriminal mastermind suspected of a nefarious hacking job. Extraordinary photorealistic cityscapes realized through cel animation and computer-generated images are enhanced by an enthralling score by Kawai Kenji to shape the story’s dystopia into a gritty realism. Its prescient symbols and themes resonate in later films by James Cameron (The Terminator) and the Wachowskis (The Matrix).

This animated adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s manga dives into the networked urban landscape of New Port City, Japan. In the year 2029, technological advancements have allowed humans to optimize their bodies, or “shells,” with physical augmentations. Major Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body synthetic female cyborg, is tasked with tracing the Puppet Master, a cybercriminal mastermind suspected of a nefarious hacking job. Extraordinary photorealistic cityscapes realized through cel animation and computer-generated images are enhanced by an enthralling score by Kawai Kenji to shape the story’s dystopia into a gritty realism. Its prescient symbols and themes resonate in later films by James Cameron (The Terminator) and the Wachowskis (The Matrix).

Ex-cop Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hunts down fugitive human-like androids called “replicants” in a dystopian, twenty-first century Los Angeles, one where neon saturates the crowded landscape and traffic woes are quelled by endless skyways for flying vehicles. Based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film and its story popularized the now-classic cyberpunk conflict about the boundary between human consciousness and artificial intelligence. Working with an innovative art department, director Ridley Scott embraced a look that merged old and new technology; industrial designer, illustrator, and “visual futurist” Syd Mead developed much of the film’s groundbreaking aesthetic.

Ex-cop Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hunts down fugitive human-like androids called “replicants” in a dystopian, twenty-first century Los Angeles, one where neon saturates the crowded landscape and traffic woes are quelled by endless skyways for flying vehicles. Based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film and its story popularized the now-classic cyberpunk conflict about the boundary between human consciousness and artificial intelligence. Working with an innovative art department, director Ridley Scott embraced a look that merged old and new technology; industrial designer, illustrator, and “visual futurist” Syd Mead developed much of the film’s groundbreaking aesthetic.

Ex-cop Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hunts down fugitive human-like androids called “replicants” in a dystopian, twenty-first century Los Angeles, one where neon saturates the crowded landscape and traffic woes are quelled by endless skyways for flying vehicles. Based on Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the film and its story popularized the now-classic cyberpunk conflict about the boundary between human consciousness and artificial intelligence. Working with an innovative art department, director Ridley Scott embraced a look that merged old and new technology; industrial designer, illustrator, and “visual futurist” Syd Mead developed much of the film’s groundbreaking aesthetic.

This film by writer-directors The Wachowskis, inspired by (and named for) the virtual world in William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer, envisions a dystopian future where humans are trapped in a virtual reality simulation while AI machines harvest their bodies for energy. Cyberpunk themes blend with stylistic elements from anime and Hong Kong action cinema as computer hacker Neo and a group of rebels fight against the machines to free humankind. A critical and box-office hit, the film won Oscars for Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, and Visual Effects. It also spawned numerous sequels, comics, video games, and a series of acclaimed animated shorts.

This film by writer-directors The Wachowskis, inspired by (and named for) the virtual world in William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer, envisions a dystopian future where humans are trapped in a virtual reality simulation while AI machines harvest their bodies for energy. Cyberpunk themes blend with stylistic elements from anime and Hong Kong action cinema as computer hacker Neo and a group of rebels fight against the machines to free humankind. A critical and box-office hit, the film won Oscars for Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, and Visual Effects. It also spawned numerous sequels, comics, video games, and a series of acclaimed animated shorts.

This film by writer-directors The Wachowskis, inspired by (and named for) the virtual world in William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer, envisions a dystopian future where humans are trapped in a virtual reality simulation while AI machines harvest their bodies for energy. Cyberpunk themes blend with stylistic elements from anime and Hong Kong action cinema as computer hacker Neo and a group of rebels fight against the machines to free humankind. A critical and box-office hit, the film won Oscars for Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, and Visual Effects. It also spawned numerous sequels, comics, video games, and a series of acclaimed animated shorts.

This aesthetically daring science-fiction musical—written and co-directed by artist and musician Saul Williams—opens in the coltan mines of Burundi, East Africa, where laborers extract this precious resource for use in mobile phones, smartwatches, and laptops. Recognizing they’ve been exploited as drastically as their land has been, the laborers form an underground band of anti-colonialist hackers and set up camp in an e-waste dump of obsolescent technologies. A futuristic fable with a powerful punk ethos, this genre-defying work reminds us of the political power we have at our fingertips and our collective responsibility to hold power to account.

This aesthetically daring science-fiction musical—written and co-directed by artist and musician Saul Williams—opens in the coltan mines of Burundi, East Africa, where laborers extract this precious resource for use in mobile phones, smartwatches, and laptops. Recognizing they’ve been exploited as drastically as their land has been, the laborers form an underground band of anti-colonialist hackers and set up camp in an e-waste dump of obsolescent technologies. A futuristic fable with a powerful punk ethos, this genre-defying work reminds us of the political power we have at our fingertips and our collective responsibility to hold power to account.

Cyborg hitman T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent from the future to kill civilian Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn child will one day avert the destruction of mankind by the artificial intelligence technology Skynet. Evoking a post-apocalyptic future in which evil autonomous networks seek world domination, James Cameron’s The Terminator was massively influential in establishing cyberpunk aesthetics and themes of the decade, especially in its anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian spirit. The film’s androids were designed by special effects and makeup artist Stan Winston, whose later work with prosthetics, puppets, and animatronics on Terminator 2: Judgment Day would earn him Academy Awards for both Makeup and Visual Effects.

Cyborg hitman T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent from the future to kill civilian Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn child will one day avert the destruction of mankind by the artificial intelligence technology Skynet. Evoking a post-apocalyptic future in which evil autonomous networks seek world domination, James Cameron’s The Terminator was massively influential in establishing cyberpunk aesthetics and themes of the decade, especially in its anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian spirit. The film’s androids were designed by special effects and makeup artist Stan Winston, whose later work with prosthetics, puppets, and animatronics on Terminator 2: Judgment Day would earn him Academy Awards for both Makeup and Visual Effects.

Cyborg hitman T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is sent from the future to kill civilian Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), whose unborn child will one day avert the destruction of mankind by the artificial intelligence technology Skynet. Evoking a post-apocalyptic future in which evil autonomous networks seek world domination, James Cameron’s The Terminator was massively influential in establishing cyberpunk aesthetics and themes of the decade, especially in its anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian spirit. The film’s androids were designed by special effects and makeup artist Stan Winston, whose later work with prosthetics, puppets, and animatronics on Terminator 2: Judgment Day would earn him Academy Awards for both Makeup and Visual Effects.

Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi action film took the excessive, muscle-bound physique of the 1980s American action star and fused it with the burgeoning technology of the day. RoboCop depicts a future in which major corporations control the police and most aspects of daily life. While jaw-dropping practical effects and gore punctuate the action, the screenplay is full of social commentary, and the struggles of a human-robot hybrid questioning its past give the story its emotional and philosophical core. The film was nominated for Sound and Film Editing and received a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing at the Academy Awards.

Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi action film took the excessive, muscle-bound physique of the 1980s American action star and fused it with the burgeoning technology of the day. RoboCop depicts a future in which major corporations control the police and most aspects of daily life. While jaw-dropping practical effects and gore punctuate the action, the screenplay is full of social commentary, and the struggles of a human-robot hybrid questioning its past give the story its emotional and philosophical core. The film was nominated for Sound and Film Editing and received a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing at the Academy Awards.

In Sleep Dealer, director Alex Rivera imagines a future in which workers and their labor are separated by technology. His film follows a Mexican “node” factory worker named Memo Cruz (Luis Fernando Peña) in a militarized Tijuana. Using headwear that muzzles his mouth and wires connected to ports in his arms, Memo controls robots across the US border in a dystopian vision of migrant labor. Rivera and production designer Miguel Ángel Álvarez created props crafted with store-bought materials to represent high-tech devices. The film’s future world maintains a realistic lo-fi aesthetic, suggesting this dystopian future is imaginable from the present.

In Sleep Dealer, director Alex Rivera imagines a future in which workers and their labor are separated by technology. His film follows a Mexican “node” factory worker named Memo Cruz (Luis Fernando Peña) in a militarized Tijuana. Using headwear that muzzles his mouth and wires connected to ports in his arms, Memo controls robots across the US border in a dystopian vision of migrant labor. Rivera and production designer Miguel Ángel Álvarez created props crafted with store-bought materials to represent high-tech devices. The film’s future world maintains a realistic lo-fi aesthetic, suggesting this dystopian future is imaginable from the present.

In Sleep Dealer, director Alex Rivera imagines a future in which workers and their labor are separated by technology. His film follows a Mexican “node” factory worker named Memo Cruz (Luis Fernando Peña) in a militarized Tijuana. Using headwear that muzzles his mouth and wires connected to ports in his arms, Memo controls robots across the US border in a dystopian vision of migrant labor. Rivera and production designer Miguel Ángel Álvarez created props crafted with store-bought materials to represent high-tech devices. The film’s future world maintains a realistic lo-fi aesthetic, suggesting this dystopian future is imaginable from the present.

Set in the year 2044, Night Raiders follows Niska (Elle-Májiá Tailfeathers), a Cree woman who joins a resistance group to fight against the totalitarian regime that kidnapped her daughter, Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart). Director Danis Goulet, who was heavily influenced by Children of Men’s near-future aesthetic and The Matrix’s ideas about colonialism, worked closely with cinematographer Daniel Grant to visualize her Indigenous background as a distinct cinematic language. The film’s drones, inspired by mosquitos and military technology, were a collaboration between Goulet, production designer Zazu Myers, and modelers Laird FX; one is currently on view in the museum’s Cyberpunk exhibition, alongside concept art by Goran Delic.

Set in the year 2044, Night Raiders follows Niska (Elle-Májiá Tailfeathers), a Cree woman who joins a resistance group to fight against the totalitarian regime that kidnapped her daughter, Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart). Director Danis Goulet, who was heavily influenced by Children of Men’s near-future aesthetic and The Matrix’s ideas about colonialism, worked closely with cinematographer Daniel Grant to visualize her Indigenous background as a distinct cinematic language. The film’s drones, inspired by mosquitos and military technology, were a collaboration between Goulet, production designer Zazu Myers, and modelers Laird FX; one is currently on view in the museum’s Cyberpunk exhibition, alongside concept art by Goran Delic.

Set in the year 2044, Night Raiders follows Niska (Elle-Májiá Tailfeathers), a Cree woman who joins a resistance group to fight against the totalitarian regime that kidnapped her daughter, Waseese (Brooklyn Letexier-Hart). Director Danis Goulet, who was heavily influenced by Children of Men’s near-future aesthetic and The Matrix’s ideas about colonialism, worked closely with cinematographer Daniel Grant to visualize her Indigenous background as a distinct cinematic language. The film’s drones, inspired by mosquitos and military technology, were a collaboration between Goulet, production designer Zazu Myers, and modelers Laird FX; one is currently on view in the museum’s Cyberpunk exhibition, alongside concept art by Goran Delic.

Cyborg Ava (Alicia Vikander) is programmed to beat the Turing test, a method of distinguishing artificial intelligence from human intelligence. Director Alex Garland, working with the art department and special and visual effects teams, presents Ava as nearly human in her movements and expressions, even though her circuitry is exposed. A chilling exploration of female agency and the concepts of consciousness, purpose, and destiny, Ex Machina emerges as a story deeply concerned with power vis-à-vis humanity and its creations. The machines may be winning, but who created the machines? Ava’s deceivingly realistic silicone face and chrome skull can be found in the museum’s Cyberpunk exhibition.

Cyborg Ava (Alicia Vikander) is programmed to beat the Turing test, a method of distinguishing artificial intelligence from human intelligence. Director Alex Garland, working with the art department and special and visual effects teams, presents Ava as nearly human in her movements and expressions, even though her circuitry is exposed. A chilling exploration of female agency and the concepts of consciousness, purpose, and destiny, Ex Machina emerges as a story deeply concerned with power vis-à-vis humanity and its creations. The machines may be winning, but who created the machines? Ava’s deceivingly realistic silicone face and chrome skull can be found in the museum’s Cyberpunk exhibition.

Cyborg Ava (Alicia Vikander) is programmed to beat the Turing test, a method of distinguishing artificial intelligence from human intelligence. Director Alex Garland, working with the art department and special and visual effects teams, presents Ava as nearly human in her movements and expressions, even though her circuitry is exposed. A chilling exploration of female agency and the concepts of consciousness, purpose, and destiny, Ex Machina emerges as a story deeply concerned with power vis-à-vis humanity and its creations. The machines may be winning, but who created the machines? Ava’s deceivingly realistic silicone face and chrome skull can be found in the museum’s Cyberpunk exhibition.