5 Most Underrated Cyberpunk Movies Of All Time, Ranked

Cyberpunk combines gritty narratives with inventive and often invasive technology. From detail-filled cult favorites like "Alita: Battle Angel" to stone cold classics of the "Blade Runner" variety, many of the best cyberpunk movies of all time have managed to create memorable worlds that have stood the test of time and enticed viewer after viewer.

Perhaps fittingly for the genre, there's also a great wealth of cyberpunk films that have managed to do their thing while flying under the radar of excessive notoriety. Some of them, like Kathryn Bigelow's excellent, noir-tinted 1995 film "Strange Days," are well-liked but failed to move the needle at the box office. Others, like the body horror-flavored 2018 movie "Upgrade," are wild action blasts that are sure to impress.

And then there are the films that have kept an even lower profile, quietly creating their own little cyberpunk universes that have largely (and unfairly) been forgotten by the general public. Today, we rank the five finest examples of these underrated cyberpunk movies.

Director Michael Winterbottom and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce's "Code 46" takes the cyberpunk approach to the field of biotechnology in a curious and oddly charming way. It's 2077, and the world is a classist place divided between wealthy city people and the impoverished "outside" folks who have virtually no chance to get inside the coveted settlements.

In this world, investigator William Geld (Tim Robbins) is on a case where a company manufacturing the bio-passports necessary for all travel is suspected to be compromised and handing out forged documents. William's research soon points toward Maria Gonzalez (Samantha Morton), who he also happens to fall for. What follows is a complex tale of genetics, memory wipes, dystopian powers-that-be, and one massive downer of an ending. Without going into details, the true meaning of the movie's title alone is unnerving, as is the plot twist related to it.

Critics didn't exactly adore the 2003 movie when it came out, and "Code 46" boasts a comparatively unimpressive 52% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the film's world-building is impressive, its plot is genuinely imaginative, and its organic spin on cyberpunk themes is effective. Combine all this with Robbins and Morton's compelling performances as star-crossed lovers struggling to stay afloat in a world of existential terrors, and "Code 46" is worth any cyberpunk fan's attention.

From writer-directors Jeff Renfroe and Marteinn Thorsson comes "Paranoia 1.0" (also known as "One point O"), a heavily horror-influenced cyberpunk mystery. When Simon (Jeremy Sisto) starts receiving mysterious packages, he finds himself on a strange path that brings him in contact — and, on occasion, conflict — with several mysterious neighbors, including Trish (Deborah Kara Unger) and an unnamed and ominous man (Bruce Payne) who may or may not be behind the packages. Unfortunately, the situation soon escalates, and bodies start piling up.

"Paranoia: 1.0" slowly builds itself into a scathing story that doubles as a mystery and a critique of consumer culture, all wrapped up with a neat cyberpunk bow. The movie's premise and atmosphere are more interesting than its 67% Rotten Tomatoes score suggests, and with a cast that includes folks like Udo Kier and Lance Henriksen in strong supporting roles, the film has all the tools to give you a cyberpunk experience you didn't know you wanted.

With a fresh 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and even fresher takes on classic cyberpunk tropes, Alex Rivera's 2008 film "Sleep Dealer" shows us a brilliant way to honor the traditions of the genre while creating something completely unique. Once again, we're in a bad future, but this one feels far more lived-in than usual. 

The movie takes us to a near-future Tijuana. Here, the borders are closed and people who remotely control worker drone robots toil away in massive halls. These controllers are known as sleep dealers, and our main character, young electronics prodigy Memo Cruz (Luis Fernando Peña), is one of them. Other major figures in the movie also have similarly mundane, yet futuristic jobs. Luz Martinez (Leonor Varela) is employed by a company that trades in memories, while Rudy Ramirez (Jacob Vargas) works security for a business that controls a resource that has grown scarce: water.

As the trio's fates intertwine in strange ways, "Sleep Dealer" weaves their stories into the fabric of a world that closely resembles our own despite its advanced tech and dystopian setting. Fearless in its social commentary and storytelling, the movie takes cyberpunk to places that the genre has rarely visited, and excels at its mission to impress.

Tom Hanks in a cyberpunk movie? Yes, please. Tom Hanks in a cyberpunk movie that puts him in full post-apocalyptic survival mode? Double yes. Tom Hanks in a post-apocalyptic cyberpunk movie where his main priority is the welfare of a dog? Oh, come on, "Finch." Now you're just using cheat codes. 

Miguel Sapochnik's 2021 sci-fi movie "Finch" is a must-watch for Apple TV users. Hanks plays Finch Weinberg, an engineer who tries to survive in a super hot world where the ozone layer has burned away. Though he's crafty and manages to use tech, gear, and robots to keep going, he's also slowly dying — and his main motivation is to make sure that his adorable dog, Goodyear, will have a decent life after he passes away.

Finch is effectively a cyberpunk gadgeteer stuck in a particularly nasty setting. The movie leans hard on his engineering ability and its greatest result, the humanoid dogsitter robot Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones). With a truly minimal cast, "Finch" paints a picture of a world that's bleak and borderline boiling. Yet it manages to deliver a charming, even somewhat hopeful tale. Such things are not exactly conventional for the downer-heavy cyberpunk genre, but "Finch" is hardly the conventional cyberpunk story. It might not have a ton of rainy alleys or neon lights, but its dirty dystopia serves as an excellent example of how far the genre can be stretched.

If you're not into subtitles, you should probably skip "Avalon." On the other hand, enjoyers of crafty cyberpunk films with a solid 83% Rotten Tomatoes rating are in for a treat.

"Avalon" is a truly unique Polish-language work directed by Japanese anime expert Mamoru Oshii. The 2001 film takes place in the near future, and centers around Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak), an expert player in the raid-themed virtual reality game called "Avalon." A highly addictive creation that the player's brain is directly hooked to, "Avalon" the game poses plenty of rewards and dangers.

Ash's life soon becomes interesting when she starts looking down the rabbit hole that involves Ghost (Zuzanna Kash), a spectral digital girl who supposedly acts as a pathway to a special stage in the game. Soon, the borders between the game and reality begin to fray, and the question arises: What's better, the grim reality of everyday life or the over-the-top fantasy the game provides?

"Avalon" plays with a lot of themes, and Oshii's anime background definitely shows in its more outlandish moments. It's a great, unconventional film that questions the very nature and meaning of reality.