Top 10 Virtual Reality Movie Moments
You might need a reality check after watching this video. Join http://www.watchmojo.com, as we count down our picks for the top 10 virtual reality movie moments. For this list, we're taking a look at big screen scenes where characters enter an artificial program. These must be virtually created. Thus, we're excluding realities created within one's mind like in Inception or Total Recall.
Special thanks to our users Ethan Cate and jackhammer for submitting the idea on our Suggestions Page at WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: My Name Is Captain Colter Stevens “Source Code” (2011)
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“Source Code” proved that the premise of “Groundhog Day” could work stupendously in sci-fi, a trend that’s actually becoming more popular. The film’s opening finds Colter Stevens bewilderedly waking up on a train where he’s referred to as Sean Fentress. After the train explodes, Stevens awakens in a chamber where he learns about Source Code, a program that allows him to assume another person’s body in their final eight minutes of life. To catch the train’s bomber, Stevens must keep reliving the experience, interacting with different passengers and getting blown up repeatedly.
#9: The Net “Johnny Mnemonic” (1995)
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Keanu Reeves is better known for another virtual reality movie that’ll appear later on this list. But, four years before that flick, he starred in “Johnny Mnemonic.” The film takes place in 2021 where a virtual reality network simply known as the Net has succeeded the Internet. Compared to the Oculus Rift, the technology demonstrated here looks pretty dated with Power Glove-like controllers, a Virtual Boy head-mounted display, and N64 quality graphics. Still, it’s hard to deny the Net’s old school high-tech charm, and it could only come from ‘90s sci-fi.
#8: Game Over “Virtuosity” (1995)
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Gee, Hollywood was really big on this whole virtual reality thing in the ‘90s. Another notable example is “Virtuosity,” which finds Denzel Washington’s Parker Barnes in a virtual reality program to track down Russell Crowe’s SID 6.7. In this establishing scene, the Lieutenant and the simulated serial killer face off in a Japanese restaurant. You can’t help but giggle at just how over-the-top this virtual world is with blatant CGI blood, cartoonish guns, hammy puns, and digital fatalities. But don’t worry, Parker, SID can’t hurt you in the real world…yet.
#7: Access Denied “The Lawnmower Man” (1992)
Directed by the same guy who made “Virtuosity” – Brett Leonard - “The Lawnmower Man” is one of the strangest early fusions of live-action and computer-generated imagery. By today’s standards, the film’s CGI kind of looks like a retro video game cut scene. This was pretty cool for the time, nevertheless, particularly the trippy climax where Jobe transcends his human body to become a full-fledged virtual character. Now he’s a self-proclaimed Cyber Christ with an ironic leniency towards crucifixion. Making a connection to the real world, however, is even harder than learning Adobe Flash.
#6: Vir-Sex “Demolition Man” (1993)
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The futuristic world of “Demolition Man” is political correctness overload with violence and sex of any kind being widely considered taboo. If you really want to give in to temptation, though, there’s an alternative to physical intimacy. Using a virtual sex simulator, John Spartan and Lieutenant Lenina Huxley attempt to satisfy each other. It’s more seizure inducing than stimulating, but as long as Sandra Bullock is involved, we’re game. The scene mixes great satire with social commentary, but sadly there’s no mixing of precious bodily fluids.
#5: The Truth “The Thirteenth Floor” (1999)
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In 1999, we interestingly got three list-worthy films about cyber worlds. “The Thirteenth Floor” doesn’t reach the same level as the other two, but it does create a slick virtual reality that’s too lifelike for its own good. The simulation is set in 1937 LA where the artificial human beings are blissfully unaware of their true genesis. When actual people enter the program, they too begin to contemplate what’s real and what’s an imitation. Then when the truth finally comes out, humanity, existence, and everything they thought they knew are challenged.
#4: Enter the Mainframe “Tron” (1982)
The updated, polished effects of “Tron: Legacy” stunningly brought light cycle racing into the 21st century. Regardless, the original “Tron” has a distinctive look that belongs to no other and drapes its audience in ‘80s cyber culture. The film introduces us to one of the most unique cinematic worlds ever as the Master Control Program transports Kevin Flynn into the Grid one pixel at a time. Brought to life by groundbreaking computer technology and exuberant with neon colors, it’s an eye-popping game we can really lose ourselves in.
#3: Wire Tapping “Strange Days” (1995)
In this thriller from Kathryn Bigelow, Ralph Fiennes plays an ex-cop who now sells SQUID clips, which permit users to experience another person’s documented memories. If you’re looking to live out depraved fantasies, jack into a deck and partake in the forbidden fruit. When Fiennes watches a snuff recording of a prostitute’s rape and murder, however, he starts to see the world through a different set of eyes. As more horrific clips pile up and a conspiracy unravels, Fiennes must discover who’s behind these killings and what life truly is.
#2: The Special “eXistenZ” (1999)
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Much of “eXistenZ” keeps the audience wondering if its characters are in a game or the real world. When our players take on new identities, they not only become unsure of their surroundings, but unsure of themselves too. This makes every decision much harder, putting their ethics to the test. Simply ordering the special at a Chinese restaurant can amount to a game changing choice about killing a waiter. It raises an intriguing conversation piece about whether video games diminish our empathy towards others and our entire perception of reality. Before we enter our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Picard’s Got a Tommy Gun “Star Trek: First Contact” (1996) A Killer Mind "The Cell" (2002) More Than a Game “Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over” (2003) Virtual Boxing “The Island” (2005) CGI Time! “Arcade” (1993)
#1: I Know Kung Fu “The Matrix” (1999)
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Coming out the same year as “eXistenZ” and “The Thirteenth Floor,” “The Matrix” not only won the virtual reality war of 1999, it became the most influential virtual reality movie possibly ever. While the film has no shortage of memorable VR scenes, this training simulation sticks out to us the most as Neo shows off his newfound Kung Fu skills. The fight choreography is of course exceptional, but it also expands on the limitless possibilities of the Matrix. If Neo can free his mind, he can do anything, including defy gravity. Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite virtual reality movie moment? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
