Cyberpunk emerged as a stylistic movement in the 70s and 80s, but it has only become more popular as technology has advanced and humanity has grown more cynical. Of all the grim science fiction subgenres, cyberpunk agrees that the world is doomed, but it posits steel and data as a way to fight back.
The Matrix is still the go-to example of cyberpunk film, but there are fascinating entries that came before and worlds of new ideas that built on top of it. Films about lowlife and high-tech have taken on many shapes and sizes, but some interesting examples of the trope have been tragically ignored.
Elysium
After debuting with beloved sci-fi masterwork District 9, anything Neil Blomkamp made would struggle to live up to expectations. Blomkamp's 2013 follow-up to his incredible blockbuster showcase isn't as good as its predecessor, but it's still an incredible cyberpunk narrative. The titular Elysium is a ringed society that exists above and around the Earth, housing the rich and powerful in the lap of luxury. On Earth's surface, the overwhelming majority of the population lives in overcrowded hovels and breathes polluted air. The rich have access to incredible healthcare technology, and, in desperation, a man named Max undergoes vicious cybernetic enhancement to fight his way onto Elysium. Like its predecessor, Elysium is a political polemic told through high-concept sci-fi and gratuitous violence. Though elements are clearly missing, Elysium is a solid spiritual successor to District 9 and a great sci-fi film in its own right.
Repo Man
People did not like this film, and it's mostly the fault of the script. It's well-acted and well-directed, the action is solid, and the premise is excellent, but the writing has a hard time bringing it all together. Set in the near future, Repo Man proposes a world in which organ failure is a solved issue thanks to the incredibly advanced prosthesis. Unfortunately, in a harrowing look at a realistic future, the technology that millions need to live costs immense sums of cash. A private company provides these prosthetics at criminal interest rates, leaving tons of people delinquent in payment. When someone fails to pay off their vital organs, the company sends out a repo man to incapacitate the customer and violently extract their property. When a skilled repo man is injured in an accident and forced to turn to a replacement heart to stay alive, he gets to see what life is like on the other side. It's a gruesome action piece, comically loose with blood and gore, but there's real heart in its central relationships. There are definitely some huge gaps in Repo Men, but there is more worth seeking out than people realize.
Hardcore Henry
This strange 2015 film was almost entirely known for its unique gimmick, but its cyberpunk aspects shine through in its limited story. The eponymous Henry awakens without memory in a high-tech surgery center where several of his extremities are being replaced with cybernetics. A strong start, but Henry swiftly finds his wife kidnaped and an army of goons in his way. Hardcore Henry has the impact of a good first-person shooter and its narrative is comparable as well. Beyond the traditional cybernetic enhancement, the film deals with issues of control and brainwashing, as well as cyborg soldiers. The film isn't transformative, but it isn't trying to be. It's a powerful action blockbuster that thrashes through one setpiece after another with a rolling guitar soundtrack. It's a simple showcase for what an action filmmaker can do with a couple of robot limbs and a ton of firepower, and that's all it needs to be.
Possessor
Another brilliant premise, but this one has the creativity and talent to back it up. Body horror legend David Cronenberg's son Brandon has his father's eye for deeply unsettling violence and gripping sci-fi concepts. Possessor tells the tale of Tasya Vos in an alternate timeline where technology allows for new forms of cruelty. Through an implant surreptitiously inserted into a person's brain, Vos is able to possess victims and use them as tools to assassinate her targets. Doing so, however, estranges Vos from her own identity. When she finds herself in a body that she can't quite control, she has to fight to regain a body before everything crashes around her. It's one of the most viscerally unpleasant films of the modern era, and those with the stomach for it will love this film.
Johnny Mnemonic
Released four years before The Matrix, this film exists as the Hydrox to its Oreos. This Keanu Reeves cyberpunk action film came first and featured a ton of the same ideas and ingredients, but everyone agrees the other did it better, so Johnny Mnemonic was largely lost to history. The film is widely despised for its bizarre acting and inexplicable story. Adapted directly from a William Gibson short story, mankind owes this tale of memory and anti-corporate angst another chance. It's unquestionably weird and bad in many ways, but there's a lot of sincere good in this early cyberpunk effort.