Top 10 Coolest Movie Mechs

“The Matrix Revolutions” (2003)

We’re not saying these robot suits are the most practical way to fight the robot apocalypse. If they were, you’d expect them to have… well, any kind of armor protecting the pilot. As it is, they’re basically gritter-looking versions of the power loader from “Aliens” that someone strapped a couple of giant guns to. And those guns run out in like 2 seconds, so if you pick one of these up on the second-hand mech market, you better love yelling “reload.” And yet, despite all of their clear design flaws, there’s something undeniably cool about the way they move. Maybe it’s the textured mechanical clunkiness of the design. Or maybe we all secretly wish we had a giant pair of robot arms backing us up.

“RoboCop” (1987)

RoboCop paints a satirical image of a grim future for the city of Detroit where street crime is running rampant and evil corporations control the city. But one prediction that mercifully didn’t come true was the one about robot police officers roaming the streets. Sure, RoboCop himself might have been alright, but his competition, the ED-209, didn’t subscribe to such petty notions as “compassion” or “not shooting an entire boardroom full of people to death on a whim.” It may have been a big, slow, awkward chicken walker, but it had more than enough firepower to wipe out any obstacle that stood between it and murdering anyone it wanted. Except, inevitable… for stairs.

“Power Rangers” (2017)

Let’s get this out of the way: Is the Megazord as cool as Voltron? Depends on who you ask. But there’s one advantage this giant robot made of smaller robots has over its animated rival. It made it to the silver screen first. And that’s got to count for something because if you want to see a fully realized Hollywood version of the perfect visual metaphor for combining each teammate’s fighting spirit into one huge punching machine, your only source is the Power Rangers movie right now. Does it make a lot of sense? Is it even remotely clear how 5 people would work together to power something like this? Absolutely not. Is it cool, though? undeniably.

Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-)

What do you do when you have a problem? Talk it through? Make a pros and cons list? Well, that’s not what Tony Stark does. He makes a specialized high tech suit of armor to deal with it. And with the Hulk being the biggest problem of all, that required his biggest suit ever. The Hulkbuster does everything a regular Iron Man suit does -- repulsor beams, flight, super strength. Just bigger, louder, and more expensive. Also, it had that cool hydraulic jackhammer fist feature. Maybe the best advantage it had over the other mechs on this list -- aside from that sweet, sweet Marvel branding -- was the ability to repair itself on the fly using parts flown in by autonomous rockets. Let’s see ED-209 do THAT.

“Aliens” (1986)

It may be a glorified forklift, but there’s a certain blue-collar, kickass attitude that comes with using a piece of construction equipment as a weapon. Like the “Matrix” mech suits, there’s also something cool about the way the pilot sits in a harness with the arms and legs running parallel to your own. The power loader isn’t a vehicle you ride in, it’s a superpower you wear. And unlike the “Matrix” suits, it’s not a piece of military equipment, so it actually makes sense why it isn’t armored. In fact, it has a roll cage, which ironically might make it safer.

“Transformers” franchise (2007-)

So how do you make a giant robot even cooler? Well, what if it was also a truck? Brilliant. It’s so marketable, it just seems obvious in retrospect. Then give that talking truckbot a couple of inspiring speeches to deliver in the inimitable baritone of Peter Cullen and you’ve got a hit on your hands. Right at the intersection of cool cars, sci-fi action, and reassuring father figures, otherwise known as the golden trifecta of kid appeal. And then, what the heck. How about we paint some flames on him, just for a victory lap. Maybe a giant sword if we’re feeling crazy

“Star Wars” franchise (1977-)

They’re big. They’re slow. And they’re internationally famous for falling over immediately in their first on-screen action scene. But despite being easily overcome by a few hundred feet of dental floss and a can-do attitude, the AT-AT walker has become a staple of the “Star Wars” expanded universe. You can take advantage of their big guns and frankly impenetrable armour in dozens of video games. You can buy a die-cast metal statue of one to put on your mantlepiece along with your mom’s china figurines. Maybe it’s the sense of ominous inevitability you get from their ponderous approach. Or maybe it’s because they kind of look like a big, slow, kind of clumsy dog. But for some reason, AT-ATs are where it’s at.

“The Iron Giant” (1999)

What if you’re looking for a kinder mech? A gentler mech? A mech that, yes, eats solid steel for breakfast and definitely has as many giant lasers as any other entry on this list, but won’t USE them? Well, good news. Against all odds, “The Iron Giant” takes all of the incredible violence out of the giant robot genre and still somehow makes it better. Bet you didn’t think a 50-foot iron war machine could make you cry, did you? Well, you were wrong. You may have shown up hoping for an alien invasion, but you left with a powerful message reminding each of us that we can’t choose what we look like, but we can be who we choose to be.

“Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla” (1974)

If you saw “Godzilla vs. Kong,” you might know Mechagodzilla as a terrifying skeleton dinosaur that looks like an animatronic character with the skin ripped off. And that’s fine. But if you ask us, there’s just no substitute for the lovably goofy-looking version from the 70s. Complete with finger missiles and rainbow eye beams. They just don’t make these city-wrecking super robots the way they used to. There is one thing we could do without, though. The nails-on-a-chalkboard shrieking sound this thing makes the whole time it’s fighting. We get that giant robots are supposed to be loud, but do they also have to be shrill?

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

For That Lightning Weapon That Pops People Like Water Balloons

For Looking Like a Power Loader Designed By the Art Team from “Gears of War”

For Being a Big Spidery Bowling Ball of Death

Is It a Robot? Is It a Plane? Is It Kind of an Awkward Hybrid of Both? Yes

For Being the All-Time Champions of Hide, Seek, & Destroy

“Pacific Rim” (2013)

In any other movie, the other Jaegers from “Pacific Rim” would have been instant classics all on their own. Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon are expert-level mech designs. But as it is, they’re almost reduced to background status by the star power of the movie’s central robot: Gipsy Danger. The combination of stylish design with a textured, utilitarian feel doesn’t just offer up the same plasma canons and giant swords as other movie mechs. It also makes them feel solid and real. Even while it makes them look unbelievably cool. Not to mention the brilliant messaging that it takes cooperation to make it work. It’s a delicate balance, but darn if Guillermo del Toro’s doctorate thesis in mecha movie-making didn’t pull it off.