Where would science-fiction be without androids? Since the inception of the genre, writers in all mediums cannot resist reminding us of the tantalizing prospect of artificial beings designed to resemble humans. The original literary androids trace back before Isaac Asimov or Philip K. Dick to myths and legends of various cultures, from the myths of ancient Greece to the Talmud. Yes, it is that universal a concept. This love of androids has continued into the world of cinema, where they are now considered a staple of the sci-fi genre itself. This itself makes perfect sense - humanoid robots can be portrayed by actors under makeup and costume without having to disguise their bipedal nature. And it is far easier to put a human-looking robot on screen than one that doesn't look human any day of the week. But what makes them so uniquely endearing in the sci-fi community is how versatile they are as characters. Let's face it, there are thousands of uses for a film android, but let us take a moment to consider: what makes the best Android characters tick? Is it their utility in action sequences? Their cold perspective on things we humans so often take for granted? Or is it the fact that watching so many on-screen constructions of humans makes us think about what makes being human so special to begin with?
10. Marvin The Paranoid Android - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Garth Jennings' 2005 film adaptation of Douglas Adams eponymous novel series is a uniquely mixed bag. A perfect cast and clever ideas meet in a tonal mess somewhere between Star Wars and Monty Python. However, one area in which this film shines is in its adaptation of one of Adams' most memorable characters, Marvin the Paranoid Android. An android programmed with a depressed personality, Marvin is the theory that even Androids can have personalities taken to its literal extreme. Constantly complaining and sulking, his deadpan comments are surprisingly refreshing in a universe that employs quirkiness so mercilessly as in this film. The real genius behind this Android is in the casting. Physically embodied by Warwick Davis, he sulks around the bridge of the Starship Heart of Gold and delivers what can only be described as droll physical comedy (if such thing really exists). What nails this character so perfectly though, is his voice, courtesy of Alan Rickman. If there is any actor that can give energy to a depressive monotone, he is the man to do it.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
