10 Best Movie Robots

9. Marvin The Paranoid Android - The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

RoboCop Original
Buena Vista Pictures

Marvin The Paranoid Android is one of the funniest characters in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, with a dry, stoic sense of humour rarely seen in our robotic brethren. Despite the name, he shows no signs of paranoia at all, instead appearing as a largely depressed character in the ilk of Eeyore.

Douglas Adams, the writer of the original radio play and novel, himself had bouts of depression, and it’s thought Marvin’s morose attitude stems from this. Though depression is no laughing matter, Adams wrote the character so perfectly that his moping plays as hilarious when bounced off the other characters.

The dome shaped head is unique to the movie, with the TV show of the ‘80s opting for a standard square robot shape. This gave him a much more recognisable design and has only added to the character’s personality.

Hitchhiker’s very British sense of humour means the movie definitely isn’t for everyone, and Marvin The Paranoid Android is no exception. His wry wit may well pass some by, and it’s easy to dismiss him as dull and boring. However, he’s perfectly in keeping with the tone of his film, and that makes him a great movie robot.

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