Examples include: The Terminator (1984), Blade Runner (1982), Minority Report (2002), AntiViral (2012), Black Hat (2015) Seen as the stylish older brother of Cyberpunk, Tech Noir is a futuristic approach to the swagger and sophistication of Film Noir. Imagine Humphrey Bogart stepping out of his virtual reality Packard, flicking back his Oculus fedora and puffing on his electronic cigarette and youre in the right genre. Emerging in the early 80s in response to the exponential progress of computing technology, it often depicts hard-boiled detective fiction in a futuristic dystopia - the name literally comes from the nightclub in The Terminator where, amongst the power-ballads and bouffants, Sarah and John Connor have their first showdown with robo-Arnie. In a world still in the chokehold of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, Tech Noir offers a slick and vitriolic counter attitude and a refreshing twist on the familiar sci-fi adventure tropes.
