16 movies for programmers — science fiction, thrillers, biographies, and even a cartoon
(Sorted based on IMDB rating)
The Matrix (1999)
I’ve never watched Game of Thrones. My husband has never watched Harry Potter. So I assume there are people who has never watched Matrix :)
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth — the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who co-founded Reddit. In this high-quality documentary, you can expect a breathtaking story that involves lots of coding lingo and unfortunately a tragic end.
Her (2013)
In a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
The imitation Game (2014)
During World War II, the English mathematical genius Alan Turing tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians while attempting to come to terms with his troubled private life. You can see a lot about this tremendous progress in human history that led us to the tech eco-system we’re living in today.
The Social Network (2010)
As Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, he is sued by the twins who claimed he stole their idea, and by the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business…
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.
Ex Machina (2014)
A young programmer is selected to participate in a ground-breaking experiment in synthetic intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a highly advanced humanoid A.I.
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
The only cartoon on this list. Much fun for adults as well and it can explain to your kids some basics about games, the internet, and the importance of clean code.
A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
Indie Game: The Movie (2012)
A documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world. Super-inspiring for game developers.
Who Am I (2014)
Benjamin, a young German computer whiz, is invited to join a subversive hacker group that wants to be noticed on the world’s stage. The movie is as Hollywood as a European movie gets. It involves lots of IoT, city infrastructure and computer interaction with city structures
Snowden (2016)
The NSA’s illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency’s employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Basically, the story of PC was created by Apple and Microsoft. It’s about Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ridley Scott, and Bill Gates. It’s not a documentary and some plots never happen in real life, but it’s a nice and a bit nostalgic movie.
Steve Jobs (2015)
Steve Jobs takes us behind the digital revolution scenes to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac. There are several movies about Steve Jobs’ life, but I guess this one is the most realistic and high-rated.
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)
A documentary on the workings and beliefs of the self-described “hacktivist” collective, Anonymous.
The filmmakers detail the band’s evolution from early hacker groups Cult of the Dead Cow, Electronic Disturbance Theater, and the 4Chan imageboard to a full-blown planetary outreach movement, and explore their current activities by talking to the band’s immediate members.
WarGames (1983)
A retro rather naive movie about a young man who finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.
TRON: Legacy (2010)
The son of a virtual world designer goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father’s corrupted creation and a unique ally who was born inside the digital world.
