Top 10 good robots: From R2D2 to The Iron Giant
Beeping brilliant robots from Hollywood's labs
Ah. The humble robot. Service droid, loyal companion, a friend indeed, and rarely a friend in need. The robot is the modern day trusty side kick, and a good one should be cherished.
Good robots, whichever ones they might be, can usually be relied on to save us from bad robots, causing us to wonder why we bothered with robots in the first place. Throughout Hollywood's history these creatures have proven some of the most lovable characters of all time.
So, for the sheer joy of robotics, here's a run down of our favourite 10 robots from cinematic history.
10. Optimus Prime: Transformers
Usually if you were to look in your rear view mirror and observe a truck turning into a gigantic rampaging robot you would be excused for turning to jelly and driving off the road.
Not in the world of the Transformers though. There the rushing red and blue truck is Optimus Prime and he is probably just being so terrifying as one part of his means to saving you from something massive and scary.
Optimus Prime, essentially a shop window display for toys, is the coolest of all the Transformers and very much a good guy at heart.
Top 10 good robots: From R2D2 to The Iron Giant
Beeping brilliant robots from Hollywood's labs
9. Alpha 5: Power Rangers
Power Rangers was another toy shilling vehicle and its colourful action has charmed and beguiled people for well over a decade now.
Alpha. the resident robot is to be applauded for enduring everything that goes on around him and not just throwing himself into a fire of an electrified fence.
Mind you, you would not want to be sat next to him in a plane or get stuck in a lift with him. He had a catchphrase, "Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi!" that could be considered annoying, but ultimately he was very handy to have around.
8. K-9: Dr Who
We'd be barking mad, don't excuse the pun - hate us for it - not to include K-9, Dr Who's small, doglike robot companion.
While the bad robots in the science fiction TV series tended to be very bad indeed, think the Cybermen, K9 was a very good boy, who, if he wasn't made of metal, would probably have liked to have his tummy tickled.
To all intents and purposes, a very clever robotic dog, K-9 was a worthy assistant and remains a firm favourite among Dr Who fans young and old.
Top 10 good robots: From R2D2 to The Iron Giant
Beeping brilliant robots from Hollywood's labs
7. The Iron Giant: Eponymous
The Iron Giant, or the Iron Man, depending on whether you are reading the book or watching the movie is, at first, not the nicest chap we've ever met.
He is mad as heck initially and stomps around making a hellish mess. Ultimately he is befriended by a boy before saving us all from a giant space monster. The film is a bit different as there's no space monster. Oversight.
The only downside of the Iron Giant, and the clue is in the title, is that he would be a nightmare to store. He is however, exceptionally adept at dealing with extraterrestrial terrorists and befriending children.
6. Robby the Robot: The Forbidden Planet
Robby the Robot encapsulates the 1950s idea of robots - they would become our friends, helpers and loyal companions.
We first met him in the Forbidden Planet movie, a space take on Shakespeare's The Tempest. In essence the robot, and his egg shaped head, is a stand-in for the fairy Ariel. However, since he is a robot, we are classing him as the superior being.
His character includes a nod to Asimov's I Robot, and essentially he is there to help. If we were scoring these robots on the likelihood of them killing anybody, Robby would get a zero. In a good way.
Top 10 good robots: From R2D2 to The Iron Giant
Beeping brilliant robots from Hollywood's labs
5. V.I.N.CENT: The Black Hole
We can't help but love V.I.N.CENT. Despite his torturous name. It is probably because is a good guy robot born out of the Walt Disney Studios and designed to compete against Star Wars' R2D2 in the 'I want one of those' stakes.
With his cartoony eyes and his goofy legs, and his habit of hovering around, he is alternatively described as the Vital Information Necessary CENTralised robot.
He's an all round - in more ways than one - nice guy and, thanks to the actions he takes against bad robot, Maximilian, stands up as a serious hero in the robot world.
4. Johnny 5: Short Circuit
Sassy robots were all the rage in the 1980s and nowhere was that better portrayed than Short Circuit, in which a robot bred for destruction becomes a loving, whimsical sort of character after being hit by a lightning strike - hence the film's name.
Johnny 5, as the robot calls himself, evades capture from his military creators after they try and destroy him, and takes us residence with a madcap couple who take him in and try to convince the world of his sentience.
A sequel was soon out the door, and, in many ways was even better than the original - a rare thing indeed.
3. Wall-E: Eponymous
One of the most emotive of all robots in our list, the loveable critter Wall-E captured the hearts of cinema goes everywhere with his Earth-cleaning, EVE-pining, ballroom-dance-loving exploits.
Nothing more than a cleaning robot Wall-E proved it's not about size but about heart as he helped free a human race that had become slaves to an evil eye-wheel captain Auto while on a floating space ship.
Wall-E's escapades helped the human's find their way home to start the planet afresh. There was a nice metaphor in all that for the need to protect our resources and ensure we don't' take the planet for granted, but the story never would have been so successful if it wasn't for our doe-eyed robot hero.
Top 10 good robots: From R2D2 to The Iron Giant
Beeping brilliant robots from Hollywood's labs
2. R2D2: Star Wars
Of all the robots we know he is the pluckiest. Despite only communicating through a series of nonsensical toots and whistles, R2D2 was able to save the day on numerous occassions. Why he hung around with that clunk of worry that was C3PO we'll never know.
Introduced as a glitching old timer we learn that R2 has been in the anti-Empire game for almost as long as Yoda. Great, he is. R2D2, that is.
We've seen him produce a third leg, ahem, fly, and fire off lightsabers. He is the ultimate Jedi companion and worthy of second spot in our top 10 list.
1. Marvin: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
While this list is mostly populated by powerful, all-conquering or at least likable machines, Marvin certainly didn't find himself a popular presence among his peers.
He limped his way across various spacecraft and planetary bodies in Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, spouting depressing and demotivating proverbs to whomever was pretending to listen.
But you can't blame him for being slightly peeved at his fellow adventurers; they ‘accidentally' left him waiting in a car park for 500 million years. Despite his misery, everyone loves him, and he is the perfect choice for our hallowed number one spot.