this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2024
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Cyberpunk

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What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.

Cyberpunk characteristics include:

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Lemmy needs more content that isn't about US politics right now so I'm making a random post.

What's the most obscure cyberpunk movie you've seen? Name a cyberpunk movie you don't think anyone else has heard of.

I'm not saying you have to think it's a good movie (or that you even like it), I just want to discuss obscure, unknown cyberpunk movies. Come on, let's talk about something other than politics here.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I think there's also a tonal thing. It's hard to imagine cyberpunk comedy, at least structurally. The cynicism does disclude the matrix and ready player one.

Maybe a list of concepts and if you tick 7 out of 9 boxes it's cyberpunk. Things like:

  • walking around the internet
  • sapient robots
  • two pistols
  • cynicism
  • Seattle
  • mega-corporations

I think this winds up being "is a hot dog a sandwich" conversation, trying to cram fluffy social concepts into rigid categories, but even more so with art. Two cyberpunk movies will be a lot further apart conceptually than two separate kilograms of steel.

But also at some point you have to sort your vhs tapes and whether a movie goes in "Action" or "Sci-fi" is a pragmatic decision and not a deep philosophical one