Technology has always shaped the stories we tell, and some of the best movies and shows put it right at the center. These picks capture the thrill and the warning signs of our digital age.
6
Black Mirror (2011–2025)
Watch Black Mirror on Netflix
Think about the apps, gadgets, and screens you already use every day. Black Mirror takes those same ideas and pushes them just far enough to feel disturbing. Each episode tells a standalone story, often set in a world that looks familiar but with one technological twist that changes everything. From rating people in everyday life to re-creating loved ones through AI, the stories feel close because they grow out of technology we already recognize.
Because every episode stands on its own, you can start anywhere. Some, like San Junipero, show technology as a way to bring comfort and even give people a second chance at love, while others, like Nosedive or Be Right Back, highlight its risks in painfully human ways. And as you watch, the real chill comes from imagining what it would be like if these worlds became part of daily life, because they don’t feel far off.
5
The Social Network (2010)
Watch The Social Network on Prime Video
Before Facebook became part of daily life, it was a messy project born in a Harvard dorm room. The Social Network shows how a late-night idea slowly grew into a platform that began changing how people connected on campus and beyond.
Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg) plays a student who first builds Facemash to compare classmates, then shifts his focus to Thefacebook. The project takes off faster than he imagined, and soon the strain begins to show in his closest friendships.
A large part of the story is told through depositions, where Zuckerberg faces his co-founders and classmates who accuse him of stealing their ideas. Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) is a supportive friend who initially funds the site, only to see his shares diluted later.
Justin Timberlake (Sean Parker) shows up with confidence, convincing Zuckerberg to expand into Silicon Valley and deepening the rift with Eduardo. Watching it, you can see how success can turn partners into opponents, and how ambition comes with a hefty price tag.
4
Mr. Robot (2015–2019)
Watch Mr. Robot on Prime Video
Hacking is often shown as green code flying across the screen, but Mr. Robot goes another way. Rami Malek (Elliot Alderson) plays a socially withdrawn cybersecurity engineer who also works as a vigilante hacker. His life shifts when he meets Mr. Robot, played by Christian Slater, who leads a group set on taking down a massive corporation.
The show feels real. The hacks draw on actual methods, from phishing and social engineering to targeted exploits, and the tension comes from the choices Elliot makes rather than flashy visuals. His struggles with paranoia, trust, and identity keep the story personal even when the stakes are huge.
3
Her (2013)
Watch Her on Prime Video
Falling in love with an AI might sound far-fetched, but Her makes it feel startlingly real. Joaquin Phoenix (Theodore Twombly) plays a lonely writer who buys a new operating system and finds himself drawn to its voice assistant, Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson.
At first, their conversations are light and supportive, but over time, they grow into something deeply personal. Theodore shares his fears and longings with Samantha, and the bond between them feels as real as any human relationship—the kind you usually see in feel-good movies.
Her isn’t really about machines; it’s about connection, loneliness, and how fragile emotions can become when technology takes the role of a partner. It leaves you wondering where the line between real and artificial love truly lies.
2
Ex Machina (2014)
Watch Ex Machina on Prime Video
Where Her explores the emotional side of AI, Ex Machina looks at its dangerous side. Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is a young programmer chosen through a company contest to spend a week with Nathan (Oscar Isaac), the secretive CEO of his firm. Nathan lives in a remote, high-tech house, where Caleb meets Ava (Alicia Vikander), a humanoid robot with a clear faceplate and visible circuitry. Caleb is asked to judge whether she shows human-like intelligence.
The longer he stays, the more unsettling the environment becomes. Power cuts shut down the glass-walled rooms without warning, and locked doors remind Caleb he isn’t free to move as he wants. His talks with Ava grow more personal each day, but Nathan’s manipulative behavior keeps him off balance, leaving him unsure of whom to trust.
Rather than a big sci-fi spectacle, Ex Machina unfolds like a psychological game of trust and control. Caleb wants to believe Ava is more than a machine, yet every step is shaped by Nathan’s secrecy. The tension isn’t about what Ava can do, but how far people will go when technology and power are in their hands.
1
Inception (2010)
Watch Inception on Prime Video
What if someone could plant an idea in your mind so deeply that you believed it was your own? That question sits at the center of Inception, a sci-fi thriller that turns the dream world into a place where ideas can be stolen or planted. Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief who breaks into people’s subconscious to steal secrets.
His work earns him a reputation few can match, but it also leaves him isolated from his family and haunted by his past.
Cobb is offered the chance to return to his family if he can pull off one last job. To do this, he gathers a team that includes Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Elliot Page), and Eames (Tom Hardy). Together they design layered dreamscapes where time slows, cities fold in on themselves, and reality bends until you are no longer sure what is real.
These are some movies and shows every tech lover should watch at least once. Each one brings something different, and together they show how closely technology mirrors the world we’re living in. And if you’re looking for more discoveries beyond tech, you’ll find plenty of surprises in underrated Netflix movies that deserve a spot on your watchlist.
