10 Must-See Robot Fights

There are many things robots can do better than humans. If the movies are any indication, they can definitely fight better than us. With Neill Blomkamp's new film, 'Chappie,' exploring the relationship between man and ‘bot, here are 10 must-see robot-centric brawls.

Before Michael Bay brought the “robots in disguise” to life, this animated film gave fans their Optimus vs. Megatron fix. The violent battle ended with Optimus’ death, traumatizing a generation of young Transformers fans.

Robo got pummeled in his first showdown with the trigger-happy ED-209. Thankfully for RoboCop, his opponent couldn’t negotiate stairs. For Round 2, the future of law enforcement brought a .50 cal rail gun to ensure victory.

The two robots from the future duke it out several times in this sequel. Their best brawl is arguably their last, which takes place in a factory that makes sparks. Arnuld first freezes, then shoots, then explodes his enemy – making for one of the best mech brawls ever.

Giant robots took a retro turn in this 2004 film that never quite found an audience, despite some amazing visual effects and fantastic world building. While an army of giant robots proved to be no match for the heroic Sky Captain, these machines did prove that you don't need to look futuristic to look cool (and cause ridiculous amounts of damage).

Sometimes the best way to fight giant, alien robots invading Earth is with giant monsters of our own. And that's exactly what happened in this 2009 animated film, which pitted a team of homegrown "monsters" against an alien conqueror. The highlight is the battle between Ginormica and the probe at the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Bonecrusher kinda roller blades after Optimus and into a freeway chase that ends with Prime using his fists to permanently deactivate the Decepticon. This fight helped set a new standard for ILM’s photo-real CG. 

This most recent chapter of the ‘Terminator’ franchise gave fans their first skyscraper-sized creation from Skynet. Scary in both scale and destructive force, the Harvester's attack was one of the film’s most memorable scenes.

Combine the 'Rocky' franchise with Battlebots and you have 'Real Steel'. While the film offered plenty of satisfying clashes, our favorite was when the plucky underdog Atom took on the two-headed behemoth Twin Cities and emerged victorious.

If you love the idea of Godzilla-like creatures battling giant robots, 'Pacific Rim' is your 'Citizen Kane'. The most memorable of this film's many battle sequences came when multiple Jaegers joined forces to battle the tag-team threat of Otachi and Leatherback in the middle of the ocean.

Michael Bay's live-action Transformers films have always attracted far more money than critical acclaim. However, the latest sequel hit the sweet spot when it teamed the Autobots with the Dinobots for a massive showdown in Hong Kong. Who doesn't love the sight of Optimus Prime wielding a sword and riding Grimlock into battle?