Mech Suits in the Movies

From hydraulic exoskeletons to full-body power armor, the mech suit has become a sci-fi staple, and is on full display in 'Edge of Tomorrow.' Here are a few more examples from some classic – and not so classic – films.

Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt aren't the only stars of 2014 to go "mecha" (the Japanese name for this peculiar subgenre). Paul Giamatti, as the sinister Rhino, controls this appropriately rhinoceros-like contraption.

Variations on the mech suit abound in this CG action comedy, from Lord Business's power boots to Emmet's gigantic "Construct-o-Mech." But our favorite is the wonderfully jumbled ensemble that the pirate Metal Beard wears and/or is.

Behold: the Power Loader. Still the standard for all the exoskeletons that movie characters have donned over the years. Endorsed by renowned alien-exterminator Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).

The "Man-Amplifier" was one of the 1960's many Space Age visions. This precursor to the Power Loader makes an appearance in Dean Martin's laid-back spy spoof, which is otherwise just an outlet for Dino's boozy one-liners.

Two decades after giving us the 'Aliens' Power Loader, James Cameron upped the ante with the AMP, short for "Amplified Mobility Platform," which has its human operators piloting Mighty Joe Young-sized robots.

This bio-suit, nicknamed a "mech prawn," was designed by the aliens trapped in a South African shantytown. It comes to the aid of the hapless Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) as he slowly transforms into an alien himself.

'District 9' director Neill Blomkamp is, like James Cameron, clearly enamored of mech suits. Here Matt Damon and various baddies sport lean, mean exoskeletons hard-wired into their very bones. Ouch.

Where does the man end and the machine begin? That's 'RoboCop's' central question when the remaining bits of mortally wounded Detroit policeman Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) are encased in high-powered robotics.

This film is a mecha fan's dream come true. First of all, we have pilots sitting inside humongous battle robots known as jaegers. But the pilots themselves also wear computerized "drivesuits" that let them interface with the robots.

A forerunner to 'Pacific Rim,' 'Robot Jox' was panned upon its release – the dopey title didn't help – but has gained a cult following. In the future, international disputes are settled by giant gladiator robots. The "jox" are the robots' pilots.

Wolverine's claws aren't the only thing made out of the indestructible metal known as adamantium. Take a look at Japanese tycoon Ishiro Yashida's "Silver Samurai" battle suit.

Tony Stark is a high-tech armorer extraordinaire, but Obadiah Stane's (Jeff Bridges) Iron Monger getup is the more "traditional" mech suit, with Stane controlling its limbs with hydraulics.

How do the human inhabitants of Zion defend themselves against the computer programs that have taken over the world? By fighting machine with machine: meet the hyper-weaponized APUs, or "Armored Personnel Units."

The Delta-6 accelerator suits worn by G.I. Joe teammates Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) turn them into supersoldiers, enhancing their speed and strength and supplying them with mini-arsenals of weaponry.

"What on Earth is 'Star Kid?'" you may well ask! Joseph Mazzello plays a boy who discovers an alien "cybersuit," programmed with artificial intelligence, that not only gives him incredible abilities but even becomes his friend.