If you’re passionate about computer science or the developmental and problem-solving benefits of coding for children and adults, then you may already be immersed in the world of coding for popular culture.
Learning a computer programme language is a little like mathematics which can train your brain to search for analytical solutions. Of course, there are also countless other benefits, but if you would like to integrate coding movies into your leisure time, keep reading!
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The Social Network Film
If you’re looking for computer science based movies, why not start with the film about Mark Zuckerberg and how he created Facebook? The Social Network which is classified as a drama was released in 2010 and directed by David Fincher. It features Aaron Sorkin, Ben Mezrich, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield.
Known as one of the best computer programming movies ever made, it shows how the creation of Facebook which has been adopted by millions of people all over the world conquered all things digital. It takes viewers into the student stories from Harvard University that inspired its creation.

This is one of those software engineering movies that is based on a book called: “The Accidental Billionaire: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich" which was published in 2009. After selling the story to Columbia pictures for the making of one of the most mainstream computer science movies ever made, Mezrich declined to take part in any consultation regarding the film. The two-hour film has won three Oscars and is, without doubt, one of the best computer programming movies out there.
Tron: Legacy
Tron Legacy is one of those computer science based movies that crosses genres between adventure, action and science fiction. Released in 2011 and directed by Joseph Kosinski, it stars Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund and Jeff Bridges.
The story follows the character of 27-year-old Sam Flynn, a technological whizz kid who is trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of his father Kevin Flynn. It plunges deep into the world of programming which makes it one of those coding movies to which every programmer can relate.
Tron Legacy is the sequel to the original film Tron, which was originally made in 1982 and written and directed by Steven Lisberger.
Ex Machina
Ex Machina is also one of those software engineering movies that cross genres. Part science fiction and part thriller, it follows the character of Caleb who is a brilliant coder working for the company BlueBook, a leading, global, search engine. Released in 2015, directed by Alex Garland and starring Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander and Domhnall Gleeson, this is one of the best computer programming movies around.
The film takes an interesting turn when an unsuspecting Caleb becomes part of an experiment with artificial intelligence called Ava. In the story, Caleb has to administer the Turing test, also known as the imitation game as it was also called by its developer Alan Turing in 1950. The test is used to measure a machine’s ability to express behaviour that is either equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, humans.
The Matrix
Just about everyone knows that The Matrix is one of the best movies about computer programming ever made. Released in 1999 and starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne, it is one of those coding movies worth watching over and over.
Because the movie deals with virtual worlds and science fiction phenomena it falls squarely into the genre of computer science based movies. Seen as some as a critique of today’s world, the Matrix is one of the most beloved coding movies ever made. The story is about Neo, who is now a fictitious yet famed computer programmer.
In the film, Neo discovers that the world that we perceive is in fact only a virtual world that is managed by artificial intelligence. The world, called the Matrix is where humans are enslaved to create energy, however it is also where the lead character, Neo rebels against the unreality and finds himself in a type of war. It is truly one of the best and most famous computer programming movies of our generation.
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The Net
The Net is one of those movies about computer programming that has been updated and refreshed because of its 2006 sequel. First released in 1995 and directed by Irwin Winkler, The Net stars Sandra Bullock, Daniel Schorr and Jeremy Northam.
The story follows the character of a computer analyst called Angela Bennet who works for Cathedral Systems. As a specialist in computer security that fights all kinds of viruses, this is one of those software engineering movies that programmers will easily be able to relate to. Bennet spends day and night in front of a screen and only corresponds with her boss via the phone. She decides to take a holiday after receiving a strange disk from a client that contains highly confidential information. When the sender mysteriously dies in a plane crash, Bennet meets a man on her Mexican holiday who seems more attracted to the disk than to her.
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The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz
Released in 2014 and directed by Brian Knappenberger, this is one of the best computer programming movies out there. Starring, Cory Doctorow, Peter Eckersley and Tim Berners-Lea, it is a documentary film that follows the life of American cyber activist and developer, Aaron Swartz. For almost two hours, people close to the developer talk about the developer’s life and how he fought for the democratisation of information on the web. The fact that he focuses on how he developed the RSS format makes it one of the best computer programming movies around. Sadly, Swartz commits suicide at 26 years old a few months before a trial that could result in life imprisonment.
The Girl in the Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story
If you still want to grow a list of movies about computer programming, this film released in 2018 and starring Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks and Sverrir Gudnason is a must-watch.
The Girl in the Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story is one of the most successful recent computer science based movies around. It follows the character of Frans Balder, an artificial intelligence researcher from Sweden, who asks Lisbeth Salander for assistance with the retrieval of a potentially dangerous piece of software that he created. In the movie, the software can be used to control nuclear arms and is therefore wanted by both a group of terrorists and the NSA.
Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard
It may shock you to know that a Die Hard film, starring Bruce Willis, could be one of the most popular computer science based movies on offer. The reason? Well, this is one of those software engineering movies that is bursting with action.
The famous Die Hard sequel features the character of Detective John McClane in a new terrorism plot. In the film, the United States' transportation, energy management and communications system is being controlled by a rogue computer network. McClane recruits the help of a friend who is close to the latest computer science inventions for a solution to save the country’s infrastructure.
Jobs
You guessed it Jobs is one of those software engineering movies that follows the life of a famous programmer. Released in 2016 and starring Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogen and Kate Winslet, it is about the life of the renowned inventor of the Apple brand who died of cancer in 2011. The film is centred around three important events including its commercial launches from 1984 until 1998.
Snowden, the Biopic
Not unlike Steve Jobs, Edward Snowden’s biopic is also one of the best computer programming movies around. Directed by Oliver Stone, the 2016 film starring Melissa Leo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Shailene Woodley traces the life of CIA and NSA employee Edward Snowden who later blows the whistle on one of America’s greatest scandals.
The movie tells the story of how Snowden discovers that the country’s cyber surveillance violates the American Constitution. As a result, he decides to blow the whistle against the American government which is accused of spying on the rest of the world via computer networks. He then has to hide or flee and ends us revealing the truth with the help of journalists who meet him in hiding.
The Imitation Game
Finally, don’t forget to add The Imitation Game to your list of the best computer programming movies to watch. Directed by Morten Tyldum and starring Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Benedict Cumberbatch. It really deals with the origins of programming as it follows the life of the great cryptanalyst and mathematician Alan Turing who was known for deciphering German code during World War Two. The film is worth watching for its focus on how Turing decodes the Enigma machine, but also because of how he struggles in society due to his sexual orientation.
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