Movies provide a form of escapism for many people. It can be even more for programmers because most programming movies aren’t likely to feature computer programmers. But there are some movies with programmers as the main character, and they can provide hilarious stories about what happens in tech companies. Here are the five best movies about Programmers that you should check out:
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
It is a film about the early days of the personal computer industry and the rivalry between two companies: Apple and Microsoft. It lightly touches on how both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had to start from scratch (bootstrapping their first companies with borrowed money). Mostly, it covers their battle for market share, and ultimately who comes out as number one. This movie is worth watching for its dramatizing important key moments in history that changed our world today. It is also worth watching because it provides insight into how passion and hard work can make a difference in your career)
The Social Network (2010)
The Social Network story starts with Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creating Facemash. In particular, he used this platform to hack into Harvard’s computers and compared photos of female students against each other to select which one was better looking. He was soon expelled as a result, but this taught him that a social network problem needed to be solved. He then created Facebook, which has become the world’s biggest social networking site.
The movie focuses on Mark Zuckerberg trying to get his idea off the ground and bringing people on board with his vision and mission statement. It also shows how he had to first fight for rights to control his product and how he managed team members who were not as passionate about what they were doing as he was. The movie delves into interesting issues such as balancing family life with work and other sacrifices you need to make as a founder of your own start-up company.
Zero Days (2016)
This movie documents the creation of malware that was meant to target a specific type of industrial software but then accidentally spreads to computers worldwide. It’s a fascinating look into the life and times of professional software engineer-turned-virus creator Greg Walton, who eventually gets caught by the FBI for his crimes. The movie demonstrates the use of Python and other computer languages, including C# and VBScript, that are highlighted at sites such as rapidessay.com.
Enemy of the State (1998)
It is a Hollywood action thriller film starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman. The movie shows how bad guys hack into people’s lives via their smartphones and GPS devices to spy on them 24/7-a scary scenario that isn’t so far from reality anymore. Apart from being a classic, Enemy of the State has a very “programmer” feel to it – starting with the scene where Will Smith’s character realizes that someone is hacking into his phone. At first, he tries to figure out what is going on by himself, but soon after, he decides it would be best to contact some IT specialists for help.
Tron (1982)
Tron is a science fiction movie set in a computer game world that contains programs with their own lives and personalities just like human users. It gives the viewer insight into how games work on computers and provides interesting social commentary about people who spend too much time online playing video games instead of engaging in real-life activities. Even if you are not interested in programming, this is an enjoyable movie loaded with special effects and action scenes that most viewers find quite entertaining.
