The Top 15 Geek Movies of All Time

Since the Oscars are just around the corner, I thought we’d nerd it up a little before everyone starts thanking all the writers, their parents, the writers, their spouses, the writers, etc. I’ve tried to compile a list of movies that every self-respecting Nerd should see. While there are a lot of great films out there, the winners clearly stepped up their game. Not all of these are “science” related, but that means they just had to be that much better to make the list. So, without further ado, “The Oscar goes to …

1. Real Genius - “Best Nowhere-Near Interpretation of Grad School”

I wish my grad school experience was this cool. But hey, I did remember to keep my optics clean. “An underrated little picture, Real Genius offers a rare college comedy that doesn’t rely on gross-out humor–and a look at Val Kilmer before he turned into a star. A high school whiz kid (Gabriel Jarret) arrives at a brainy college, where the crème de la crème of the science students are marshaled under an ambitious professor (expert villain William Atherton). Unbeknownst to them, the kids are working on a weapons system that the prof plans on selling to the government. The star student, and chief rabble-rouser, is played by Kilmer, in good early form as a cocky genius who hasn’t lost touch with his goofy side. The director is Martha Coolidge, whose Valley Girl was one of the brightest (and most unexpected) of ’80s comedies; she keeps the movie perking along and never worries about dumbing down a film that just happens to be about smart people. — Robert Horton” — www.amazon.com

2. Willow - “Best Use of an Acorn”

Yes, I know, two Val Kilmer movies in the list? That’s okay, your question is legitimate. However, after watching these two you will see the error of your assumption. This epic film will satisfy any fan’s craving for magical adventure. A prisoner in the Queen’s dungeon gives birth to a child that prophecy says will end the Queen’s rule. A mid-wife saves the child from certain death by throwing her basket into the river and sacrificing herself. A wanna-be sorcerer, Willow (Warwick Davis, also plays Prof. Flitwick in the HP films) has to deliver the lost infant back to her own people, as deemed by his council. However, he quickly gets into trouble as he finds out that evil hunts them. He gains the help of a Warrior (Kilmer’s best role I think) named Madmartigan, though not willingly, as they try to save the child who is being hunted by the evil Queen’s daughter and soldiers. Two-headed monsters, trolls, and one sweet battle helmet round out the excitement. There is a lot of sword play and, of course, there is a romantic subplot. Use this to entice your significant other to watch with you.

3. TRON - “Best Hacker Movie”

The first time I watched this it gave me nightmares about being trapped in the computer at my Dad’s office. Awesome, right? It probably won’t give you nightmares now, but it is definitely a “must see” for anyone that has ever touched a keyboard and enjoyed it. “The surprising truth about Disney’s 1982 computer-game fantasy is that it’s still visually impressive (though technologically quaint by later high-definition standards) and a lot of fun. It’s about a computer wizard named Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who is digitally broken down into a data stream by a villainous software pirate (David Warner) and reconstituted into the internal, 3-D graphical world of computers. It is there, in the blazingly colorful, geometrically intense landscapes of cyberspace, that Flynn joins forces with Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) to outmaneuver the Master Control program that holds them captive in the equivalent of a gigantic, infinitely challenging computer game. Disney’s wizards used a variety of cinematic techniques and early-’80s state-of-the-art computer-generated graphics to accomplish their dynamic visual goals, and the result was a milestone in cyberentertainment, catering to technogeeks while providing a dazzling adventure for hackers and nonhackers alike. Appearing just in time to celebrate the nascent cyberpunk movement in science fiction, Tron received a decidedly mixed reaction when originally released, but has since become a high-tech favorite and a landmark in special effects, with a loyal following of fans. DVD is a perfect format for the movie’s neon-glow color scheme, and the musical score by synthesizer pioneer Wendy Carlos is faithfully preserved on the digitally remastered soundtrack. — Jeff Shannon” — www.amazon.com

4. The Matrix Trilogy - “Best Special Effects”

I went ahead and put the trilogy in just because I feel like you can’t just watch one; the plot is too enthralling for that. However, I believe the first to be the most awesome and could have (and maybe should have) been a “stand alone” movie. “By following up their debut thriller Bound with the 1999 box-office smash The Matrix, the codirecting Wachowski brothers–Andy and Larry–annihilated any suggestion of a sophomore jinx, crafting one of the most exhilarating sci-fi/action movies of the 1990s. Set in the not too distant future in an insipid, characterless city, we find a young man named Neo (Keanu Reeves). A software techie by day and a computer hacker by night, he sits alone at home by his monitor, waiting for a sign, a signal–from what or whom he doesn’t know–until one night, a mysterious woman named Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) seeks him out and introduces him to that faceless character he has been waiting for: Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). A messiah of sorts, Morpheus presents Neo with the truth about his world by shedding light on the dark secrets that have troubled him for so long: “You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.” Ultimately, Morpheus illustrates to Neo what the Matrix is–a reality beyond reality that controls all of their lives, in a way that Neo can barely comprehend.
Neo thus embarks on an adventure that is both terrifying and enthralling. Pitted against an enemy that transcends human concepts of evil, Morpheus and his team must train Neo to believe that he is the chosen champion of their fight. With mind-boggling, technically innovative special effects and a thought-provoking script that owes a debt of inspiration to the legacy of cyberpunk fiction, this is much more than an out-and-out action yarn; it’s a thinking man’s journey into the realm of futuristic fantasy, a dreamscape full of eye candy that will satisfy sci-fi, kung fu, action, and adventure fans alike. Although the film is headlined by Reeves and Fishburne–who both turn in fine performances–much of the fun and excitement should be attributed to Moss, who flawlessly mixes vulnerability with immense strength, making other contemporary female heroines look timid by comparison. And if we were going to cast a vote for most dastardly movie villain of 1999, it would have to go to Hugo Weaving, who plays the feckless, semipsychotic Agent Smith with panache and edginess. As the film’s box-office profits soared, the Wachowski brothers announced that The Matrix is merely the first chapter in a cinematically dazzling franchise–a chapter that is arguably superior to the other sci-fi smash of 1999 (you know… the one starring Jar Jar Binks). — Jeremy Storey” — www.amazon.com

5. Transformers - “Best Modern Rendition of an ’80s Cartoon Movie”

When I first heard about this movie, I was concerned. I figured they would either make fun of the original cartoon or miss it entirely. Neither one happened. Great decision to go with the “before” instead of “after” the 1985 film. “”I bought a car. Turned out to be an alien robot. Who knew?” deadpans Sam Witwicky, hero and human heart of Michael Bay’s rollicking robot-smackdown fest, Transformers. Witwicky (the sweetly nerdy Shia LaBeouf, channeling a young John Cusack) is the perfect counterpoint to the nearly nonstop exhilarating action. The plot is simple: an alien civil war (the Autobots vs. the evil Decepticons) has spilled onto Earth, and young Sam is caught in the fray by his newly purchased souped-up Camaro. Which has a mind–and identity, as a noble-warrior robot named Bumblebee–of its own. The effects, especially the mind-blowing transformations of the robots into their earthly forms and back again, are stellar.
Fans of the earlier film and TV series will be thrilled at this cutting-edge incarnation, but this version should please all fans of high-adrenaline action. Director Bay gleefully salts the movie with homages to pop-culture touchstones like Raiders of the Lost Ark, King Kong, and the early technothriller WarGames. The actors, though clearly all supporting those kickass robots, are uniformly on-target, including the dashing Josh Duhamel as a U.S. Army sergeant fighting an enemy he never anticipated; Jon Voight, as a tough yet sympathetic Secretary of Defense in over his head; and John Turturro, whose special agent manages to be confidently unctuous, even stripped to his undies. But the film belongs to Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and the dastardly Megatron–and the wicked stunts they collide in all over the globe. Long live Transformers! — A.T. Hurley” — www.amazon.com

6. The Terminator Trilogy - “Best Cybernetic Assassin”

This is my favorite trilogy of all time. Period. T2 was the first R-rated movie I was allowed to watch in the theater because of Arnold’s awesomeness. And did anyone see the Super Bowl? Terminator vs. Annoying Football Robot, odds anyone? By the way, the Sarah Connor Chronicles that Riley talked about earlier holds up nicely beside these films and pays the appropriate amount of homage.
“The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn. It is the first work in the Terminator franchise. In the film, machines take over the world in the near future, directed by the artificially intelligent computer Skynet. With its sole mission to completely annihilate humanity, it develops cyborg assassins called terminators that look exactly like humans. A man named John Connor starts the Tech-Com resistance to defeat them and free humanity. With a human victory imminent, the machines’ only choice is to send a terminator back in time to kill John’s mother, Sarah, before he is born, preventing the resistance from ever being founded. With the fate of humanity at stake, John sends Kyle Reese back to protect his mother and ensure his own existence.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is the 1991 sequel to the original Terminator film, written, directed, and produced by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, and Robert Patrick. After the machines failed to prevent John Connor from being born, they try again, this time attempting to kill him as a child with a more advanced terminator, the T-1000. As before, John sends back a protector for his younger self, a reprogrammed Terminator, identical to the one from the previous film. After ten years of preparing for the future war, Sarah decides to use the same tactics the machines used on her: prevent Skynet from being invented by destroying Cyberdyne before they create it.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is the 2003 sequel to the record breaking Terminator 2, directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken. As a result of the destruction of Cyberdyne at the end of T2, the Skynet takeover has been postponed, but not averted. In a last attempt to ensure a machine victory, a new terminator, the T-X, is sent back to kill as many high ranking resistance officers as possible, including John Connor and his future wife Kate. After the future Connor is terminated by an identical model to his previous protector, Kate reprograms it and sends it back to save them both from the T-X.” — www.wikipedia.com

7. Star Wars - “Best Movie Line Quoted by a President”

It starts with Star Wars - A New Hope. Two robots that carry the secrets a horrible weapon, somehow find their way to a simple farmboy name Luke Skywalker who lives with his Aunt and Uncle. The Aunt and Uncle are brutally murdered by Stormtroopers and Luke’s new life has begun. He teams up with an old Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan, as he tries to make sense of it all. They manage to team up with smugglers, Han Solo and a Wookie named Chewbacca, as they escape the Imperial blockade. When they make it to their destination, they find the planet has already been destroyed. They find themselves captured by the Death Star but manage to save Leia and escape. They’ve had to pay a terrible price though and now the Death Star is aimed at destroying the rebel’s base. They must find a way to save it or all of humanity is doomed. In the sequel, the Empire Strikes Back, we pick up where we left off. The empire and Vader are moving to crush the rebels and have them on their heels. Luke leaves to begin his Jedi training but finds out some pretty disturbing things about himself along the way. The ending is probably one of the best for any movie. We end with Return of the Jedi, my favorite of the three. It starts with Luke and his friends rescuing Han and Chewy from Jabba the Hut. Afterwards, Luke returns to finish his training and finds that he faces a difficult decision. As Luke faces the Emperor, he confirms that the rebels are walking into a trap. What can Luke do to save his friends? An epic battle ensues but who will win? The Dark-Side of the force is very powerful. I’ve only included the original three because in my opinion the “first” three should never have been made. The last 15 minutes of Revenge of the Sith could have been added to A New Hope and I would have been cool with that. Oh, and it was Reagan that said “May the force be with us” to win it.

8. Lord of the Rings - “Best Damn Fantasy Trilogy”

Um, yeah. The name pretty much says it all. Some people would say that there is only one real trilogy, and I would agree. This is it. While the movies above are great, they can’t touch Rings. Especially after the debacle of releasing three “prequels”. Jar-jar. Need I say more? “The extended editions of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings present the greatest trilogy in film history in the most ambitious sets in DVD history. In bringing J.R.R. Tolkien’s nearly unfilmable work to the screen, Jackson benefited from extraordinary special effects, evocative New Zealand locales, and an exceptionally well-chosen cast, but most of all from his own adaptation with co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, preserving Tolkien’s vision and often his very words, but also making logical changes to accommodate the medium of film. While purists complained about these changes and about characters and scenes left out of the films, the almost two additional hours of material in the extended editions (about 11 hours total) help appease them by delving more deeply into Tolkien’s music, the characters, and loose ends that enrich the story, such as an explanation of the Faramir-Denethor relationship, and the appearance of the Mouth of Sauron at the gates of Mordor. In addition, the extended editions offer more bridge material between the films, further confirming that the trilogy is really one long film presented in three pieces (which is why it’s the greatest trilogy ever–there’s no weak link). The scene of Galadriel’s gifts to the Fellowship added to the first film proves significant over the course of the story, while the new Faramir scene at the end of the second film helps set up the third and the new Saruman scene at the beginning of the third film helps conclude the plot of the second.
To top it all off, the extended editions offer four discs per film: two for the longer movie, plus four commentary tracks and stupendous DTS 6.1 ES sound; and two for the bonus material, which covers just about everything from script creation to special effects. The argument was that fans would need both versions because the bonus material is completely different, but the features on the theatrical releases are so vastly inferior that the only reason a fan would need them would be if they wanted to watch the shorter versions they saw in theaters (the last of which, The Return of the King, won a measly 11 Oscars). The LOTR extended editions without exception have set the DVD standard by providing a richer film experience that pulls the three films together and further embraces Tolkien’s world, a reference-quality home theater experience, and generous, intelligent, and engrossing bonus features. — David Horiuchi” — www.amazon.com

9. Flight of the Navigator - “Best Supporting Robot”

This is just a great movie all around, but Max steals the show. “Disney’s 1986 Flight of the Navigator combines a strong ensemble cast and classic ’80s soundtrack with dazzling special effects for a high-flying sci-fi adventure. While searching for his little brother in the woods, 12-year-old David Freeman (Joey Cramer) falls down a ravine and is knocked unconscious. After what seems like minutes, he returns home, only to discover that eight years have passed since he was declared missing and presumed dead. Even more mystifying is that David hasn’t aged, nor can he account for the time lapse. Meanwhile, NASA officials stumble upon a futuristic spacecraft and are determined to assess what David knows about it by locking him in a top-secret lab for scanning and testing. His only chance of escape is in the spacecraft manned by Max, a wisecracking robot. Cramer gives an earnest performance, which overcomes an imperfect script, while enough one-liners and imaginative animation will keep families engaged. Watch for Sarah Jessica Parker in one of her first film appearances. Rated PG for language. (Ages 6 and older) — Lynn Gibson” — www.amazon.com

10. Star Trek - “Best Nerd Following of All Time”

I mean, I was Mr. Spock for my 3rd grade Halloween costume, I’ve still got the ears. While the following will in no way do the films justice, it is a general description of the plot. Check out all the individual plots from Amazon. “In the Star Trek universe, humanity developed faster-than-light space travel following nuclear war and a post-apocalyptic period in the mid-21st century. Later, humans united with other sentient species of the galaxy to form the United Federation of Planets. As a result of alien intervention and science, humanity largely overcame many Earth-bound frailties and vices by the twenty-third century. Star Trek stories usually depict the adventures of human and alien beings who serve in the Federation’s Starfleet.” — www.wikipedia.com

11. Legend - “Best Satan”

Even though it’s got Tom Cruise in it, it’s a great movie. Satan (or is it his son?) will definitely give small children nightmares. “The Lord of Darkness wishes to kill the last unicorns so darkness falls on the world and he can come out from his cave where he is shielded from the lethal sunlight. But only someone as beautiful and pure as Princess Lily can attract the unicorns. Lord Darkness prepares a wedding ceremony with Princess Lily where she will kill the last unicorn, becoming forever corrupted and causing doom for all Humankind. So, young Jack and a group of out-of-the-ordinary friends must enter the cave before night falls forever and face Darkness in a duel where they will need all the help they can get - even from Princess Lily herself. Will the Sun ever rise again?” — www.imdb.com

12. Alien - “Best Alien”

While Predator comes in a close second, the Queen is definitely dominant. Follow the gruesome discovery (check out how big that skeleton is!) of a new species to the end of it….or is it? Sigourney Weaver offers up powerful performances (she got an Oscar nomination for Aliens) while going from starship driver, guide, prisoner and finally to bad ass. One better than a trilogy, this Quadrilogy really brings the pain. “Face-huggers” and “chest-bursters” to acidic blood, this sci-fi movie came out between Star Wars and Empire but definitely went a different way with it. In the first movie, Alien, the crew receives what they think is a help message from a nearby planet. However, after arriving, their computer deciphers the message to be a warning. Too late, terror is unleashed. The movie concludes with a dramatic encounter with Ripley (Weaver) and the Alien. The sequel, Aliens, defies the sophomore curse and rips it a new one. Possibly the best of the series, Ripley is tricked into action as the government tries to capture the perfect weapon. I can’t tell you any more about it without ruining Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection! Grab a bucket of popcorn, this is a set you can easily use as “marathon” material. Don’t forget to look for Bill Paxon screaming like a little girl in Aliens…of course, I probably would have too with those things around.

13. Weird Science - “Best Created Woman”

Yeah, we’ve all wanted to create a girl, or guy, to serve as a prom date. Someone who will make everyone else think that we’re cooler than we actually are. These guys did it and were part of the reason I went into science. Well, not really, but still a great movie. “Two teenage nerds, Gary (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), unpopular and unable to meet girls on their own, use a computer to design the perfect woman. They feed various data (images mostly) into Wyatt’s computer. Lacking sufficient processing power, they hack into a US Government mainframe and use its power to create a computer simulation of “the perfect woman” in order to place her in “real life sexual situations” and see how she reacts. A bizarre electrical storm (à la Frankenstein, their inspiration) follows, and they find themselves unable to shut the computer off.
Mysteriously, the result is “Lisa” (Kelly LeBrock), a real-life woman (who emerges from a red fog in the bathroom). She is a sexed-up but deeply caring “80’s babe” with Einstein’s IQ, David Lee Roth’s attitude and inexplicable supernatural powers. Self-aware from the moment of her creation, Lisa sets about revealing their inner coolness, transforming Gary and Wyatt from nerds into men through a series of wacky and bizarre adventures. Using her magic powers, she takes them to a Blues Club, confronts Wyatt’s domineering older brother Chet (Bill Paxton), and throws a giant party at Wyatt’s upscale home. In the end, the boys get no sex from their mentor, but are seemingly on the path to a relationship with two cute girls their own age.” — www.wikipedia.com

14. Pi - “Best Portrayal of How Evil Math Can Be”

Just CRAZY man, just crazy. Still awesome. “Patterns exist everywhere: in nature, in science, in religion, in business. Max Cohen (played hauntingly by Sean Gullette) is a mathematician searching for these patterns in everything. Yet, he’s not the only one, and everyone from Wall Street investors, looking to break the market, to Hasidic Jews, searching for the 216-digit number that reveals the true name of God, are trying to get their hands on Max. This dark, low-budget film was shot in black and white by director Darren Aronofsky. With eerie music, voice-overs, and overt symbolism enhancing the somber mood, Aronofsky has created a disturbing look at the world. Max is deeply paranoid, holed up in his apartment with his computer Euclid, obsessively studying chaos theory. Blinding headaches and hallucinogenic visions only feed his paranoia as he attempts to remain aloof from the world, venturing out only to meet his mentor, Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), who for some mysterious reason feels Max should take a break from his research. This movie is complex–occasionally too complex–but the psychological drama and the loose sci-fi elements make this a worthwhile, albeit consuming, watch. Pi won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. — Jenny Brown” — www.amazon.com

15. The Manhattan Project - “Best Child Evil Genius”

Can someone get this kid some prozac? This movie can remind us sometimes, doing everything we can to win is too much. “In this nail-biting thriller, Paul (Christopher Collet), a bright 16-year-old, discovers that his mother’s boyfriend Dr. Mathewson (John Lithgow) is refining plutonium undercover, right in their neighborhood. Intent on exposing the secret weapons factory, Paul steals some plutonium with the help of his girlfriend (Cynthia Nixon) and constructs his own atomic bomb. By the time Dr. Mathewson discovers the plutonium is missing and informs the government, the device is built - but the timer inadvertently turns on, beginning a countdown to nuclear catastrophe. Suspenseful to the last few seconds, this intriguing, provocative story takes its name from the real Manhattan Project in the 1940s that brought about the development of the first nuclear weapon used in World War II.” — www.amazon.com

I know I’ve missed a few so I would love to hear your comments. Hopefully we can get a People’s Choice ceremony! Hope you like the flicks.