Chances are you’ve seen hundreds, or make that thousands of movies in your life — and most of them have been forgettable. Actually, this isn’t that surprising when you consider that the top 6% of movies generate a staggering 49% of the overall box office profit. And on the other end of the spectrum, the bottom 6% of movies are responsible for 53% of the money lost by unprofitable flicks. And then there are films that are so bad — we’re talking soul-crushing awful— that they actually hurled the studio responsible into bankruptcy (Battlefield Earth, I’m looking at you).
Now, if you were a movie mogul instead of the glorious geek that you are, then you’d surely make incredible movies that are memorable for all of the right reasons and win you a few Oscars vs. movies that earn you a Razzie and send you to a bankruptcy firm like the Law Office of Charles Huber.
And the reason that I’m so confident that your flick will change lives for the better, is because you’ll surely draw creative inspiration from one, some, or ideally all of these movies that are widely considered to be the 5 best geek movies of all time:
5. Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds (1984) – A Review
This 1980s cult fan favorite is a must-see for geeks. The final scenes where the nerds battle against the jocks is truly inspirational — and hilarious.
4. Inception
This Time the Dream’s on Me – Inception Film Review
If the mind-bending storyline doesn’t occupy your brain for hours, days, weeks or maybe even months after you see it, then the soundtrack will make you a fan. Hanz Zimmer has never been better.
3. The Matrix
‘The Matrix’: THR’s 1999 Review
Geeks are all about peeling back layers of lies, and revealing the truth of things. The Matrix is a call to cerebral arms. The geeks shall set us free!
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
‘2001: A Space Odyssey’: THR’s 1968 Review
Decades after its release, this flick is still a visual, aural, and intellectual tour de force. And if nothing else, it taught us that robots can read lips (“open the pod bay doors, Hal”).
1. Pre-CGI Star Wars
Here’s what critics thought about the original ‘Star Wars’ movie when it came out in 1977
OK: this is going to cause some controversy, but that’s fine since geeks like a good argument. The Star Wars prequels and roster of films that have released by Disney (which bought the franchise from George Lucas in 2012) are fun. The special effects are amazing, and there are some interesting characters and gripping storylines.
But when it comes to fusing technology with fantasy — i.e. blending science with fiction — nothing compares to Star Wars a New Hope, the Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, respectively. True, the visuals can’t compare to what’s being produced now and there are some dull moments (those Ewoks can get a little annoying after a while, and watching Boba Fett get swallowed in the Sarlacc Pit was a real downer). But without this seminal trilogy, geek culture wouldn’t be what it is today.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve seen all of the above — and you probably have — then why not watch them again? You’ll surely find something new to appreciate. And who knows, you may find yourself in a movie making mode one day, and you’ll have plenty of geeky inspiration to draw upon. As Yoda would say: watch them or don’t, there is no try!