[The list includes a competition - details below] If you have not seen at least 15 of these movies, you can hand in your geek membership card right now – or you can buy them and join the ranks of the enlightened! So, here are the top 20 Geek movies of all time (in no particular order except number 1). Use the comments to tell us which of these movies are the top five.
20. Pirates of Silicon Valley 1999, Martyn Burke
I love this movie! It tells the tale of the start of Microsoft and Apple and has a brilliant cast who do a great job of portraying their characters. Noah Wyle (as Steve Jobs) was so good that he was invited to walk on stage at an Apple Conference to pretend he was Steve Jobs – the audience were fooled (briefly) and it has become a great moment in Apple conference history.
19. Short Circuit 1986, John Badham
Number 5 is alive! Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes. Another brilliant geek movie from the 80s – there must have been something in the water that decade.
18. Hackers 1995, Iain Softley
This is my least favorite movie on the list because it is so corny and far fetched – it hardly gives a good representation of “hackers” – nevertheless it was extremely popular (I think mostly with the Eternal September crowd). Alas most of us are still waiting for October, 1993. Angelina Jolie is probably the only redeeming feature of this movie.
17. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan 1982, Nicholas Meyer
There had to be at least one Star Trek movie on this list so I have picked my favorite (and it stars the original Captain Kirk!) In this movie, Admiral Kirk’s midlife crisis is interrupted by the return of an old enemy looking for revenge and a potentially destructive device.
16. WarGames 1983, John Badham
A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III. This film is a hilarious look back at early home computers. It was so popular it was nominated for 3 oscars!
15. Repo Man 1984, Alex Cox
I can’t say much about this cult classic without giving away important story elements, so I will just give you the plot line: Young punk Otto becomes a repo man after helping to steal a car, and stumbles into a world of wackiness as a result. This is a film that is often underrated but it is brilliant for its time and has aged well.
14. Planet of the Apes 1968, Franklin J. Schaffner
I am talking about the original series of movies, not the recent film with Mark Wahlberg. Planet of the Apes is brilliantly conceived and well executed. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry. “Glory be the Bomb and to the Holy Fallout!” These films will captivate you.
13. Alien Quadrilogy 1979, Ridley Scott
Aliens, androids, alien planets, Sigourney Weaver kicking ass, and Ridley Scott directing – could there be a better combination?
12. Akira 1988, Katsuhiro Ôtomo
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only two kids and a group of psionics can stop. This is, perhaps, the greatest animated movie of all time! Stunning.
11. Pi 1998, Darren Aronofsky
This is definitely the weirdest film on the list. It is by Darren Aronofsky – famous for his Requiem for a Dream. The outline of the film is: “A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature” – what could be cooler than that?
10. Office Space 1999, Mike Judge
While this was not a successful film at the theaters, it has become a cult success. “Peter Gibbons, thanks to a hypnotic suggestion, decides not to go to work at the same time his company is laying people off. When layoffs affect his two best friends, they conspire to plant a virus that will embezzle money from the company into their account.” You must see this film if you have not already.
9. The Original Star Wars 1977, George Lucas
The most recent 3 films were junk – there is no denying it, but the first three were and are brilliant masterpieces of science fiction film making.
8. The Matrix 1999, Larry and Andy Wachowski
The first movie of the trilogy is the best and really stands alone as one of the best geek movies ever. There is not a geek who doesn’t love the Matrix.
7. Metropolis 1927, Fritz Lang
One of the first sci-fi movies, Metropolis is as important now as the day it was filmed. “It is the future, and humans are divided into two groups: the thinkers, who make plans (but don’t know how anything works), and the workers, who achieve goals (but don’t have the vision).”
6. Brazil 1985, Terry Gilliam
To not include a film by Terry Gilliam on a list like this would be a mortal sin! This film is set in a futuristic bureaucracy and features some amazing images and concepts and is an amazing comedy of errors.
5. Serenity 2005, Joss Whedon
The plot: River Tam and her brother Simon are hiding out from the totalitarian government that experimented with River’s brain aboard the space-freighter Serenity. It is really pleasing to see such high quality sci-fi being produced still. This is a must-see movie.
4. Lord of the Rings 2001, Peter Jackson
You knew this would be here didn’t you? This list would be a dismal failure if it did not include the Lord of the Rings. Best of all, it was made in beautiful New Zealand!
3. Spaceballs 1987, Mel Brooks
Planet Spaceball’s President Skroob sends Lord Dark Helmet to steal Planet Druidia’s abundant supply of air to replenish their own, and only Lone Starr can stop them. Simply hilarious.
2. Bladerunner 1982, Ridley Scott
A remarkable film that is sure to excite every geek. The fact that it stars Harrison Ford gives it even more brownie points – who can hate a film with Indie in it?!
1. 2001 1968, Stanley Kubrick
This film has to be number 1 – it has stunning photography, great acting, and a brilliant story line by Arthur C. Clarke. Any geek that does not like this film is not a true geek.
Bonus: TRON 1982, Steven Lisberger
You have to watch this film – if only for the corniness. A hacker is literally abducted into the world of a computer and forced to participate in gladiatorial games where his only chance of escape is with the help of a heroic security program.
Competition!
The competition is simply this: whoever writes the 100th and 200th legitimate comment will win their choice of any one DVD off this list. The rules? The comment must be made by a registered user – so register now if you haven’t already. In addition, any comments obviously designed to increase the number in order to win will be discounted.
Notable Extras: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Fifth Element, Shaun of the Dead, Sin City, Robocop
Uh, sorry for the double post, but was thinking about Fifth Element (notably Milla Jovovich, yum!) and it occurred to me that the Resident Evil series deserves a mention. What could be geekier than a no-plot series based on a video game?
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I don’t think it’s sad I’ve seen quite a few of these movies, and I liked them too… I must be a geek too not just a dork
Good list, but where is Revenge of the Nerds?
OMG first how’d that happen, by the way good list thanx
(:
Wow, there are a few geek movies to be added:
Primer (Sundance winner about time travel)
Antitrust (computer geeks trying to kill each other)
Weird Science (80s geeks creating a girl for themselves)
I would give the top five to: Serenity, Lord of the Rings, Bladerunner, Star Wars, and Metropolis (because Metropolis is the original geek story; a scientist attempts to find love by creating a robot woman)
i cant believe tht tron is only bonus its my favourite movie ever and its “corniness” i dont believe it had any just a great movie
andrijzip: I loved revenge of the nerds! It would be included if the list were larger
Fallenangel: congrats and thanks
Joel: Weird Science was close to making the list – I haven’t seen Antitrust – I will check it out. I am surprised you wouldn’t include 2001 in the top 5.
me: the bonus one would be 21 – so it came very very close. I have put it on another list on the site too – so fear not – it is valued here
where’s swordfish?
With the bonus I have for sure seen 12 of these movies. I might have seen a few others, but can’t remember. I thought I had seen Hackers and Repo Man, but I do not remember the stories. I wonder if I was not able to sit all the way through them. I know I have tried to watch Brazil, but I think I got lost and stopped. I will have to send my husband to see this list. I bet he has seen most if not all.
what about sneakers? 1992 i think. robert redford, sidney portier, river pxoenix? and alien and aliens yes, the entire quadrilogy no. and not that i entirely disagree with the current rank but having star wars anywhere but top 3 will result in many flames. the whole star wars thing is a whole new level of nerd.
What about The Wizard and Real Genius?
I am curious. What was the criteria for it to be a “geek” movie? Was it that mainly geeks liked it?
Oh and is Pi appropriate for my 13 yr old son to see? He is fascinated with Pi.
JwJwBean: from memory Pi should be safe for him to watch – but hopefully someone else can give you an insight – it has been a long time since I saw it.
petey mcgee: seriously considered it
Also, note that the list is randomly ordered – it was impossible to rank all of these films against each other.
oh- JwJwBean: the criteria was that it had to be a film that geeks would enjoy or films that are cult favorites amongst geeks. Pretty broad target I know
1. Star Wars IV-VI
2. Alien, Aliens
3. Rings trilogy
4. Matrix (Just the first one)
5. Close Encounters of a Third Kind
Seems Sci Fi- ish. Where’s the Monty Python greats?
LOL!! That DVD cover for Planet Of The Apes is so stupid. I mean they just put the climax of the entire movie on the cover! No suspense to look forward to if your watching for the first time!!
My 5 favorites are:
1. The Matrix
2. 2001
3. Tron
4. Sneakers
5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Special Edition)
unhustler: Monty Python is listed in the notable extras.
Harsha: I thought that too! I wonder why they would do that.
I always liked The Last Star Fighter,,,good for the younger geek crowd…
I’ve seen most of these and liked almost all of them. I did *not* like 2001, and stand behind my geekdom proudly.
But where is Galaxy Quest?? Talk about your sci-fi geek movies.
Galaxy Quest- good one. How about Donnie Darko?
I think The Last Starfighter is a must, I loved that movie.
I’ve only seen nine of those. I was once proud of my geekdom….now I have lost it. All hope is lost
Oh, and I’ve seen Pi too. I think there is some pretty violent scenes if I remember correctly
I’ve seen about half of these, so I guess I’m not quite a geek. A dork maybe?
Short Circuit Rules!
You suck. I was only at 14, and so not a nerd, but then you had to put the bonus one in there. Thanks for ruining my self dillusions. Of course, the honourable mentions don’t help either, as they more than push me past the 15 mark. BTW, you might want to rephrase the description for Serenity. It makes it sound like the goverment was experimenting on the girl’s brain aboard Serenity. Also, Galaxy Quest should definitely be there. I hate Star Trek.
My bad, geek, not nerd. Either way, I wasn’t going to make the cutoff until the bonus one.
from this list, my top 5 are
1.aliens (even if resurrection blew)
2. star wars (even if eps 1,2, and 3 blew)
3. office space (which i quote daily!)
4. matrix (even if revolutions blew)
5. planet of the apes (the remake blew)
glad to see some mentions for “sneakers”
How come ther’s no comic book movies representing? X-Men? Spidey?
I’ve saw 14 out of these 20, am I still a geek?
Where is Revenge of the Nerds? The all-time nerd victory!!! Tricky list as it covers movies about geeks and movies for geeks. I would also add Sixteen Candles – lots of great geeks in that one, including Anthony Michael Hall, who is actually credited as “The Geek”.
You can always tell an intelligent person from a stupid person by asking whether they like Star Wars or Star Trek..
Trekkies ftw!! =D
Does ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ count as a geeky film? I certainly feel pretty darn geeky when I quote it on a regular basis.
“I caught you a delicious bass.”
I remember when Pirates of Silicon Valley came on TV. My dad made my brother and me sit down and watch it as a “learning experience.” Nice movie, though.
re: Elizabeth
no, sadly, that makes you a tool.
Oh, and the thing with Napoleon Dynamite and Revenge of the Nerds…is this a list of Movies-For-Geeks or Movies-About-Geeks?
And I, for one, was relieved not to see a bunch of comic-based movies on this list.
This list is fail without Real Genius, Big Trouble in Little China, and Ghostbusters. Unbelievable omissions – major fail.
Where’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind?
Yea I think Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail should have been in there. I mean I don’t know one geek who doesn’t quote that movie.
How could any self respecting geek leave Buckaroo Bonzai off the list? I think I might include Logan’s Run too. Did you know that Yoyodyne Propolsion system featured in BB also is an engine manufacturer in the Star Trek world, appears in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was even mentioned in H.G. Wells War of the Worlds?
I don’t think that The Fifth Element is a geek movie, more a sci-fi action flick. You shoulda put in Lawnmower Man.
I only got 11, but I can quote huge chunks of Holy Grail, so where does that leave me in Geekdom?
And, besides, ALL the trekkie movies are TOTALLY for geeks only.
56 more posts to go. haha
In my opinion, remove the ungeeky “Repo-Man” and insert “Real Genius” and you got yourself a list that’s hard to argue with.
Don’t get me wrong, Repo-Man is a fun ride, but it appeals more to the punk and theater crowd than to geeks.
I Love how Alien is on there, I wouldnt really consider it geeky though…
Quadrilogy? Shouldn’t that be quartet?
Sorry … guess I’m more of a word nerd than a geek. Speaking of which, in Weird Science, when the guys are in the black night club, Jon Michael Hall (I think that’s the actor’s name)calls someone a “malaka” — Greek for a jerk-off. wtf?
I love Office Space but I hate all the others…
Does that make me a geek?
@Chris
true.
I just watched SERENITY yesterday and I loved it. I’ve just moved the FIREFLY series to the top of my Netflix queue. Yeah! I’m a geek.
How about THE NET? What’s geekier than geeks thinking they could get a hot chick like Sandra Bullock? Also SUPERBAD should be on this list, and of course NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE as well.
I’ve seen ten, including “Tron”. But then, I was never a geek, I was a dork, lol.
I’ve only seen 5 of those movies : office space, spaceballs, short circuit, the matrix (which I did not understand AT ALL), and lord of the rings. i’ve never even seen the original planet of the apes!
although, i have honestly never seen any of the original star wars movies. seriously. lol
well i watched every movie in the first 10, and enjoyed most of them, afraid that makes me a geek, right
goofball – you didnt like spaceballs?? i love all of mel brooks’ movies.
hehe pizza the hut. that’s great.
What geek didn’t like the nakedness of “Species”?
ooh – half way to the first prize!
I’m not a geek. Ok 26/26, but not a geek. NO I can’t be a geek! I don’t know you people. Get away!
Alright maybe I’m in denial a little, but I’m still cool right, right, RIGHT!!!
hahahahahha
If somebody were to win and they chose the alien quadrilogy, would they get all 4?
Uh, I think that somebody WILL win. I don’t think that we are going to run out of posts before we get to 100. But good question. Does the same thing apply to Lord of the Rings?