The Essential Geek: Movies

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, but I'm back now and plan on going strong once more. So, what's new? Well the recent release of 'The Social Network' got me thinking about geek movies. You know, those quintessential movies that define what it is to be a geek. So, let's see if you agree with my list of the top ten essential geek movies:

10. Office Space

Hey Peter, what's happening? Yeah... I'm gonna go ahead and have you aaaah... watch this essential geek movie.

9. Wargames

What says geek movie more than a computer gone haywire? Of course. A computer gone haywire hooked up to nuclear missiles!

8. The Matrix

The world is nothing but a computer simulation built by the machines, who live off of humanity like cattle. The blue pill or the red pill. Your choice. To me, the action sequences of the Matrix movies are only seconday (very cool, but still secondary). The real mark of the Matrix is the concept of what we believe to be reality only being a computer generated dream.

7. Tron

A man is transported inside of a videogame in a movie created during the golden age of videogames. Can't get geekier than that.

6. Airplane

Surely we can't leave this movie off the list. Of course not, and don't call me Shirley.


5. The Princess Bride

To not consider this an essential geek movie would be "Inconceivable"!


4. 2001 A Space Odyssey

Another movie featuring a haywire computer. This time based on a short story from the legnedary scifi writer Arthur C. Clarke.






3. Pirates of Silicon Valley

This dramatization of the early days of personal computing and the beginnings of Microsoft and Apple is a really great movie. If you haven't seen it, go rent it immediately.




2. Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan

No list of essential geek movies would be complete without a Star Trek film, and this is the best of the lot.


1. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This movie is the holy grail of geek movies. This is also one of the most quotable movies of all time. If you don't agree I fart in your general direction. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time.

It was tough narrowing down this list to ten entries. Coming soon, the honorable mentions.