2008 Summer Movies for the Geek
Here’s a run-down of this summer’s movies that geek movie-goers may be drawn to. Commentary may include some useful information, but is mostly an exploration of how a geek girl like myself feels about each of the movies after seeing the trailer, reading plot synopses and ogling photos of the stars.
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This movie has been reported as one of the best comic book adaptations ever made. It’s the story of how one of Marvel’s favorite billionaires becomes Iron Man. The effects are totally schweet and Robert Downey, Jr. is apparently completely, totally awesome in this. Edit: I saw the movie the same day I posted this, and it was really, really, good and geektastic. Here’s what I thought of it. |
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Let’s take a classic, nostalgia-filled TV show with perpetually suck-a-riffic plots and turn it into a mediocre, fast-paced movie chock full of bright lights and anime-inspired cinematography! It’s supposedly family-friendly, though, so if you have a geeky family it might be a fun outing. I’m not familiar with Emile Hirsch, but I like Christina Ricci… though I’m going to pass on this one until it comes out on DVD. And I have a good supply of alcoholic beverages to consume while watching it. |
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The second installment of the Chronicles of Narnia, and I am pleased that they have chosen to follow the original sequence in which C.S. Lewis published his books. The studio didn’t really have a choice if they wanted to use the same child actors, since the story takes place a year after The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe ends. However cool the effects might be in this film, I suspect that I will still like the book better than the movie. |
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The fourth Indiana Jones installment after almost a 20-year hiatus… I’m sure the effects will be improved to the Nth degree, and hopefully that means they’ve had time to perfect the script as well. Karen Allen returns as Marion Ravenwood, and Shia LeBeouf plays a character who may be Indiana Jones’ son. He was better than I expected in Transformers, plus he’ll be dressed as a bad boy from 1957… so I’ll happily accept him into the Jones family whatever the premise. I plan to watch the first trilogy in order the few days leading up to seeing this in the theater. (btw: they’ve re-released the original Indiana Jones trilogy on DVD, now with more special features |
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Voiced by Jack Black… this one could be good if the story holds up to the reeeeeally cool looking animation in the trailer. (Or it could be one that eventually makes you want to die if you have kids who want to watch it 8 million times a week once it’s on DVD). Pandas were my favorite animal when I was in elementary school… I even had a fuzzy purse in the shape of a panda head. This may be a great movie to help segue and coerce your friends and family into watching those horrible, sub-titled kung fu movies that you love so much. |
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Not to be confused with the first Hulk movie. Bruce Banner is played by Edward Norton this time (have you seen The Prestige? OMG if he evokes the same love emotion as in that movie, then it won’t matter how little plot there is. And Liv Tyler is in it, too!). Right now this movie is living in the shadow of Marvel’s current marketing focus: Iron Man. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Iron Man will be the better movie of the two, if for nothing more than the scary-ass look of Hulk’s genetically mutated enemy in the same weight class. |
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Oh, Steve Carell, you have the power to make or break my childhood memory of Get Smart reruns on Nick-at-Nite (back when it was actually on Nickelodeon). I have a feeling that I will love his character, but I’m wary of Anne Hathaway as Agent 99 and of the story being more serious than it should be. The classic TV show is all about cheese, in my opinion, and I hope that this movie maintains that feel despite a large special effects budget. |
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I heart Pixar, so this would be on my must-see-in-theater list no matter what the subject. A robot love story with already amazing graphics in the trailer? May I please pre-order the DVD with my opening night tickets? If you haven’t already, go check out all of the trailers. They’re beautiful, and I think any geek worth his/her NaCl will enjoy this movie, no matter how young or old. |
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Sure, you may go to see it just for Angelina Jolie (or for James McAvoy, OMG did you see him in Atonement?). But it’s based upon Mark Millar’s graphic novel series and “tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice.” Sounds like eveey geek’s dream, if you ask me. |
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Will Smith does not play your average superhero in this movie. (Um, is any superhero really an “average” superhero?) He is an angry, alcoholic anti-hero who learns how to become a real superhero. The trailer has enough machine gun action, explosions, car chases and special effects to make it look awesome… and a good enough storyline to go along with it. Also, Jason Bateman is in it. Yay! (Warning: the flash website is obnoxious.) |
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Hellboy is back, and he must choose sides to fight in this war between two worlds. The trailer looks awesome, though I have to admit that I never got into the comic series and I still haven’t seen the first Hellboy movie. Please don’t shout at me. I will see the first movie as my homework and read a few of the comics, okay? And then I will see this movie and appreciate it a lot more. |
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I like to think about the initial pitch for this one: “Okay, we’re going to adapt this classic sci-fi novel from 1864, and we’ll make it 3-D so we can charge an extra three bucks per ticket! The kids will be swarming to see it!” Seriously, though, what’s with the 3-D movies? I missed Hannah Montana at theater (omg cuz i got this txt from my bff and…) so this one I might check out to see what these 3-D shenanigans are all about. Oh, and to air kiss Brendan Fraser, maybe? Can he plz to be taking off his shirt now? Wow, I’m really making myself seem very shallow right now. But to be fair, I was never really into chick flicks and the guys who starred in them. Occasionally, a geeky guy could make me interested in a not-so-geeky movie. But give me a hottie in a sci-fi/fantasy movie or a movie based on a comic or historical event and I’m so there. |
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Batman is once again Christian Bale nom nom nom. We meet The Joker, played by (the now deceased at a tragically young age) Heath Ledger. It’s been almost twenty years (in the real world) since Batman (Michael Keaton) first met The Joker (Jack Nicholson) on the big screen. But it’s the first time that Batman meets him chronologically speaking, and I have no doubts that this will be a dark movie as it forces Bruce Wayne “to confront everything he believes.” Whatever the hell that means, this movie will surely also be a spectacular display of special effects. |
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OMG Mulder and Scully are totally going to get together in this one! More than just make out! And that’s one of the reasons why they can release a movie sequel 10 years after the first. The studio is keeping the plot a super-secret, so speculation is all we have to work with. And isn’t that what the entire franchise is all about? Oh, and also it’s about Fox taking advantage of the hype to increase their DVD sales of the tv show and the first movie. |
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Two Brendan Fraser movies in one summer? Could it get any better? Well, maybe it could if this Mummy movie improves after the not-that-great (in my opinion) sequel. I’m skeptical because this one doesn’t even have Rachel Weisz in the cast. She’s the sexiest role model for a librarian I’ve ever seen, and she played her role well. This new self-proclaimed epic movie will take place in Asia, which was really hard to figure out from the title, right? Unless it starts to get amazing reviews, I might save this one until it comes out on DVD. |
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Oh hells yeah, bitches. Full-length animated feature film with stories from the frontlines of the Clone Wars. Then the story will continue with half-hour episodes on Cartoon Network that will eventually find their way to TNT (read more). Star Wars geeks everywhere will once again not be capable of non-Star Wars related conversation. I’m very much looking forward to seeing this one at the theater. |
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I actually started this entry about a month ago, but kept getting distracted with each trailer I watched or plot synopsis I read. Damn Internet. Let me know if there are any other geek-worthy movies that should be on this list. Thanks for reading!
