The box office has been dominated by nerdy movies this summer. Some of the movies like Thor, X-Men: First Class and Super 8 were great. Some of the movies like Green Lantern and Transformers: Dark of the Moon left something to be desired. The movie theaters seem to be more and more populated with nerdclinations with each passing year. This summer is no different and we’re only half way through. Below are some previews of the upcoming nerdy movies for the rest of the summer.
Captain America
I think I’m more excited for Captain America than I was for any other movie this summer. Initially I was a little wary of Captain America but all of the trailers and promotional art for the film have got me so excited. What’s weird is that I’ve never really been that interested in the Captain as a super hero. He’s got a shield and some goofy wings on his temples and isn’t as cool as Wolverine. In spite of the initial lack of interest, though, I can hardly wait to see Captain America this coming weekend. Even my wife is excited to see it and she rarely panders to my comic nerdclination. And she really doesn’t pander to my Star Trek: The Next Generation nerdclination as evidenced by her complete disinterest in its availability on Netflix Instant.
Cowboys and Aliens
I’ve never really been into westerns. I remember watching Dances with Wolves and being bored out of my mind. Back to the Future 3 was a western and easily the worst movie of the trilogy. Tombstone was great but that was mainly due to the awesomeness of Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. Even though I’ve never really liked westerns, I do like aliens. So the opportunity to see cowboys taking on aliens intrigues me. I suppose they could have saved a lot of money and just cut Independence Day with Wild Wild West and nobody would have noticed. Who’s to say the aliens wouldn’t have a giant mechanical spider that Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum would defeat with a computer virus?
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I was really excited for the last Planet of the Apes movie. I love Tim Burton and was excited to see what he would do with the classic tale of primates conquering humanity. That excitement turned to complete disappointment, though, when I actually saw the movie. I can enjoy most movies I see. I accomplish this by being selective with the movies I see and tempering my expectations. Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes is one of the movies I truly didn’t like and wish I had never seen. So with that sour taste in my brain, I don’t have a lot of hope for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It doesn’t look terrible but I feel like they’ve given away the entire movie in the trailers. The only thing they haven’t given away is the ending, which is already known because the movie isn’t called The Rise and Fall of The Planet of the Apes.
Conan the Barbarian
I didn’t see the original Conan the Barbarian until five years ago. For being completely cheesy it was also pretty awesome. The best part of the movie was easily James Earl Jones as the film’s antagonist, Thulsa Doom. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Darth Vader’s voice turn into a giant snake; I would be much more inclined to watch CNN if a giant snake told me to. I don’t know what to think about the new Conan the Barbarian. I don’t really know that much about the universe other than that it’s populated by muscle-bound misogynists. Of all the movies in this preview, this is the one I’m most likely to skip. If I do see it, though, I’m sure it’ll be like getting an extra shot of testosterone; I’ll have to go work out after seeing it.
This summer has been so nerdy and it has been so great. It’s exciting to see nerd culture go mainstream, even if it’s only during four months out of the year. Once the calendar turns to September, though, nerds will have to go back to their dark corners, waiting patiently for the light of the next summer blockbuster season.
What nerdy movies are you most looking forward to for the rest of the summer?
Hey I really love bttf 3.
You can love it but it’s not better than 1 or 2.