It’s the time of year for giving thanks, and Hollywood has given geeky movie fans a lot to be thankful for this year.
Not only did 2015 give us some of the biggest blockbusters in cinematic history, but it also provided more than a few nice surprises that reminded us why movies can be so amazing. In honor of Thanksgiving, here are eight things to be thankful for that hail from the geekier corners of Hollywood.
Sequels
Just a few years ago, it seemed like bad sequels might end up being the death of good movies. This year has been an altogether different story, though. Of the films generating the most buzz in geeky circles this year, the vast majority are sequels.
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That list includes such notable films as Jurassic World, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spectre, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, among others. Sequels also account for four of the five highest-grossing films of the year worldwide so far. Sure, this could be the exception to the rule, but there’s no denying that sequels were a big part of what’s making 2015 so good for geeky movies.
Vin Diesel
In just a few short years, Furious 7 star Vin Diesel has become one of the most entertaining actors to keep on your radar – especially for fans of geeky movies. Along with keeping the Fast & Furious franchise rolling along at high speeds, Diesel has worn his geek cred on his sleeve while promoting The Last Witch Hunter – a movie based on a character he role-played in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns – and spoken at length about his own, well-established fondness for sci-fi and fantasy fare.
Sure, he’s an action hero, but he also seems like one of us – and it’s difficult not to cheer for the guy and look forward to more Richard B. Riddick, Groot, Dom Toretto, or any other characters he brings to the screen.
Nostalgia
Our fondness for the the movies and pop culture of days gone by can be a powerful force, and that’s been particularly evident this year. Back in June, Jurassic World made us all remember what it was like to catch our first glimpse of a brontosaurus in the original Jurassic Park, and just a few months ago we got all caught up in Back to the Future madness as part of the franchise’s 30th anniversary.
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Right now, Star Wars has just about everyone feeling like a kid again thanks to its generation-spanning appeal, and we’re still a month away from the premiere of The Force Awakens. This year, everything old has indeed become new again when it comes to geeky movies, and that’s been a very, very good thing.
Surprises
They’re few and far between in the modern movie marketing environment, but surprises can still be found in sci-fi, superhero, and fantasy fare – it just takes a little luck, a lot of willpower, and in some cases, clever publicity teams. While Terminator: Genisys opted to spoil one of its biggest twists, quite a few other films arrived in theaters this year with some of their biggest secrets intact.
Of course, if you’re the sort who seeks out every piece of news regarding your most-anticipated movies, you’re probably going to end up knowing more of the plot going into the film than the director intended. Fortunately some of this year’s biggest movies were able to keep some of their big moments under wraps. The appearance of Jurassic World‘s Indominus Rex and the relationship between Chris Pratt’s character and his velociraptor pals, for example, were cool elements made even cooler by learning about them as the film unfolded. Similarly, much of the plot of The Force Awakens remains unknown at this point, and we’re probably not alone in hoping it stays that way until we’re sitting in the theater next month.
Deadpool
Given the number of perfectly valid reasons why this film might have never been made, it’s nothing short of a holiday miracle that Marvel’s mouthy mercenary is getting his own “R”-rated solo movie. From the film’s necessary rating to the character’s wasted debut in X-Men Origins: Wolverine to the general lack of mainstream awareness of Deadpool, everything seemed to be working against this pipe dream of a project.
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And yet here we are now, mere months from taking a seat in a theater and watching Ryan Reynolds crack jokes while shooting, slicing, and otherwise dismembering bad guys, clad in the iconic colors of one of Marvel Comics’ most popular – and most irreverent – characters to come out of the ’90s. Is this the real world? Because I’m still not sure.
Ridley Scott
The director of Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, and so many other films that form the foundation of any good geeky movie collection has been back at it lately, pushing ahead with new projects like the current blockbuster The Martian and keeping the world of Alien in motion with his desire to connect the prequel film Prometheus to the rest of the Aliens franchise.
Add to all of that a Blade Runner sequel that Scott seems confident enough about to discuss whenever the subject comes up, and this year has been a busy one for the visionary filmmaker’s sci-fi endeavors. Consequently, it’s also been a good year for fans of the Alien franchise and Blade Runner, and for all great sci-fi.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Where to even start with Fury Road, one of this year’s best movies? It’s the sequel we didn’t know we wanted, but now that we’ve seen it, we can’t imagine this year’s movie landscape without it. Imperator Furiosa. The Warboys. Max. Those cars. Those amazing, wonderful, glorious cars. Heck, we even love the chrome spraypaint. WITNESS THIS!
The Hype Machine
The pitfalls of the modern movie marketing machine are well documented, particularly when it comes to the ever-present threat of spoilers. Still, this year has given us quite a bit to like about the hype – but only if you relax and let yourself get caught up in it.
While some fans might be hesitant in the lead-up to a potential blockbuster (since it could end up being terrible, after all), others throw caution to the wind and embrace the hype, immersing themselves in the unfiltered joy of something new on the horizon. This year featured a lot of opportunities for the latter, with massive, long-running promotional campaigns for films like Furious 7, Jurassic World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron that encouraged you to let yourself be carried away by the positive buzz and channel that inner child who’s easily excited about, well… anything.
We’re currently in the midst of exactly that sort of scenario with The Force Awakens, and if you’re the sort who’s happy to get caught up in all of the toys and teasers and such, it’s a very cool time to be a fan.
Question of the Week: What geeky things are you thankful for this year?
Rick Marshall is an award-winning writer and editor whose work can be found at Movies.com, as well as MTV News, Fandango, Digital Trends, IFC.com, Newsarama, and various other online, print, and on-air news outlets. He’s been called a “Professional Geek” by ABC News and Spike TV, and his personal blog can be found at MindPollution.org. You can find him on Twitter as @RickMarshall.
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