Ladies, Gentlemen, and Esteemed Guests. Welcome to the 2021 Nerddys.
Every year, we take a look at the best nerdy films from a variety of categories, and determine our Best Nerddy Picture.
Previous years’ Nerddy winners include time travel RomCom Palm Springs, Avengers: Endgame, alien/monster horror A Quiet Place, and Logan.
Each category has a limit of five nominees, with the first one listed being our winner. The remaining four are not necessarily in order.
Marvel
Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Black Widow had a great ensemble cast, Shang-Chi was a classic Marvel origin story done well, but for the Spoiler-y reasons, No Way Home just blew everything else out of the water.
DC
The Suicide Squad, Zack Snyder’s Justice League
I’m going to go ahead a pretend that this is the only Suicide Squad because this was fantastic, and I am excited for the Peacemaker show, even though PolkaDot Man is my hero.
Superhero
Spider-Man: No Way Home, Black Widow, The Suicide Squad, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals
The fun ridiculousness of Suicide Squad doesn’t beat out the pure joy of Now Way Home, and there weren’t any comic movies not from the Big Two.
Sci-Fi
Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Godzilla vs. Kong,
Dune followed the Lord of the Rings equation. Big budgets, good effects, but most importantly, play it honestly. There are no half measures or awkward trope explanations. We get into the story, and you’re expected to keep up, which makes it feel real and true. Can’t wait for the second half.
Fantasy
Raya and the Last Dragon, The Green Knight, Encanto, Luca
This feels like a D&D movie, and it’s got great Eastern Fantasy that I love. Ten points Disney!
Horror
A Quiet Place Part II, Old, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Army of the Dead, Spiral
The first one was my favorite movie of the year, so of course I’m going to love this too. There was more worldbuilding, the kids were helpful, and Cillian Murphy plays a great reluctant hero.
Comedy
Free Guy, I Care a Lot, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jungle Cruise, The King’s Man
I loved Deadpool and I loved The Lego Movie. This movie is the child of those two, and I love it as well. Ryan Reynolds understood the assignment, and killed it.
Animated
The Mitchells vs. The Machines, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, Luca, Raya and the Last Dragon, Encanto
Written by Lord and Miller, the same guys that did Spider-Verse and The Lego Movie (and the good parts of Solo). Great family comedy that deserves way more praise.
Sequel/Prequel
Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, The Matrix Resurrections, A Quiet Place Part II, The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
The Sequel of Sequels, No Way Home has set a new standard of what it means to follow another story.
Reboot
Dune, The Suicide Squad, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, West Side Story
The ’84 Dune was a pushed job by a studio to capitalize on the popular book that had come out less than 20 years prior. The director, David Lynch, immediately attempted to distance himself from the film, trying to absolve him of guilt for the film’s poor quality. This has no such problems.
Based on Game/Book/Show/True Story
Dune, Moxie, In the Heights, The Green Knight, Judas and the Black Messiah
It’s tough right now to determine if this is a completely good adaption, as we have only seen half of it. However, it has been praised for it’s accuracy, and desire to honor the book. This is not loosely based on, this is Denis Villeneuve trying to recreate the images he had in his head when he read it for the first time.
Original Story
Free Guy, I Care a Lot, Old, Army of the Dead
It’s hard now to make a movie that is wholly original, not based on anything, so the pickings are slim, but Free Guy is a fun movie that could have used some popular IP to sell itself and cut corners, and while there are some obvious Grand Theft Auto inspirations, it is an original IP ultimately.
Honorable Mention
Inside – Bo Burnham
Not a movie in the traditional sense, as it’s a comedy special. However, this 87 minute special has recontextualized and redefined what it means to be a Stand Up Comedy Special. Not to mention it’s ability to capture the raw emotions many people were feeling throughout 2020.
Best Picture
Dune, Spider-Man: No Way Home, A Quiet Place Part II, Free Guy, The Mitchells vs. The Machines
I will say, The Mitchells vs The Machines almost won this one. But again, the Lord of the Rings level of commitment to honest storytelling in a highly fictional setting will always get my attention. It was huge, epic, and made me an instant fan of this entire world setting.
The Nerdd 