21st Century Empowered Nerds Part Two:Young Nerds of Today, the Geeks shall inherit the Earth

21st Century Empowered Nerds Part Two:Young Nerds of Today, the Geeks shall inherit the Earth



Ok, I'm not covering the fact the coolness of 21st Century Empowered Nerd has even encompassing the music industry (aside from Weird Al-who was never cool) can you have ever imagined any time a nerd and nerd song with a nerd dance could be so popular much less viral? Finding a clip of costumed nerds dancing Gangnam Style with hot nerd girls at Comic Con...? Priceless!!! Yes 21st Century Empowered Nerds, Young Nerds of Today, the Geeks shall inherit the Earth.

Sci Fi/fantasy genre

I love Sci Fi

In Part One we covered a little bit of the Nerd's history, the fact nerds are appealing because we love to route for the under dog and why the Geeks shall inherit the Earth. The greatest thing about nerds being cool today, is the effect of nerdom on media. The combination of being of the Star Trek/Star Wars generation, having the PC, the Internet, progressive video gaming, CGI technology and surround sound for movies/television with great writing (most times) a, nd great techwe've seen some great movies in the last 20 years, and it does seem the best (along with recognition) is yet to come.

episode IV

Even though all six of the main films in the series were also nominated for or won Academy Awards, Star Wars episode IV "A new hope" didn't win best picture (perhaps because of the "wooden dialogue" I didn't notice at the time... of course I was only 8 years old) After 76 years, the academy recognised it's first Fantasy film, with Peter Jackson winning best director for his making of the Lord of the Rings:Return of the King.

It won all eleven Academy Awards for which it was nominated including best picture (an Oscar record) and tied for largest number of awards won with Ben-Hur and Titanic. Only in the digital age. Of course it may be some time before another Sci Fi/fantasy film wins such accolades, but as always, the genre (with ever improving CGI technology) is only getting better and Studios are loving it. The Return of the King was one of the greatest critical and box-office successes of all time, being only the second film to gross $1 billion worldwide, until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 surpassed The Return of the King's final gross in 2011.
Nerds/Geeks are loving it. The average person (non nerd) is loving it. Combine the popularity of Sci Fi programming with the pop culture of the comic book fan/collector, the video game industry, the latest tech and you get the cultural phenomenon Comic Con.

Comic Con for the 21st Century Empowered Nerd

San Diego Comic Con

Do you remember when the idea of people dressing up and going to a comic book convention was laughable? Not so now that it's an industry in itself, forking-in billions of dollars a year in sales and merchandising. The fact that the nerdy of the female persuasion has also evolved doesn't hurt either. Expanding the nerd market with interests in everything nerdy, from Sci Fi movies and video games, to the latest comic book with the latest tech and merchandise to hit the market.

Merchandising

With my generation (Star Wars/Star Trek) raising the next generation of nerds (Sci Fi movies, comics, video gaming, tech) the love of the 21st century nerd is growing by leaps and bounds, as is interest in all things Sci Fi.

21st Century Nerd family

New model of the 21st Century Empowered Nerd?

Boba Fett Girl - 21st Century Nerd

At a time when Empowered women of the world over are not only embracing a power which had been caged for so long (sexuality/girl power)

girl power at comic con

women are finally being the one's to exploit and reap it's benefits, the 21st century nerd (guys) has much to be thankful for. With even more reasons to visit a comic con event.

It's obvious the model of the super heroine hasn't changed much in comics (girls used to complain about the average character being drawn with above average measurements)

21 century comic book super heroines

To be honest, young boys/men were the primary demographic before the 21st century, and to be brutally honest, I have to refer to the Seinfeld episode when Jerry was dating an "nudist at home" girl and found out from Elaine that women generally tend to think only a woman can get away with being naked... I'm sorry Empowered ladies, but I have to agree. So although the poses are as ridiculously impractical as the majority of the costumes (considering they're fighting crime, not preparing to go on stage) it still looks sexy when a woman is drawn that way. (we'll get back to that in another post)

With today's women being more conscious of diet and exercise (coupled with muscular women finally being considered sexy) or being comfortable with not having to fit into the male paradigm of the feminine form, the model super heroine generally fits the demographic much more closely today (and when it doesn't, and curvy women don't care then why should we?)

Catwoman

Being a 21st Century Empowered Nerd is inspiring nerdy Geekesses to create the most... er, eye popping costumes based on the sultry movie characters melting the hearts of men and women alike. Without a doubt it's a trend bolstered by the 60's Star Trek series and supercharged by Ripley standing toe to claw with the ultra scary Alien Queen in Aliens.

I will follow up with a list of the most influential female action stars in the upcoming blog Inspiration for the Empowered Nerd Girls of the 21st Century.

2013 Sci Fi Movies for the 21st Century Empowered Nerd

Like many of my nerdy brethren, I LOVE SCI FI MOVIES. THX surround sound, Dolby Digital Surround 7.1, Imax, AVX 3D plus the fact we only go see the blockbusters in theatres (these days) I'll say it again... I LOVE SCI FI MOVIES.
I've watched nearly every genre movie (worth seeing) on DVD this year, but have gone to theatres a few times in 2012, recently taking in the highly anticipated masterpiece "the Hobbit".

The Hobbit

Aside from a sluggish start (in comparison to the first 10 minute grabber in the Fellowship of the Ring) and having to adjust to the format (Peter Jackson decided to shoot with more frames per second for higher quality) and struggling to look beyond the shot in video look (making it look like one of those made for You Tube videos) we were very satisfied by the end (and don't worry, I'm not a spoiler, you'll just have to see it for yourself)
2012 wasn't a bad year for the genre (Avengers) but there have been better years, and I'm thinking 2013 will be one of them. So let'stake a quick look at what's coming up.

In After Earth, Will and Jaden Smith play a father and son who crash land on Earth at some point in the future, by which time it’s become a dangerous place devoid of human life. When the father is injured, it's up to the son to complete the mission. The obvious grooming of Smith Junior is ironic considering Will SMith passed on playing the iconic Neo before accepted by Keanu Reeves in the highly stylized and ultra successful The Matrix to continue playing the typical, fictional action hero (Wild Wild West, Bad Boys) not seeing the error of his ways until then wife Jada Pinkette played Niobe in the Matrix sequels.

More 2013 Movies

Starring Matt Damon, Elysium deals with similar political and social themes as District 9. It’s set in 2159, Damon plays Max, an ex-convict living among the ordinary classes on an Earth that has become so hopelessly overcrowded that the richest members of society live on a luxurious orbiting space station – the Elysium of the title.

Endersgame

Asa Butterfield will star as Ender Wiggin in Endersgame, one of a group of children who are in training to battle against a race of invading aliens called Formics.

Oblivion

Tom Cruise will star as Jack Harper, a drone repairman whose longstanding battle with alien invaders is drawing to an end. But when his aircraft lands on a barren Earth one day, his encounter with a mysterious woman named Julia throws everything he thinks he knows about the war into doubt.

When gigantic inter dimensional monsters emerge from the ocean, brave warriors strap into equally large robot suits to fight them in Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro.
We have a GI Joe sequel starring Dwane Johnson and featuring Bruce Willis,

On the horizon we have an overdue Man of Steel

Man Of Steel

another Wolverine story,

The Wolverine

Robopocalypse,

Robopocalypse

The Host and a host more movies to look forward to following what seemed like a few quiet summers, 2013 is looking to be a very good year to be a 21st century nerd. With revamped stories, we also have Star Trek: into the Darkness, Hansel and Gretel, a new Robocop and...

Robocop for the 21st Century Nerd

that's right... Iron Man 3.

Iron Man 3

Are you old enough to remember how bad the superhero movies/TV shows were before the late 90's? Remember Captain America? The Flash? Spider man? The Incredible Hulk? Let's face it, CGI has helped the comic book movie come a long way, but the key to success is in the writing, depth of character and incorporating the social issues of the day (terrorism, bullying, economics, gay rights, race) Is it any wonder they've gotten better with the times? Know why? We've gotten better with the times.
20th century movies/TV will always have a special place in our hearts, but moving forward is about embracing the future. This is something the 21st Century Nerd knows almost instinctively.
Were you a nerd in High School? Did you have to keep silent regarding upcoming nerd movies? No worries, I think the nerds finally out number the cool (or the cool kids have been absorbed into the collective adding their distinctiveness to our own) Combined with the redefining of what's cool today... the future is bright indeed.
Like the millionaire entrepreneur, the 21st Century Empowered Nerd takes the road less travelled. Amidst the doubt of others and even scorn of mainstream thought. The 21st century nerd looks outside the box, defies traditional social convention, and take on tasks not meant for the average mortal. The Geeks shall inherit the earth.
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