8.5 C
New York
Friday, March 29, 2024

Geek Battle: Who Is The Geekiest Holiday Movie Character?

Somewhere between the sixth post-Thanksgiving viewing of Elf and the annual trip to Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve, it begins to sink in why these characters in Christmas-season movies are so beloved (or sometimes feared). They are makers and techies. They are hackers and storytellers. They are geeks.

For the next three days, eight fictional competitors will square off to see who is geekiest, as determined by popular vote.

After reviewing a number of Best Christmas Movies lists and consulting our own family DVD library, a handful of candidates for Geekiest Holiday Character rose to the top. There is nothing scientific about the selection process, other than the characters had to come from a movie involving the winter holiday season (sadly, eliminating Doctor Who Christmas television specials) and possess some quality of intelligence, ingenuity, and craftsmanship — mixed with a love of technology and gadgets, if possible — that make them kindred spirits.

The short list includes a human raised by elves, a mythical creature with a bad streak, and cop in the wrong place and the right time. There’s also a hard-luck builder and an optimistic boy with a plan. One character wants to steal Christmas, and another managed to do so. Finally, there’s the kid everyone forgot.

NOTE: One thing that stands out after poring over favorite Christmas-season movies — there is a dearth of females to consider. I’d love some suggestions for women who should have made the cut, and maybe some matriarchal script pitches for Hollywood.

The eight movie characters filling this bracket were seeded by virtue of their movie’s initial budgets, after adjusting for inflation. The voting will take place on Quipol, an Indiana startup for social polling built by Max Yoder. At the end of the day, the yes and no responses for this round will be tallied, with the winner of each battle advancing to Thursday.

Round One: The Elite EightVacationing terrorist fighter

This Die Hard cop (1988, $53M) is cut from the Mythbusters mold, where guns and C4 are a raw material for creativity. McClane is also quick-witted and snarky. Wired: Makes use of limited resources to take down a dozen terrorists Tired: Pretty certain most of his techniques have been busted

Stripe

Terrorizing vacationers

Potentially the best Christmas present ever becomes the terror of Kingston Falls. In Gremlins (1984, $23M), cuddly little Gizmo spawns a lot of mayhem in the form of mischievous reptillian creatures. They are wet, well-fed and evil. Wired: Can hack a stair-lift Tired: Can’t hack a microwave or blender Vote

Related Articles

Latest Articles