20 Movies Every Nerd Must See Before They Die

By Jack Pooley /

1. Blade Runner (1982)

If you're a nerd, there's a fair chance you've seen Blade Runner, but we couldn't resist including it as #1 anyway. Ridley Scott's iconic sci-fi is a masterpiece of design and direction, a provocative look at what it means to be human, a deeply felt, stylistically flawless look at a distressing future. Harrison Ford is magnificent as the protagonist assigned to hunt down a gang of rogue replicants, but it's Rutger Hauer who steals the movie away from him every time he's on screen, culminating in a beautifully improvised soliloquy that's impossible to forget. The film has influenced the genre and been relentlessly parodied over the years, a testament to the hearts and minds it has touched...as long as you see the Final Cut version and not the atrocious theatrical one. With a Ryan Gosling-led sequel on the way, hopefully it won't tarnish the original's implacable legacy. Which movies most make you unleash your inner-nerd? Shout them out in the comments!