Spaced: 10 Things To Love About Edgar Wright's Hidden Gem

6. Geek Criticism Galore

As much as it loved geek culture, Spaced also shows some heavy criticism towards its worst aspects.

The snobbishness of certain geeks was apparently as prevalent in the 90's as it is now. Presumption, overt judgement of one's interests, a blatant hostility to newcomers, this is a story many of us still recognise. Geek culture can, for all its enjoyment, be a shockingly cruel social bubble to exist in.

Spaced leaves no doubt as to where it stands about these aspects. Tim's obsession with Star Wars, and especially the Prequels, are never shown as anything more than painfully childish. At one point they cost him his job, and he is forced to get over himself in order to get it back.

This criticism has aged wonderfully because, sadly, it's still relevant. Geek culture may have entered the mainstream and found a thousand new ways to flourish, but there are still far too many overly critical armchair experts ready to fight to the death.

No matter how passionate you are, no one should be able to shout at a child for liking the wrong thing. Even if that thing is Jar Jar Binks.

Contributor

My passion for all things Sci Fi goes back to my earliest days, when old VHS copies of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet gripped my tiny mind with their big, noisy vehicles and terrifying puppets. I'd like to say my taste got more refined over the years, but between the Warhammer, Space Dandy and niche Star Wars EU books, perhaps it just got broader. I've enjoyed games of all calibre since I figured out that dice weren't just for eating, and have written prose ever since I was left unsupervised with some crayons next to a white wall. I got away with it by calling it "schoolwork" for as long as I could, and university helped me keep the charade going a while longer. Since my work began to get published, it's made all those long hours repainting the walls seem worth it.