Best geek movies of 2012

Sci-fi, horror, fantasy, superheroes, secret agents and videogames – it’s ten movies that have most pleased our inner nerd this year.

Avengers Assemble

In the hands of a lesser director, Avengers Assemble could have collapsed under the weight of its all-star cast and gigantic budget, but Marvel pulled off a masterstroke in recruiting comic geek Joss Whedon to helm this blockbuster. The Buffy creator’s vast knowledge of the source material, coupled with his capacity for humour, make this most likeable superhero movie in a year with no shortage of them.

Looper

The best time travel action-thriller since Van Damme’s masterful “Time Cop” (OK, we’re joking – sorry JCVD), Looper stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a mafia hitman who kills targets sent back from 30 years in the future. When his future self is sent back (in the form of Bruce Willis) to close the loop, things get truly weird.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy ends in satisfying fashion, with the Caped Crusader saving Gotham City from Tom Hardy’s terrifyingly brutish Bane, tangling with Catwoman and linking up with “Robin”. It’s as gorgeously filmed and presented as you’d expect given Nolan’s track record, and if Avengers Assemble is the “fun” superhero outing of 2012, TDKR is its way more serious – and seriously impressive – cousin.

The Cabin In The Woods

Joss Whedon again, here as the producer and co-writer of this horror film with a twist. When five teenagers go to the backwoods for a weekend away, we can all guess what’s going to happen – or can we? Much like Scream back in 1996, The Cabin In The Woods plays with our expectations concerning the horror genre, leading to lots of knowing nods, chuckles and more than one scare.

Skyfall

Bringing in Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes was a genius move on the part of the Bond producers, and the twisty, tightly-plotted Skyfall is arguably the best 007 outing since Daniel Craig stepped into the agent’s tuxedo. Gadget fans will also be happy to see the return of Q, with Ben Whishaw making the role of the tech-obsessed MI6 quartermaster his own.