Remember when “nerds” used to be a derogatory swear word rather than the default state of most internet users? Movies do, which is why it’s fun to go back and look at six films that were infested with NEEERRRRDS!

Mazes and Monsters (1982)

From our review: “A very young pre-fame Tom Hanks plays Robbie, a college kid who flunked out of his last school for playing too much of a certain role-playing game. Can you see the moral coming up to smack you silly in the face?”

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

From our review: “Nerds are the oft-sung heroes of moviedom, most notably in the eighties. Of course, they have to be smart nerds, soaked with mutating radiation that allows them to outperform McGuyver in the gadget department.”

Computer Beach Party (1987)

From our review: “Will anyone be able to stand in the way of these gnarly dudes? Don’t lose hope, fair viewer, for a pair of suspiciously buff nerds are going to fight for the beach the only way they know how: With sailbuggies, microchips, and MS-DOS.”

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

From our review: “Napoleon wanders from scene to scene, barely registering as awake, insulting people, lying pathologically, and hissing through his teeth whenever things don’t his way. Which is always.”

Monster Camp (2007)

From our review: “Two thousand and seven was a great time for roleplaying, not because of D&D 3.5 edition, but because of MMOs and particularly World of Warcraft. Anyone that had any degree of nerd inside them was locked to their screen playing the greatest MMO of all time. This was no different for the members of the Seattle, Washington chapter of NERO Alliance.”

21 Jump Street (2012) 

From our review: “It’s a script-flip that you don’t see coming — and it’s a comedy goldmine when it’s unveiled. Seeing Tatum gradually go from being a beefcake jock to a gleeful nerd is a journey I want to see a few more times.”