The holiday season can be a stressful time of year. Amidst the craziness of booking flights to visit your family, preparing feasts, or simply maintaining your sanity while maneuvering holiday traffic, the last thing on your mind may be finalizing your holiday gift list. Well, rest assured! Fanboy Comics is here to help with the best recommendations for the must-see movies and TV shows from the year. While many geeks are turning to Netflix, Hulu Plus, and similar services to catch up on their favorite geeky TV shows, the DVD/Blu-ray set still has a place on many shelves, providing behind-the-scenes features, higher resolutions, and the ability to be watched during Internet outages. As an added bonus, they look great on display and help to show off your own geeky tastes.
– Kristine Chester
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1 and Arrow: Season 2 Box Sets
Recommended by Amy Hypnarowski
Excuses, excuses. Your friend can’t watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because they, “Have work and don’t have time.” Can’t catch up on Arrow: Season 2 because they, “Don’t have Netflix and my mom won’t share hers.” Can’t, “Start another show because I’m watching too many already.” Well, we have your solution.
Buy your slacking, superhero-loving nerd friends, roommates, or family member the perfect Christmas gift – the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1 or Arrow: Season 2 Blu-ray box sets. And, with the holiday season offering breaks from school, family gatherings, holiday parties, and those winter hiatuses from their other TV shows, they’ll have no excuse to not watch. Plus, while you (the good, up-to-date nerd) are suffering through the painful winter hiatus of Arrow and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you can quell your withdrawal symptoms with the bonus features off the Blu-ray DVDs (which include the 2013 Comic-Con panels for each show, gag reels, deleted scenes, and behind-the-scenes peeks at creating the action and effects on each of the series). After all, if you buy them the gift, I think you’re entitled to enjoying it, as well. Can you say nerd Christmas party?
The 5-disc Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1 Blu-ray and 9-disc Arrow: Season 2 Blu-ray box sets are available on Amazon for $49.99 and $43.54, respectively. An added feature for the Arrow: Season 2 set is the digital copy that comes with the Blu-ray. Looking for cheaper options? Try the general DVD box sets; you’ll still get an entire season of excellent storytelling, just with fewer bonus features. You can also purchase digital versions of the series (limited-no bonus features) directly from Amazon and iTunes.
Accept no more excuses. Hand them their nerd obligation on small, little, silver platters.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Recommended by Bryant Dillon
While Guardians of the Galaxy is sure to be a holiday winner this season with its galactic action spectacle and quirky humorous charm, I implore geeky gift buyers to not forget the super-powered political action thriller that is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Arguably the best film released so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Winter Soldier features Scarlett Johansson’s kick-ass Black Widow in a costarring role, the introduction of Falcon via Anthony Mackie’s excellent performance, strong connections to the CBS TV series, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a villain who truly rivals the hero in every way.
Make this a heroic holiday and give the gift of Captain America: The Winter Soldier this winter season.
Details: Price: $29.96
Discs: 2-Discs, Blu-ray 3D, and Blu-ray
Bonus features:
On The Front Line: An Inside Look At Captain America’s Battlegrounds
On Set With Anthony Mackie: Cut the Check
Available here for sale.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Recommended by Erik Cheski
Um, the second Marvel flick of the year to get above a 90 Metacritic score with the best soundtrack pretty much ever? SO DAMN MUCH AWESOME!!! A no brainer for anyone who likes superheroes, comedy, awesomeness, effects, little trinkets on their command console, puppies, finding something heroic in themselves, and loads of extra features, deleted scenes, and more. (Like, a LOT more. Some of it’s been teased on Facebook and Twitter from James Gunn. There’s more dancing and more Groot!)
When my wife and I left the theatre after our first trip, we were so mad that we’d have to wait so long to own it to watch over and over and over and hey . . . who needs work anyway? Isn’t that kinda the moral? Be a hero like Kevin Bacon and get this for someone who doesn’t already have it pre-ordered for its December 9th release.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Extended Edition)
Recommended by Joshua Desjardins
It’s no secret that The Lord of the Rings‘ director Peter Jackson has turned The Hobbit into another epic trilogy, but whether you agree with his adaptation or not, we all know Jackson’s “extended editions” tend to have the stuff we nerds miss from the original films. With 25 more minutes of scenes not seen in theaters, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Extended Edition) is sure to keep you more entertained than its original release. More Smaug. More Mirkwood. More Bilbo! This special edition also includes over 9 hours of bonus footage, including Parts 9 and 10 of Jackson’s famous Appendices. So, if this 3-hour-and-6-minute extended edition isn’t long enough for you, just wait until you see how they bring Smaug the Magnificent from concept to creation!
