Geoff Anderson

Geoff Anderson’s filmography isn’t exactly what you’d call boring—unless you’re allergic to adrenaline, explosions, or, y’know, adorable CGI Pokémon. The guy’s fingerprints are all over some wild cinematic rides. Let’s start with Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019). Not just a nostalgia-fueled cash grab—well, maybe a little—but also a surprisingly heartfelt romp through a neon-soaked city where Pokémon and humans live side by side. Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu? Who saw that madness coming? That movie juggled comedy, action, and a genuine mystery plot, all while making you want to hug a fuzzy yellow rodent. Not easy to pull off. Then there’s Chappie (2015). Forget everything you know about “robot learns to be human” stories. Chappie is weird, violent, and oddly touching—a sort of sci-fi fever dream courtesy of Neill Blomkamp. Anderson’s work helped ground the chaos in some sort of reality, even when the characters were a robot with a bunny ear antenna and two South African gangsters straight out of a Die Antwoord music video. It’s messy, it’s loud, and man, it sticks in your head. And, of course, Zero Dark Thirty (2012), which is just about as far from Pikachu as it gets. Here, Anderson’s expertise backed a gritty, urgent hunt for Bin Laden—a taut, relentless thriller that didn’t flinch from the ugliness of its subject. No CGI critters, just night-vision raids and moral ambiguity out the wazoo. So, whether it’s fantasy, sci-fi, or real-world drama, Geoff Anderson’s touch leaves a mark, and you can’t say his resume isn’t interesting.