Ashley Judd is living her best life at 58.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, June 11, Judd shared a video of herself splashing about in the water as she embraced her midlife era.

The post was titled, “We Don’t Care Club: Baltic Sea Edition.” The caption was a nod to the “We Do Not Care Club,” the social media movement created by Melani Sanders, which encourages women to lean into their later years.

“This installment is a healing tonic for a grave condition that often plagues adults and the overly serious: ‘Know-It-All-itis,’ ” Judd wrote in the caption.

Related: Ashley Judd Shows Off Curves in Bathing Suit to Talk About Menopause

Ashley Judd is no longer caring what others think and embracing her inner child as she experiences postmenopause. Judd, 57, took to Instagram on Tuesday, July 22, to share a video of herself splashing around in the Baltic Sea while showing off her curves in a green one-piece swimsuit. “Hi, I’m Ashley and I’m a […]

The actress also made jokes as she frolicked in the sea. “The good news is when it’s shallow you don’t get as much sand in your crotch,” she quipped.

At another point in the video, Judd picked up seaweed, which she called “salad” before shaping it into a crown and describing herself as a “lady of the sea.”

Followers praised Judd’s enthusiastic spirit in the comments section.

“Physical beauty is obvious, you are so radiant and natural, however it’s your childlike happy spirit that is shining! A real mermaid! 🧜‍♀️ Fierce and gentle and of the sea. 🌊” wrote one follower.

Another added, “You are a ray of sunshine in a dark place.”

Judd has previously uploaded videos as part of the “We Don’t Care Club” movement.

“Hi, I’m Ashley and I’m a member of the We Don’t Care Club,” she declared in a July 2025 post. “Sometimes when I wear a swimsuit, I get a little chafing, like right down there, so I put on cornstarch. Good trick if you don’t know it already.”

After showing off a non-stinging type of jellyfish in her hands, Judd placed the sea creature back into the water and said she was “picking my crotch and I don’t care.”

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Related: Ashley Judd‘s Long Road Back From Shattering Her Leg in DRC

When Ashley Judd shattered her leg on an excursion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2021, doctors told her she may never move her foot again — so she set out to prove them wrong. Judd, 56, took to social media on Monday, May 13, to post a video via Instagram displaying just […]

She told fans about her “MSU Club,” or “Make Stuff Up Club,” and said that as a “postmenopausal woman, I don’t care if you don’t like the MSU Club.”

In a June 2025 Instagram post, Judd candidly opened up about being “post-menopausal since 2018.”

“And super comfortable with that. Peri, menopause, and post-menopause is human biology and medically accurate,” she wrote. “Sex education is essential. I am rejoicing in @justbeingmelani un muzzling of peri/post/menopausal expression and her inviting in all kinds of women to liberate their ‘I don’t cares!’ We are enough, we do enough, it is enough. It is okay, we are okay. It is human biology. Fact and true. To all my menopausal ladies out there, what are your don’t cares?!”

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 23 seconds ago

While some of his movies could have been better (looking at you, Spectre!), James Bond still has the greatest action franchise in the entire world. From the very beginning, this secret agent established himself as the ultimate man’s man: he always dresses to impress, he knows how to win big at cards, and he’s gifted at seducing the most beautiful woman in the room with a single, well-placed pickup line. When he’s not doing those things, though, he’s saving the world, one memorable shootout and iconic driving sequence at a time.

Now, 007 finds himself at a creative crossroads. Daniel Craig decided to hang up the tux, and nobody has yet been officially cast to take his place as James Bond. Beyond that, Amazon has not officially announced which talented creator will bring the next Bond film to life. Ironically, though, the man they’d kill to hire is someone they can no longer afford: Steven Spielberg, who recently revealed that his offer to direct a Bond film decades ago was rejected. While it would have been cool to see the world’s greatest director take on 007, the blunt truth is that Spielberg would have almost certainly run this franchise into the ground.

Close Encounters Of The Bond Kind 

Recently, Steven Spielberg has been making the rounds to help promote his latest film, Disclosure Day. During an appearance on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, he revealed something startling: not only had he volunteered to direct a James Bond film, but his offers had been rejected on multiple occasions. He first approached 007 franchise producer Cubby Broccoli after Jaws became a blockbuster hit. “I’d always wanted to make a James Bond film from the day I saw Dr. No, so I called Cubby after Jaws and volunteered,” Spielberg said. “I said, ‘If you need a director, I would love to direct one.’ And he said no.”

A few years later, Broccoli approached Spielberg with a very specific request: he wanted to use the famous five-note melody from Close Encounters of the Third Kind in Moonraker, Bond’s one and only sci-fi adventure. The director responded to Broccoli by saying, “I’ll give you permission to use the five notes if you let me direct a Bond film.” His offer was refused yet again, and while Spielberg let the producer use those notes, he is seemingly still baffled by the constant rejection: “He never explained why he wasn’t letting me into the Bond family.”

Setting A Franchise On Fire

To hear Spielberg tell it, this is an all’s well that ends well story. When he griped about not getting to direct a 007 film to George Lucas, the Star Wars creator invited Spielberg to collaborate on a new character: “Indiana Smith,” who would later be renamed to Indiana Jones. The Jones films helped cement Spielberg’s reputation as the greatest director in the world, and if he were asked to direct a Bond film today, he says his flat response would be, “You can’t afford me.” For all of the director’s sour grapes, though, I’m glad Broccoli rejected his offers because Spielberg would have been terrible for the James Bond franchise.

Why do I think Spielberg would have been a terrible Bond director? For one thing, he is a very visual director in ways that aren’t really suited to the 007 franchise. Think about some of his most iconic shots: the first emergence of the shark in Jaws, the Tyrannosaurus rex chase in Jurassic Park, and so on. These shots were great at establishing these creatures as larger-than-life threats, especially to the puny humans just trying to survive. That doesn’t really work for Bond, though, who is designed as a larger-than-life, borderline superhuman who fights dimwitted bad guys. Basically, in a 007 film, Bond is the dinosaur everyone else is running away from.

The One Hero Spielberg Can’t Handle

As Spielberg himself implies, the closest he came to directing James Bond was directing four of the Indiana Jones films. While those movies are amazing, they also reveal why Spielberg’s style doesn’t work for 007. Spielberg’s action hero is flawed and funny, while Bond is meant to be cool, collected, and (mostly) serious. Plus, the Indy films are built around setpiece-driven action scenes like the rolling boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark, cutting the bridge in Temple of Doom, etc. That makes for a great spectacle, but it doesn’t exactly build character. Bond’s action is more grounded and more centered on the character, which is crucial for a borderline mythic action hero.

Finally, all of Spielberg’s best creative gears would be wasted on James Bond. There’s no focus on family (found or otherwise) in 007, but this is a staple in movies like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Catch Me If You Can, and especially The Fabelmans. There are no otherworldly things to inspire a sense of wonder in a James Bond movie, but this is the driving force of Spielberg films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jurassic Park. Heck, even the Bond music is so well-established that there’s no chance of Spielberg teaming up with John Williams to deliver fresh music and coordinated visuals, like with the flying bike in E.T.

None of this is meant to dunk on Steven Spielberg. Once more, for the cheap seats, he’s the greatest director in the entire world. But he gained that status by mastering a visual storytelling style that is best suited to certain characters and narratives. Characters out of their depth, heroes fighting monsters, broken people discovering that family matters the most? These are just a few of the things that Spielberg handles best. But Bond is never out of his depth, he only fights humans, and he doesn’t have a family. In short, it’s true Amazon can’t afford Spielberg, but James Bond can’t afford to have this iconic director run this franchise into the ground.

You don’t have to start an amazing sci-fi movie with an absolutely amazing or technically dazzling shot, as something like Jurassic Park shows. That movie has a great opening scene, but the first shot of the movie isn’t particularly memorable. It’s some trees rustling. It’s fine. But it’s “shoot her!” and the rest of the scene – especially the way it teases and doesn’t clearly show any dinosaurs – that makes it a great opening.

So, the following examples are all here just because of the opening shots. Some of these only last a few seconds, while others last a couple of minutes. They all convey some kind of information right away in a visually striking or otherwise thought-provoking way, and sure, they’re usually part of great opening scenes. But what really matters are great opening shots from sci-fi movies, and below are some of the very best of all time.

10

‘Akira’ (1988)

Image via Toho

One of the best anime films of all time, Akira is about the dystopian world of… well, 2019. But an alternate 2019, seeing as Akira starts with a shot of the Tokyo of 1988 being blown up with an atomic bomb. It’s also not the only cyberpunk movie of the 1980s that has a memorable opening shot and a 2019 setting (more on that other movie about “blades” and “running” in a bit).

It’s funny that Akira did accurately predict the Olympics being held in Tokyo in 2020, even if technically, the “2020” Olympics got held in 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sticking with that opening shot, though, it’s a memorable image and an important one for setting the scene, explaining why Tokyo becomes Neo-Tokyo, and also foreshadowing more widespread destruction that eventually happens much later in the film.

9

‘Back to the Future’ (1985)

Image via Universal Pictures

There’s a lot going on during the opening scene of Back to the Future, and much of it’s conveyed within one shot that shows a variety of things in a single room. There is a cut at one point, from a can of dog food being opened to the contents of that can being dropped into a bowl (and some of it getting on the floor), but even then, there’s about two minutes’ worth of information conveyed in the single shot before that cut.

Plenty of things shown here feel a little odd, at first, but they’re all set-ups that eventually get great payoffs, and they do ultimately help Back to the Future feel as satisfying and crowd-pleasing as it ultimately does. The lack of music during this opening shot has always felt like a bit of an odd creative choice, but the visuals here do a lot, and there’s definite creativity in how much is shown and coordinated in a single opening shot.

8

‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)

It’s worth including more than one Star Wars movie here, since they typically start memorably. If you count the opening crawl as part of any opening shot, they’re always iconic, with the main theme and the serial-style yellow text always feeling exciting and setting the mood well, even if the movie to follow is less than great. Thankfully, most of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is pretty great, and the opening shot is especially memorable.

Now, it’s not the very best part of the whole movie, and though it’s presented as one long take, that is easier to do when everything’s computer-generated, compared to, say, the intricacies of doing a massive battle scene initially presented as one long unbroken take lasting more than a minute. It’s still exciting and quite spectacular, in any event, being enough of a wow moment to potentially stop you from realizing the battle Obi-Wan and Anakin dramatically swoop into should be visible sooner.

7

‘Children of Men’ (2006)

Image via Universal Pictures

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This is a slightly tricky example, because there is one long shot that makes up the first scene in Children of Men, but a cut to a TV screen people are watching does technically interrupt it. Technically, the third shot of the movie is the one that feels the most impactful and memorable, though it could be the second shot if they did film the whole thing in one take, but then inserted the brief cut to the screen to better showcase what the people in that shot are seeing.

If you can only count the first shot as the one shot, it still conveys a good deal of information, and that sense of “maybe the first and third shots are still the one shot” means Children of Men can still sneak in here. It’s a dark, distressing, and undeniably intense way to kick off a dark, sometimes distressing, and ultimately very intense movie.

6

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

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Compared to much of the movie that follows, the opening shot of Mad Max: Fury Road is rather calm, at least visually. It’s a still and not frenetic shot (the frenetic stuff comes a bit later, and lasts for almost the whole film), only having some chaos on the audio side of things, as Max delivers some voiceover narration that speaks to how psychologically wrecked he is, and then the viewer temporarily hears the voices in his head.

And then his madness (he is “Mad” Max, after all) is further illustrated when he steps on a lizard and then eats it, all with his back to the camera. Also, the lizard has two heads. The shot is notable for lasting more than a few seconds, compared to all the rapid editing that follows, and it’s a perfect calm (relatively speaking) before the storm sort of moment. It’s also beautiful to look at, with the vivid colors and landscape recalling the sorts of visuals you’d more expect to see in an old-school Western.

Image via Warner Bros.

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Back to the Future is not the only sci-fi movie Robert Zemeckis directed that has a great – and admirably ambitious – opening shot, since he also did Contact. Back to the Future is the better movie overall, but Contact has an even more exceptional opening shot, and one you can also potentially compare to the opening shot of Revenge of the Sith, what with this being a lengthy shot of space done with advanced special effects.

For the time, this was the longest single shot done with digital FX, lasting about three minutes and flying through space, showing Earth, then the solar system, then the Milky Way galaxy, and then countless other galaxies in the whole universe. It still looks good when watched today, and the way it drives home the size of space right at the start of the movie (with that proving important for the narrative, eventually) in such a way is undeniably impressive. There are plenty of other inventive uses of special effects throughout Contact, but that’s to be expected, when Zemeckis is in the director’s chair, since he’s always seemed drawn – sometimes to a fault – toward showing viewers things they might not have ever seen before.

4

‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)

Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Stanley Kubrick was an all-time great director in general, but especially when it came to memorably opening and closing his movies. Regarding 2001: A Space Odyssey, it might technically have a bolder ending shot, but the opening shot also does a great deal in terms of delivering spectacle right away. There’s the moon, and then the Earth is seen over the moon, and then the sun rises slowly over the Earth.

Call it simple if you want, but it is awe-inspiring in motion, especially with the music swelling alongside the visuals so perfectly. It’s only a small taste of things to come, regarding just how impressive the special effects later in the film end up being, but this opening shot of 2001: A Space Odyssey does convey, remarkably well, that you’re in for something grand and ambitious.

3

‘Blade Runner’ (1982)

Image via Warner Bros.

Like Akira, Blade Runner is set in 2019, and it also opens with a pretty stunning shot of a city (no atomic bomb going off here, though). This is purely to set the stage for the movie’s setting and also the overall feel, with the information you get from the opening minute or two, regarding the plot and the overall conflict, coming from some opening text that isn’t necessarily the first shot.

Well, opening text maybe is, but by that logic, the final shot of most movies is just the end credits: text against a black screen (which is what you get most of the time). So, the opening shot of Blade Runner, for present purposes, is that dreary-looking – yet also visually stunning – cityscape, which creates a great first impression, not to mention a fitting one, considering the moody and atmospheric sci-fi film that follows.

2

‘A Clockwork Orange’ (1971)

Image via Warner Bros.

The opening shot of A Clockwork Orange technically isn’t as awe-inspiring as the opening shot from the previously mentioned Kubrick film here, 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it might be even better. It’s a long shot that slowly pulls back, showcasing the Korova Milk Bar with an initial focus on Alex, the film’s protagonist, but all throughout, he doesn’t stop staring directly into the camera.

He’s not the only character to do one of those “Kubrick stares,” but this might be the best of all the Kubrick stares, especially thanks to the voiceover, which gets you into the head of Alex, even if that’s not a place you necessarily want to be. He lays out what he’s about to do, who he’s with, and then you also see the kind of place he likes to frequent. You get introduced to the slang used throughout, and then the music used in this opening shot is also instantly striking, not to mention uniquely eerie.

1

‘Star Wars’ (1977)

Image via Twentieth Century-Fox

For as cool and maximalist as the opening battle in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was, it’s still Star Wars (1977) that has the most iconic opening shot. It’s also very easy to put at #1 here, as it might well be the best opening shot from any movie, regardless of genre, doing a great deal to perfectly establish the conflict that’ll play out across the film right away, not to mention also doing the same by way of establishing the most significant conflict of the entire series.

After the opening crawl, there is a small ship with the good guys on it, and then an absolutely massive spacecraft with the bad guys on it, pursuing the first ship, with the shot framed in a way that really emphasizes the immense size of the second ship, setting the Rebels up as instant underdogs. The only film made up until that point that made space look as impressive was 2001: A Space Odyssey, and that was also going for a very different thing overall. The opening shot in Star Wars makes the film get off to a speedy and exciting start, with the music and sound design also doing so much for the overall spectacle offered here.

Three years after James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins of the new DCU, things are mostly firing on all cylinders. Superman proved to be the exact cinematic start the new franchise needed last year, introducing David Corenswet‘s Clark Kent to solid reviews and an inspiring $618.7 million. There have since been a few deviations from the original plan for the universe’s first chapter, Gods and Monsters, laid out back in 2023 to capitalize on the success and work around other projects still developing. The next two years, for instance, will see the release of two projects not among the ten titles originally announced — the Mike Flanagan-penned Clayface movie in October and the Lex Luthor and Superman team-up, Man of Tomorrow, premiering next summer — alongside Supergirl and Lanterns this summer.

A few of those first ten titles are on pause at the moment, like the Authority movie, but there are two still being hammered out that concern what Gunn considers some of DC’s “diamond characters.” The Brave and the Bold, which will introduce the DCU’s Batman, brought aboard a new screenwriter in Christina Hodson earlier this year, but it’s clear that Andy Muschietti‘s take on the Dark Knight is still a ways off. Back in April, meanwhile, he replied on Threads that the Themyscira-set Wonder Woman prequel series, Paradise Lost, was in “extreme development,” confirming both it and the Booster Gold series are still happening despite a lack of updates. Adding even more smoke to that fire is that the head writers have seemingly been found, per the Writers Guild of America website.

Kira Snyder and Janet Lin are both currently listed as attached to Paradise Lost, though their exact titles, whether it be showrunners or something else, are yet unknown. There has yet to be an official confirmation from Gunn about their involvement either, but it’s a fairly definitive indication that they’re helping in some capacity to make the series happen. Both bring solid resumes to the DCU, with Snyder previously writing and producing for The Handmaid’s Tale and For All Mankind, and Lin having worked on the first season of Bridgerton. This project would be a unique one for them, approaching the idyllic Amazonian nation from a historical perspective before Diana ever wielded her Lasso of Truth. Safran previously likened it to Game of Thrones, explaining how it would explore “all the darkness and drama and political intrigue behind this society of only women,” and answer any questions about Themyscira’s existence.

Wonder Woman Is a Massive Part of Gunn’s DCU Plans

Paradise Lost is just one small piece of the puzzle for Wonder Woman and her world within the DCU. A feature centering on the Amazing Amazon is also in the works, bringing back Supergirl scribe Ana Nogueira to pen the screenplay. Gunn has made it clear that casting wouldn’t begin until writing was finalized, so it’ll be a while before Diana returns to the big screen. Whenever Wonder Woman does finally make her grand entrance, though, the groundwork is laid for her arrival thanks to Gunn’s first animated series in the franchise, Creature Commandos, which introduced the rogue Amazonian sorceress Circe (Anya Chalotra), one of her greatest adversaries. Notably, the DCU head also previously mentioned wanting to make a Wonder Woman animated show, too, but there are no indications that any such project is coming at this time.

Paradise Lost remains in development. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the show’s future and what’s to come for Wonder Woman under the DCU as we learn more.

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott came together to celebrate daughter Stella as she graduates from high school.

According to photos obtained by People, the exes sat next to each other as they watched Stella, 18, receive her diploma on Thursday, June 11. Spelling, 53, and McDermott, 59, were also all smiles as they posed for photos with their daughter.

One day before Stella’s graduation, both Spelling and McDermott paid tribute to their eldest daughter in honor of her birthday.

“My baby is 18 today … She will always be my Buggy. In this one lifetime so far we have loved, lived, lost, and learned. It’s been a true honor so far to watch you @stella_mcdermott08 grow and evolve and inspire all around you,” Spelling wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, June 10, alongside a clip of her and Stella at the beach. “You are kind and courageous. You are strong and soft. I’m so proud to be your mom and we are true proof that moms and daughters can be best friends. I love you with all my heart and soul and can’t wait to see the amazing future you have. There’s nothing you can’t do. I watch that daily. My beautiful Buggy xo 💋.”

McDermott, for his part, posted a series of throwback pics of Stella over the years.

“I can’t believe my little Lady Bug is 18 today,” he captioned the Wednesday post. “Such a beautiful human inside and out. So proud of you. You’ll always be my Buggy. Happy Birthday. I love you kiddo.”

Spelling and McDermott wed in 2006. In addition to Stella, the couple share daughter Hattie, 14, and sons Liam, 19, Finn, 13, and Beau, 9. McDermott is also father to son Jack, 27, whom he shares with ex Mary Jo Eustace.

In 2023, Spelling separated from McDermott after 17 years of marriage. Two years later, Us Weekly confirmed that their divorce was finalized.

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Related: Why Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott Decided Divorce is ‘Best for Everyone’

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Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have weathered many storms during their marriage — and Spelling’s recent divorce filing hasn’t appeared to sour their relationship. “Tori and Dean are still cordial,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly after Spelling, 50, filed for divorce on Friday, March 29. Spelling and McDermott, 57, have “been together so long […]

“While we had our ups and downs and problems throughout our marriage, we had no problems throughout the divorce,” the Beverly Hills, 90210 star said during an episode of her “MisSpelling” podcast after her and McDermott’s divorce was finalized. “Which I think is a testament to the two of us and wanting to really step up and be there for the five humans we chose to create out of love.”

While Spelling and McDermott’s romantic relationship didn’t work out, the pair have had a strong coparenting dynamic.

“We’re great coparents,” McDermott exclusively told Us in November 2025 of his “fantastic” connection with Spelling. “We’re a united front. It’s all about the kids.”

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 second ago

For better or for worse, we are living in the golden age of TV revivals. Some of the most beloved shows from the ‘90s just keep coming back, often to the delight of older fans. Frasier, for example, brought Kelsey Grammar back for a new show; it streamed on Paramount+, which also hosted the Star Trek: The Next Generation reboot, Picard. Beloved children’s sitcom Full House was brought back as Fuller House, and even the pioneering gay sitcom Will & Grace was rebooted for the enjoyment of a newer, more progressive generation. Amid all these revivals, some of us have been asking the same question for years: where the heck is Home Improvement?

Home Improvement was one of the most popular television series for almost the entirety of the ‘90s. With that kind of popularity, a reboot or revival seemed inevitable, and leading man Tim Allen has frequently discussed how much he’d love to make one happen. Recently, he was asked during an interview if there were any updates, and he offered a surprising response. He claimed that it would only make sense for a revival to focus on his onscreen sons, but “there are some personality problems right now with the boys.” This seems to mostly be an allusion to Zachery Ty Bryan, who is currently serving one of multiple scheduled stints in jail!

The Greatest TV Dad Is Back (Well, He Wants To Be)

Recently, Tim Allen gave an interview to Us Weekly, where he was asked about the status of a possible Home Improvement revival. “They keep talking about how it could move forward, but they get stuck [because] there are some personality problems right now with the boys,” he said. “They’ve got their own issues. I always thought it would be cool if it was a story about them. That’s a little challenging right now, to put it mildly.” It’s a good idea, really, one which worked for another ‘90s sitcom revival. When Fuller House came back, all of its primary dramas revolved around the grown-up versions of the child characters from Full House. 

So, what does Allen mean when he says “the boys” have “personality problems?” In Home Improvement, his character had three sons, played by Zachery Ty Bryan, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Taran Noah Smith. Of these former child stars, Smith has stopped acting altogether; in fact, the last thing he did was voicework for a 1999 episode of Batman Beyond. Meanwhile, former teen heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas is still interested in making art, but he prefers to write and direct these days. Because of that, it would be difficult to get either of them to come back for a Home Improvement revival.

Child Star Breaks Bad

The one who presents the biggest issue, though, is Zachery Ty Bryan. In 2020, he was arrested for allegedly strangling his girlfriend. He has also been repeatedly arrested for domestic violence and is currently spending 16 months in a California prison for a felony DUI violation. Once he gets out, he will then serve a 19-month prison sentence in Oregon for probation violations connected to one of those domestic violence arrests. Overall, his story is a sad one for all of us who enjoyed watching him on Home Improvement back in the ’90s. But Tim Allen isn’t wrong: it’s hard to star in a TV show when you can’t stay out of jail! 

Once upon a time, Tim Allen was the ultimate TV dad, and he’s in a pretty tough position now. He knows that Home Improvement is still popular; audiences love the conceit of that show so much that he was able to create two successful spiritual sequels (Last Man Standing and Shifting Gears). Now, he has the perfect idea to bring Home Improvement back, but it just can’t happen because producers would have to recast all of his onscreen children. As much as I empathize with Allen, though, it’s surreally funny to see him throw all of those actors under the bus and blame them for his revival never getting a green light.

Undeniably funny, weirdly jerky behavior that makes you cringe and laugh at the same time? This felt less like watching a major Hollywood star and more like watching his onscreen alter ego. We may never get more Home Improvement, but thanks to Allen’s interviews, one thing is clear: Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor never left!

Crowning the greatest video game of all time is like picking a favorite child; it’s basically impossible. Some fans choose based on their personal preference, while others decide through an intricate critique of the design and polish, and some use sales as a metric. While commercial success doesn’t determine the quality, some of the greatest video games ever are also the best-selling, such as Minecraft and Red Dead Redemption 2. Nintendo, in particular, is known for having some of the most well-known video game franchises that always deliver must-play titles, from The Legend of Zelda to Super Mario Bros. And when it comes to nostalgia and innovation, it’s hard to beat the Nintendo Wii.

With an unorthodox controller, an imaginative premise, family fun, and magnificent games, the Wii became a household staple for millions of families. And if we’re talking about the Wii, no game is more iconic or emblematic than Wii Sports, which was bundled in with the console at launch and went on to become one of the best-selling video games of all time, at around 83 million copies. Beyond its commercial success, though, Wii Sports is truly one of the all-time best video game experiences, a trailblazer that redefined the medium and became synonymous with the Wii. Today, twenty years after its launch, Wii Sports remains one of Nintendo’s greatest triumphs, a seminal title that marked an entire generation and made us appreciate video games beyond the classic genres and stories.

What is ‘Wii Sports’ about?

Image via Nintendo

Back in 2006, the Nintendo Wii launched, using its iconic Wii Remote and motion controls to completely reinvent the way games are played. While the console had a few launch titles, including The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports was packaged with every console of the Wii. This game is technically one of the best-selling of all time, but that is mainly because everyone who bought a Wii got it for free, matching the sales of the console. Still, that only meant it became even more accessible, getting into the hands of everyone.

This multiplayer video game features five different sport-focused modes, including boxing, bowling, golf, tennis, and baseball. Using the Wii Remote and sometimes the Nunchuk, players can intuitively play these sports by using similar actions and pressing buttons — you swing the remote as you would a golf club or a baseball bat, you aim it on the bowling lane, you throw punches during the boxing matches. Whether they want to play against the computer AI with infamous challengers such as Matt, or go toe to toe with friends and family, players have a range of modes and options to play. It may seem like a small game, but it was a genuine sensation; after all, it was given to everyone for free, plus you could spend hundreds of hours replaying the same games over and over again. There was a genuine thrill in playing it, too, especially during the boxing matches. You literally felt as though you were actually doing sports, even though you were in the comfort of your home. Many a jokes played on the fact that “nerds” could finally be good at sports, which got old pretty fast, but it wasn’t exactly incorrect.

Nintendo recently revealed Nintendo Switch Sports, one of the best video games on the Nintendo Switch and a spiritual successor to Wii Sports. While it was met with mixed reviews, it is still a modernized version of a classic game. Back in the Wii era, Nintendo also released Wii Sports Resort, which offers more mini-games, sports, and other modes to play. Many consider it superior to the original, with much more content and fleshed-out games. Still, it is hard to beat Wii Sports considering how iconic it is.

‘Wii Sports’ is The Pinnacle of Multiplayer Gaming

There are many great video games on the Wii, but none are as legendary as Wii Sports. Titles such as Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl are great, but there is a certain feel to this game that is unmatched. The vibe and aesthetic were closely connected to the Wii, creating a bit of synergy between game and console that we seldom see in modern gaming, thus enhancing the brand value and recognizability. As soon as the music starts, players know they are in for a good time, especially since that tune is still ingrained in pop culture and memes to this day.

Outside of just being a fun video game, Wii Sports is among the best multiplayer games. Sure, there are titles like Minecraft or Fortnite, but Wii Sports stands alongside those, or maybe even above, for many reasons. The main appeal of multiplayer games is to share a bonded sense of entertainment and simply enjoy good company, and this game embodies that perfectly. It can get gamers riled up with a competitive spirit or have them rooting for each other against a common enemy. Wii Sports evokes a similar nostalgic feeling of playing sports with friends after school; it has that laid-back vibe while also having the traditional stakes that accompany a typical sporting event; there is a winner and a loser. By combining video games with physical activity, it is not only emotionally, but also physically stimulating, and in the presence of friends and family, it is even more memorable.

Players can also enjoy Wii Sports by themselves, keeping the game’s thrilling aspects while also making it a more personal experience. However, Wii Sports is best known for being played with friends and family, purely because of the sense of competition, camaraderie, and entertainment value. Being able to put as much or as little time into it was a huge bonus, letting the player not feel hostage to the game. As opposed to many multiplayer games now, where gamers play online with each other, Wii Sports thrived on closeness; playing in the same room only added to the immersion. Wii Sports is a 2000s staple; in a way, it was already nostalgic from the get-go, and played with friends and family in the same room, it easily established itself as an iconic video game and multiplayer landmark.

The Legacy of ‘Wii Sports’

Image via Nintendo

Wii Sports might not be a Game of the Year type video game, but it is still a behemoth of a title because of its legacy, firmly cementing itself into the groundwork of multiplayer games. Wii Sports is over 20 years old, yet it remains relevant because of its popularity, quality, and iconic value, amounting to a staying power that’s nothing to be laughed at. The customizability of Miis made it more personal, tying in that nostalgic feeling and personal connection and making it more memorable, even decades later. The Miis themselves became icons in their own right, due to their distinct appearances and their peculiar way of moving. Today, you can easily find numerous videos of people imitating the Miis’ movements accompanied by the game’s iconic music. Moreover, Wii Sports still has a place in modern gaming, despite its more modern sequels. YouTubers still play this game, and since so many grew up with it, they love to see new content that emerges from every second of gameplay. Each game is something new, even if fans have played for hundreds of hours.

The Wii didn’t invent motion controls, but it made it simple and mainstream, with Wii Sports utilizing them to their fullest capacity. This unprecedented success paved the way for other consoles, such as the Xbox, to follow suit, but never as successfully. The motion controls also made active gaming a thing, making it healthy to play video games and helping market the console and game to a new demographic, widening its reach and creating new gamers. Whether it was families, grandmas, or little children, everyone could play Wii Sports because of its intuitive controls and widespread appeal. Its influence was far-reaching, too. Wii Sports is more than just a game; it also had a real-world impact on retirement communities, which set up bowling leagues where the elderly could play their favorite sports without physical strain. Another example of the game’s real-life implications was in physical therapy, where it helped rehabilitate patients by improving motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and balance. The financial footprint alone helped save Nintendo after the disaster with the GameCube, bringing the company back on top.

Wii Sports is a cultural icon that had millions of gamers competing, and twenty years later, it is still undefeated as an immersive experience that effortlessly captures the thrills of real-life competition. From its distinct and recognizable style to immersive controls and emergent gameplay, it was so easy to fall in love with it. Every time someone picked up the game, something new happened, and every time it was an absolute blast from start to finish. In a time when attention spans are short, and people have small memories, Wii Sports is a rare breed of video game that has stood the test of time through something other than nostalgia.