Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is a rousing celebration of geekery,
but will general audiences accept it? Click on the jump to see my review.
The annual San Diego Comic-Con is like the church for
geeks. If you’re reading this, then you
probably are ‘in the know,’ meaning you’ve either heard of the once-a-year
event, or have actually attended with the other 100,000 of us. In few other places in the world will you
find such a gathering to celebrate film, pop culture, and of course comic
books. That was the original intent in 1970, when the Con attracted only 500 people. Today, the four-day event occupies a massive
presence around San Diego’s convention district, snagging traffic and leading
many outsiders to gawk at the odd collection of Stormtroopers, superheroes, and
scantily-dressed womenfolk that populate the event. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is
both recognition of the event’s stature in popular society, and also a lesson in
the way geekery is marketed. Director Morgan
Spurlock (Supersize Me) weaves the
film through the viewpoints of two aspiring artists, one comic book dealer, and
two geeks as they attend the 2011 convention.
We gain valuable lessons about the challenges which artists Eric Henson
and Skip Harvey face as they submit their drawings in the hopes of landing a job
with a major comic company. But the
movie also celebrates the heart of Comic-Con as a place where memories are made,
such as the story of James Darling, as he uses a Kevin Smith open-mike
discussion to propose marriage to his girlfriend.
Spurlock has assembled a nice mix of real attendees, comic
book artists, and self-admitted Hollywood geeks to tell his story. There are appearances by directors Joss
Whedon (Firefly), Kevin Smith (Dogma) and Eli Roth (Hostel), who seem genuinely excited about sharing
what Comic-Con means to them. Even actresses
and personalities like Olivia Wilde, Candace Bailey, and Morgan Webb announce
their love for the Con. These and other
testimonials form a nice ribbon throughout the story and represent some of the
funniest parts of the film. Spurlock keeps
the film generally upbeat but isn’t afraid to highlight the opinions of some
who are concerned that the Con has become too diverse and worry that Hollywood
is using these events to test-market their attractions at the Con’s expense.
While not an unfiltered look, I genuinely liked Spurlock’s
take and the film overall. The one
question on many critics’ minds is whether the movie will connect with general moviegoers,
who may never have heard of Comic-Con and might regard the costumes and strange attitudes
of some to be part of an underground cult.
Although it’s playing in limited release at the time of this posting, I
strongly encourage you to see it. Hope is good fodder for the uneducated,
genuinely funny, and even a little heartwarming. It summarizes the heart of Comic-Con without becoming
too pushy or propagandistic and you feel like you’ve connected with real people.
But let’s not get carried away with the hugs here: we geeks still
prefer giant mash-up alien warfare and entire rooms of Slave Princess Leias
posing for cameras.
Thanks to SandwichJFilms for getting OPC into this screening.
Thanks to SandwichJFilms for getting OPC into this screening.
