[COMIC-CON
EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE screens Friday July 6th at 9:50 pm and
Saturday July 7th at 7:00 pm at the Cleveland Cinematheque.]
Review by Bob
Ignizio
COMIC-CON EPISODE IV: A FAN'S HOPE
finds director Morgan
Spurlock taking a break from his usual contrived socio-political
manifestoes starring himself (e.g. SUPERSIZE ME)
to shoot an actual documentary about the 2009 San Diego Comic Con.
From its humble beginnings as a small comic book convention in
1970, the San Diego Comic-Con has grown to be arguably the most
influential event in the world of pop culture. Comic books are now
just one small aspect of the con, with TV and film having come to the
forefront as producers realize that this is how best to reach their
target audience of fanboys with disposable cash.
Spurlock focuses primarily on five
individuals in the film. Eric and Skip are artists hoping to break
into the comic book industry, and we see them present their work to
established artists and publishers for (often harsh) criticism. Holly
is a costume designer who has created professional quality costumes
of characters from the Mass Effect
video game in hopes of winning the Comic Con costume contest. Chuck
is a comic book dealer who has been at the Comic Con since its
inception and now laments how the event is no longer the cash cow for
him it once was. Finally, James is a fanboy looking for a chance to
propose to his fangirl at the con.
While
these five stories give the film a narrative and down to earth human
dimension, COMIC-CON EPISODE IV
gives a broader overview of its subject via shorter interviews with
various attendees and convention guests, including CLERKS
writer/director Kevin Smith, Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee,
Buffy/Firefly
creator (and director of this summer's smash hit THE
AVENGERS)
Joss Whedon, HOSTEL
director Eli Roth, comic book writer/artist Frank Miller, and Ain't
It Cool News
webmaster/founder Harry Knowles.
As much ground as it tries to cover, in
the end there's not a whole lot of weight or substance to Spurlock's
film. Those looking for a better understanding of how and why geek
culture has come to play such a large role in defining modern pop
culture won't find much here. Still, if you just want to get an idea
of what Comic-con and the sort of people who go there and why, it
does the job in a reasonably breezy and entertaining way. 2 1/2 out
of 4 stars.
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