Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is a well made documentary - apparently made to order for the geekiest. I doesn't try to uncover some deep dark secrets behind this famous convention, which has grown from a small gathering of comic book and superhero die hards to a major convention, but simply shows us what happens at this convention. And just following some of the people interacting with others is really quite interesting to watch

Watching the people who attended the 2010 convention, including comic book dealer, Chuck; Holly, a costume designer and a couple of fans trying to get their ideas sold; one soon realizes that this is a salute to the event itself. There is a strong and very real feeling of camaraderie with pretty much everyone that attends. This is because the geeks have conquered (as they probably should) and appreciate their growth in numbers. There really isn't a strong opposing view on Comic-Con or what it is all about. But that's okay, because that is not what this is about. it is about the people, their characteristics and what happens at this convention, which has become a real force to be reckoned with.

Once again, director Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) has brought us a documentary that is entertaining while giving us some insight in his subject matter.

The biggest reason I watched this documentary was that it was co-produced and directed by Morgan Spurlock--and he always seems to make interesting films. However, I was very surprised at the style of the film, as it's nothing like his other movies and you don't see him at all during the picture. Instead, you simply are taken to ComicCon in San Diego and get to see the sights as well as follow a few nice folks there. There are also LOTS of interviews with the royalty in the geek world. This made the film very free-flowing and natural--like a REAL experience in going to this convention as well as getting a personal interview with these people. Now considering it's practically impossible to get tickets (believe me, my daughter has tried!), it's the best most people can do. My only complaint? I would have liked to have seen more! Highlights--seeing the guy propose, the AMAZING cos-play team and the guy who wanted to become a comic artist AND succeeded amazingly well!

The transformation of San Diego's Comic-Con International is fascinating. What was once a small comic-book convention intended to connect comic creators with their fans has evolved into an annual celebration of geek culture that validates and rewards those who have dived deeper into the pop-culture pool than most.

What Morgan Spurlock has done with "Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" is essentially to re-validate Comic-Con, only with the big picture in mind. He and the film's many producers have crafted a love letter to this convention, one clearly born from their inner-geek's own longing to capture what the Con has become.

As such, it's hard to say how much an "outsider" to geek culture would even care about what happens at Comic-Con and consequently this film. It does take a certain predisposition to care about the subjects of the movie, namely to accept their obsessions with comics/gaming/movies and in some cases their dreams and aspirations to make the leap from fandom to professionalism. Anyone who can relate even the slightest bit to that notion, however, will enjoy the film.

The best choice Spurlock and co-writers Jeremy Chilnick and Joss Whedon (yes, that Joss Whedon) make for this documentary is to come at the Con from every possible angle. They have found a diverse group of subjects that as a whole manage to embody every type or person or personality who passionately seeks out Comic-Con each year.

The chosen subjects consist of two aspiring comic book artists hoping to get valuable feedback and perhaps even a job offer from the major names in the business; a young woman hoping her costumes featuring Mass Effect video game characters will grab some attention; a long-time comic book collector and vendor contending with the shriveling devotion to comics at the convention created specifically for them; a young man who hopes to propose to his girlfriend whom he met at Comic-Con the year before.

Some of these subjects aren't even likable people, but there's something that even someone who's only part geek will connect with in each of them. They are dreamers, and they all embrace the kid inside without any trepidation, and anyone who does that or yearns to do that more often will be caught up in these stories.

Peppered into these narratives are testimonials from various celebrities or annual Comic-Con personalities. While they lend an authoritative voice to the documentary, their words and thoughts feel remarkably more hollow in comparison to the people whose stories are being told. Even if they are genuine, they feel like a forced means of guiding the documentary from chapter to chapter.

And then there's the fact that it's not exactly poignant. The end note is that Comic-Con is a place where everyone can let their geek flag fly, a point that becomes evident minutes into the movie. The only challenging question that the documentary raises is whether Comic-Con has "sold out," yet that's not the emphasis of the film.

Documentaries are supposed to push boundaries and ask tough questions, but "Comic-Con: Episode IV" was created similar to how a middle school student chooses a research topic — because the subject is something he loves, not because he has some provocative thesis he's dying to test.

Setting aside those pre-teen motivations for making the film in the first place, "Comic-Con: Episode IV" is exceptionally well made for what it is — a celebration of geek culture and the dreamer's mentality.

~Steven C

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Besides being a not so subtle nod to Star Wars, Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope is a documentary told through the viewpoints of eight individuals as they descend into the madness that is the San Diego Comic Con. All of them have a purpose to be there, and all have a goal in mind, whether it is to sell a rare comic, win a masquerade or get signed on as an artist for a comic book company.

Morgan Spurlock's latest documentary was one of the late entries on my list of films to see at this year's past Toronto International Film Festival, and one I have continued wrestling with over how I felt about it. Packed with dozens of hilarious interview clips with real and internet celebrities, along with actual footage from the floor, Spurlock valiantly tries to capture what it is like entering and navigating through the four day convention that becomes bigger with each passing year. He gets access to some behind the scenes material, and offers a fan's eye view of some of the panels and events that had occurred at the 2010 event.

But what holds the film back from being anything but a fun and amusing diversion for the geek and convention crowd, is the fact that it is a film lovingly made almost explicitly just for them. While the interviews are entertaining and downright hilarious, they do not provide any real insight or explanation for what fan culture is or why so many people go to Comic-Con year after year. Even the stories contained within the film do not answer why these people do what they do, simply that they go to obscene lengths to make sure they can pull off their goals. I assume Spurlock's main goal was to tell multiple stories (more on that in a moment), but I cannot help but feel it hinders the film. It seems content at simply existing, as a memento for everyone who experiences this kind of subculture.

Then that brings up another point – what is the ultimate goal here? I go to at least one major fan convention per year, so I have experienced the rush of seeing and meeting geek idols, witnessing the detail of some of the costumes, and talking shop with people just like the ones profiled here. But what about people venturing in with no real grasp on geek culture? What are they supposed to take from this? Are they even supposed to venture into this film? It seems a bit elitist in that respect, because there is nothing really to grasp if you do not already have some preconceived knowledge on the topic. In his previous films, Spurlock has tackled tough topics and asked some tough questions. While some segments and films work better than others (the less said about the borderline ridiculous Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, the better), he still made a real attempt at getting the answers. Here, he just seems content without asking the bigger questions, and as a result, the film feels like a much weaker effort.

While I do fault Spurlock's lack of analysis here, I must praise the fact that outside of name credits, he does not appear in the film at all. He offers no narration whatsoever and does not appear on-screen at any time. He lets the people being profiled tell their stories, and lets the interviews help guide the film through its less-than-90-minute run time. It is a bit flabbergasting at first, considering how prolific and personal he has made his other documentary films, but I think it helps reflect his maturity both as a documentarian and filmmaker, and as a storyteller. It allows the film to become a more intimate film, and helps reinforce the notion that it is a film made as a kind of memento for the geeks. It is made up of their stories and quips, and Spurlock never interferes or redirects the film to follow him and his thoughts. It makes the film that much more different in that respect, and I think is the key reason why it works at all.

Comic-Con Episode Four: A Fan's Hope was an interesting idea on paper, but I think in practice it comes off as more flawed than it should. While it is entertaining to watch the ups and downs of the people profiled within the film, I cannot help but feel underwhelmed by the general lack of analysis on Spurlock's part. There have been documentaries before on specific fan cultures, but no real works centred around the mother of all conventions. There was plenty of material he could have mined and a wealth of individuals who could have given keen insight on the idea of fan and convention subculture. But in the end, it feels like a whole lot of ideas, and not a lot of actual follow through. As a love letter to the people that come out to San Diego once a year, it succeeds. But as a documentary on fan culture, it fails.

6.5/10.

Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock brings his usual care and attention to a subject that, this time, sadly never gets it. From fast food, to terrorist-hunting, to product placement, and now to the largest convention in North America, Spurlock has proved diversity and that if you add the right balance of seriousness and wittiness to any subject, you'll be able to create a wonderful documentary. That's exactly what he does with Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope.

To my knowledge and research, this is the first documentary ever made focusing on the convention itself. Sure, when it happens in July we have updates on the web, and VLogs from a number of people, but nothing has ever been compiled into a full length movie. Spurlock chooses to follow along four people who are traveling to the convention from all walks of life, with different goals in mind.

They are "The Geek" (Skip Harvey, a bartender hoping to write a graphic novel and get feedback on his artwork at the convention), "The Solider," (Eric Henson, also hoping to become a comic book artist to support his wife and kids), "The Designer," (Holly Conrad, a young woman in a small, concise town who is designing costumes for a Mass Effect reenactment she hopes to put on), and "The Survivor," (Chuck Rozanski, a struggling-comic book store owner who is hellbent on making a huge profit by selling hundreds of comics at the convention. Including the extremely rare, first issue of Marvel's "Red Raven" which can command thousands of dollars online).

In the mix of chronicling these four strangers, Spurlock also sets his sights on getting opinions and commentary from actors and directors who have been to the Con themselves. One of them is Kevin Smith, my favorite director, who attends Comic-Con to provide a monstrous Q&A session in the largest room of the convention. Other celebrities include Hostel director Eli Roth, stating that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a passion for something you liked when you were young, Knocked Up star Seth Rogen, and comic book king Stan Lee.

We also follow a man who proposed to his girlfriend at Kevin Smith's panel last year at Comic-Con, as well as seeing a toy collector who is determined to acquire another entry in his prized collection, much to the dismay of his wife.

These people are genial, optimistic, and effortlessly likable. They aren't wallflowers, who sit back and expect to be taken under the wing immediately without contributing some amount of effort. They take the steps necessary in order to achieve their big goals. Comic book store owner Chuck seems to be the odd-man out when stating this, but if you look at his persistency, continuing to have faith in the comic book community and constantly spending money to run his store, he is truly fighting just as hard as the other subjects in the film. He already has his dream, he's just fighting to keep it.

The one downside with the documentary is Spurlock, himself, has virtually no part in the film whatsoever. This is quite a shame, seeing as we can see just by the way he captures the footage and edits it together (not to mention, last year, he wrote a book about the convention with the same title as the film) that he has a true love for the Con and the crowd it draws. Why doesn't he ever interact with the four subjects or the crowd themselves? It's a bummer because on top of him already remaining silent, it almost seems he doesn't have any questions for the people, when we already know that is highly unlikely. Spurlock seems to sit back and watch the fun happen, without ever getting involved or enjoying it for himself.

I would still call Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope a documentary that needed to be made. As I've grown older, I've found it important to look at all walks of life with an open mind, and to see documentaries further illustrate that idea is wonderful. This is definitely an eclectic and ambitious film, not only documenting an extremely popular convention, but the kinds of people you'll find there. From what I hear, that's half the fun of going.

Starring: Skip Harvey, Eric Henson, Holly Conrad, Chuck Rozanski, Kevin Smith, Seth Rogen, Eli Roth, and Stan Lee. Directed by: Morgan Spurlock.