Lite’s Review Room: DIFF – “Comic-Con: Episode IV

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With the Dallas International Film Festival in town we’ve been seeing a lot of movies. Here is a look at “Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope”.

Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope

Every July, San Diego becomes Mecca for geeks across the world, and hundreds of thousands descend upon the Southern California city to pay pilgrimage to all that makes them nerdy at the San Diego Comin-Con International convention. Director Morgan Spurlock follows attendees and talks with celebrity veterans about the comic book convention that started 40 years ago and has grown to ginormous proportions to incorporate just about anything with a following in Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope.

The documentary follows the journey of a few fans hoping to achieve something at the convention. There is the illustrator Skip who’s hoping to get a job with a comic book publisher; there is veteran comic book retailer Chuck who is looking to sell the rarest of all comic books; there is Holly who has designed elaborate costumes based on a video game and hopes to win a contest; and there is James who found love at Comic-Con and plans to propose to his girlfriend. Not only do you hear from the fans about their Comic-Con dreams, but you hear from celebrities who are veterans of the Con and provide a legitimacy to the swelling madness and popularity of Comic-Con. You hear from filmmakers like Joss Whedon and Kevin Smith, comic book creators Stan Lee and Frank Miller, and actors like Eli Roth, Seth Rogen and Seth Green.

This film is the closest approximation of the Comic-Con experience you can get beside actually going there yourself. You really get a feel for the rush of fandom that has captured Hollywood’s attention and turned a humble comic book convention into a huge tourist attraction and Mecca for just about every form of entertainment with a sizable fan following. San Diego Comic-Con sells out every year, but Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope plays again on Thursday night at the Dallas International Film Festival.

- Leslie Hurst, The New 103.7 Lite FM