COMIC-CON EPISODE FOUR: A FAN’S HOPE
Directed by: Morgan Spurlock
Comic-Con is a mecca for fans. Not just comic book fans but also movie, TV and video game aficionados. It’s become a cultural touchstone, the biggest pop culture convention in existence and a meeting point for nerds, geeks and even casual enthusiasts.
Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary, COMIC-CON EPISODE FOUR: A FAN’S HOPE, examines the massive convention from the point of view of five die-hards. Ranging from budding comic artists to an action figure collector, we get a good taste of the different types of people who flock to San Diego every summer. Spurlock does a terrific job at capturing the fun, zany atmosphere of the event and its attendees. While the movie isn’t as socially pressing as SUPER SIZE ME or WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN Spurlock makes The Con’s importance well known by showing how much it means to these devotees.
Surprisingly, we don’t see anything of Spurlock himself, not even a voice over. That’s a bold, smart move for the film maker and one that other popular documentarians should try (Michael Moore comes to mind). Get out of the way and let the story be told. The five subjects are the real characters and Spurlock doesn’t let himself take away from that. Instead of telling the history of the convention himself, Spurlock employs celebrities ranging from Kevin Smith to Grant Morrison to Seth Green. They give us a little background about the origins but mainly discuss what it’s like for nerds to find their place at Comic-Con.
That’s the biggest surprise here: the movie isn’t really about Comic-Con but rather the people who live for it. It could be argued that more time should have been spent on the nuts and bolts of the event, seeing how it is put together and came to be. In fact, it’s possible that the time spent interviewing celebrities could have been used to show just that. However, Spurlock made a choice to exam the lifeblood of Comic-Con rather than the body. He sticks with that approach and makes it work.
He’s lucky that he found such appealing people to follow. Each person is attending The Con for a purpose. Holly Conrad is adamant about showcasing her amazing MASS EFFECT costumes at the Masquerade Ball, Chuck Rozanski hopes to turn a decent profit for his store Mile High Comics, Eric Henson and Skip Harvey are talented artists hoping to break into the game and in the most involving story there’s James Darling, a young geek hoping to propose to his girlfriend in front of the crowded Kevin Smith panel. All of these tales are interwoven throughout the movie and most have impressive climaxes. Henson and Darling especially deliver incredible scenes that’ll bring a smile to your face.
I wore a big goofy grin throughout the entire film. Spurlock crafts the doc with a loving touch, he’s always supportive of his subjects and all the attendees. It’s easy to get cynical about Comic-Con with its recent transformation into a Hollywood focus group but that’s not the fault of the die-hard fans who attend year after year. You can’t help but get involved with their stories and root for them to succeed. You’re lucky to love anything as much as these people love their passions. With COMIC-CON, Morgan Spurlock has given us a lively, inspiring look at the heart of fandom.
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