Vivendi Entertainment Blu-Ray (2010)
Director: Kyle Newman
Cast: Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell
Movie: 4 skulls
Extras: 3 skulls
Overall: 4 skulls
Fanboys. We all know the term, and most of us know at least a few friends who would fall into that category. Fanboys worship particular comic books, sci-fi genres, franchises, and actors. The obvious examples are Trekkies and those who obsess about Buffy, Angel, or more recently, True Blood. This film, however, focuses on another major group on that list: Star Wars fanboys.
The film opens with five friends getting together at a Halloween party. Eric (Sam Huntington (Superman Returns)) is the ad director at a car firm. He’s the most socially acceptable of the crew. Linus (Chris Marquette (The Girl Next Door)) is one of the other Star Wars lovers, along with Hutch (Balls of Fury’s Dan Fogler), Windows (Jay Baruchel (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice)) and Zoe (Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars)).
Linus and Eric once had a dream to be the next great thing in comics, but Eric threw it away to follow his dad’s car salesman footsteps. The others never grew up. Eric is offered a position to run his dad’s company. Windows, Zoe and Hutch run Hole in the Wall Comics. They all come together for one incredible journey when they find out that Linus is dying from cancer. He only has a few months to live, and unless the group undertakes the ridiculous quest they originally created in fifth grade, he’ll never see the most anticipated film in the history of mankind. The crew is going to storm Skywalker Ranch and steal a copy of Star Wars: Episode One.
Eric, Linus, Windows and Hutch depart via Hutch’s pimped out van. They take a detour to start a war with Trekkies (aka Trekkers), and they wind up destroying a landmark statue of Kirk and Khan. Then they hit a gay biker bar, get stoned with Danny Trejo (From Dusk til Dawn), and piss on an electric fence. The next stop is Austin, Texas, where Windows gets to meet his online love interest, Rogue Leader. Next up is a cameo from Ain’t It Coool News boss man, Harry Knowles.
Knowles is just one of many cameos in the flick. The foursome also runs into Billy Dee Williams, Carrie Fisher, William Shatner, Seth Rogan, Kevin Smith, Seth Rogan, Jason Mewes, Seth Rogan, Ray Park, and Jaime King. Every step of the way is another exercise in comedic misfortune. What the foursome (five once they’re rejoined by Zoe) need is a moment in time that defines their lives…or as Hutch calls it, their “Death Star.”
Things really ramp up in Vegas, when the Trekkies, led by the Vulcan (Thom Bishops (The Final Cut)) and a pimp named Roach corner the fanboys. It seems like all is lost, especially when Linus has a setback. Only by bonding together can they find the resolve to make the last charge to Skywalker Ranch, and their chance to see the beloved Episode One before the rest of the world, and before Linus’ disease takes its toll.
The fanboys make it all the way to Skywalker Ranch and to a fantastically funny conclusion to their journey. Their conquest perfectly ties together the comedy and emotion of the film.
Fanboys uses a ton of songs from the 90’s to punctuate the excitement of the time. There’s also plenty of Rush, and a healthy dose of sound effects and soundtrack from the original Star Wars films.
Quote of the film: “Are you kidding? I’m William Shatner. I can score anything.”
The Vivendi Entertainment Blu-Ray disc includes both English and French soundtracks in Dolby 5.1. The film runs 90 minutes. Extras include deleted scenes, a commentary track with the cast and crew, and several features including “The Truth about Fanboys” and a Star Wars parallel. Computer content includes a series of webisodes, a comic book and a gallery.
Fanboys is part Galaxy Quest, part Stand By Me. The film embraces the journey of reality vs. ideology, capturing the clash between imagination and the ideals of the corporate world. Fans of the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises alike will dig the comic antics of these obsessed celebrity chasers. The film is well acted, well-written, and has plenty of laughs.