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Fanboys
Probably
one of the most appealing aspects of the first Star
Wars (Episode IV for all you purists out there) was
the story of a rag tag band of rebels facing impossible
odds and taking on an empire. Friendships were born, battles
were fought, and adventure was had by all. With the new
comedy Fanboys, you get the feeling that similar
challenges faced the cast and crew, and that they too had
an empire opposing them and perhaps a, “Deathstar”
to blow up.
Filmed
for a modest 3.8 million dollars, Fanboys is an
indie film love letter to the Star Wars franchise
and more importantly its fans. Set in 1998, six months before
the release of the first new Star Wars film in
over 15 years, Fanboys is the story of five Star Wars
loving friends who decide to break into Skywalker Ranch
to steal a copy of the new film before it premieres.
It’s any Lucasfilm fan’s ultimate
quest really, the Fort Knox or the Holy Grail of nerditude
– next to impossible and nothing but a dream. But
for Eric, Hutch and Windows, it was something they had to
do. Not for the glory of all geeks, but for their good friend
Linus.
You
see, Linus has cancer and might not live long enough to
see The Phantom Menace when it debuts later that
year. So his life-long friends dust off a childhood plot
to cross the country and storm the halls of all things George
Lucas.
It’s a plausible motivator for a road
movie but maybe too touchy a subject for a comedy. And it
almost didn’t make it into the final cut.
It seems
that the powers that be at the Weinstein Company tried to
remove the cancer subplot from the film because they weren’t
sure they could market it as a comedy. The movie’s
release became delayed, a different version was proposed
and the film's destiny became questionable.
But
after much perseverance from director Kyle Newman and crew
and a potential boycott from Star Wars fan club
The 501st, the Weinstein Company kept the cancer plotline
in the film and Fanboys finally has a release.
In a
way, Newman and his rebels scored their first victory over
the evil empire. So to speak…
It’s
a good thing too, because besides the loads of Star
Wars references and inside jokes, Fanboys
is a movie with heart. By keeping the cancer plot line,
the film is more than just a low brow road pic. It’s
a film about friendship and the realities of a fragile life
and how sometimes it's not about the successful career you
have but the relationships and passions we have that keep
us feeling alive.
And
it’s also about Star Wars. Lots and lots
of Star Wars.
From
Hutch’s (Dan Fogler, Balls of Fury) decked
out Millennium Falcon’esque van, to Linus’s
(Chris Marquette, Alpha Dog) room full of collectables,
Fanboys is all Star
Wars all the time. Those of you familiar with your
Star Wars dialogue won’t need to strain hard
to hear some of the most classic movie lines used cleverly
throughout the film.
For
the fans of the franchise, Fanboys is a regular
Where’s Waldo for Star Wars references.
Whether it be a cameo from a familiar face to something
as unnoticeable as a sound effect, this movie is start to
finish Star Wars. Fans will appreciate this attention
to detail and hopefully appreciate all the nods to their
childhood fantasies.
Non-fans
and novices need not worry, though, as Fanboys
has something for everyone. At its core, it's a buddy picture
with a believable and hilarious cast. Sam Huntington (Eric)
plays a great skeptic and turns in a really mature performance
that holds the sometimes goofiness of the film in place.
Marquette (Linus) brings the hardcore fan passion to light
and is a perfect believer to Eric’s skeptic. Fogler
(Hutch) and Jay Baruchel (Windows) add the comic relief
as the horn dog and the oblivious romeo to round out the
film. When it comes down to it, we believe these are life
long friends and that when push comes to shove, they’d
do anything for each other.
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Fanboys
pokes fun at all sides of fandom and even addresses the
eternal conflict between Star Wars fans and another
popular Sci-Fi franchise’s fan base -The Trekkies.
Led by Admiral Seasholtz (the multi-faceted Seth Rogen)
the Trekkers, as they like to be called, get into a beef
with our Fanboys, and we soon find out what happens when
the two biggest franchises in Sci-Fi history fight for dominance.
Where
Fanboys fails is mainly the fault of its budget.
A lot of scenes feel forced or rushed. Some of the beats
of the film feel misplaced and sometimes even missing completely.
A lot of this comes from the certain time constraints this
production had and the lack of budget to take more than
three or four takes for a scene. But to grade down for these
flaws would only be nitpicking. To enjoy Fanboys,
it has to be appreciated for what it is, a nice little indie
film about Star Wars fans.
Overall,
Fanboys is a treat for anyone who’s ever
fell in love with that Galaxy, Far, Far Away. It’s
also a fun movie for those who can appreciate inside jokes
and nods to the source material.
At this
point, it remains to be seen if director Kyle Newman and
his crew of rebels blew up their Deathstar just yet because
a lot of that depends on you and all the other real fanboys
out there to get out there and support this movie. And I’m
sure if Princess Leia were here you know she’d be
asking for your help. Because come on, fanboys, say it with
me… “You’re our only hope.”
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