Posted by Brian on Thursday, Jan 3, 2013
I’m a huge geek and comic book fan, but I’ve never gone to a comic book convention, let alone the granddaddy of them all: The San Diego Comic-Con. That’s why I was excited to watch “Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope,” a documentary by Morgan Spurlock about the famous nerd gathering. Spurlock follows the story of seven attendees of the 2010 SDCC while intercutting interviews with the upper-echelon of geek-culture such as Joss Whedon, Kevin Smith and Stan “The Man” Lee.
A few of the con-goers come off more obnoxious than endearing (I’m thinking specifically of Anthony, the toy collector), but the overall theme of belonging and the passion that each individual displays is tremendously and unexpectedly affecting. I would recommend this documentary to both die-hard con-survivors and to those with only a casual interest.
About the Author
Brian works as the Senior Adult Services Librarian at the Iowa City Public Library.
What works so well about Gozilla Minus One is that the creators understand that you have to care about the human characters in monster movies. They pull it off in spades too with an incredibly affecting story about grief, guilt, and found family. Also, the special effects are amazing, and they're even more impressive when you learn that the team that made it was tiny. -Brian