Fanboys (2009) – on rental. I’m not sure if I’m more a Star Wars or a Star Trek fan. I like both franchises for what they are and that they’re centered on very different themes, even if the most recent Star Trek film has diluted some of those key differentiating aspects from its series creator, the late Gene Roddenberry.
So, the practically indie film, Fanboys, interested me a lot though I don’t think it was ever screened in theatres here. The film is about fanboyism, and brings viewers back 10 years ago to the run-up of probably the most anticipated film ever in recent memory – the release of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Remember those hordes of Star Wars-geeks reportedly starting to line up and camp overnight six months in advance just to get first day tickets? This film is centered around that theme.:)
The plot: a group of four friends who’re Star Wars nuts decide on the ultimate heist – travel across the country to George Lucas’ headquarters – Skywalker Ranch – and steal an advance print of the film six months before its release.
So, it’s basically a road trip movie, with lots of chuckles, nudges and laugh-out loud moments poking fun at and about Star Wars fans. There’s the opening title crawl (similar to the six Star Wars films), the Jedi mind-trick one character tries to get his female colleague to take her shirt off, and the van which with a number plate “Slave II” but whose engine sounds like the Millennium Falcon.
The most hilarious scene though is of a face-off between our four lovable Star Wars fans who crash in on a Star Trek event participated by James T. Kirk and Khan worshippers. Fans of both series have waged their online wars for decades now – just do a Google search for “Star Destroyer versus Enterprise – who will win” for instance.
In this film, their argument lies in who’d win a fight between Darth Vader and a Borg drone! The scene is too funny for words.
The film was made for a lowly budget of under a million when Hollywood blockbusters today are typically made for hundreds of times that, and George Lucas himself gave his thumbs up and support for the project after watching an advanced screening of the movie.
The film won’t appeal to everyone though: it’s less accessible than the other fanboy parody film I really enjoyed, Galaxy Quest from 1999. Moreover, if you’re not familiar with Star Wars and/or Star Trek and don’t enjoy parodies, it’ll be really hard to understand this film. For those who are, this is a must watch.:)
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