Film reviews
The Vow
A saccharine and paint-by-numbers slice of romance, which is largely boosted by the appeal of its two leads.
Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (3D)
The under-utilised 3D adds little to this prequel, which only serves as a sore reminder of the brilliance of the original films.
Any Questions For Ben?
The talented bunch of actors ably cut through the surface gloss, but it’s tough to remain invested in the plight of the self-absorbed lead.
Shame
It starts off as brutal but arresting stuff, and the two lead performances are scorching, but disappointingly dissolves into a case of tragedy for the sake of tragedy.
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Fanboys (Film)
Rating: MA
Running Time: 112
Country: USA
Director: Kyle Newman
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Dan Fogler, Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette
Distributor: Roadshow
Release Date: June 04, 2009
Film Worth: $10.50
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth"...has enough knowing warmth to entertain even the staunchest sci-fi cynic."
Fanboys is a joyously sentimental celebration of the phenomenon of Star Wars, and still has enough knowing warmth to entertain even the staunchest sci-fi cynic. That's no mean feat given how easily a film about fan culture could have slid into a trainspotting exercise, and how long it took to get to the big screen.
Originally conceived as an indie tribute to coincide with the release of Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace, online interest in Fanboys reached fever pitch and brought the studios knocking. After the rights were sold to The Weinstein Company, devoted fans were incensed with news that the producers planned on reworking the film to have more mainstream appeal. After threats to boycott the studio and crash their web servers, the producers relented and reinstated the original plot.
It's ironic then that Fanboys is vintage Hollywood. Born of a genuine love of cinematic sci-fi, the finished film looks remarkably like a teen road movie. The titillating objective in films like The Sure Thing and Road Trip is simply replaced in Fanboys with seeing a pre-release copy of The Phantom Menace. The determination of four childhood friends to see a sci-fi movie might be foreign to some, but the journey of self-discovery through misadventure is unmistakable.
At times the structure labours, but ultimately Fanboys rises above routine Hollywood fare because it never makes fun of the people it represents. It's self-conscious, heavy on references, and plays up the negative perceptions of sci-fi nerds, but only ever shows genuine affection for their world. It also features cameos from original Star Wars cast members, as well as Star Trek's William Shatner.