Fanboys (2009)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Load of rubbish!!

From my favorite movies..

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

I like to consider myself a loyal Star Wars fan. I saw it when I was 10 years old so it had an immense impact on me. I know all the characters, all the planet's names, had all the soundtracks, etc., so I knew FANBOYS would be THE movie for the Star Wars geek in me.It is a good movie, done by very loyal fans and I did enjoy it. It just happens that the characters aren't that well developed and you kind of don't feel much for any of them, except for maybe Zoe (Kristen Bell) and her secret crush on young Lucas-look-alike Windows (Jay Baruchel). There's a guy dying of cancer here (Linus, played by Chris Marquette), the main reason for this whole movie to develop, yet this subplot is dropped almost dead. Linus' geek friends propose a cross country trip from east to west coast in order to break into George Lucas' Skywalker ranch and get a sneak peek at the (then) new Star Wars movie: The Phantom Menace, all before Linus passes away.It could've been a much better handled plot, since it had a great premise and the characters are really well cast. It's one of those stories that might've looked good on paper or spoken about, but never really pans out when filmed.I'll say it again: I enjoyed Fanboys, but it's because of that Star Wars geek inside of me. Other than that, it might not impress too many people out there.

Fanboys is an extremely overrated comedy, about four friends, who decide to break in to George Lucas's home, in order to steal a copy of Star Wars: Episode 1, six months before it hits theaters. The movie was very well reviewed and had a big word of mouth following, and being a huge Sci-Fi fan, I couldn't wait to see it. The story however was extremely weak and filled with cliché Star Wars jokes. It was predictable, done, and lame. The only really cool thing about the film was the cameos. In this tiny independent film they had cameos by William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Kevin Smith, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, and Seth Rogan, an impressive list to be sure! Like I said thou, the movie was weak and done. Unless you're a die-hard Star Wars fan, I'd skip this one.

*Spoiler/plot- 2008, Takes place in 1998, four Star Wars obsessed buddies go on a road trip odyssey to storm George Lucas' home ranch to steal the new Episode One film soon to be released. With drama along the way with crazy hateful Trekkies, the police, and a crazy Las Vegas pimp, a lot can and does go wrong.*Special Stars- Peter Hammond, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Sam Huntington, Christopher Marquette. Dir: Kyle Newman *Theme- Fanboys have no sense of proportion or content.*Based on- Star Wars film genre legends and science fiction convention urban legends.*Trivia/location/goofs- Several Star Wars and Star Trek major actors appeared in this film. This film's plot involves nerds breaking into the isolated George Lucas "Skywalker Ranch" production facility in Lucas Valley in the coastline mountain outside San Rafael California. Some external shots of Lucas's main home on his ranch are used. Las Vegas is a location of a gay Star Trek convention.*Emotion- A somewhat memorable film if you have any interest in science fiction matters especially Star Wars. This film is humorous on many levels especially with the inane fake fan nerd controversy between Star Wars and Star Trek. There are many in jokes on these inside fan matters. It might be a bit too nerdy for many prudent film watchers.

Here is a film for the Star Wars geeks out there and only them. The story follows a group of five Star Wars obsessed friends in 1998 setting off on their own journey across the country to break in George Lucas's ranch and steal a copy of PHANTOM MENACE for an early screening. The original motivation for the endeavor is that one of the friends, Linus (Chris Marquette), has cancer and might not be around for it's theatrical release. It's a nice touch that could've added extra meaning behind the crazy plan of breaking into Lucas's home, but unfortunately its a fact that's breezed over and rarely mentioned over the course of the film. There had been reports of consistent trouble in the post-production process and studio interference that resulted in a lot of the cancer subplot being removed; if so, that's a shame because I think it could've only strengthened the plot, putting more meaning into their drastic actions.Nearly all of the humor in the film is related to the original epic trilogy and, while casual fans will understand a good deal of the references, I'm sure even more of the jokes will go right over their heads. A lot of the laughs come from throwbacks to iconic moments (the malfunctioning hyperdrive on the Falcon/Hutch's "lightspeed" on the van failing to function) and from the cameos scattered throughout the movie. All the best parts of the film are from the cameos dropping by in every other scene: Danny Trejo, Seth Rogen (in not one, but three bit parts), Ethan Suplee, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, and a few key cameos that I'm not going to spoil here for those who plan to see the movie (the best being the "inside man" who supplies the information to get into Lucas's ranch).The cameos really steal the show in this movie (and there's practically one in every other scene) but the core cast certainly does a great job on their own. The central group of actors do such a good job and appear to be having so much fun that I wouldn't be surprised if they were Star Wars geeks off-set as well. It was a good idea casting actors who could almost be considered unknowns, most of them recognizable for past projects but far from being big names (with exceptions). Sam Huntington is the team's straight-man, Eric, who abandoned his friends after high school in favor of a job with his father's used car lot. Chris Marquette is Linus, the cancer-stricken friend providing the backbone for the whole motivation of the film; despite his cancer subplot being brushed under the carpet, his long-standing disappointment with Eric over giving up on their dream to start their own comic remains as the main point of contention to add some sort of conflict to their trip. Dan Fogler is easily the funniest cast member as the friend who continues to live in his mom's garage (sorry, "carriage house") and has the souped-up Star Wars van complete with R2-D2 poking out the top. Finally, Jay Baruchel as über-nerd Windows and Zoe Bell as the fangirl with an attitude round of the rest of the team.The movie is funny but the problem lies in that it targets a niche audience. People who aren't at least casual fans of the Star Wars movies might watch this and wonder what everyone else is laughing at. It's funny enough for us fans though that it makes for an entertaining movie the first time through, but repeated viewings don't stand up as well because the cameo surprises are old news and the trivia moments don't hold up.