Disturbing yet enthralling

A different way of telling a story

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

What is the matter with the makers of this documentary? They included one token female voice among a huge number of of fan boys. All other females were either being proposed to by their geek boyfriend or seen in the background and referred to as "slave girls". That is incredibly offensive.The longer I watched, the more glaring the lack of females became. Though some of it was interesting, it was way too long for me, but once I started getting uncomfortable because of the overwhelming absence of women, I had to sit through the whole thing to see if all of it was really that bad. It was.I really have to wonder why women are invisible to the makers of this film. Is it sexual revulsion? Mental illness? There really is no excuse for this sort of thing.

Baseball caps and awful facial hair are very much in evidence in this affectionate look at the San Diego Comic-Con, directed by Morgan Spurlock (himself, of course, no stranger to the dreadful moustache). We meet the owner of Mile High Comics (who has a stock of 8million comics) hoping to sell the first issue of 1940's 'Red Raven Comics' for a cool $500,000; the young woman marshaling her troupe of costume parade participants (as part of which she has created a nifty moving face mask - we tried hard in the early 90s' UK Comic Art Convention, but this is a different league altogether!); there are a couple of wannabe artists - one promising, one whose ambition is perhaps bigger than his ability; and the young man planning to propose to his girlfriend during one of the panels - except she won't leave him alone long enough for him to collect the custom-designed ring he's commissioned. Many professionals are interviewed: Kevin Smith is especially funny ("At Comic-Con now are all these fourteen- and fifteen year-old girls dressed as vampire chicks who in five years' time are going to be so slutty and absolutely perfect...")Comics- and media fans are, of course, an easy target for lampooning, but this film treats everyone with respect and shows how important Comic-Con is for many people who appreciate the chance not to feel embarrassed about their hobby, and who love being able to talk to like-minded people who understand: "It's like having your own country" says one woman, and how right she is.

The phenomenon of San Diego's Comic-con has grown to astronomic levels in both attendance and exhibition since it's inception in 1970. It has morphed into something much more than just a gathering of comic book nerds, packed into a hotel conference room. Comic-Con encompasses all things pop culture, be it comics, movies, games, or anything else people can geek out over. Famed director Morgan Spurlock decided to chronicle the 2010 con, and follow a select few to document their reasons for being there, and their experience.In addition to following around a genuine, and interesting cast of characters, Spurlock sprinkles in some interviews with some of the con's most prolific figures including Kevin Smith, Joss Whedon, Seth Rogan, and many more. Having these people give their thoughts and anecdotes about the con was a nice touch, and added some flavor to the film.The real meat of the documentary, however, is with the interesting group of central characters. We see two aspiring artists, a costume designer, a collector, a comic book dealer, and a young couple in love. All of the characters have different reasons for being there, and yet they all share the same passion for comics, movies, and games. The characters were varied enough to keep things interesting, and they were all very likable people. In addition to learning about who these people are, and their reasons for attending Comic-Con, we learn that there's much more to the con than to simply see famous people and buy memorabilia. People use Comic-con as an opportunity to showcase their talents, and hopefully further their careers.One of the other important topics discussed in this documentary is the concept of geek culture, the rise of geek coolness, and the commercialization of Comic-Con. As most of us know, many of the things that were considered nerdy when we were kids, are actually cool now, and as a result, many companies are cashing in. When Comic-Con began, it was just a small convention focusing on comics, however now, comics take a backseat to all the other stuff going on in the con. Nowadays, many of the people that attend, don't even know, or particularly care about comics. This is upsetting to comic book fans, especially since the industry has been suffering for years.Although Comic-Con Episode IV may not break new ground in the documentary genre, it does give people an inside look at one of the biggest pop culture events of the year. As stated in the film, everyone can find something to love about Comic-Con, and the same can be said about the film itself. It's a light and enjoyable film, that's certainly worth a watch, even if you aren't a die hard comic fan.Adam FilmPulse.Net

Morgan Spurlock's newest "unique documentary" could be split into two entirely different movies: 1. "Movie No. 1" tells different personal stories of people who are putting themselves out there as they travel to San Diego for Comic-Con.2. "Movie No. 2" isn't a movie. It's actually difficult to define. Morgan Spurlock got celebrities and people in costumes to stand in front of a white screen. And they talk about Comic-Con. A LOT.I don't think either of these movies is particularly terrible, and in fact, some of the "Profiles in Comic-Con" from Part 1 were really well done.There was a pathos-ridden piece about Mile-High Comics, and its attempts to sell Red Raven #1 (the most valuable Marvel Comic ever published). And there was the comedic piece that was legitimately funny, where a young dork tries to publicly propose to his young dork girlfriend.The problem was that those story lines (along with at least 3 others) were meshed with random crap from "Movie No. 2" about how celebrities and other fans like Comic-Con.Famous people being funny (like Matt Groening and Joss Whedon) is cool, but it took so much time away from the profiles that were stretched across the whole movie.For instance, when a Navy employee eventually sells some of his art, it felt like I only identified with him because he seemed like a nice guy. The "build-up" from Spurlock was kind of thin, and mostly involved him walking around San Diego and looking up at the sky.Even at 88 minutes, I could've given Spurlock some serious editorial advice. The interlude involving the parade of women in Princess Leia bikinis was just gross and unnecessary. And it was presented with no connection to anything else.The aforementioned wedding proposal was funny, but it devolved into the "Extended Cut" of the "climactic" Kevin Smith panel when he proposes. You should save the video of the guy wandering around, and of Kevin Smith bantering, for the DVD.Not to mention that the movie demonstrates that Comic-Con was facilitating the dork's ability to make his public proposal, and that moment arguably demonstrated an agreement between Spurlock and the "Con". I'm not expecting Edward R. Murrow from Morgan Spurlock, but that just makes me sad.And now that I'm not pulling any punches, the movie had terrible cinematography and visual editing. Having "on the ground" footage of Comic-Con is fine, but Spurlock tried to art it up. He would often float the camera upwards and/or laterally, which makes you think about the camera instead of his "real people protagonists." And I don't want to say his *AWESOME COMIC BOOK PANELS* are seizure inducing, but they definitely challenged my eyes' ability to absorb gaudy colors. And doing them over and over again, such as an announcement that it is now 'Day 3" of a 4 day convention, is just lazy.I decided to give this movie a six star rating because it has a lot of interesting moments, even if they are mostly incredibly shallow stories of happiness or rare sadness. But if you like Morgan Spurlock or nerdy celebrities, then the time will fly by fairly easily.That being said, this feels like a typical live spot for basic cable. And I'm sure some day it will be that, and only that.-- Jason LunaThis review first appeared in Geek Speak Magazine - www.geekspeakmagazine.com