Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope (2012)
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 52
Fresh: 43 | Rotten: 9
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 11 | Rotten: 6
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 5,730
Movie Info
Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope--a film by Morgan Spurlock explores this amazing cultural phenomenon by following the lives of five attendees as they descend upon the ultimate geek mecca at San Diego Comic-Con 2010. One on one interviews with Comic-Con veterans who have turned their passions into professions include Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, Matt Groening, Seth Rogen, Eli Roth and others are shared throughout the film along with up close and up front coverage of all
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All Critics (54) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (9)
You don't need to collect or even care about comic books to enjoy this funny, affection valentine to nerd culture.
A surprisingly tender look at San Diego Comic-Con...
It's a lot to squeeze into 86 minutes, and Spurlock pulls it all together with infectious brio, making us realize that geeks are people, too, who maybe just dream harder than the rest of us.
What Comic-Con requires is neither fan nor foe but an anthropologist.
"Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope" holds enormous appeal for both the geek audience and the casual viewer.
There isn't a surprising moment, and it's an affirmation for hard-core fans and pretty much everyone else of William Shatner's immortal exhortation to Trekkies: "Get a life!"
When you see Marvel happily rubbing shoulders with DC or Star Wars fans chatting to Star Trek fans it makes you proud to be a geek.
Best suited to those curious about the convention and/or culture - or those who already embrace it and just want to relive the experience before the next 'Con comes.
That rare documentary that plays to the converted and uninitiated alike.
We're left looking at a mass cult-gathering of fans paying tribute to commercial idols. Individual stories are under-built after being initially overhyped. We're put in the bleachers to watch a field of American pop-cult dreams, and told to cheer.
...not only captures the passion and energy of the event, it demonstrates how easily subcultures can be exploited by corporate interests.
It's about people who share a passion and devotion to something that surpasses skin color, religion, and gender.
Comic-Con is a convention of dreams by and for dreamers. This documentary does a nice job of capturing all the various elements that make this large show work.
A Fan's Hope is (appropriately) hopeful, likening the attendees whose stories it follows to comic book heroes seeking their own type of redemption.
Spurlock balances the stories of his characters with the larger context, showing us that each of the attendees has a story and that Comic-Con is a place where stories and characters always matter.
Get your geek on.
Morgan Spurlock's documentaries are like the gateway drug for people who can get addicted to sitting in front of hours and hours of Frederick Wiseman docs, immersing themselves in very detailed worlds that lack a clear agenda.
Audience Reviews for Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope
Super Reviewer
All I desired from this movie was to be a fly on the wall for one of America's most loved conventions. Happily, that is what I got. He even follows the plight of a few aspiring artists as they prepare for the annual event.
Unfortunately, the personal stories are overshadowed by a smorgasbord of B-list celebrities gushing over this sacred gathering. While I admit it is fun to see how many celebrities Spurlock cajoled into appearing in the film, it robs the film of cohesion. It is a step in the right direction for Spurlock, but one that still needs a little fine tuning.
Super Reviewer
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