The Movie
It is a time of sweet, innocent anticipation: 1998, six months until Episode I opens, much to the delight of longtime fans like me. One particular Star Wars-phile has been diagnosed with a terminal illness that will make his attendance on opening day an impossibility, and so he and his buds embark upon a bold (and wholly fictitious) journey, to break into Skywalker Ranch and view the rough cut.
This noble quest gives Fanboys some much-needed heart. Apparently the movie was produced with the blessing of the usually rather closely-guarded Lucasfilm, judging by all the official sounds and images throughout, which helps to flesh out the teeming sci-fi culture depicted. It's not a perfect movie certainly, drawing a bit too much upon cinematic cliché and veering into extremes of silliness and incredulity, but I never knew just how many good gags there were here. And take it from a grown fanboy, this is one of the more accurate representations of our brood, with a healthy respect for the value we place on all this nonsense. Just remember that like all road trips, this one is more about the trek than the destination.
Also read Joe Lozito's review of Fanboys.
The Picture
The newly remastered 1.78:1 HD image is ever-so-slightly soft, although pleasingly natural despite some video noise. The shadow detail and purity of the blacks not ideal, but frankly they look better than on some other releases I've seen recently. One fast-moving panning shot in a parking garage shows some unfortunate digital blurring artifacts, but other than that this is a fine if not reference-quality presentation.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack starts with the phasing of a lightsaber around all the speakers (what movie is this again...?), a nice wake-up before the largely dialogue-driven tale. A peyote trip later on also enjoys a surreal audio mix, while the rears are surprisingly active at a party, in a busy restaurant or in a casino. There's a lot of pop music blended in as well, plenty of Rush in particular, and this adds a full, rich presence to the track.
The Extras
The borrowed "DVD" commentary is a group affair, populated by director Kyle Newman, writers Ernie Cline and Adam F. Goldberg, and actors Kristen Bell, Sam Huntington and Dan Fogler. New for Blu-ray are the 39-second on-camera introduction from Newman and producer Matthew Perniciaro--which might actually add less insight than any such intro I've ever seen--plus Fanboys Goes Global (six minutes) about the genesis of the project, a still-frame look at Fanboys, The Comic Book and a three-minute video Fanboys, The Gallery. The intro, gallery and comic stills are the only content here in HD.
The six deleted, alternate and extended scenes run about eight minutes all told, "The Truth About Fanboys" (six minutes) plays like a lengthy behind-the-scenes trailer, while "Star Wars Parallel" (five minutes) revels in the awe of all things "Lucasian." "4 Fanboys & 1 Fangirl" (nine minutes) explores the characters, "The Choreography" (four minutes) deconstructs the exotic dance scene, and "Disturbances in the Force, a Series of Webisodes" collects seven brief video diaries, with an appropriate total running time of 11:38.
Final Thoughts
Of course Fanboys was released in 2008, and to the movie's credit it does ironically reflect some of the profound changes in the loyalties among Star Wars enthusiasts. Episode I is but a backdrop for a grander story of friendship, a final tour of the battlefield, one definitely worth a look for fanboys and non-fanboys alike, and perhaps a second viewing with the lively audio commentary.
Product Details
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