DVD Review: Fanboys

Driven by passion, friendship and the power of “The Force,” four buddies hit the road in search of a galaxy far, far away in FANBOYS, coming to DVD on May 19 from Genius Products and The Weinstein Company.

Review:
Fanboys is exactly the movie you expect it to be. It’s funny, entertaining, and at certain moments one might even call it cute. The film follows a group of friends who decide to embark on one last adventure together – drive to California, break into George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, and steal a copy of Episode 1 before it’s released.

Along the way, the group encounters crazed Trekies (who they have to fight with), a gay biker bar (where they are forced to strip), and a couple of hookers in Vegas who the guys swore “just wanted to talk”. Seth Rogen plays a pimp/Star Wars fan who isn’t about to let the guys get away without paying (either in cash or blood) for the time of his ladies.

After finally arriving at Skywalker Ranch, the gang is fully prepared for their covert operation…. complete with a grappling hook. The first room they encounter is a Lucas’ fan’s dream with props from Star Wars to Indiana Jones to Willow. This is the room in which their presence is notice and the shenanigans ensue.

At the end of the trip, the group realizes that there was a lot more accomplished than just breaking into Skywalker Ranch. It was about bringing childhood friends back together and making things right with one another. One of the friends, Linus, is dying of cancer and has drifted away from Eric. They used to be best friends, and this trip has mended their broken ties. Star Wars was more than just a film to them and the others. It represented a large part of their lives up to date, and while the others couldn’t wait to see the film, Linus knew he wouldn’t be around for the release date. Hence the trip.

The cancer element seemed slightly out of place for this film, and it brought a more serious overtone to a number of scenes that would have been more light-hearted otherwise. Perhaps this was supposed to be the ultimate motivation for the characters in heading out west, but I think it puts a bit of an emotional damper on the film.

The actors all do a fabulous job. Carrie Fisher makes a brief appearance as herself as does Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (Kevin is whoring Jason out at a pit stop bathroom). My favorite cameo was by William Shatner who also appeared as himself. He supplies the gang with the floor plans, pass codes, and all the directions they will need for breaking into Lucas’ ranch. As if in classic fashion of Star Wars fans VS. Trekies, Shatner is making sure to play his part as long as no one knows he’s involved… though the security team at Skywalker Ranch suspect Shatner’s involvement all along – implying there has been more than just this incident.

Special features include deleted scenes, commentary with the cast and crew, a number of featurettes (The Truth About Fanboys, The Star Wars Parallel, and more…), and even a series of webisodes – Disturbances In The Force.

A must-see for any fanboy or fangirl.

Review by Emma Loggins

Grade: B
Official site: http://www.fanboys-themovie.com
Buy on Amazon: Fanboys

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