Comic Book: The Movie

I was very excited to see this and sat patiently for two years while it spent months collecting dust on the Miramax shelves, finally being released direct-to-video. I'm in it--kinda. Since I was at the Comic-Con that year--I can see about a fourth of my face in one of the crowd shots--this added to the excitement. And I'm a comic fan, and a Mark Hamill fan and a fan of cartoon voices. So what could go wrong?

So I watched it, finally, and desperately wanted to like it. I mean, it was about comic fans! But...after the first five minutes or so the novelty wore off and I was stuck with a draggy, boring movie. The cast is game, but without much going on it gets a-mighty tedious. Still, it was nice to revisit a great con that I've not been to since two years after it happened.

For a much more entertaining evening, go to the second disk on the DVD package for "Behind the Voices," the hysterical symposium fans sat through to get themselves on film. They cut out most of it, (the guys doing the Animaniacs singing the Country song from memory, Billy West singing "Happy Happy Joy Joy) but it's still great. The movie: C+ The Other Stuff: B+

I really wanted to enjoy this movie (being a comic book geek and all) but it was just too long and you can see that 90% of it was improve and the thing with improve is that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. So the movie is mostly the actors throwing jokes at a wall and seeing what sticks and thats very sad because these guys are really funny. The best voice's in show business today and its a shame that Hammill could not channel that.

I admire Hammill, i mean he really knew his comic book history here. But i think like most comic fans he got hung up on one tinny thing and just grinded it to dust. Loosing the character from the journey of comic to movie is great but it doesn't hold a movie together.

It is admirable that they didn't make fun of the fans. In movies based on the comic book culter people tend to take the easy way and just point at the fans and laugh at how they are so "weird". Its very rare in this movie that this happens, Its more like the "normal" people are the weird ones and thats a breath of fresh air.

Most of the actors did a great job, The camera guy was really stealing the show but i think that Hammill should have railed him in more because too much of a good thing is not good. Billy as always did a great job but seemed to loose focus most of the time. Hammill of course was very good and probably the best of the bunch but i think he didn't take a step back and looked at the film in an objective point of view.

The cool thing about this movie guys is that if you buy the DVD you wont be wasting your money. Hammill does allot of extensive interviews about the history of comics and the subculture. Actually I'm quite sad that he cut it out of the movie when other things should have been cut instead. Hugh Heffeners interview about his history with comics is fascinating! Bruce Campbell comes off very funny in the extended interview, Some deleted scenes were very good, like the comic guy who almost seemed despondent after printing up his comic and going all the way to sandiego, spending money he really thought that he would make back and just to be shunned really makes you choke up a little. But probably the funniest and best special feature is the panel they hosted about doing voice work in animation, its worth the price of the DVD alone.

So all in all, i think that the movie deserves a 6/10

I was fortunate enough to see an advance screening of Mark Hamill's 'Comic Book: The Movie.' The low budget mockumentary is good natured and features some nice performances (highlighted by Hamill's portrayal of the comic-fan made documentarian that the story revolves around.)

There are many cameos by comic celebs like Stan Lee, Bruce Campbell and Kevin Smith. It also provides a window into the strange annual event known as Comiccon where thousands gather to celebrate fandom. The core story invokes the frustration of fans who suffer when classic properties are bastardized by Hollywood and in this story the fans strike back.

The movie is a bit long and loses its way for a while about an hour in but overall it entertaining and charming. The film is a celebration of comic books and the people who love them. It lacks the razor wit that Christopher Guest's films possess (A Mighty Wind, Best in Show) but this one is more authentic and seems to be a labor of love.

This is a nice little film and I recommend it.

Well for starters its Mark Hamill walking around, pretending to be a super comic book nerd that centers his attention around a 1940's circa comic book, that Mirimax has recently picked up to be made into a modern day movie. The production company wants it to be bloody and action packed, Donald Swan (Hamill) wants it to be more like the older comic he has grown to love and adore. So the movie company hires him as an "expert" to go around and get the average joes "perceptive" on this would be movie (which is not real people). What makes this mock-umentary so neat is that big names like Stan Lee, Bruce Campbell, and Kevin Smith play along like its the real deal, and talk to Hamill like he isnt Hamill. Even the fans don't rush him yelling Skywalker or anything. Overall its fun to watch, and funny to see the conventions he goes too, and naturally Kevin Smith is pure gold!! A must own for any comic book fan.

After I finished watching "Comic Book: The Movie", I would have to say it was enjoyable. With that said, this movie was nothing spectacular. I think people will enjoy it more for the people who collaborated on it, rather than the story itself. There are quit a few funny parts, but not laugh out loud funny ... more like amusing funny. I liked seeing allot of people who are in the comic book/ animation world. The fact that there are so many Icons in this movie makes it a good watch.

I especially like how it is a double disc DVD, so you get allot of extras to enjoy. There are people in the movie, you wouldn't even know are big stars because maybe they had a career along time ago or our voice actors. Speaking of voice actors, it seems this movie is busting with them. I love that. It's cool to see them. Then there is Jess Harnell who plays Ricky the Camera Guy. He is pretty funny. Good character and one of the many voice actors who partakes in this featured film.

As a Kevin Smith fan, I have to give him a shout out. It was cool to see him in this and a new sight to see him watch his tongue. Although he managed to still bring that edge, we have all come to love. Inclosing, if you are a comic book fan, I would recommend checking this out. If not for the movie, do it for the extras.