Title: Comic Book: The Movie (2004)Starring: Mark Hamill, Billy West, Donna D'Errico
Directed By: Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill produces, directs and stars in this documentary-style commentary on the comic book-to-Hollywood trend. In it, he plays Don Swan a small-town comic collector who's been asked by a major film studio to consult on a new comic book movie. Can the nerdy comic book collecting everyman go out to San Diego Comic Con and convince the Hollywood studio to make a straightforward translation that honors the original book's legacy? No. And yes. I won't over-spoilerize and explain, let's just say that everything works out in the end. I expected no less.
Since it is done (mostly) documentary style, we get to see a TON of nerd-cred cameos (mostly) in the form of interviews conducted by Don Swan. We see Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, J.J. Abrams, Bruce Campbell, Hugh Hefner, and a LOT more. For the most part, the interviews are used cleverly to move the loose plot forward. Fans of Kevin Smith will delight in his "giant spider" story. He's told it before and he'll tell it again, but here it's used with a wink and a nod. It's very funny.
While more of a co-star than a cameo, special recognition goes to Billy West as Leo Matusik. Billy is best known as a voice actor, having provided voices for well over a hundred projects, e.g. Futurama and Ren & Stimpy. But here, he shines as a down-on-his-luck simpleton thrust into the Hollywood nightlife.
As a director, Hamill takes tangential snippets and comedic "bits" and somehow transforms them into a fluid easy-to-follow story. This film becomes a celebration of nerd culture, and Comic Con especially. Recommended.
Score: 7/10
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