Fanboys

Last week, I had the good fortune of having both a day off from work and school. I had two of them actually, but this is about the Friday of the two (the other being Saturday, duh). Not having anything to do, and it being a Friday, I went to the movie section of the paper to see what new movies had come out. It was pretty slim pickings because the summer movie season doesn't really start until May 1st when X-Men Origins: Wolverine sets it off.

So as I'm thinking about all the movies I can't wait to see this summer, I noticed a title I'd heard about before but troubled development kept delaying it. It was definitely something up my alley, so when I realized how lucky I was I went straight to the theater and saw:




For those in the audience that get the gist of the poster, let me explain the plot. Four lifelong friends grew up absolutely in love with all things Star Wars. Unfortunately there's a bit of a falling out among them. Eric, the one in the middle there, decided it was time to grow up and leave Star Wars as just a nice little hobby instead of a lifestyle.

His friends, Linus, Windows, and Hutch still live and breathe Star Wars, even going to a costume party decked out as Storm Troopers and Darth Vader. Eric is there as well and something of a mini reunion happens. Eric finds out that his friends have a countdown going until Episode I gets released in theaters, which is 6 months. Linus was hurt the most by Eric leaving the group behind and accosts him. Eric and Linus were going to make comics together, so that's the reason behind that.

The next day, Windows and Hutch show up at Eric's place of work, his dad's car lot, and tell Eric that Linus has cancer and only has about 3 to 4 months to live. Astonished that he's only now hearing about it, and sad that years of friendship has been wasted, he tries to get back into Linus' life. Linus doesn't want to have any of it though. Determined to not let it end this way, Eric suggests they steal the rough cut for Episode I so Linus can see it before he dies. It takes some convincing, but an unlikely inside source gives them a floor plan to Skywalker Ranch.

So yeah, they're gonna do it.

I won't give away any more of the plot because this should really be enjoyed with just the basics known. They live in Iowa (maybe Ohio?) so it's a road trip movie. There are plenty of Star Wars references and some of them are actually pretty clever. I really enjoyed this movie as it reminded me of the times before Episode I actually came out.

Watching the trailer dozens of times a day. Camping out overnight at the mall and missing school to get tickets. Missing school again to see it multiple times the day it came out. It reminded me of all the fun times I had with my friends.

It ends really well. Almost beautifully. Really glad I got to see this in the theaters. I'll be picking up the DVD when it drops on May 19 to be sure. I suggest people at least rent it. It's PG-13 and there are some parts not suitable for kids, but it's awesome never the less.