Fan of FANBOYS?

         “The Saga’s Biggest Fans on the Galaxy’s Greatest Mission” is the headline for the 2008 release. This is basically the premise for the whole movie. Playing on at least 99% sci-fi fan humor, “Fanboys” surprisingly enough, can be enjoyed more than one fandom. With cameos by William Shatner (Captain Kirk), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), there is something for Star Trek and Star Wars fans alike. There are also enough geeks in funny costumes embarrassing themselves for everyone else to laugh at.

            The movie starts out by introducing the four main characters and conflict in one blow. Taking place in 1998, only months before Star Wars Episode One releases, four old friends, diehard fans of the Star Wars saga, find themselves grown apart. One of the friends, Eric (Sam Huntington), seems to be over Star Wars and moving on with his life while the other three, Linus (Chris Marquette), Hutch (Dan Fogler), and Windows (Jay Baruchel) are determined to hold on to their lifelong fantasies. They drunkenly propose to drive from their home in Ohio to Lucas Mansion in California to steal an early viewing of the anxiously awaited prequel to the series. Eric thinks the idea is ridiculous, but when he finds out Linus is dying of cancer, he decides the journey is the only thing he can do to mend their friendship. After many adventures on the way, filled with Trekkie bashing (literally), and other delays, they arrive at the mansion and have their own flight from white-helmeted guards. Friends bond, love is found, and a dying man gets his dying wish.

            Actors played their roles well and were cast based on their stereotypical nerdy images. Seth Rogan’s appearance as multiple antagonists actually gave the film a more unified feel. There was only one villain. Though his head “Trekker” felt a little over-the-top, this was very possibly done purposefully. Kristen Bell as the just-one-of-the-guys Zoe, left something to be desired. This was certainly not her best role, though she was still quite likable as a character. 

            Overall, the movie was enjoyable. The characters were likable and entertaining, if not completely endearing. Time spent on misadventures left little room for those characters’ development. There is of course sympathy for their plight, mostly Linus’s , and you can see that these men are old friends with a deep rooted love for… well, Star Wars. There seems to be no other point to their lives, unless you count the vaguely mentioned career plans a couple of them have. The plot is fairly simple and has few twists (though there are some fun ones). Though there may be too much time spent on the side adventures, it never feels slow. As a heart-felt tale of friends and personal growth, it falls a little short. However, as a fun, reference-filled movie it succeeds. If you have any feelings for Star Wars, Star Trek, or anything starting with “Star” for that matter, this is a movie worth watching.