Silly little film shot very cheaply by Mark Hamill and crew about the never-ending battle between Hollywood and the average geek. Skywalker stars as a comic book fan/store owner who is recruited by a group of film producers to talk up positive press for an upcoming big screen adaptation of his favorite character : Commander Courage.There's definitely something left to be desired with this film (shot on DV) given the mockumentary genre, however the humor is pretty much dead on given the comic book/fantasy/sci-fi audience.Many cameo appearances including Bruce Campbell, Greg Nicotero, Ron Perlman, and many more really provide a good level of enjoyment for us geeks. Having been shot mostly at a California Comic Book convention it's a wonder that more passersby didn't recognize Hamill. Maybe many did, however this isn't shown in the film nor in any special features I could find on the DVD edition.Watch for a great Joker and Harley Quinn look-a-like couple at the convention and after party.

This mockumentary had potential, but ends up being mostly unwatchable. The first strike against it was being shot using normal mini-DV. You think they'd at least try to do some kind of film look to make it look more professional. The acting was way over the top. There's more beleivable performances in porno movies.The Comic Con footage really made this look cheap. You kept thinking "O.K., here's Mark Hamill running around the Comic Con screwing around trying to get whatever footage he can".The only good things in the movie was the mock history of the Courage superhero, and Kevin Smith's cameo. It's funny that Smith was making fun of his experience writing a draft of Superman. "They wanted him to fight a giant spider in the 3rd act. Because I lived in Jersey at the time, I didn't get it. Now that I live in L.A., I get it now".What I kept thinking throughout watching this was "That was Luke Skywalker. He was in the biggest trilogy of all time. Harrison Ford is getting 20 million a movie, and he's screwing around with a video camera at a comic convention."I predict in 20 years we'll have a video game mockumentary directed by Elijah Wood.

COMIC BOOK: THE MOVIE could have been so much more. It could have uncovered why people love comics to the point of worship, or why so many individuals feel the need to "collect." It could have pushed us into the deep end of the nostalgia pool. It could have been both a loving and cynical look at the world of comic books fandom. And most important of all, it could have been extremely funny.Well, it at least tried to be funny. But it fails miserably in that regard.Let me say, first and foremost, that this is no WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. It tries to be a mockumentary, but it looks like it's filmed on video and appearslike anyone could have done it. (Not that I'm knocking that completely; I like edgy films, I like films that could have been filmed in somebody's basement; my problem here is, the film is otherwise extremely slick. The poor filming quality with the slick editing just doesn't cut it for me. Though, I should state that the fake covers of the COMMANDER COURAGE comic book were extraordinarily well crafted.) I also have a problem with much of the acting. In the Christopher Guest mocks, you always get an idea that these are human beings. Crazed. Outlandish. Sometimes off the wall (i.e. Fred Willard in A MIGHTY WIND). But human nonetheless. Not so here. The people portraying the studio execs are very poor; they are like second-rate community theatre players in search of a laugh line. Some of their mannerisms are way over the top for the stage, let alone a "movie."I thought Mark Hamill had moments that worked as an actor; his passion and mania for COMMANDER COURAGE (his fave superhero) are sometimes touching. His rants about his love of this superhero are at times amusing. But again, where is the human being? I saw a stock character--the comic book fanatic--as opposed to a PERSON who happens to be a comic book fanatic. I enjoy Hamill in other films; but I guess when directing himself, he's not able to guide himself into a plausible character.My favorite actor was the gregarious cameraman, mainly because his impersonations were spot on and he alone provided some of the movie's only laughs. Kevin Smith is fine, as are the other celebrity guests. But they aren't in the film long enough to sustain it. It's Hamill's baby, and he's not charismatic enough or strong enough in this particular performance to carry it. At times you think you might catch a glimpse of a comic-loving Corky St. Clair, or someone like Corky, but that never occurs. Hamill's Donald Swann is annoying to many of the people onscreen, and soon enough, he becomes annoying to the audience watching the film. Not a good sign.The film also felt especially long. SHOAH lasts many hours and I was never bored; this film is only 107 minutes and it felt like an eternity.I guess if you are a comic book fan, you will find some enjoyment in the behind the scenes look at the San Diego Comic Con, where much of this takes place. But if you're not, good luck. Using the comic book grading scale for condition, I give COMIC BOOK: THE MOVIE a very generous rating of FAIR.

Well, not really..........BUT it sounded like a good grabber line.Actually, it seems as if their creator gave this a "thumbs up", since he allowed them to use that vignette of him. I really didn't realize how much he'd look like "Bob".Although I was taken aback at how much Luke Skywalker has aged, I did enjoy seeing him still standing up for old-fashioned values. I do enjoy the X-Men, and the Titans, I still have a very warm spot in my memory for Captain Marvel, Aquaman, and The Flash. And I still prefer Robin to Nightshade.As far as the quality of the movie - it did drag quite a bit in places (Day 1 seemed to take up half the length of the movie) and they skimmed over Leo's realization that the old "hildhood friends" were fake...I'd like to have seen mor of Sid and Johnathan.