Backyard Blockbusters (2012) User Reviews

This fun documentary delivers!

[LittlePitcher · 9/10 · 4 September 2014]

I had never even heard of fanfilms until I heard about Backyard Blockbusters. I couldn't help but picture myself with a super hero cape after watching the trailer.

So what are these "fanfilms" that Backyard Blockbusters is bringing to light? They're homemade movies made by fans, trying to recreate the worlds of their favorite super or action heroes. Everything from Star Wars to Indiana Jones has been recreated either with humor, a new story idea, or a different insight into a character.

And how do they get away with this, without having those huge money making corporations that own the properties come after them for copyright infringement? That's the beautiful part of this documentary - it shows us how the people behind these fun flicks not only caught the attention of the motion picture companies, but learned how to work with them.

We not only get the behind the scenes of how the fanfilms are created, but we get to see clips of many extremely entertaining films. Fanfilms have apparently been around for quite some time, with some dating as far back as the 1920s! Early on, these films could only be see if they were shared among friends, or shown at festivals or conventions. When the internet came along, during the days of dial-up, some fans waited hours to download a film. In today's internet world, sites like YouTube have helped resurrect many long lost productions.

So did Backyard Blockbusters deliver? Absolutely! I truly feel like a super hero now, saving the day with a cool doc.

A solid love note to the Fan Film

[cirrocco_jones · 8/10 · 4 September 2014]

This documentary is a look at a phenomenon that is the result of film technology being democratized: the fan film. Whether it's taking beloved characters and putting them in bizarre circumstances like Chad Vader or creating new characters like Pink Five or re-filming the sequences from a beloved film starring you and your friends instead of Harrison Ford, it's all documented here. Starring all your favorite fan film makers, including Harry Knowles, Ernie Fosselius, and "Fighting John" Hudgens!

Marvel at the lengths people go to! Behold the love and energy put into every frame! Scratch your head at the inexplicable Walter Koenig/George Takei Busby Berkeley number!* If you see just one documentary about fan films see BACKYARD BLOCKBUSTERS!

*Busby Berkeley number not included.

Unfortunately just another phony IMDb listing entry. Shlock. IMDB listing stuffing..

[oscar-35 · 21 September 2018]

*Spoiler/plot- Backyard Blockbusters, 2012. A rather one-sided hysterical round-up of the fan home shot offerings than they call "films" (aren't) and listen to their glowing reviews from themselves about their martial arts exploits. Hardly, are there any third unbiased party perspective in this project. (conflict of interest?).

*Special Stars- "DIR" (?): John E. Hudgens.

*Theme- Just because anyone with a digital movie camera and online knowledge wants to be a famous video producer, it really does take more talent and ethics!

*Trivia/location/goofs- Documentary.

*Emotion- Unfortunately just another phony IMDb entry of a ubiquitous home movie that made by questionable, non-professional "producers" being listed in this archive to built some kind of false online Faux celebrity-dom. This project's producer has had past luck getting his friends to band together to gang-rush to manipulate and fool the IMDb staffers this is a REAL entry. It isn't. And their IMDB entry listing requirements here to include this turkey/bomb on this once important pro 'film and TV' archive, is a joke and a great shame and embarrassment. This producer has missed again his chance to do a real scholarly and unbiased examination of fannish home videos by treating them in amateur context and as they really are, un-spectacularlly amateur. Also, he has made many simple mistakes in this "mock-umentory" by misrepresenting calling these amateur fan home videos as "films". They are NOT on that media. They are digital video tape with all the easy copying capabilities to pirate other maker's intellectual property and trademark & copyright properties. And his other sloppy mistakes are legion. He does not present a balanced intellectual discussion of this small amatuer phenomenon; he only focuses, interviews and presents (as facts) the gross unethical highly doubtful hyperbole & then shares the fan home videos makers personal megalomaniac opinions of these trite, childish videos. Prepare yourself for disappointment and roll your eyes when you finally get to see this closeted video of no consequence. That's due to a badly produced exploration of fandom's ego aspirations and the producer's seeking to become minor internet celebrities as the source materials & real franchises they steal from and copy. It's said, 'Copying is not a particularly "original" talent'. It's just more online piracy. It hurts original artists and the internet medium.

*Based On- Amateur producers and their fan videos that steal liberally from well know mega franchises and genres on film and TV.