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The Hits & Misses of Comic Con
By AprillBrandon in Pop Goes the Culture
July 28, 2009

Before mainstream Hollywood caught on, Comic Con in San Diego was just the stuff Trekkie and comic book geek dreams were made of (and the stuff that jokes about Trekkies and comic book geeks were made of).

Cut to 2009 and Comic Con is a big deal. A huge deal. A make 'em or break 'em kind of deal for many movies and TV shows. If the geeks...er...fans disapprove of the sneak peaks they are privy to at the event, it can literally destroy a movie's reputation long before it is released in theaters or debuts on the boob tube.

The Los Angeles Times knows this all too well and as such has posted a story on what caused a near riot and which presentations left the room with only crickets chirping.

The hits?

No big surprise here, but the biggest hits included the latest movie from the Twilight series "New Moon." An appearance by Johnny Depp almost caused a riot and sealed the fate of Tim Burton's new movie "Alice in Wonderland" (which, no brainer, stars Depp) as an instant cult classic.

Robert Downey Jr. had similar luck for making an appearance for both "Ironman 2" and "Sherlock Holmes," both of which, judging from the mania surrounding them at Comic Con, are going to be huge blockbusters.

Other big hits include the movies "District 9" and "Avatar."

The misses?

Disney's "Princess and the Frog," the 2D animation movie, got a cool reaction, as well as their "A Christmas Carol." Sony's "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" didn't get much of a reaction either.

And perhaps the biggest miss, according to the article, was the glimpses of elitism creeping into the convention that before was known as an equal playground for the fans.

Quoth the article:

"But just as the Sundance Film Festival was spoiled by the advent of swag suites, the same elitist lifestyle boutiques are starting to flourish all around the convention. The Wired Cafe -- invitation only, please! -- had as much snobby attitude as Café Bustelo coffee and Patrón tequila had free samples."

Hopefully Comic Con will be able to retain its unique atmosphere as a gathering spot for die-hard loyal fans and geeks such as myself even though Hollywood is trying already sinking its mass-production, main stream teeth into it. In the end, Comic Con was, is, and should always be about the fans.

Comments


  • StarDotStar StarDotStar Report a ViolationReport a Violation
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    Comic-Con has changed a LOT over the years. There's very little to do with comics anymore and most of it deals with movies and pop-culture. I prefer the smaller cons around Texas.

    July 28, 2009 at 3:58 p.m.