The greatest movie ever made..!

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Blistering performances.

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.

The hearts are in the right place and the fun is found in details and indirect references to the goings on in the comic book adaptation machine. Fans and non-fans might find fun in it, and I cheer Mark Hamill for initiating this. The one small caveat is that the viewer should be someone who is aware, for example, of Kevin Smith's screenplay for Superman Lives. If that kind of detail isn't as interesting for you to follow, or if you genuinely care more about "news reports" that followed every detail of the "Bennifer" situation a while back, then stick to the usual reality TV that is clogging the airwaves. This movie introduces us to a few people we might not recognize, but who are revealed in extra features to be great unseen celebrities and artists. I hope Hamill keeps directing, and perhaps tries something genre related and with a tripod. Good stuff. I'll show my DVD enthusiastically.

As a "lapsed" convention-going comic and s-f fan, I was interested in seeing how fans were portrayed in this film when I picked up the DVD. It turns out that they are portrayed very well, with as much dignity as they bring with them (and keep) at any convention. "Comic Book: The Movie" is a cross between a scripted mockumentary and an actors' workshop, where the players are given their characters and a goal to achieve, then turned loose in an environment to play out their roles. In this case the setting is the 2003 San Diego ComiCon. The general plot is that a Hollywood production company is making a film based on an updated version of the Golden Age comic book hero Commander Courage, and are planning to announce the film at the ComiCon. They've hired schoolteacher/comic expert Don Swan (Hamill) as a "technical consultant," meaning that they need him to lend credibility in the fan world to their travesty of an updated character. Swan immediately begins a campaign to convince the producers to retain as much of the original concept as possible. The true gift of this film is the use of some of the top voice-over talent in the business as principle players, and they more than do justice to their roles. Hamill's direction pulls together this untapped talent with actual fans and celebrity convention attendees to give credibility to the existence of Commander Courage in a series of celebrity "interviews" similar to those in "Zoolander." The only point for me in which the belief system of the film was broken was in the use of well-known actors (Sid Caesar, Jonathan Winters, and Hamill himself) to portray characters other than themselves. Hamill seems unaware of his popularity and "recognition factor," though his portrayal of the increasingly frustrated Don Swan helps to restore some of the magic. The movie is good, make no mistake. But for this old cartoon aficionado the DVD bonus material--particularly the long panel session featuring the voice actors--alone made the DVD well worth the price.

Wow, I must say this is one of the more satisfying purchases I have made for my DVD collection. I believe this is a straight-to-video production, because it really is to niche for theaters in the first place. But Hamill and Co. really make this "mockumentary" through the San Diego ComiCon quite a thrill.Hamill is a believable History teacher, who is a huge fan of comics and especially the Commander Courage character (made up character for this show). Commander Courage is basically a take on Captain America. The story is, back in the 40s and 50s, Courage used to take on the Nazis or Communists, etc...He was a hero to all the children who read his books. Now he has been reborn, as Codename Courage, and fights terrorism. Hamill, as Don Swan, is hired by the people who are making the Codename Courage movie and is sent to document the announcement of the movie at the San Diego ComiCon. Swan uses this to promote the Golden Age Commander Courage and hopes to make the original character the basis for the movie. There is a lot of very good acting for something so unscripted. I've seen more errors and gaffes in major motion pictures than in this one. I'm very impressed how seamless the picture was presented. You really start to root for Swan, he really shows his zest and enthusiasm for comics in a very believable way. In my opinion, the movie really seems to get going a little too late. By the time it's over you wish it could continue a little longer. The ending is a bit disappointing (SPOILER ALERT)I would have liked to see what becomes of the movie, if Codename Courage still gets made, or if Commander Courage gets the nod.For any fans of comic books or even collectible hobbies in general, this is a fun movie. If you've ever been to a major collectible show, this is also a fun watch. The DVD also has extras that make the whole Don Swan and Commander Courage even more believable. Check this one out, it's worth it.