When I first got Jedi Junkies my first thought was, Really, another Star Wars documentary? But it proved to be a pretty interesting look at the fans of the sci-fi saga.
Junkies seems to be the most Trekkies of all the Star Wars documentaries I’ve seen. And while I am a much bigger Wars fan than Trek fan, I’d have to say Trekkies is the more entertaining film. And these is one very simple reason for this: The people that Trekkies chose to focus on were crazy and while the people in Junkies are crazy too, they seem pretty normal by comparison.
This documentary, while looking at the world of Star Wars fans as a whole, chooses to focus mostly a few interesting topics. First there is a guy who built a nearly life size Millenium Flacon in his friends yard so he could shoot a fan film. The film actually looks at several different fan films including the internet series Chad Vader. Sadly, they didn’t interview me about the Wars/Trek fan film I made. (Check it out here! Cheap pop.) There is also a guy in New York who trains people how to spar with their lightsabers then they go around to conventions and put on shows.
Another thing they focus on are the hardcore collectors. I mean, guys who put my 500-plus figure collection to shame. Beyond showing off these guys massively impressive collections (including Eduardo Sánchez Director of The Blair Witch Project) they also look at the psychology of collecting, talking about why people become so compulsive in their collection. I found this to be the most interesting thing moment in the film.
And what would a documentary about Star Wars fans be without a section focusing on Slave Leia? Yes, there is a big chunk towards the end of the film that focuses on girls who dress up like Leia when she is enslaved by Jabba the Hutt and the beginning of Return of the Jedi. There many girls in Slave Leia bikini’s here including Olivia Munn who is interviewed throughout the film and is apparently a huge fan.
All-in-all Jedi Junkies is a pretty solid documentary. Star Wars fans are bound to enjoy it more than non fans, but the film may give non fans a little bit of insight into their world. And isn’t that what documentaries are all about? Giving others understanding and making the world a better place.
The film is presented in a widescreen format however it not formatted to fit your screen and there will be black bars on the top and bottom and sides of your screen. The sound is in 2.0 Dolby Digital stereo sound. This isn’t the best looking documentar I’ve seen. In world where you can buy a 1080p digital camera at Best buy for less than $1000 I don’t understand why a feature film would look like it was shot in the mid 90’s.
Commentary: with the filmmakers. Not the most exciting commentary, but not a waste of time either. You also get about fifteen minutes of deleted scenes and a trailer.
The biggest difference between Star Wars fans and Star Trek fans is that Trek fans have a clever name: Trekkies. However, they are more crazy and make for a more interesting documentary. That said, Jedi Junkies is fun and worth a watch.
Docurama Films presents Jedi Junkies. Directed by Mark Edlitz. Starring: Olivia Munn, Ray Park, Peter Mayhew and Eduardo Sanchez. Running time: 73 min. Rating: Not Rated. Released: February 12, 2013. Available at Amazon.com.
