If you attend to any comic book convention in your area, you’ve probably encountered members of your local 501st Legion. They’re rather noticeable since they march into the venue wearing stormtrooper uniforms from Star Wars. If you’re lucky, there’s a Darth Vader in the middle of them. It’s fun to see them although you’re never sure who they are because they’re covered in plastic including the iconic stormtrooper helmet. Behind The Bucket – A Garrison Story gives us a peek under the helmets at the members of the 501st Legion’s Midwest Garrison.
While a lot of the people are dressed up as the various Imperial Army members, there a people depicting other characters from the movies and Disney TV shows. There are Jawas, Sand people, Jedi warriors and even a Chewbacca. Unlike the people who dress up as Civil War soldiers and reenact historic battles, the 501st members aren’t pretending to shoot each other while making laser sounds. They seek a more noble cause when they gather. They are really into charitable events or roaming the hallways of children hospitals to cheer up the patients. Little kids do get excited when they pose with them since it’s like being in the movies. We meet a few families who have had the Garrison cheer them up.
They do get a bit of showbiz fun. The Garrison reports for duty to be back up dancers for Weird Al Yankovic’s live show. The members have to learn a bit of choreography. Weird Al makes sure he poses with the members with their costumes off so their friends and family can recognize them. Having seen this happen in Durham a few years back, the Garrison members add to the fun of Weird Al’s Star Wars medley.
There’s a lot of footage from the Garrison’s visits to various Comic Conventions in Chicago and Wisconsin. People always eager to pose next to a few members and check out the details on their costumes. Ray Parks (Darth Maul in Phantom Menace) praises them for being at the convention. There’s also a feeding frenzy when they various members from the region meet for a patch exchange. They seem to have as many patches to swap as the Boy Scouts. There’s also an engagement surprise involving members. The documentary wraps up with tips on how you can join your local 501st.
Behind The Bucket: A Garrison Story gives a sense of the folks the dress up as Star Wars characters. They don’t seem to have embraced the dark side even if they spent a few thousand dollars on their uniforms. Behind The Bucket: A Garrison Story does an excellent job letting us see what the members are like when not marching around at comic cons.
The Video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The video looks fine so you can see all the work that went into their costumes. The Audio is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo. Most of the documentary are interviews so the voices are clear. The movie is subtitled in English.
Trailer (1:46) shows off the suits when properly lit.
MVD Visual presents Behind The Bucket: A Garrison Story. Directed by Michael Thomas Determan & Tom Rosy. Story by Tom Rosy. Starring Ray Parks and Greg Grunberg. Running Time: 85 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: October 8, 2024.
