SuperCon is a new comedy co-written and directed by Zak Knutson, undoubtedly best known for his portrayal as the Sexy Stud in Kevin Smith’s Clerk 2. He has also made some appearances in other Smith projects and this film is very much cut from the same cloth, which is reminiscent of Mallrats and Office Space meets Ocean’s 11. It’s not a perfect film, but it has a good ensemble cast and more than enough geek humor, movie references and homage, and fun cosplay to entertain movie and comic book geeks.
A group of former TV stars and comic book artists, who make a living working comic book conventions, decide to rob SuperCon in order to screw over the annoying and arrogant iconic TV star Adam King, who is only concerned with bleeding the fans dry. While you could argue that there are definitely some stereotypes contained within the depictions of both the characters and fans, it mostly comes from a place of humor and genuine passion for conventions. Writers Knutson, Andy Sipes, and Dana Snyder are all convention frequentors and they combine their experiences and knowledge to create some amusing dialogue, situations, and characters. By far the best moment of the film is a robbery and escape montage, where the group goes through several different scenarios using an assortment of cosplay outfits.
Knutson brought together an interesting group of actors to create a fine ensemble group. Many of them I didn’t necessarily follow before, but they all worked perfectly in their respective roles for. Comedian Russell Peters plays the former child TV star Keith Mahar, who has spent years being bullied by his former co-star Adam King. Ryan Kwanten of True Blood fame plays another former TV star, Matt Wheeler, who assumes a sort of Danny Ocean leadership role in their group. Maggie Grace portrays comic book artist Allison McNeeley, Wheeler’s potential love interest. Brooks Baselman (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) shines as the flamboyant gay former TV star Brock Hutchinson, who not only has the best cosplay scenes in the film but also delivers an amusing cabaret style song and dance number. John Malkovich is the aging comic book creator Sid Newberry, and brings us another great classic Malkovich scene with Clancy Brown. Rounding out the cast is Brown as Adam King, taking on another villainous type character while also giving Highlander fans a little callback to his famous role as Kurgan.
While it’s not likely to win any Oscars, SuperCon is nonetheless an entertaining foray into the world of comic book conventions, cosplay, geek culture, and fandom. With a superb ensemble cast and at least a few hilarious moments, this should amuse fans of any of the films or subjects previously mentioned.
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-Raul Vantassle