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Review of "Jedi Junkies"
By: David Raymond

US DVD Release Date: Nov 9, 2010
Format Reviewed: US DVD release
Starring: Ray Park, Olivia Munn, Peter Mayhew, Eduardo Sanchez, Jeremy Bulloch
Directed By: Mark Edlitz
Genre: Star Wars/Documentary
Rated: PG-13
Review Rating: 9/10

About Jedi Junkies:
Star Wars has its hundreds of millions of "Star Wars Fans," but there's another kind of fan, one whose appreciation goes well beyond mere admiration for the films and becomes a part of their everyday life. This film is a fun, affectionate look at the men and women who have dedicated their personal and professional lives to all things Star Wars - we call them the "Jedi Junkies".

Trailer:

I would consider myself a huge Star Wars fan. I watch the movies, play the video games, read the books, get involved in Star Wars conversations, and collect the statues and other memorabilia. So when I was invited to review the Jedi Junkies documentary I was hoping to see something different than the other Star Wars fans documentaries I have seen before. I was not disappointed.

The documentary is broken up into different features of Star Wars fandom. It begins with a spotlight on a light saber academy based in New York. It details how the studio teaches cinematic fighting and how the instructors show the students "how to use a light saber practically". It is very entertaining to see them take a child and within a few minutes see them perform a battle involving a professional flurry of strikes, jumps, kicks and flips.

You are introduced to a couple of amateur film makers and what they had to go through to complete their films. The producers are shown dealing with staffing issues, make-up design, electrical fires and other typical things a film company goes through. It was insightful to see how one group recreated Darth Vader's voice using common household objects and a little radio magic. One group went so far as to build a life size Millennium Falcon in one of the director's backyard. It took them 3 months to construct the set. The amount of care, detail and professionalism is astounding.

The documentary does take a turn from praising Star Wars fandom to analyzing some of the more extreme cases using advice from a couple of psychiatrists and psychotherapists. The mental care professionals would go into detail as to why we collect and what we collect. It seems to be an endless quest to satisfy some need that is currently not being fulfilled. A couple is highlighted as to how this self-absorbed, obsessive collecting has negatively affected their relationship and children. Fortunately this is a relatively short portion of the film and jumps right back into why we love Star Wars and show our passion.

Everybody shows how passionate they are about something differently. One group has created a tribute band named Aerosith. You are exposed to the group members and what their experiences are behind the scenes at conventions. You also see how one person has taken a love of Star Wars and his artistic ability and created a company manufacturing high quality light sabers.

Each of the different features are broken up with small clips of other fan films, and fun questions addressed to convention goers. Nothing seems contrived and people seem genuinely interested in talking to the camera. The celebrity interviews flow easily with poignant questions and interesting answers. You really get a sense that they truly are a fan. There was not one moment of this film that seems like I have seen before, which is a rare thing. The documentary ends with the light saber academy training some local neighborhood children with interview questions as to why they love Star Wars so much. One of my favorite quotes was from a small boy on what he thought of all the Star Wars stuff going on. His reply was "I really love doing this and want to keep doing this until I get really old." When it comes down to it all as to why we dedicate so much of our lives to fandom it is simply stated, "It's really about having fun". This was a fun, insightful documentary that I recommend every Star Wars fan see.

Featuring the perspectives of celebrity insiders including Olivia Munn (Attack of the Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Phantom Menace actor Ray Park (Darth Maul), Celebrity Fit Club's Dr. Linda Papodopolis and Blair Witch Project director Ed Sanchez, JEDI JUNKIES will change the way you look at fandom forever!

http://www.jedijunkies.com/