Review of The Sci-Fi Boys (2006) by Aaron A — 02 Apr 2012

Synopsis: This direct-to-video documentary takes a trip down memory lane, celebrating sci-fi cinema's trailblazers, including special-effects maven Ray Harryhausen and scribe Ray Bradbury. Interweaving classic sci-fi movie clips and interviews with filmmakers such as Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and John Landis, the program covers the genre's evolution -- from stop-motion animation to spectacular computer-generated imagery.

The 1970's were a defining era for sci-fi cinema, and perhaps the greatest decade of american moviemaking. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott would all create films that heralded the "B" movie, as the type of films that the general moviegoing crowd really wanted to go see. but these filmmakers were in turn influenced by a number of early filmmakers that laid the groundwork for sci-fi cinema, albeit with very limited budgets and with writers of limited talent.

Such is the real value of this documentary, reminding people that while the movies themselves in the genre have only been of superior quality since the aforementioned era, the men working behind the camera were every bit as creative in their craft of monster making. It essentially a salute to a by gone era, where there were no special effects and the budgets were in the thousands instead millions. Filled with rare super 8 videos of early sci-fi pioneers' home videos recorded in their childhood, as well as interviews from present screen magicians discussing how influential Ray Bradbury and others were in their own lives.

If your looking for a detailed analysis then look elsewhere, this one is essentially an overview and doesn't give too much insight into or history of anything besides a few key filmmakers and publications, and even then it's not terribly detailed and your left wanting a little bit more. But it's a good start.

The sci-fi boys is abridged for sure, but also unexpectedly touching and a good overview.