Fanboy or not?

Where is the line that one crosses that makes you a fanboy? Do you get mad when a movie messes up a characters portrayal? I mean really nit-pick the character apart like Batman is left handed not right handed. For the record I don't know what Batman's dominate hand is. I'm just using that as an example. If someone can answer that question I think that would make you a fanboy. If you know his basic villains and maybe the few that didn't make it to the big screen I think that would make you a fan.

According to Merriam-Webster Online the definition of fanboy is a boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics or movies). Now with a definition like that I would personally fall under this title. I have to say it's better than being called a geek. Now the problem is that I'm not that picky when it comes to movies. I might have a few things that annoyed me about the film but all people do that. From getting dizzy watching Transformers 2 cameras spinning around Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf until they finally kiss, if you saw that in IMAX it's worse than on the small screen. Then you have G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra with the suits that make the Joes run faster and do anything they can want. Now those suits were never in the cartoon or the comics. The suits didn't bother me and I thought they were awesome. That is two different types of critiquing; talking about the way it was filmed and talking about the source of the material. 

Now fanboys watch a movie, complain about it and write on their blogs how much they hate it (wink). There is a rear occasion that they like something and praise it every chance they get. Which leads to my next question. What makes a film/franchise/property fanboy material? Does it have to involve Science Fiction or a long running series? Do fanboys ruin entertainment for others? The Star Trek conventions made people feel embarrassed to say they watched the show. Maybe not now after the fantastic movie that came out in May 2009 but there was a time when Trekkies were made fun of for their love and devotion for the series. Then you have Ghostbusters, a franchise that everyone loves and aren't afraid to admit it. People quote the movie today and it was released 25 years ago. It has served the test of time and is still enjoyable to watch. Even television shows like 24, CSI and Lost have devoted viewers that watch every week to see what's going to happen to the characters and watch the plot unfold during the new episode. They talk about the episode with others on a social network or, I shudder to say it, in person. It gives people something to talk about instead of there lives and current events. It's an outlet from the real world.

The truth is fanboys are everywhere. There is really nothing that can prevent Fanboys from forming around something. You can try to prevent being a Fanboy or a fangirl. The problem is that people always have something they like or love. Studios and companies appreciate them because they'll spend money for what is targeted towards them. Fanboys are the unofficial critics giving material an approval. Big blockbuster movies are now targeted towards this group because of the built in fan base. Fanboys have been around for a while and are now becoming better known because of these properties that are everywhere. Would a movie studio spend a pile of money on huge fighting robots if they weren't sure people would see it? The answer is no. The studios care and they want money, like all companies do. They don't want to invest money in a film if it doesn't make a profit.

Finally the reason for this entry is because I just watched the movie Fanboys. It's a good and funny. It follows a group of fans in the fall of 1998 trying to steal an early print of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Some people from the Apatow crew are in it. The film is available to watch on whatever your main entertainment source is, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.