Attack of the Doc! (2023) Film Review
Attack of the Doc! is a documentary that tells the story of G4TV’s great hit, Attack of the Show! By including two very good hosts, the show entered households in 2005 and took society by surprise when it went all the way in celebrating nerd culture back when nobody spoke about it. Conventions hadn’t turned into the huge gatherings they are today and frankly, there were no rules about what you could be a fan of. Attack of the Show! made good use of that lack of direction. It was slapstick, offensive and downright funny. But in its peak it gave voice to a culture when the Internet hadn’t had its first change of diapers. This was the TV show where James Cameron used to appear and slam dummies with metal chairs.
Hosted by Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira, the show had the pace and style of a social media party taking place live and without any kind of restrictions. The documentary is illuminating when it’s supposed to: what made Attack of the Show! original is that it never paid attention to what you were supposed to do on television. Needless to say, the content wouldn’t be possible today. From fat suits to nudity and sexual jokes, it went beyond the basis of nerd culture and appealed to young people who sought more than plain conversations about their favorite movies or comic books.
The major issue with the film comes from its too plastic rendering of its impact. Documentaries should be based on testimonies, witness accounts of those who participated in the endeavors and adventures. Attack of the Doc! is a supercut of the most important scenes of the show it refers to, and as fun and relevant as they are, I expected more than a long movie consisting of footage. In fact, the voiceover narratives are cut short and arguments feel incomplete. Nevertheless, the script to be followed is good enough for the testimonies to be informative and clear.
The celebration of geek culture that was Attack of the Show! during its prime had a major effect in how we see the same culture today. As the documentary claims, geek and nerd culture today is the only culture with a following that renders it cool and interesting. What was considered a niche in the past, is now part of the mainstream scene that’s renewed constantly from a cultural but also from a commercial point of view. However, as important as Marvel and DC are today, it’s hard to imagine the show existing today alongside the universe of YouTubers, influencers and other trends alike. It was a major hit, responsible for creating something that’s huge today, but it was a product of its time that couldn’t have the same success today.
If you want to clarify and extend your knowledge about some of the things you see online today, then Attack of the Doc! could be a swift history lesson that will show you enough. It isn’t cinematic enough to leave you thinking, but sometimes it’s just about having a couple of answers at hand about the origins of current trends that dominate the Internet.
