This documentary is a love letter to the sequence that pioneered the protection of nerd tradition as followers expertise it as we speak!
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2005 was a time earlier than the interconnected world broad net of apps and units that we reside in as we speak. Certain, loads of people have been on-line by 2005, however at that time the Web was within the nascent days of its transformation into an area crammed with corporate-run web sites and social media platforms. Outdoors of the nerdiest of nerds chatting on message boards, most individuals have been speaking about video video games, comics, and films in individual. In 2005 I used to be a freshman in school and really a lot knee-deep in nerd tradition. Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Geoff Johns have been reigniting the world of comedian books with sequence like New Avengers, The Ultimates, and Inexperienced Lantern: Rebirth. Batman Begins and V for Vendetta, and have been the “it” comedian ebook motion pictures of the day. And on the planet of video video games, Resident Evil 4, Forza, and Shadow of the Colossus have been tops. But, outdoors of your buddy group or possibly some fellow nerds on the native comedian ebook store, it wasn’t fairly so widespread to see these items talked about in mainstream media.
Then, alongside got here one thing known as G4TV.
G4TV was a tv community that did one thing no different broadcast firm earlier than it had ever actually bothered to do: it appealed to nerds. It urged the nerd. It granted a stage of respect and credibility to the entire issues that nerds take pleasure in in a fashion that had by no means actually been seen earlier than. “Nerd tradition” is an on a regular basis time period now, however to affiliate “nerd” with “tradition” again then was one thing of a head-turner. But, for thus many individuals the entire issues that outline what it means to be a nerd very a lot felt like tradition. The camaraderie cast by debating which comedian ebook heroes would win a struggle; sharing frustrations over an absence of faithfulness in film diversifications; playfully arguing (and possibly typically lower than playfully) over who cheated in a multiplayer online game. All of those shared experiences over common tradition was one thing that the nerds had identified was a factor for many years, but it surely was lastly time for the remainder of the world to catch up.
The primary present on G4TV was Assault of the Present!, which featured hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn. It’s this period of the present that Chris Gore determined to concentrate on for his documentary Assault of the Doc! Gore, who had his personal segments on Assault of the Present! throughout that point, felt impressed to chronicle the rise and eventual fall of the sequence and community. As Gore places it, and as I are inclined to agree, Assault of the Present! finally served to legitimize what we now colloquially name nerd tradition. In lots of respects, we’ve reached a degree the place it may well typically really feel just like the pastimes of so many nerds has been a bit co-opted by the mainstream. As Gore factors out within the documentary, it wasn’t all that lengthy when with the ability to discover anime and Star Wars t-shirts in a Goal was just about not possible; now, it’s as commonplace as milk and cheese within the refrigerated part.
It’s to not say that Assault of the Present! made all of this occur, but it surely was on the forefront of an ideal storm in popular culture within the mid to late-2000s. The Marvel cinematic universe was simply coming to fruition, sparking a brand new era of followers. The aforementioned burgeoning Web and the rise of web-capable units supplied a method for followers to jack in and join like by no means earlier than. Comics at Marvel and DC have been present process a renaissance. Video video games have been transitioning into the realm of interconnected, on-line play that paved the way in which for as we speak’s eSports leagues and streaming websites like Twitch. It was a nexus cut-off date, actually, however one which the parents at Assault of the Present! capitalized in ways in which nobody else did.
Assault of the Doc! does a beautiful job of capturing the zany power of the mid-2000s. The humor, the antics, the unapologetic debauchery that was on show is all now a trademark of a bygone period when individuals didn’t should apologize each ten seconds for each slight, imagined or in any other case. Individuals can debate all they need whether or not or not issues have been “higher” again then, however there’s an simple pleasure on the display screen in each minute of Assault of the Doc! Though I wasn’t the largest fan of Assault of the Present! when it was on the air, I nonetheless discovered myself drawn to the story unfolding on my display screen of G4TV and its pioneering spirit.
Assault of the Doc! solely comes up brief in speaking concerning the return of G4TV and Assault of the Present! The resurgence of the community was met with a variety of negativity when host Frosk went on an notorious on-air tirade towards followers in what many thought of to be an outright assault on the very viewers the community was attempting to courtroom. Whereas I’d have been fascinated to see extra concerning the closing act of G4TV, I can perceive why Gore didn’t delve too deeply into it. In spite of everything, by the point G4TV “returned” it was actually only a pale imitation of what got here earlier than. Why spend time lingering on the bottom level of the community when Assault of the Doc! is clearly meant to be a celebration, not a downer.
I strongly suggest giving Assault of the Doc! a watch. You’ll be able to lease it on-line just about anyplace streaming is on the market, and a Blu-ray shall be coming in July for many who desire a bodily copy. Congrats to Gore and firm for placing collectively a heat tribute to an unforgettable interval in popular culture leisure.