The Image Revolution (2014) User Reviews

The images in this film were not as strong as it should had been. It was only fairly decent.

[ironhorse_iv · 7/10 · 18 October 2018]

There is no need for a million speech bubble to explain, what I thought about this film. I will try to make my statements really quick. While, 2014's documentary 'The Image Revolution' may seek to mostly glorify its subject matter with more positives than negatives. At least, the film directed by Patrick Meaney was willing to admit its participants' flaws as well as their strengths. It tries to have this balanced approach to the material that makes the program, worthwhile entertaining to view. In a tidy runtime of 83 minutes, the documentary manages to take viewers through the spectacular rise, unparalleled fall, and crucial redemption of Image Comics, America's first massively successful and truly enduring independent comic book publisher. However, several bits of the story could had been told a little better with the film; such as exploring more in detail, what their individual publications works like 'Youngblood', 'Wildcats' and 'Witchblade', were really about. Even after rewatching this documentary, multiplies times, I still have no idea, what their stories, entail. Nor do I get, why they were popular in the first place. Don't me wrong, the film does shallowly overall tell briefly, how the violence big guns, boob centric flash imageries artwork takes far more priority to good writing with most of their titles, but the low quality short clip scans of various comic book covers, doesn't really help support that case, that well. It's barely informative. It's probably worst for those, outside of Image's niches target audience. I can see, some viewers, getting easily lost. Another problem with the documentary, is how the film used interviews from media news stories from the 1990s & modern day film footage with all eight founders; Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Jim Valentino & Whilce Portacio & Chris Claremont as well as industry insiders, comics historians, fans and current Image Comics creators like Robert Kirkman & piece them together. There were several occasions, where the filmmakers screw up, mixing talking head footages that don't match, well with each other. It's kinda jarring to see a person talk about their lives, only for them, suddenly mid-sentence, change backgrounds, wearing different clothing, and in some cases, sporting new hair styles. It was very bad editing. Nor do I like, how the film kept mistakes in the film, such as the interviewers accidently bumping into the camera stand. The interviews looks highly amateurism. Another problem with the movie is its use of archival home video footage. The fact that most of them, were filmed by 1990s VHS home video camera, made the picture quality of fans lining outside comic book stores and conventions, hardly visual. I can barely see, what's going on. The footage were really grainy & low grade. Not only that, the over 20 year film rarely got any care after. It's sad, because you can start to see lines and scratches starting to form, and some lighting and color distortion with them. The footage was not in the greatest of shapes. Trust me, when I say this, watching these parts were highly nauseous & made me want to vomit. I really got a headache. Honestly, if the filmmakers wanted to make this film more watchable, they should had try to restore these jittery distorted imageries, a little better or cut them all from the film. In truth, these sequences really does not help tell the movie's history that well. Regardless of that, there was enough good visuals in this low budget documentary to overlook its flaws. The film was shot on high grade digital video that looks pretty sharp even in standard definition. It had strong colors and a nice level of detail for the most part. Even the recreated of key historic events like several high-profile illustrators leaving Marvel & dissing DC Comics over creation control, using animation comic book panels were outstanding even if the documentary wasn't exactly working with a large production. Because of reasons like that, I mention. I quite believe, that 'the Image Revolution' is still a unique rare fandom film, worth finding. It's still in mint, very limited edition that hasn't yet, decrease in value. It is one film worth opening up to. So check it out!

Rise, fall, rebirth

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 22 February 2022]

A light yet engaging documentary of that brief period when an industry was rocked on its heels. It can't be denied that Image Comics had Marvel and DC sweating bullets, and it all came down to seven rebellious creators.

What I liked about this movie is that it's predominantly from their own mouths, and they're entertaining voices. Looking back, their product was adolescent to its core, but adult-me was taken by the behind-the-scenes saga: how an upstart could dominate, nearly implode, and somehow still endure beyond the '90s.

A little too slight

[jellopuke · 6/10 · 16 March 2021]

This was well done, but could have been so much better. The image story is fascinating and important and this kind of glossed it over. Needed a bit more of everything to really sell it but instead, chose brevity. Still worth seeing!

This is my crack

[cjk_35 · 10/10 · 7 July 2014]

The other reviewer is saying that this documentary is for hard core Image fans only, and he might be right, because I am so massively pumped and inspired right now. This film for me was a shot of adrenaline and screaming pep talk. As a big fan of Image this is the comic book documentary that I've been waiting for. This documentary shows the original seven founders McFarlane, Liefeld, Larson, Lee, Silvestri, Valentino, and Portacio as rock stars making history. Starting with their skyrocketing launch in the early nineties to their downfall in the late nineties. Then back up with the early Twenty first century. There are many honest interviews with all of the founders as well as newer Image writers. If you love Todd McFarlane then watch this it's got plenty of his interviews in it as longer as all of the other founders. If you can't get enough of big spikes, big guns, bloody violence, backbreaking beautiful women, intense splash pages,and shoulder pads. Then this is your drug.

Only for hardcore fans who probably know all this anyway

[JohnFilmfreak · 3/10 · 27 December 2013]

If ever there was an all style over substance documentary, this is it. The film follows the rise and fall of Image comics publication company, told from the people who started it. Mainly a talking heads feature, interviews are mixed with low quality scans of various comic book art that is stressful and tedious to read through.

Obviously not meant to be seen by anyone else than hardcore comic book fans who recognizes everyone on screen and associate them with their work, the film fails to properly establish who any of them are, and those who do not know are forced to believe that everyone are as great as they say they are. It runs through long lists of publications, as egos and built, bruised and broken, but ultimately the whole ordeal has the flavor of an internal business struggle that didn't deserve a whole feature documentary.