Movie Reviews

‘Surviving Supercon’ review: So you wanna put together a fan convention?

A different look at conventions.

November 11, 2021

Surviving Supercon is more than just a documentary about the madness of attending a fan convention. It goes behind the scenes in organizing and running one. Despite the scale of the event, the film ends up being a personal tale of two people. It would be easy to document the zaniness of one of Florida’s biggest conventions. Chances are there would be some entertainment value in that. Surviving Supercon never goes that route. Celebrity involvement is actually kept to a minimum which allows for an interesting look at the convention.

Founders Sandy Martin and Michael Broder are the true stars of Surviving Supercon. The majority of the time is spent watching the two put the huge event together. This means there is a surprising amount of tension to be found. It makes things that much more exciting when things work and disappointing when they do not. (The inclusion of a real world tragedy is unavoidable, but is also mishandled.)

Where the film truly succeeds in showing off the surreal nature of bringing it all together. Everything from conversations of weapons versus props to security out of a slapstick comedy are involved in Surviving Supercon. The amount of profanity is surprising enough, but the passion behind putting on the event is what really stands out. This is a documentary filled with emotion.

Which is not to say that Martin and Broder are not out to make a profit. In fact, Broder was an indie film producer who needed a way to make money. However, Surviving Supercon highlights the dedication, patience, and perseverance needed to make something this large successful. It is a fascinating behind the scenes look that will give convention fans a deeper understanding of the events they love.