On March 28, 2005 Attack of the Show! on the G4 television network aired its series premier. The show lasted for years, employing a series of talented hosts and celebrities along the way and finding ways to introduce and make nerd culture mainstream in a way that had never been done before. Now, in an all new documentary called Attack of the Doc!, Attack of the Show! is brought back to life, and Director Chris Gore tells all. With seemingly endless content, Gore tells a story of one of the more unique television shows of all time.
I hate to admit this, but I often look at documentaries as a chance to catch up on writing. I feel that they don’t always demand the same level of attention that narratives often do, and simply listening to them is often enough to understand the content present. Attack of the Doc! is different, demanding the attention of viewers and allowing them to not only understand the doc on the surface, but as a whole, including the nuances of Attack of the Show!.
I had next to no knowledge of Attack of the Show! prior to watching Attack of the Doc!, but Gore does a wonderful job of bringing it back to life in a way that allows viewers like me to understand what it was and the series of purposes that it served. As Attack of the Doc! plays out, the intricacies of what it was rise to the surface, allowing each and every viewer to appreciate the show.
I think the most impressive aspect of the film is that Gore and his team are able to take a seemingly endless amount of content, from years worth of episodes, and figure out what fits and what doesn’t. There’s the potential that with everything going on that Attack of the Doc! Becomes overcrowded, but that never happens. Rather the film remains on one linear path shedding light on every bit of its run. This is what I imagine must have been one of the most difficult aspects of Attack of the Doc!, something that Gore must have played with for some time–and the finished product feels complete, cohesive, and effective. As I was guided through the journey of Attack of the Show! it was easy to fall in love with both the show and the documentary, as both shed an abundance of light on the many corners of nerd culture–effectively helping to shape the landscape of pop culture as we currently know it.
Gore and his team create a series of tones that transcend the entirety of Attack of the Doc!, and they help to strengthen viewers’ understanding of the things playing out in front of them. Considering I’ve never seen Attack of the Show!, it’s incredible the ability of Gore to cause me to fall in love with the show, to understand why viewers tuned in every day, and how the world must have felt when the show went off the air. Attack of the Doc! bridges any potential gap that may exist between the previously aired show and viewers–creating a very real bond.
I can’t imagine the difficulties that Gore must have faced creating Attack of the Doc!, as he was forced to navigate so much content all while creating something that appeals both to fans of Attack of the Show! and individuals (like me) who knew nothing about it. Gore does just this, leveling the playing field for anyone watching the documentary–making it accessible to all, and easy for anyone and everyone to appreciate.
Written & Directed by Chris Gore.
Starring Chris Gore, Aaron Murray, Alan Wu, Anna David, Brian Keller, Casey Schreiner, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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