Review: Feels Good Man

 

 

Overview:

This documentary follows the strange timeline of events for internet meme sensation, Pepe the Frog. From its original inception by cartoonist Matt Furie to the image’s inclusion as a symbol for political movements and campaigns.

Pepe the Frog was there when memes were still becoming a thing and has become the most commonly utilized symbol in the internet trend. The well-intentioned character started as an independent comic book and has grown to be as recognizable as Mickey Mouse. Unfortunately, the power of the internet means that creator Matt Furie hasn’t seen a cent. In fact, Pepe has long been out of his hands.

Pepe, nor his creator, had any hand in the frog’s image becoming a widely used mascot of the Alt-Right community. A movement that helped to bring Donald Trump to power and delegitimize his opponents. Though on the same coin, Pepe has also become an influential symbol of democracy and freedom during the protests in Hong Kong.

Matt Furie has watched his creation become something that nobody can control as he desperately attempts to put the genie back in the bottle.

Our Take:

When you stop to think about it the internet has become a monster within its short lifespan. Many of us were born well before the internet was first plugged in. Long gone are the days of dial-up, Netflix, or MySpace. Now the internet is an integral part of our lives bringing us entertainment, information, and even our food. It is astounding how uncontrollable the whole thing has gotten.

Feels Good Man is the first documentary that truly showcases how the internet can take something completely harmless and use it to change the world. Pepe the Frog is a face that we can all instantly recognize despite the fact that none of us had any clue where the character came from. And now it has become an icon for so much more.

Pepe could be described as the mascot of the internet. There are more memes of Pepe than any other character. He has been transformed into his own Cryptocurrency that has made many people successful. And, he has been used as a symbol of political statements, going as far as being added to an international hate symbol database. Meanwhile bringing protestors hope during dangerous times in China.

All of this has happened in the short lifespan of the inter-webs.

This documentary follows Pepe’s transitions through the perspective of his own creator. A creator that was pleased to share his art with anyone who would want to share it to watching it become a message of hate. And when it was time to reel his creation back in it had become far too late.

This movie is worth watching for anyone that uses the internet. Not only is it a history lesson on how the web has grown, but how it changed us as a civilization. Unfortunately, while bringing us closer together the internet has divided us more than ever. And at the centre of that polarization is this little frog named Pepe.

And it is a well-made documentary. It helped win rookie director, Arthur Jones, a Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It is now gaining traction with fans and critics after the digital release last month.

Of course, we at Bubbleblabber were first interested in the amazing Pepe cutscene animations that fill the movie. These small clips range from sharing the humour of the original comic to some heavy metaphorical messages about humanity. And while this animation may have brought us in, we were as intrigued as anybody else would be by this fascinating story about an internet meme.

This is a documentary that will change the way you view the internet and the memes that come across your social media. Pepe literally helped to put elected officials into power, and it all stemmed from an innocent comic about a frog taking a pee with his pants down. If you don’t want to see how that escalated so fast, then enjoy your documentaries on how paint dries.