Hope you all safely enjoyed celebrating Captain America’s 100th birthday this week. (Don’t worry, he’s in here somwhere.)
We’re back with another Fan Video Friday, this one dedicated to Imagine Dragons’ intense, drum-heavy single “Believer.” It’s proven to be quite the popular choice for scoring fan-made montages, particularly for action-packed shows about morally complicated people. (“I was broken from a young age” describes exactly 100% of our favorite characters.) The options were many, so we’re hitting you with 15 professional-grade fanworks today. Some you could maybe see coming, but we hope there are some surprises in here as well.
First thing’s first…
Rogue One
Sage: I have such a fondness for Rogue One, the most angsty of Star Wars movies. You gotta believe in something to die for it, right? Special props for the Leia/A New Hope sequence on “face of the future, the blood in my veins” and for all that excellent Jyn/Cassian content.
Prison Break
Kim: Prison Break was one of those shows that I LOVED in its first season but the concept of the show grew tired after multiple seasons. (Honestly, how many times are these unlucky motherfuckers gonna have to break out of prison? How many times are they LAND themselves in prison? You would think after the first time, they’d be like “Nah, Bro, I’m good.”) Nevertheless, the show worked because of the relationships and because of the performances from Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, and Sarah Wayne Callies. An idea for a revival was born when Dominic and Wentworth worked together on The Flash and I was immediately excited about it because it was CLEAR that it was a passion project for them. The revival, while it does have a couple of filler episodes, is compelling and complex, driven by the performances that haven’t aged a day since the actors last stepped into the roles. And what’s most important is…they stuck the landing. They made me a, made me a believer. BELIEVER.
Jessica Jones
Sage: This song can mean a lot of things, and for Jessica Jones, it means becoming a believer in her own worth, her own (relative) goodness. It also go extremely well with the various ass-kickings she’s doled out in three seasons of TV. Fuck it up, Jess.
Riverdale
Sage: I discovered this one making a YouTube playlist for our own Maggie and knew it had to appear in a Fan Video Friday post eventually. We love Riverdale because it is so very extra, and this video captures its complete lack of chill in thrilling color. I only wish it were longer.
Wynonna Earp
Sage: Speaking of tragically short videos, this 90-second tribute to our favorite Canadian fantasy Western. Wynonna Earp is full of broken people hanging on to whatever they have left and trying their damnedest to put their faith in each other. A family curse is a metaphor for childhood trauma; demonic possession stands in for your “dark side.” It’s deliciously conceptual and fun, and this video would make an amazing trailer, honestly.
Harry Styles
Kim: This is a dramatic ass song and Harry Styles is a dramatic ass hoe, so this is a match made in heaven.
The X-Files
Kim: I mean, if there was ever a song written specifically for Fox Mulder, it’s this one. (Well, and “Building a Mystery” but I digress.) I love love love how the vidder integrates the dialouge here, which is always a tricky feat because you don’t want to take away from the song. (How PERFECT is the soda machine moment?) Also, I love how the video transitions to Scully’s perspective because her journey to becoming a believer is even MORE complex over the course of the series.
The Punisher
Sage: There are several Frank Castle tributes that utilize this song, and you already know why. The Haunted veteran and his twisted nobility are the surprise breakout of the Netflix MCU. Has any other anti-hero been more “fired up and tired of the way that things have been”? (Oh-oooooh?) Also: that face.
Star Wars: The Trilogies
Kim: First of all, I gotta give it up for all the folks who make the prequels look compelling AF. I love how this vidder puts all the parallel shots in this one; it works so well. And GOD I love when the new movies come in; that first shot of Poe and BB-8 makes me go YASSSSSSS every time.
The Avengers: Infinity War
Kim: Honestly, the pain from Infinity War is still too fresh for me to discuss how perfect this is properly, but GOOD GOD that shot of Steve Rogers catching the spear and stepping out of the shadows just never gets old, does it? Also using Tony’s perspective for the beginning of that last verse just fucking hurts.
It
Sage: The original still terrifies me – no one will ever be a creepier clown than Tim Curry, all apologies to Bill Skarsgard. But last year’s It remake had the Stand By Me feel and charismatic kid ensemble I was hoping for. We went along with the Losers Club’s on their hero’s journey, as they faced not only the malevolence living just beneath their town but also their own individual, everyday terrors, like racism and child abuse. There comes a time in every child’s life when they’ve just got to man up and kill the fucking clown.
Doctor Who
Kim: I can hear what you’re thinking. Why the FUCK aren’t they using the infamous Twelfth Doctor tribute set to “Believer”? Well, dear readers, it’s because we’ve all seen it (I myself watch it once a week at LEAST and it never gets old) and Fan Video Friday is all about opening your eyes to NEW videos. Most of the time, anyway. Besides, this video has PLENTY of Twelve and “Believer” applies to every iteration of the Doctor. In fact, the only complaint I have about this video is where the HELL is Nine in this? He should be here.
Wonder Woman
Kim: If you don’t get goosebumps in this video from how it’s cut to have that first big howl of “PAIN” happen when Diana crosses her wristbands for the first time, then I suggest you check whether or not you have a pulse. Same for the shot of Diana diving off the cliff on “Master of my sea.” And her walking through No Man’s Land on that first chorus. Or her rage as the destroyed village on “Ashes to the ground.” Or the whole montage with Steve on the final verse. Fine, okay. If you don’t have goosebumps for the ENTIRE VIDEO, something is wrong with you.
Lost
Kim: GOD I MISS LOST. I often forget how much I love Lost until I watch a video like this and then, despite the massive amounts of television I HAVEN’T watched yet, I immediately want to queue up the pilot and do a complete series rewatch. (I still have my list of my top 15 episodes that I WILL write about some day.) ANYWAY, this song basically encapsulates the entire show. The man of science. The man of faith. The constant struggle between the two deciding what they want to believe. The heartache. The pain. And all that rain. The editing of this video is GENIUS, from showing James writing his letter as a child on “broken at a young age” to showing Hurley, Ben, and Walt on the “the face of the future”. Looking back, I am like how in the HELL did this air for six seasons on network television? Honestly, that’s a bigger mystery than the smoke monster.
Stranger Things
Sage: Stranger Things, whatever you may think about the punk Eleven episode, came back bigger and better in season 2, deepening relationships (Jopper, the unexpectedly delightful partnership of Dustin and Steve), introducing new characters, and giving unbelievably good young actors the opportunity to turn in even more moving performances. And throughout, it kept that tone that we all love, which is that most people are good and helpful, if distracted by their own lives. Season 3, we’re ready and waiting.
Did we find your favorite “Believer” vid? Share your recs (or suggest a future theme/song) in the comments!
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