Read on Twitter
Even I, someone who actually still likes the anniversary movies, will say fuck off to this. "Masterclass in film economy?" "Lies to damage the legacy of Doug?" It's a 3.5 hour movie, most of which is just goddamn quoting other movies word for word. https://twitter.com/AllisonPregler/status/1254682106762051584
You know what? Fuck it, I should be working on the 600th episode, but this has got me on a tear. Let's talk about the anniversary movies, what I like and what I don't like, with the benefit of hindsight.
Kickassia is a farce. It's an hour and a half long farce about a bunch...
Kickassia is a farce. It's an hour and a half long farce about a bunch...
...of internet personalities getting convinced by a narcissist to take over a country and think they know what the hell they're doing. It's goofy, it's ridiculous, and understands its tone.
FFS, I put on a Starfleet uniform with an army helmet and do a bad Patton impression...
FFS, I put on a Starfleet uniform with an army helmet and do a bad Patton impression...
...it knows it's not supposed to be taken seriously at all. A lot of people are written out of character (or dated references are made and were pointed out that they'd be dated on set but it was largely ignored), but it's a little more forgivable because there are clear lines...
...of silliness and just trying to be funny is the most important goal.
Suburban Knights is where you start making it be all about the reference humor - this is a thing you remember, so we're going to quote it. The advantage it has over To Boldly Flee is that that's part of...
Suburban Knights is where you start making it be all about the reference humor - this is a thing you remember, so we're going to quote it. The advantage it has over To Boldly Flee is that that's part of...
...the plot - the map for the gauntlet is specifically telling you to go get into the mindset of fantasy because the creator of the quest thought it was fun and exciting. Throughout Group 1, they keep rejecting that mindset and just end up as douchebags, continually set back...
...until they actually get into the spirit of things. It's not a perfect transition when that happens, but when the characters ARE having fun in it and getting into the spirit, the quest is fulfilled.
That doesn't erase that the characters are still assholes, another thing...
That doesn't erase that the characters are still assholes, another thing...
...commented on set and largely ignored because Doug creatively thought:
-Humor is derived from misery, so characters have to be mean or be confused/stupid for the jokes to work.
-Everyone on the site reviews bad media, so they all yell and scream like me in all situations.
...
-Humor is derived from misery, so characters have to be mean or be confused/stupid for the jokes to work.
-Everyone on the site reviews bad media, so they all yell and scream like me in all situations.
...
...There's enough serious sprinkled throughout that when we get to the more serious villain in the end, things take a turn, because of course the more fun stuff is over and you can't kill a sorcerer by referencing Lord of the Rings. The setup and payoff of the butt monkey joke...
...character works... but then we get more reference stuff that DOESN'T work. We suddenly have a Star Trek II reference - a SCI-FI thing in a movie all about fantasy movies and tropes.
One could think this was just setup for To Boldly Flee, but it still doesn't fit...
One could think this was just setup for To Boldly Flee, but it still doesn't fit...
...especially when the thing they're referencing is a beloved character with decades of history dying in front of his best friend, vs. a joke character reference whom the other characters barely tolerated. Guilt and sadness, sure, but just straight-up referencing Star Trek II?...
...there's no friggin' reason for it.
Aaaand thus we get to To Boldly Flee.
To Boldly Flee shifts into a narrative that's MEANT to be more serious despite the sillier villains. The problem is it's still stuck in that "I MUST REFERENCE MOVIES!" mindset of Suburban Knights, so...
Aaaand thus we get to To Boldly Flee.
To Boldly Flee shifts into a narrative that's MEANT to be more serious despite the sillier villains. The problem is it's still stuck in that "I MUST REFERENCE MOVIES!" mindset of Suburban Knights, so...
...for some fucking reason General Zod is hanging out with Terl from Battlefield Earth ( @Q_Review called this sort of thing a lore movie - it makes sense if you've watched tons of Doug's reviews, but not outside of it). And I don't mind that these films ARE lore movies...
...a common critique we'd made of movie versions of TV shows or the like is "This was made for the fans of this thing, so why the hell are you treating this as if someone who's not familiar with the material would be seeking it out?"
Problem is, Doug's only familiar with his...
Problem is, Doug's only familiar with his...
...own stuff and his stuff is not exactly some tight-knit continuity. And then he never bothered to ask any of us about the stuff from our shows he was referencing and didn't think it mattered, especially since this was a comedy movie and all.
Except it's not. It THINKS it is...
Except it's not. It THINKS it is...
...but the damn thing is trying to make some larger, more profound point about bad movies vs. good movies (and I do like these bits, pretentious as they are at points) and Hollywood recycling ideas (Doug argued that the villains were DELIBERATELY trying to reference star Wars...
...and the like because they're uncreative and just repeat the same thing over and over to try get the same success, but it doesn't come across that way when the HEROES are doing the movie references, too) and any serious message gets undercut because it's so obsessed with...
...cramming in as many movie references as possible. The funniest lines in any of these movies, IMHO, is ORIGINAL stuff (well, except for the saboteur/sabre tooth joke - that's so idiotic it still sticks with me), riffs on the theme.
But again - to Boldly Flee is not...
But again - to Boldly Flee is not...
...presented as a straight-up comedy. It's action, deadly serious situations, and introspection about a guy's guilt over getting a "friend" killed. As soon the farcical elements come in, you don't know how the hell you're supposed to feel.
And then there's the problem of it...
And then there's the problem of it...
...being the swansong of the Nostalgia Critic character. Doing it in anniversary movie makes a degree of sense because the anniversary movies were highly popular and one could see it as a bit of "passing the torch" to remind people "Hey, the NC might be the most popular...
...thing on the site, but all these other incredible, talented people are here, too, and you should be watching them," but an resolved subplot of the damn thing is how everyone feels like the end of video reviewing is coming, and since the NC ends, this lead to many, MANY...
...people saying, "Oh, I guess you're all retiring from videomaking, too, huh? Well, bye!" And Doug wasn't even finished making videos, either - he jus transitioned into another project.
Instead of being a reassurance that one show was over but there was still plenty of good...
Instead of being a reassurance that one show was over but there was still plenty of good...
...stuff on the horizon, it became "My fantastical wonderful show is over and these people are moving on to other things now because Copyright bots are too hard to fight. Bye!"
And that's not even getting to, as has been pointed out, the bits of sexism sprinkled throughout...
And that's not even getting to, as has been pointed out, the bits of sexism sprinkled throughout...
...and how uncomfortable it can be to watch these movies knowing some of the people in it were horrible or monstrous.
"Masterclass in film economy?" They're amateur movies MADE by amateurs who more than once had a lot of fun doing a big project with their friends, just like...
"Masterclass in film economy?" They're amateur movies MADE by amateurs who more than once had a lot of fun doing a big project with their friends, just like...
...my movie, made for a very specific audience at a very specific time. They do not age well and if you tried to show them to people outside of their niche audience, they MIGHT get something out of it, but it's doubtful. The good parts are often severely undermined or are...
...just wince-inducing and you bury your head in a pillow in secondhand embarrassment.
And aaaaall of that is just from the creative side. Then there's all the fucking behind the scenes shit that happened. I had an overall good experience, but that does not deny the stuff...
And aaaaall of that is just from the creative side. Then there's all the fucking behind the scenes shit that happened. I had an overall good experience, but that does not deny the stuff...
...where people were tired, uncomfortable, ignored, and just largely miserable. And the sheer gall to say that all of us who contributed to the document are "SJW liars" is laughable at best, as if we all decided one day to just destroy the shouty man out of... I don't know...
...jealousy or our eeeeevil SJW conspiracy to rid the world of very surface-level criticism.
I like these movies because, ironically enough, they're nostalgic for me. They remind me of good times I had, of things that DID make me think or inspire me for future stuff for my...
I like these movies because, ironically enough, they're nostalgic for me. They remind me of good times I had, of things that DID make me think or inspire me for future stuff for my...
...own work, of being a part of a shared experience among many people who I am still friends with who will join me in celebrating a big milestone on a livestream and make injoke references to each other.
They're not fucking masterpieces. They're lore movies with maybe a good...
They're not fucking masterpieces. They're lore movies with maybe a good...
...point or joke here or there. Not some apotheosis of the movie critic who only half-pays attention to the things he's reviewing, which is what led him to HAVE a series of "Top 11 Fuck-Ups" video where he lists off his mistakes.
I've got nothing else to say. Back to editing.
I've got nothing else to say. Back to editing.
