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Nostalgia Critic

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See also: That Guy with the Glasses

Nostalgia Critic
The logo for the show's revival
GenreBlack comedy, surreal humor, insult comedy, satire, parody, review
Created byDoug Walker
Developed byDoug Walker
Rob Walker
Written byDoug Walker
Rob Walker
StarringDoug Walker
Rob Walker
Malcolm Ray (2013–present)
Tamara Chambers
(2014–present)
Rachel Tietz
(2013–14)
Theme music composerDoug Walker
Michael "Skitch" Schiciano
Opening theme"The Review Must Go On"
Ending themeCurrent:
"The Review Must Go On"
Former:
"The Nostalgia Critic Anthem"
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerMichael Michaud
Production locationChicago, Illinois[1]
EditorDoug Walker
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running timeVaries (see episode list)
Production companyChannel Awesome
Original release
NetworkYouTube (2007–08, 2012–present)
Blip (2008–present)
ReleaseYouTube: July 2007 –
present
Related
The Nostalgia Chick

Nostalgia Critic is an American comedy webseries created, written, edited by, and starring Doug Walker. The series initially launched on YouTube in July 2007 before moving to Walker's own site That Guy with the Glasses. The show follows Walker as the titular Nostalgia Critic, a youthful, yet bittersweet and sarcastic film critic who reviews films and television shows from his childhood and recent past, usually with comically exaggerated rage. The show often alternates the Critic's angry rants and juvenile humor with legitimate analysis of the episode's subject.

Walker briefly retired the series in August 2012 to work on other projects, even writing the character out of existence in the Channel Awesome film To Boldly Flee. However, on January 23, 2013, Walker announced the show's imminent return in a narrative video called "The Review Must Go On".[2] The show subsequently returned with a more narrative and sketch-driven sixth season, beginning on February 5, 2013 with a review of The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

Although many episodes of the show are comedic insults of films/TV shows Walker dislikes, some will also have him just acting normal and giving his thoughts on various matters. These episodes are primarily composed of his editorial episodes and his countdown episodes.

History

The series was initially launched on YouTube in July 2007 but episodes were frequently removed by the website following complaints of copyright infringement. In April 2008 the videos were removed from YouTube but an arrangement between the company and content host Blip in 2009 resulted in them being featured on YouTube once more.[3][4]

The announcement of a spin-off, called The Nostalgia Chick, was created in "The Search for the Nostalgia Chick" (August 10, 2008). The concept was for a female host to review female-targeted nostalgic films and television.[5] The contest ended in a three-way tie between Lindsay Ellis (who reviewed Disney's Pocahontas), Krissy Diggs (who reviewed Sailor Moon), and Kaylyn Dicksion (who reviewed The Last Unicorn). The competition was won by Ellis, then using the name "The Dudette", as announced on the site, "Nostalgia Chick Winner!" (September 15, 2008).[5] Diggs and Dicksion would still join That Guy with the Glasses as That Chick with the Goggles and Marzgurl respectively.

On September 14, 2012, Walker announced the retirement of Nostalgia Critic and that it would no longer be a weekly production, as he and his brother felt that they had gone as far as they could with the series. On January 23, 2013, a video titled "The Review Must Go On" announced the return of the Nostalgia Critic.

Episode format

Main article: List of Nostalgia Critic episodes

The series focuses on the Nostalgia Critic, a fictional character invented by Doug Walker. GigaOM describes it as "high energy and shamelessly nerdy".[6] Reuters described him as having "offbeat personalities".[7] The shows mostly focus on the Critic watching a film as he makes fun of the movie's problems, usually with recurring memes and pop culture gags. One of his most well-known gags is making fun of famous actors that starred in lesser-known roles before their rise to fame. The critic has created other segments, such as the Top 11 lists countdowns for his favorite films, villains, or moments in television shows. Occasionally he produces editorials which discuss relevant film topics.

Walker describes his philosophy thus: "[We need a critic of nostalgia] because everybody already does it. When we look at movies and shows from our youth, they're rarely as good as we remember them, and oftentimes it's quite humorous to compare what you liked then to what you like now. That's basically what the Nostalgia Critic is about, looking back at just how much nostalgia cloaked our vision in heavenly bliss and how bizarre the reality is."[8]

Main cast

Nostalgia Critic: NC is the main star of the show. He is armed with a black pistol that he uses to destroy characters of a particularly bad TV show or movie. He can also shoot lightning from his hands, as seen in "Nostalgia Critic vs the Angry Video Game Nerd". He is shown to have many rivals (particularly Angry Video Game Nerd and Cinema Snob) who often give him terrible movies and/or try to kill him. He is also shown to have an on-and-off-again relationship with HyperFanGirl, but eventually accepts her as his lover, only for her to run off again. He is shown to be a fan of Marc Webb's Spider-Man films. He is played by Doug Walker.

Malcolm: He is the Critic's friend who often times appears on the show and works with him on his videos. He is played by Malcolm Ray.

Rachel: She is a friend of Critic's who works with him on the show. Her actor left the show after season six to fulfill her own personal dreams but has still made some cameos in future episodes such as Face/Off and Ghost Rider 2. She is played by Rachel Tietz.

Tamara: She is a new actor on the show who works with Critic and Malcolm on their video reviews. She debuted in the review for Wicker Man where was a girl who was creepily stalking him and planned an evil punishment along with Malcolm for him not making a reference to Nicholas Cage's famous scene in the show by torturing him with internet memes. At the end of the episode, Critic furiously tracked her down, only to ask if she wanted to work on the show. She seems to be a replacement actor for Rachel as she debuted the episode after she left. She is played by Tamara Chambers.

Santa Christ: A hybrid of Santa Claus and Jesus, he primarily appears in Christmas videos where he grants one Christmas wish to the Critic. He also doesn't mind the taste of the Christmas Story 2 eggnog. He is played by Rob Walker.

Satan: He is the devil and he sometimes makes appearances in the show to torture Nostalgia Critic. He is played by Malcolm Ray.

Evilina: The daughter of the devil who made her first appearance in the review for Son of the Mask. She is a very happy and cheery girl who acts like a normal human little girl. Her father doesn't approve of her lifestyle and wants her to be evil like him. She is obsessed with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and will constantly annoy Critic with her singing and her joy. She is played by Rachel Tietz.

HyperFanGirl: HyperFanGirl first appeared in the Lorax episode where she instantly falls in love with the Critic because he looks like a hipster. Critic rejects Hyper and disconnects her video chat. She co-stars in Spider-Man: Old vs. New where she defends Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies. After the debate, her grandmother tells her to go after the Critic's heart. In the Small Soldiers episode, she kidnaps Critic and forces him to watch and review The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement or be shot down by Benny the Assassin. Although they get along, they get in a dispute over the Transformers movies and once again become rivals. She is blown off into space after trying to use her PS3 without updating it. She falls back down to earth in the Christmas Story 2 episode where she and Benny try to tell the true meaning of Christmas. She eventually leaves after an arguement she has with the Critic. After the Critic reverses time, he prevents the fight and they both review Christmas Story 2. She is played by Tamara Chambers.

The Other Guy: He is the Critic's older brother who appears in most of the Critic's videos, and also helps with the editing In "The Review Must Go On", he is mistaken for his brother and claims he never wants to visit him again. He is played by Rob Walker.

The Chick: The Nostalgia Chick is the Critic's frenemy, she often tries to steal the show from him at times. In "The Review Must Go On", she tries to prevent the critic from coming back to YouTube, only for her plan to fail. She is played by Lindsay Ellis.

Reception

Greg Weisman, producer of Gargoyles, stated that he enjoyed the Critic's review of it.[9] Roger Ebert called the episode "A Tribute to Siskel and Ebert" "the best, funniest video about Siskel & Ebert I've ever seen".[10] Walker later stated in his editorial titled "Farewell to Roger Ebert" that he has since had the quote framed and hung up on his wall, and in "The Making of A Nostalgia Critic Episode", it can be seen on his desk.[11] Animation writer Paul Dini also thanked the Critic for his episode "The Top 11 Batman: The Animated Series Episodes".[12] Seth Kearsley, director of Eight Crazy Nights, praised the Critic's review of the movie on his Twitter account.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Spirrison, Brad (July 7, 2009). "Naperville man finds way to make Web pay". Naperville Sun. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  2. ^ "The Review Must Go On". That Guy with the Glasses. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  3. ^ Pickard, Anna (November 19, 2007). "The five-second movies and why you should watch them". The Guardian. London. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  4. ^ Learmonth, Mke (July 28, 2009). "Blip.tv Brings Programs to YouTube, Ads to 'Channel Awesome'". Advertising Age. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Jenkins, Mike; Bacio, Jose (June 19, 2009). "The Man Hour". Man Hour Goes Nostalgic. Retrieved December 24, 2009. (iTunes)
  6. ^ Shannon, Liz (October 6, 2009). "Nostalgia Critic Takes Apart Your Childhood Favorites — Tech News and Analysis". Gigaom.com. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  7. ^ "South Florida's Largest Video Game Event Gathers Hottest Video Games, Gamers, World Champs and Game Platforms Creators". Reuters. October 13, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  8. ^ Dunne, Susan (January 28, 2011). "U-Con at UConn is for the Nerds". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  9. ^ "Search Ask Greg : Gargoyles : Station Eight". S8.org. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 14, 2009). "Ebertchicago status update". Twitter.
  11. ^ Walker, Doug (August 11, 2010). "Animaniacs Tribute". Nostalgia Critic Animaniacs Tribute.
  12. ^ Dini, Paul (August 17, 2011). "Paul Dini status update". Twitter.
  13. ^ Kearsley, Seth (June 17, 2014). "Hilarious. 8 Crazy Nights - Nostalgia Critic:". Twitter status update.
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