User:QuestJ65/Nostalgia Critic

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He remembers it so you don't have to!

Nostalgia Critic is an American review comedy series created by and starring Doug Walker for Channel Awesome, previously known as The Guy With the Glasses. It first launched on YouTube in 2007, spanning over 700 episodes (as of October 2, 2024). Between 2008 to 2015, it was featured on the website Blip until its shutdown in the last year. A spin-off, titled The Nostalgia Chick and starring Lindsay Ellis, also ran from 2008 to 2014, before Ellis left to focus on long-form video essays.

The series follows the Nostalgia Critic, a fictionalized version of Walker, who is a short-tempered and immature film reviewer that looks back on movies from his childhood and adolescence. Each episode focuses on a recap of the film in question, with the Critic explaining plot-points, providing commentary and criticism, and joking on mildly questionable or amusing scenes. In addition to its references to other media, the series also features special episodes, including "Top 11" list countdowns, "Old vs. New", which compares the reboot of a popular film or series to the original; and video essays of certain subjects.

The Critic, along with several recurring characters of the show, also appear in a number of anniversary films for Channel Awesome, including Kickassia (2010), Suburban Knights (2011), and To Boldly Flee (2012). These films, while not particularly well received, are usually released in parts and star a wider group of people involved with the website. To Boldy Flee in particular was meant to be a send-off to Walker's Critic series, with the Critic dying within the movie, although he was later revived in the 2013 short titled The Review Must Go On, which announced the return of Nostalgia Critic.

Since it calls back to media considered nostalgic, movies based on Hanna-Barbera's shows get covered in their own individual episodes. References to Hanna-Barbera are also featured as well.

Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Main article: Captain Planet and the Planeteers (TV series)

• "Captain Planet:" The series is given its own dedicated episode when the Critic does a rundown for its premise and two select episodes. The episodes that he looked in this video are "A Formula for Hate" and "'Teers in the 'Hood." In the middle of the video, the Critic also interviews one of the Planateers, Ma-Ti, who is disheartened with having the power of Heart, but is later revealed to be from India instead of South America. The revelation hits the Critic with shock, who first assumes that he was an impersonator. Ma-Ti is portrayed by Bhargav Dronamraju, who played the character until his departure in 2012.
• "One Year Anniversary Brawl:" Ma-Ti is one of many people involved in a royale rumble, alongside the Critic and other internet reviewers. He was left defenseless when he gets kicked on the ground by the other fighters, but when the Nerd from Angry Video Game Nerd drops his SNES Super Scope, Ma-Ti threatens everyone by using it, telling them, "Suck my big, fat, fucking Heart!" He later finds himself lonely when it runs out of ammo.
• "Siskel and Ebert Tribute:" In reference to Siskel's appearances in At the Movies while being hospitalized, the Critic calls Ma-Ti, who is represented by a phone call and a static image while he is away at a hospital, and tells him that he is having his balls removed.
• "Battlefield Earth:" During a clip show segment, both the Critic and Ma-Ti appear in what appears to be their interview from the Captain Planet review, only for Ma-Ti to realize out that they are in a clip show. Both Ma-Ti and the past Critic lambast the present day Critic on the idea, with Ma-Ti suggesting him to review Battlefield Earth instead.
• "Neverending Story 2:" During the climax of The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter, Ma-Ti inexplicitly appears when Xayide explodes and is about to use Heart, only for the Critic to tell him that it has already taken care of.
• Kickassia: The Critic, having long been a leader of a recently invaded micronation, is greeted by Ma-Ti when the former discovers that his bedroom had been turned into his old review room. Ma-Ti urges the Critic to remember who he used to be, but when the he rejects Ma-Ti's words, the latter swears that his destiny will soon fail.
• "Inspector Gadget: The Movie:" After the Critic watches the scene of Gadget being reawakened in a junkyard, he rushes to interrupt Ma-Ti while he reads a book. After being told to say "Heart", Ma-Ti scolds the Critic in annoyance and quits reading the book.
• Suburban Knights: Ma-Ti attempts to join the Critic on his quest to find riches but is repeatedly turned away. He is kept busy with phony tasks like finding "goat porn" for 8 Bit Mickey. Eventually, it is revealed that his Heart ring was actually forged by a scientist named Aeon and Ma-Ti is able to use it to defeat the sorcerer Malachite. It is unclear how Aeon connects to the wider Captain Planet lore. Ma-Ti sacrifices himself to save the critics and his ashes are launched into space in a "Quaker Style Oatmeal" can. Wheeler and Gi are also referenced as objects of Ma-Ti's resentment.
• To Boldy Flee: The Critic begins the movie despondent over Ma-Ti's death. Spoony shows up at his house, sounding suspiciously like Ma-Ti, and raving "Search for my body" and "Find the hole". The Last Angry Geek arrives shortly afterwards and performs a "nerd meld" with the Critic to see if Ma-Ti passed on his "character". Coming up short, he concludes "everything he is or ever was... is lost". However, Dr. Block and Dr. Tease discover that Ma-Ti passed his consciousness down to Spoony and his ashes are currently orbiting the moon of Europa. Dr. Insano concludes that Ma-Ti's ring colliding with Malachite's Hand create a hole in the Space Story Arc Continuum. This hole, annoyingly called a "Plot Hole", is causing inconsistencies to pop up everywhere (GET IT). The Critic puts together a group to travel to Europa and receive Ma-Ti's body. Later in the movie, it is revealed that the can containing Ma-Ti's ashes collided with the Plot Hole, making him and the hole one entity. He convinces The Critic to enter the Plot Hole, which proceeds to teleport him to the "real world". The Critic meets his creator, Doug Walker, who gives him the choice of living in the real world or returning to his friends in the fictional one. Ma-Ti's ultimate plan was for the Critic to selfishly choose the real world, thus dooming the Channel Awesome Cinematic Universe into nonexistence and killing all the critics (just go with it). This is his revenge for being treated like a joke. However, The Critic unexpectedly decides to stay with his friends. The Critic apologizes to Ma-Ti and assures him that he was useful all along. Feeling content, Ma-Ti ascends to the afterlife. It is worth noting that Rob Walker voices Ma-Ti in this movie, as Dronamraju did not return to pursue his own ventures.

Dexter's Laboratory

Main article: Dexter's Laboratory (TV series)

• "Conquest of the Commercials:" In a segment for a Power Rangers toy commercial, the Critic mimics an announcer by telling the audience they if they have Power Rangers-branded gloves, they could be tough by "looking like a cross between a NASCAR driver and Dexter's mom."

Flintstones

Main article: Flintstones (franchise)

• "The Flintstones:" The Critic reviews the 1994 live-action film adaptation, but not before explaining that he didn't like the show it was based on by saying, "the animation is bad, the jokes are cheap, the stories are forgettable, and the characters just aren’t that interesting." He later gives the film a poor reception, although he states that it might be enjoyable for those who have little kids. Despite not liking The Flintstones TV series, the Critic does explain that he respects it for being the first adult cartoon.
  • In retrospect of the Nostalgia Critic review, Doug Walker shared a less negative sentiment towards the series, saying that he appreciated it more as an adult than as a child, although he admitted that he didn't care much of it when the movie was released.
• "Commercials:" A Christmas-themed commercial for Fruity Pebbles cereal gets featured in a short segment, with the Critic joking on its historical anachronism by impersonating Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.
• "Return of The Commercials:" A 1980s commercial for Cocoa Pebbles, featuring Barney disguising himself as a rock star on stage, is covered in its own segment of the episode. In it, the Critic points out the logical question as to why he couldn't get the cereal by himself and is astonished with the lengths he goes with trying to steal them from Fred. He questions why Fred keeps getting feeding into Barney habit, and impersonates him asking Barney what makes his cereal apart from other cereals, only to chase him down with a gun when the latter answers that the cereal "came from [his] wife's box."
• "Top 12 Christmas Commercials:" The aforementioned Christmas commercial for Fruity Pebbles is listed number 8 in the video. The Critic points out several questions regarding the commercial, including how Fred and Barney celebrate the holiday if Jesus wasn't born yet, where caveman Santa Claus came from, Dino's involvement with a singing carol, and Fred giving an apple to Santa instead of cookies and milk.
• "Planet of the Commercials:" A commercial for Flintstones Vitamins is featured as a segment of this episode. However, the Critic points out that the vitamin branding was ironic considering that The Flintstones once had sponsors for unhealthy products back then, including Winston Cigarettes and Busch Bear. Throughout the remainder of the episode, the Critic does a long interview with composer Michael Salvatori, who co-wrote the Flintstones Vitamins jingle with Martin O'Donnell, and tries several attempts to get rid of him.
• "Commercials Resurrection:" A commercial for Cocoa Pebbles, which parodied The Karate Kid, is featured as its own segment. The Critic brings out Barney's disguise as a Japanese martial arts teacher in that commercial, stating that the Stone Age was a different time and that Rox News (a spoof of Fox News) was telling everybody that this wasn't racist at all. This is followed up by clip of "The Prowler," featuring a similarly racist caricature with Rockimoto, and the Critic telling the viewers that the Flintstones were replaced by James Bond as the spokesperson of the cereal; although it later cuts to an image of Bond's disguise in You Only Live Twice much to his bemoaning.

Pac-Man

Main article: Pac-Man

• "Dawn of the Commercials:" In a segment for Chef Boyardee Dinosaurs pasta, the Critic references Pac-Man pasta as one of the products based on a certain theme.

Snagglepuss

Main article: Snagglepuss (segments)

• "Top 11 Cereal Mascots:" The Critic points out Cap'n Crunch as the "Snagglepuss of cereals" and does an impression of the latter by saying, "And rembember to exit stage right!"

The Smurfs

Main article: The Smurfs

• "Dawn of the Commercials:" In a segment for Chef Boyardee Dinosaurs pasta, the Critic references Smurfs pasta as one of the products based on a certain theme.

Tom and Jerry

Main article: Tom and Jerry (franchise)

• "Tom and Jerry: The Movie:" The Critic reviews the film in its own episode. Before starting his review, he first points out that he is a fan of the Tom and Jerry cartoons, going so far as to buy the DVD collections of them. The notable standout scenes are his Shakespearean monologue on Tom and Jerry's roles as friends; his bewilderment over the film's musical numbers; and pointing out that Robyn's father is Indiana Jones. He gives a film an unfavorable review, stating that was an hour and a half too long, and that it had strange and complicated plot. He comments in the end that if he were to go back to Tom and Jerry of 50 years ago that "they would be making a film of this caliber about them," a clip of Tom saying "Don't you believe it!" in Mouse Trouble is played when he tells the viewers to guess what they think.
• "Tom & Jerry:" The film is recapped in its own episode by the Critic. He points that as a fan of Tom and Jerry, he felt more positive with the film compared to others in the franchise. He concludes that the scenes involving the titular characters were entertaining due to the faithfulness of its source material, but felt that those involving the comedic support were weak.
• "Gremlins:" An image of Lickboot from Tom and Jerry: The Movie is overlaid when Mrs. Deagle says, "The bank and I have the same purpose in life to make money."