The Nostalgia Critic: Odd Numbered Trek Films

[Trekker4747]

The Nostalgia Critic is going to take on the odd-numbered Star Trek films over the next few weeks, tonight starting with The Motion Picture.

His episodes usually release on Tuesday nights but computer issues pushed this one back, also due to computer issues he's a week behind on his schedule.

Nostalgia Critic Main Page

Nostalgia Critic on Blip (As of this typing this is where the video is, it takes a while for the videos to get put on the TNC site.)

 

[horatio83]

Pretty annoying voice, I didn't make it past the first minute.
I think categorizing the movies after whether a director has directed two or one Trek movies is less arbitrary than the even-odd game. This would make TWOK, TSFS, TVH, TUC, FC and INS good movies and TMP, TFF, GEN and NEM bad movies. Probably doesn't match anybody's preferences perfectly but I doubt that it is a coincidence that the directors who returned to direct a second movie delivered on average better work than the "one-shots".

 

[Broccoli]

I love the Nostalgia Critic, but this review was kinda weak. It seemed like he was trying really hard to make this review work. He had some good bits, but the problems with TMP are very difficult to explore in the format of his show. The stuff he riffed on was very nitpicky, and I kinda suspect the Star Trek III review will be the same.

 

[Trekker4747]

The problem with there's not much material to use with TMP. It certainly has its flaws but they're hard to fully explore inside of a 20-30 minute bit.

I found the review to be humorous but what makes TMP bad is more of its blandness and how drawn out certain segments of it are. That's not a lot to make jokes off of.

I suspect TSFS will offer some more material to work with, andcertainly TFF will offer loads. Gen I could go either way on and if he's going as far as INS, he should have decent material. (Though INS is one I could go either way on, too.)

But he did have a couple good moments in this review his reaction to Ilia mentioning her vow of celibacy (which, yeah, makes sense if you know some of the EU/BTS stuff) was humorous and the bit with Angry Joe doing the Khan "buried alive" thing was funny as was Kirk's "Spock!" montage.

But, overall, a marginal review and I sort-of suspect we'd get better. But, yeah, this movie doesn't offer a lot to really pick on. Considering a full two-thirds of it is just people reacting to things....

 

[CaptainMatt]

I find the even-odd theory to be past its prime and highly overrated these days.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I think it really was a coincidence. Nothing to emphasize about. But, it makes it easier to distinguish the weaker Trek films.

Anyway, in the topic at hand, I wasn't very fond of the review. Was kinda hoping for something, well, funnier. But then again, like the other posters said (particularly Brocolli), it was pretty bland. After awhile, I cringed not at the movie, but at the NC himself.

OK, we get it, you're bored, stop screaming. Obviously he's being in-character when he does this, but... I guess I wish Linkara had done this review, if it had to be done at all. Really, really forced.

 

[Amaris]

In his defense, TMP is mostly views of special effects and reaction shots. It's hard to build a review commentary out of that.

 

[Kelthaz]

Oh, he's going to be getting some hate mail for this one.

I enjoyed the review, but it was obviously intended for a general audience rather than hardcore Star Trek fans. I would love to see Red Letter Media give his 90 minute analytical take on just why this movie fails.

 

[Kronos]

I do always wonder, what if that guy hadn't made it past the door in engineering, what would he have done?!?

 

[Broccoli]

I would love to see Red Letter Media give his 90 minute analytical take on just why this movie fails.

He likely won't because, as he claimed in the Trek '09 review, it is his favorite.

 

[Lord Garth]

Some of it was funny, some of it was amusing; but if it's this hard to poke fun at the movie, then it's a sign it can't be that bad.

If Kirk hadn't been in command of the Enterprise, Decker would've raised shields, it might not've been enough against V'Ger's beam, the Enterprise would be digitized, Earth would be digitized, The End. Cue Bill & Ted guitar riff.

 

[Broccoli]

The film really isn't that bad. The story is largely solid with only a few gaping issues with direction, plot and/or character arcs. Considering the supposed turmoil behind the scenes, it is amazing it came out as well as it did. The film's pacing, however, is largely terrible. The "Director's Edition" helped, but the film still moves at a snails pace (especially during the second act). I'm all for slow burns in a movie, but did we really need a 5 minute sequence of Kirk fly around and look at the Enterprise?

As I mentioned above, it is difficult to do a review in the NC's style with a film's main problem is the pacing. I'm guessing that he decided to do that Trek odd-movies, because of the pop-culture mindset, but realized later on that TMP was going to be more difficult than he imagined. I also think the Star Trek III one will be equally as challenging considering that movie isn't all that flawed. From there on, he should be fine.

 

[donners22]

This wasn't one of his better ones, but as noted above, it's probably a combination of the source material and an attempt to try to have something there for both fans and non-fans of Trek.

I actually liked Generations and Insurrection, but they certainly have their material to cricitise if you look at them in a particular way.

 

[MasuPu'a]

The review was funny. I didn't expect the Nostalgia Critic to do an in-depth critique of every little thing wrong with the film, his reviews tend to mostly be about him mocking larger problems with various gags and clips and his over-the-top reactions and screams. Which I find funny; that part where he and Angry Joe parody Khan talking to Kirk was priceless. Plus, as others have pointed out, it's not really a review for Trek fans. I'm not sure how much Nostalgia Critic knows about Trek, but there appeared to be some gaps, his review was from a movie-watcher's viewpoint rather then that of a Trek fan.

SF Debris does a good and detailed Trek-fan review of TMP anyway. I can't wait till Nostalgia Critic does FF, that is going to be epic.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I honestly want the NC to finally make GEN interesting, because otherwise its a barren wasterland of ideas. A funny review of GEN might do justice to its ridiculous existence.

 

[Phily B]

Try hard is a phrase that sums him up nicely. I hate his stupid fucking voice as well.

 

[Trekker4747]

I honestly want the NC to finally make GEN interesting, because otherwise its a barren wasterland of ideas. A funny review of GEN might do justice to its ridiculous existence.

I believe he should do GEN in is reviews. I think Doug is a Star Trek fan, at least when it comes to TNG since he's in that age range. What The Nostalgia Critic thinks is completely different. Of course.

I think the biggest problem with this review is including the "Bum" persona which I've never been a fan of.

On the Odds/Evens thing.

Look at it this way:

TMP: Was highly anticipated so people left disappointed.
TWK: People weren't expecting much, based off the previous movie, and possibly bothered by the pre-release news. They end up being very surprised and love the movie.
TSFS: Okay! Now the movies have hit their stride! It's time for these to be good movies! ... Okay that one sort of was lame.
TVH: Okay, well the last one wasn't good and this one is just going to be more of a continuation of that story, so not much to expect. Huh. Not bad.
TFF: Okay, the Enterprise is back, the crew is together. Time for adventure! .... WTF?!

You get the idea.

The odd numbered ones are "bad" only by virtue of the even numbered ones being so good. So as people watched these as they were coming out it was a roller coaster. For me, if you watch these now knowing what to expect, at the very least 3 isn't that terrible and 1 is just too padded.

 

[Broccoli]

I'm not sure how much Nostalgia Critic knows about Trek, but there appeared to be some gaps, his review was from a movie-watcher's viewpoint rather then that of a Trek fan.

Doug Walker has indicated in other videos (where he's not playing a character) that he is a Star Trek fan.

 

[MasuPu'a]

I'm not sure how much Nostalgia Critic knows about Trek, but there appeared to be some gaps, his review was from a movie-watcher's viewpoint rather then that of a Trek fan.

Doug Walker has indicated in other videos (where he's not playing a character) that he is a Star Trek fan.

My mistake.

 

[Kelthaz]

He may be a Star Trek fan, but I doubt he's a hardcore fan. He probably watched a fair bit of TOS and TNG, but that's about it. Now Linkara, there's a hardcore fan.