Monday, September 17, 2012

Top 11 Nostalgia Critic Reviews -- Criteria and Index

When compiling this list of the best Nostalgia Critic reviews, I set a few points of criteria by which I would make my judgements. This is also evident in the Honorable Mentions section.

Read More after the jump.


The points go as follows:

  • Nostalgic Value: It should go without saying that my personal bias plays a huge role here. After all, my list. But it's also a factor in this much bigger detail, representing the modus operandi of the Critic himself, the concept of Nostalgia. This is one of the biggest reasons I was such a fan. The whole show was about looking back at your youth and reflecting on how much fun you had then versus how you feel now about the matter. Nostalgia is a universal concept, and Seth Green is another notable name from this generation that has proven it's a more potent concept for 80s and 90s children than it was for past generations. Doug Walker spent his teenage years making home movies so developing his skills as a filmmaker, or even making videos is nostalgic for him in and of itself. He was so committed to the concept, that he just had to play to the fans' notion of it as well, even when it clashed with his perceptions. I mean, just look at the Pokemon and Digimon movie reviews!
  • Humor: Doug Walker's Facebook profile reads, "I'm a comedian, LAUGH!" And really, that's the core concept of his work. As the Nostalgia Critic, he drew heavily from Lewis Black, Mel Brooks, Daffy Duck, and from the 1965 film The Great Race. As such, I will rank the funnier videos higher and point out the best jokes in each entry.
  • Insightful Film Criticism: Yes, comedy is paramount here. Yes, Doug himself warned people not to take these reviews as gospel, or take the Critic too seriously (actually regarding him as a "schmuck" in the A Simple Wish commentary). But still, Doug has proven that he's a fantastic mind in understanding film and in understanding story. I mean, look at his vlog "serious review" of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1. If that doesn't convince you how smart this man is, I don't know what will. And even when he's trying to be all bombastic and crazy, some genuine insight and intelligent discussion of film actually makes it into his Nostalgia Critic reviews. For serious, yo!
And so, with all that in mind, let's get to the Top 11 Nostalgia Critic Reviews. Why eleven, as opposed to, you know, ten? Well, if you're a fan of those videos, you would already know. In the words of the Critic himself, "I like to go one step beyond."

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