The Hidden Genius of Kickassia

[@PsychadelicoDuck]

This feels so strangely meta. Our collective experience with Doug Walker is now the weird fever dreams we had when we were younger and are now sharing back and forth to assure each other "yes, it really did happen". Kickassia is truly the new "We're Back: A Dinosaur Story".

[@36inc]

I fucking love that film still.

[@creed8712]

Somebody has to remember it so we don’t have to, a Santa Christ to take on these memetic sins

[@Lark1610]

I had no clue there was such a phenomenon when it comes to WE'RE BACK, but I literally was randomly reminded about that film existing few weeks ago in a "did it really happen" fashion.

[@quintenlizardmen2497]

@dots45 What?

[@FistfulOfDogecoin]

Just googled «Were back dinosaur movie», and OH MY GOD I FORGOT ABOUT THIS!!

[@TenebraeUbr]

"Midlife crisis by someone who's barely allowed themselves to live a life at all" somehow hits me hard when I'm only just past my quarterlife crisis.

[@hamsterdragon]

same

[@moosesues8887]

I’m at my end life crisis

[@unduloid]

That's nothing. I am having a perpetual _life_ crisis.

[@Lindsek]

You made me realize that I had essentially the same journey - I watched Doug as a kid who was just beginning to understand media appreciation and critique, and I felt seen in a time when this space wasn’t the completely over-saturated market it is today. We didn’t have better options. Now that I’m older and can choose from other niches, I left Doug behind, and it became much easier to do after the Channel Awesome debacle. But I do believe he’s sincere no matter how it comes off, and his love for movies is real. Like the technically weird or low quality movies he riffed on, I can’t hate him, because he’s my childhood. I also, thankfully, never had a parasocial relationship with any of those people, so I was never in a position to be hurt by them. I totally get it if people feel more harshly than I do. Anyway, this was a refreshingly compassionate and honest retrospective, and I’m happy to be in your niche. 😉

[@ApocalypticRenegade]

I'll say this for Kickassia. It is for sure my favourite film featuring Noah Antwiler.

[@sambesiili4698]

Goddamn, i haven't heard that name in a long time

[@38procentkrytyk]

Poor Noah. I hope he's better now.

[@TectonicImprov]

@@38procentkrytyk seems to be. He's been streaming recently and in good spirits in those streams

[@BMask]

It's been really nice seeing Spoony pull through in those new interviews. He needed help and I hope he's getting it, wish him nothing but the best moving forward.

[@Deadchannel1737]

same for me besides the spoony movie of course ! :D

[@Joshua-pt1ck]

Can’t believe Nintendo took inspiration of this cinematic masterpiece for Fire Emblem: Three Houses

[@train4292]

Wait, are you serious-

[@verylostdoommarauder]

That's the plot?

[@ianstratton]

I was hesitant to watch this at first because I find a lot of videos about the Nostalgia Critic tend to be mean spirited with a smug sense of superiority ("lolz! This is such unfunny cringe! How could anyone ever like this stuff!? I'm so much smarter by mocking it!!"). You were actually honest in your feelings, provided proper context, and gave Doug credit where credit was due. Great job!

[@darkchocolate1083]

I agree. I admit that I was swept in a little bit myself after the controversy, but looking back people were being incredibly melodramatic about it. At the end of the day it’s just dumb fun.

[@leviticusprime4904]

@@darkchocolate1083at the end of the day, what did the controversy even achieve?

[@KOTYAR1]

I've learned English because of Channel Awesome. It has a very dedicated community of Russian translators and dubbers working to this very day. I've translated one episode of Angry Joe, took an entire week.

[@DuskNinjaKenji]

You guys are the dedicated ones, much respect for you guys for translating so many videos. 🫡

[@olefredrikskjegstad5972]

You guys are real ones. Often your videos with the russian subs was the only copy I could find to watch.

[@Renfield97]

​@@olefredrikskjegstad5972 oh god yes, I remember those days.

[@BansheeNeet]

Refreshing take on Doug Walker that analyzes his work from the angle of "Hey, we used to like this guy, maybe there was a reason why beyond just us being dumb kids?", don't necessarily agree with everything on Kickassia but this video brings a lot up about his career that's worth considering, great video.

[@ringossolochristmas9689]

I’m glad Doug Walker said the words “fish people” all those years ago so that B-mask could use the audio in this video ✊😮‍💨

[@smurvin]

Funny how Brad was the first one banished in Kickassia and now he's the only contributor whose still friends with Doug; life did NOT imitate art there!

[@luismarioguerrerosanchez4747]

The ammount of harrasment he got for that was totally uncalled for.

[@tgeFallman]

People tried to get him SWATed just because he stood by his friend. I still get pissed off with that fact.

[@madmachanicest9955]

In reality many of the creators from kickassia are still friends with Dug and Spoon to this day. There falling out form many was professional not personal

[@knightofarkronia9968]

@@madmachanicest9955I sure hope that this is the case. From what I can tell, Doug isn’t a bad person, he’s just too passive for his own good.

[@MajinGatomon]

@@knightofarkronia9968 Well, you cannot forget... Nostalgia Critic does not belong to Doug. He basically sold out. And if you are employed, you will most likely have a contract where you are forbidden from talking about certain stuff.

[@avalanchemkii7506]

This is either going to be the best B-Mask video or the last B-Mask video. Either way, it's been an honor.

[@blackout295]

My thoughts exactly.

[@merlowbarret3533]

Can you give me context as to why this could be the last b mask video?

[@seanedwards3536]

@@merlowbarret3533 because Doug

[@fsikijelfes8660]

Lol

[@heartnet40]

B-Mask's real last video is going to be the one where he finally talks about Lindsey Ellis. 💀

[@cubialpha]

doug always said he was going for daffy duck with his critic persona, and tbh he nails the physical comedy, line delivery and timing of a cartoon character in his performance. he has a real talent for playing the critic

[@josephleebob3828]

cringe pfp

[@tgeFallman]

​@@josephleebob3828says the blue turd as a pfp.

[@josephleebob3828]

@@tgeFallman na bros blind

[@schwarzerritter5724]

Dr. Insano has like 5 different backstories: -He is the alter ego of Spoony. -He is Spoony from the future after going insane playing Final Fantasy 8. -He is from Zeist from Highlander 2: The Quickening. -He is an Al Bhed from Final Fantasy 10. -He is one of the Schlumper Brothers from Party Mania. Did I miss anything?

[@madmachanicest9955]

Yes the real origin that was give by the Noah one him self. Spoony is bipolar and his manic tendencies were channeled into the character of doctor insano. Making the character in Santo a pseudo alternate personality for Noah Atwater AKA spoony himself. His age and mental health is the largest reason you don't see him online anymore

[@foreverdirt1615]

I frequently watch old nostalgia critic videos, and I'm always impressed by how well they hold up, despite what I've heard some other people say. The tight, purely satirical writing of the early nostalgia critic episodes combined with Doug's very natural charisma as an entertainer (being that animated and interesting is not an easy thing to do) made the show into something very rewatchable. Whenever I put on an old nostalgia critic, I am guaranteed to laugh out loud a few times, and I often end up laughing all the way through. I am not an easy laugher. It takes a lot to impress me. It leaves me kind of baffled about what ruined the nostalgia critic for so many former fans, because I've seen a lot of people talking as if those episodes don't hold up, but I find them so compellingly charming and vintage. I can't get behind all of this post-2018 revisionism.

[@_vlpin]

Couldn't have agreed more! His acting and comedic timing is impeccable in the old videos, I myself rewatch them from time to time as well.

[@arjay9745]

This is the most interesting take in this comment section. Being an (ahem) older person, I saw the NC through the eyes of my teen-aged sons, who adored him. Of course, much of what they loved on the (to me) magical new Internet seemed a tad immature to someone my age, but it was fun watching how he inspired them, and I found him honestly funny and insightful enough to justify his career choice. Does a critic have to always be right or should they simply get you thinking about a film? I think the latter, and the content was for a young audience anyway, so it didn't need to be profound. It just had to be a good introduction to the subject. Anyway, when KZbin recently recommended a video to me heavily criticising his work, I was baffled, so I looked up Channel Awesome today and watched a few reviews (more adult versions of the old NC, totally watchable), then hit the old ThatGuyWithTheGlasses content, and found them pretty much as I remembered. I was left feeling that what most people have probably come to dislike about Doug is that he reminds them of their own aging and must therefore be unceremoniously consigned to the back of the desk drawer like a photo that shows you in a gawky stage of development.

[@lolbeamer]

W

[@122123]

Doug takes massive swings, He misses a lot but he just keeps swingin. I can respect that

[@SUNSHINE-t-m]

Has he ever not missed?

[@122123]

@@SUNSHINE-t-m Melvin brother of the joker is an avant garde masterpiece

[@darko1295]

@@SUNSHINE-t-m A lot of his pre Demo Reel reviews are pretty ok for what they are (that being not actual credible movie reviews and more cheaply made comedic retellings of bad 80s/90s movies and taking easy shots at their quality). I'd even argue some of them hold up today. That statement, however, is based purely on memories from the last time I was still enjoying NC enough to sometimes binge his old videos which was sometime in the mid 2010s, so take that with a grain of salt. One thing I'd always give Doug is that he has always played the NC as a non-animated cartoon character and sometimes the silly over-the-top facial expressions, mic-killing screeching and his running gags managed to work. The more he upped the budget and the more stupidly pretentious and self-serious he got over the years, the cringier it got though.

[@Maxisamo1]

@@122123 Melvin Brother of the Joker is used in Guantanamo Bay torture programs

[@yareyarejose5080]

@@duncanohoge part of that has to do with him starting when he did cuz looking back on his reviews i cant believe i enjoyed them, and his content has remained static

[@ITSMeatMan]

I’ve always loved Doug’s unwavering spirit of creativity. He just keeps on making stuff and it’s not all good but some of it is, and there’s genuine passion and care, which is all that matters really

[@jakedanielsen4512]

He's like Neil Breen, and that truly, actually unironically deserves respect

[@SonicKick]

I personally get annoyed with a lot of creators who criticize Doug without looking at the full picture. This is one of those cases where that isn't the case. Thanks for the vid.

[@DianaGohan]

Same. And granted there are a lot of solid takes on Doug's work and their failures over the years but even Lady Emily recent re-review of Walter's references to Demo Reel last year and talking about the clipless review aren't going over his more recent reviews and him scaling back and changing some as a reviewer. The reviews still don't always work and quite honestly he really should only do sketches with review if he has an idea for them that isn't just "a bunch of meta references every other week at the middle and end of a video vaguely tying to the review itself" but yeah it's not as overly obnoxious cringe as some seem to think it is and quite honestly he still has good points and videos with his criticism... probably not hitting any of the comedic highs of yesteryear but still some solid ones.

[@chrisossu2070]

Just because he was the face of Channel Awesome, people seem to go in to the controversy with the assumption that he's in charge, and that all of its failures lay with him. When I actually looked at everything, his worst sin was just that he never grew the backbone to cash in his reputation to actually take charge and fix the site's wide-scale problems, preferring to bury himself in his own work and hoping that the people above him could smooth things over. Keep in mind that most of the terrible decisions were either made by Mike Michaud or to a lesser extent Rob and that Doug didn't even own the Nostalgia Critic character out of a shortsighted decision to sign over the character rights, meaning he was trapped by contracts like the other producers were. Much of the bad blood between the former producers and Doug (that really feels one-sided on the former producers' end) feels a lot like them believing Doug had the pull to fix their problems, and when coupled with Doug's tendency to get lost in his own ideas and workflow during his collaborations with them, they assumed that Doug never cared about them in any capacity, which then bled into their analyses of his work, the flaws just symptomatic of him just being a shitty person. And that's the image they ended up spreading to everyone else online. Obviously, this is from an outsider's perspective rather than someone who was there to witness the whole thing. I'm not friends with any of them, so I obviously wouldn't have the level of emotional investment to really feel the way any of them do. To me, it just doesn't feel like the problems with Channel Awesome were Doug's sins alone to bear.

[@yareyarejose5080]

@@chrisossu2070 i think the best way to describe it is when you have an abusive father- people tend to fear the father and resent the mother. though looking back on it most of the CH contributors dont seem to have anything against doug beyond what went down with those anniversary films, which as someone who has worked in films, i can sympathize with. the conditions seem hellish, doug clearly doesnt know what he's doing, and if that catering story is true then lol

[@donjuanmckenzie4897]

They are all pretentious and mad Doug isn't a die hard libtard who makes videos about misogynistic tropes and combatting fascism

[@retron99]

@@chrisossu2070Correction: The producers were not bound by contracts. They were independent contributors who simply posted videos to the site. Which nullifies a lot of their complaints when you think about it.

[@SithLordMalco]

I know its unlikely but i would love to see B-Mask make more videos about the Internet Culture back in the day. Like a whole retrospective on companies like Channel Awesome,Screwattack,Rooster Teeth,Machinma and a like

[@SithLordMalco]

You could make an entire video on the impact Goku vs Superman 1 has had on the internet

[@psychomammoth9640]

I would love more of B-Mask’s retrospective of the “Channel Awesome Universe”.

[@BMask]

I'll be honest, this is probably it in terms of big internet personalities and especially Channel Awesome, I kind of put everything I'd want to say publicly in this one video. But I won't rule out internet culture videos indefinitely, could happen again!

[@PrimatePunk]

I would recommend checking out blushades channel out to scratch that itch you have. Their channel covers youtube poops, old Newgrounds artists and memes from the 2010's.

[@Strick-IX]

The Gilded Age.

[@Coreagrus]

I was baffled by this upload, but after watching, I think I gained more respect for you, B- Mask. That was really level headed and measured, and it helps that I share a similar experience growing up watching Channel Awesome. You made me feel quite... nostalgic. Hardy-har-har! As cheesy as it is, I really do like your message at the end. You left me hopeful and sentimental and I hope you'll inspire people who watch this to be more thoughtful, kind and move on to do greater things. Even Doug. Maybe especially Doug.

[@Homunculus97]

"Doug Walker is like your father" what kind of Oneyplays skit is that from? Jokes aside, bloody great video and nice to see someone approach the "reviewer era" with a similar kind of weird internet nostalgia as I had for it, I remember watching the shit out of Nostalgia Critic, Suede, Linkara, Angry Joe, Spoony etc back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, even though I feel like I have "outgrown" them I still appreciate some stuff that they did.

[@HonkeyKongLive]

The fact that Doug has always been willing to throw himself 100% into whatever he has a desire to do will always put me on his side. Like, yeah, he's lacking in filmmaking proficiency, but that's all right. He's still giving it his all. His appeal was also HUGE for people his age, because of shared memories. And yes I'm just at the beginning but that watermelon/sangria bit killed me.

[@2dcreative94]

I am so glad to know that Dan's statement about Doug didn't rub only me the wrong way. It makes sense in the context of "The Wall" but characterizing everything Doug has ever done this way? Calling some guy clearly doing stuff for fun "fundamentally" unable to create something is so cruel, and it becomes a daunting thought for other people who want to make stuff but are afraid of making mistakes (well, like me). Thank you, B-Mask, for this video! It is motivating in a way - the fact that someone can still appreciate good qualities of a flawed project made with love after all these years

[@train4292]

I did like his video, but the insinuation that some people are just “objectively” unable to make something good made me feel off. I mean, M.Night Shyamalan made the Avatar the last airbender live action movie, and other flubs, but he still made stuff like the sixth sense. Anyone can make a piece of media great, and not great. It’s not as ridge as Dan tries to make it out to be.

[@octagonseventynine1253]

People who aren’t talented artists should be told that so they don’t waste their life. And no, not anyone can make a piece of media great. Art requires talent and hard work. Just because you want to be an artist doesn’t automatically make you one. Feelings have nothing to do with skill.

[@2dcreative94]

@@octagonseventynine1253 I don't know where you found that in my comment

[@train4292]

@@octagonseventynine1253 So people can only do something if they’re only talented at it? I dunno about you, that seems pretty limiting to me. I’d argue putting in the work to learning a craft, and using the experience you had on learning it to make something matters more. Besides, a lot of the time people aren’t just born with the specific talent they have. They had to spend a long amount of time mastering it on their own. Again, it’s not ridge.

[@aolson1111]

@@octagonseventynine1253 Waste his life according to who? I'm pretty sure Doug likes being an online movie reviewer more than he likes being a janitor, or whatever he did before.

[@grantmcgee7439]

Only B-Mask could make me ravenously devour an hour long video essay about a guy whose work I never liked in the first place and not only like it but walk away with a newfound appreciation for his influence, warts and all. AND YOU INCLUDED DOUBLE TOASTED!!! You're the best, B. This vid is the best kind of Christmas gift: the kind I didn't know I wanted. You're knockin' 'em dead. Merry Christmas to you!

[@thatguywade5384]

For me, I can never hate Doug. There will always be that appreciation for Doug/NC for helping me realize my enjoyment of film analysis, criticism, creativity, and even comedy, as I loved his reviews as a kid, and still do enjoy many of his old reviews still from before he took his break to work on Demo Reel. His first review I ever saw was Sidekicks, which my step-brother showed me and my brother on his laptop back in middle school. I immediately loved him for how wildly energetic he was, and followed him religiously up until 2015-2016 when I was entering my sophomore year of high school. I still checked in on him every once in a while, but when the Channel Awesome controversies hit, it confirmed to me that I had outgrown the man and it was time to move on from him for good. But, every now and again, I still check up on him and see some current review he's made. His passion for films is just so enthusiastic even to this day, and yeah, he definitely doesn't land with all his takes, or has some that don't seem fleshed out enough to fully understand, or even has some which can be considered very surface level. But he does seem to love the discussion of film, and find the parts of it that are good, even back during his early days when he focused solely on bad movies. He has such an important to me and my childhood, I can never say I was embarrassed to watch him. For all his faults, I loved NC, and I still enjoy listening to Doug every now and again as or outside the NC.

[@Rorschach003]

My thing with these creators is that a lot of them had aspirations of making it in the movie business. James, Lindsay, and Doug all went to film school hoping to become directors and Noah wanted to be a Hollywood actor and every single one of them thought this whole KZbin thing would just be their jumping off point. It makes me sad to think that at some point they all realized that this is as good as it gets for them. They will never make it to Hollywood and they accepted that.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

And maybe their lives are better for it.

[@NounOzlos]

Lindsay is a bit different, seeing as she’s also actually a successful published author of an ongoing sci-fi series.

[@milliardlewmaun4034]

What a miracle: a video essay about the nostalgia critic that i actually enjoyed watching

[@PityPitMusic]

After watching this and Joon The King's Nostalgia Critic video I have a really hard time returning to Lady Emily's Nostalgia Critic videos or anything similar, I have simply grown too fond of Doug Walker. Channel Awesome was managed horribly and Doug is partially at fault for that but I can't help but respect the man for continuing to do what he loves and have passion for his craft all these years later, to me he really does seem like a naive yet nice and kind person. I didnt grow up with Nostalgia Critic but always known about him, watching OneyPlays since 2016 very much developed a curiosity towards the Critic. I've watched Kickassia or by myself atleast 3-4 times by now and it leaves me feeling giddy and joyful each time, there's an unironic joy and magic to this film and I'm really glad you made this video to point that out. Thanks for making such a great video! (PS I'd like to recommend ProJared's old 2007 Screwattack series "Nametags" if you enjoy this sort of early youtube content, I watch it multiple times a year.)

[@Hentarded]

I too enjoyed Dan Olson's video dismantling NC review of The Wall, but simultaneously found his review of Doug as a content creator too personal and harsh. Likely more personal based on his history, but still hit me at the time of watching it. I found your video suitably well balanced here, having watched NC just over 10 years ago I had recently been ashamed of having ever enjoyed it. Your description about not being too embarrassed of the things we briefly enjoyed growing up is very relatable.

[@TheTHEPATMAN]

This is without a doubt the best piece of nostalgia critic discourse on KZbin. I sometimes wonder why some people spend the time to make a giant video essay just to say they hate Doug. Why waste your life on that when you could just simply not watch Nostalgia Critic.

[@Kth77]

As much as I had enjoyed Dan Olsen's video on Doug's Wall video, it has been triggering some sort of imposter syndrome-ey existential crisis in myself. This video helped calm that new intrusive voice.

[@the-np4mr]

Dan Olsen is a talentless nonce who was practically uninvolved with anything to do with channel awesome

[@Titan990]

This is the best video about Doug Walker. Because like Doug, it captures somethings that a lot of creators seemingly fail to capture: fun and emotion. You mentioned this in another comment but his Ruby Bridges review is probably his best Disneycember video because he nailed what the film is about and like him, I was skeptical if he could cover it but he managed to pull it off. That’s the emotional part. The fun part is the stupid movies that you know aren’t good but goddamn they’re having fun. Kind of like Kickassia. I think a lot of content creators and even other forms of media nowadays miss the fun and emotion of what they’re making and get lost in the logical and sanitization of said media.

[@connorbeith3232]

Well I can't say someone like Scott The Woz misses fun and emotion in his videos. I'd say he's the last bastion of the angry reviewer genre.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

You haven't watched many reviewers then

[@Titan990]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 very few are like Doug. Most either shit talk a movie they don’t understand for almost every movie they see or praise it even if the movie is mid. Or be like r/boxoffice and obsess over money. The ones I do watch apart from Doug have that same energy. Even if I disagree sometimes.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@Titan990 Yeah but a lot still have jokes and running gags and a sense of silliness to it all

[@Cheesehead302]

39:00 I actually completely agree with this. Doug's opinion series where he just talks about what he thinks of any movie/ show are 100 times better than the Nostalgia Critic sketches. Some times he makes some good points in the NC videos, I do exactly what you said and skip the skits lol. Idk, his videos have continued to be a guilty pleasure of mine and probably will for years.

[@thecinematicmind]

I can see this with the “Is That Real” videos

[@BenzaieLive2]

Incredible

[@BenzaieLive2]

But like, where did we meet man ?

[@BMask]

@@BenzaieLive2 AGGHHHH Benzaie! Amazing to hear you liked the video man... I don't remember the name of the con, but I remember it was in a hall in the UK where everything was in the same room, really noisy. Ashens and Guru Larry were there, spotted you watching another panel and we had a very quick chat about one of your videos. Been great to see your stuff see success since then! All well deserved. (Also Smith and Wesson is peak cinema)

[@xxProjectJxx]

I've never viewed Kickassia as an unintentional allegory for all of That Guy with the Glasses, but it makes perfect sense now.

[@TehSkullKid]

I made an edit of this movie once, where the opening was just the first few minutes of the Princess Bride, cutting to the beginning of the film right when the grandpa begins the story, to trick you into thinking you were going to be seeing another movie. Then it periodically cuts back to the frame narrative as the kid is getting increasingly confused and worried over his grandpa's mental state as he continues telling the story of Kickassia. Also, many of Linkara's lines were replaced with Oney from Oneyplays doing his Linkara impersonation, placed in a way that turned his character into a violent rival that wanted to seize power from the critic, while no one else seemed to care.

[@averagefez]

okay, I need to see this #ReleaseTheTheSkullKidCut

[@limabarreto911]

That sounds really funny, where can I find it?

[@JubbJubb_]

Post this shit bro!!

[@colonel1003]

one day a comment that starts with “I made a(n)” will be true

[@shaggyrogers8869]

Please we beg to you, make it a youtube video!

[@SwizzlyBubbles]

It's weird, you and I basically had the exact same journey going back through Doug's content after The Wall review, and came out with nearly the same conclusions. Though I'd say the reason why, even after all the drama, all the bullshit, all the dumb obviously self-righteous bullshit, one of the other big reasons I keep coming back is because Doug's one of the few reviewers I know of who can very accurately describe the feel and emotional weight of a movie in a way that feels very real and straight-to-the-point; he doesn't feel he's above the material anymore, he responds to the material. At least in his recent reviews. One of Doug's biggest problems in the past was listening TOO much to his audience and catering to an older Internet crowd that loved late-2000's lolrandom Internet culture. You could argue he helped foster that alongside AVGN, but: even back then, his best reviews were ones that he was driven and passionate about (for better and for worse), they just weren't his most popular. People came for the Nostalgia Critic, the persona, people stayed for Doug, the person. The Nostalgia Critic these days doesn't feel like an entity separate from Doug anymore, they feel like an slight exaggeration of his own insightful thoughts on a movie, and that difference goes a long way. People love to say "Doug's struggling, he's not good, he's a wasted talent" and that couldn't be further from the truth. I mean for God's sakes, this man has had how many industry people on his show over the years? Mara Wilson, he's got a framed tweet from Roger Ebert liking his stuff, Tom Ruegger and much of the old Animaniacs writing team, Michael Salvatori, Ralph Bakshi loved his LotR review, one of the animators for Secret of Nimh (Philo Barnhart) came on just to give trivia about the movie, he even got DON BLUTH HIMSELF to use his show to try and kickstart a Dragon's Lair movie. Hell, part of why Seth Kearsley even talks about Eight Crazy Nights (and probably even released the cancelled Kingdom Hearts pilot) was because Doug was one of the first people to give his movie a fair shake and not insult the animation talent behind it, so much so that he wrote a giant e-mail TO Doug explaining what he would later explain to everyone else online, years before he ever did it publicly. Some of these you could chalk up as Internet cameos, but if this man is able to get so many people to come on his show, sometimes just to simply talk about their movies, he must be doing something right.

[@BMask]

Really do agree with this.

[@MissiGNO000]

its because he was the only movie internet celebrity at the time, I dont think any of his cameos watched his episodes regularly or wouldnt cringe at the wall review

[@BMask]

@@MissiGNO000 Don Bluth, for better or worse, claimed he liked dougs videos so much he wanted to emulate his style of cutting. Many of these guys watched his videos, and I remember many of them even at the time saying so. Whether they watched it all, or would hate his stuff now, really isn’t the point to take away here.

[@connorbeith3232]

He also had the voices of Pinky and The Brain also do a bit in character, so that was fun.

[@emcvideoproductions500]

Thank you so much for making this video. As a former long time fan of Doug’s during high school, his reviewing style and strangely earnest passion of filmmaking was actually one of the earliest kickstarters of me growing a genuine love for the craft of it all. While I can’t say that I like to look back on his stuff with complete enthusiasm, his presence in my life is what helped me get to where I am today. No matter what I or others think of the man now, there’s no denying that he made an impact in more ways than one.

[@Inroads-r8c]

Great video. Honestly, I spent the last few years espousing the virtues of the modern "Breadtube" video essayists over this old Channel Awesome stuff. Much of that came from a rejection of CA's actions that were indicted in the Google Doc back in 2018. After all, the video essayists, with their deeper, more cerebral way of looking at art, are surely healthier creators to get into than Doug ever was. Two things changed this for me. The first was the mobbing of Lindsay Ellis a year or so ago, which revealed that all of this intellectualism didn't prevent the kinds of asinine bad-faith-verging-on-mob-violence that's so common on the Internet (and seeing other Breadtube creators either not speak up until it was too late, or worse, actively pile on Lindsay, very nearly tarred and feathered the entire scene for me). The second was when I started work on my own film, my first feature since film school. I thought all the theory and philosophy would help me with my work, but that was not at all the case. It turns out, surrounding myself with deeply cynical examples of how "X piece of media you like is actually morally deficient" just made me scared to write at all, out of fear that whatever I wrote, through some trick of my subconscious, would be deleterious to the morality of the world, or something. I actually had to completely wean myself off of anything movie-related on KZbin in order to get any work done. That obviously speaks more to my frame of mind at the time than to the validity of video essayists, but I can't deny that that's how it happened. For all of Doug's faults, he genuinely seems to bring an unironic, uncynical love to whatever it is he's talking about, at least most of the time. And if I'm being honest, that sometimes seems to be in really short supply among the biggest KZbin movie critics of our current moment.

[@smugalice6206]

What an excellent comment!

[@BMask]

Was about to say the same

[@kasig2013]

Man, this video really got me to rethink my feelings on Doug Walker and Channel Awesome as a whole. Back in the day, I thought they were awesome. After a while, I grew out of him and resented him and what creators like him used to do. Now, and especially after hearing your own thoughts and observations, I've come to see him for both the good and bad he had. To completely write The Nostalgia Critic/Doug Walker and creators like him as providing nothing of value and being narrow-minded fools is itself narrow-minded. I remember watching Doug and James for that matter and learning about new films I've never heard of and learning how to form and express my own opinions. Sure, I don't share all of Doug's opinions. Hell, a lot of them I strongly disagree with. But his passion for cinema and media, in general, has stuck with me. This video reminded me of just how funny him and these movies could be. I was also reminded of the flaws too, especially the actual poor treatment of the producers on the site, which shouldn't be forgotten. But, I feel now that I can finally grasp a more mature understanding of The Nostalgia Critic and Channel Awesome. Was it cringey? A fair amount of the time, sure. Was it time wasted? Absolutely not. I owe a lot to these old reviews. It helped me learn a lot about my tastes, tastes that are, of course, still growing and changing. That ending analogy put it brilliantly. Thank you for making this video, B-Mask. I had no idea I'd love it as much as I did.

[@bensneb360]

This is a thorough, well thought out, and objective look at Doug Walker. I highly respect you looking at all aspects of the situation, but also making a video from your heart that you know might be controversial, but you feel the need to be honest about. You’re a very intelligent and cool dude, thank you and keep up the great work.

[@astcastle]

A well-delivered take as always. Doug Walkers catalog and the whole angry reviewer era he spawned are an indelible part of the history of online entertainment, and while the truths that have come to light regarding Channel Awesome and my own changing tastes have put me among those that don’t have much use for or interest in his work, it’s valuable to look back on it (and at what it is presently) and see what’s left. If, for you or anyone else, that’s something valuable, then I guess that’s something. Merry merry, everyone.

[@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917]

Looking back, the 'truths' were mostly a nothingburger, aside from the JewWario stuff. One that stood out was the thing that they were citing as one of the worst things that Doug did, which was to keep in an edgy r*pe joke that one of the girls objected to. I mean, it really did seem like they had legitimate grievances, but a lot of that stuff seemed kinda petty in hindsight, like high school drama. It seems disrespectful to paint "Spoony got into an argument with Lupa and Doug didn't defend Lupa," on the same level as the JewWario stuff.

[@taylorwright7428]

@@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917 The whole document is a lot of little & big mistakes and criticism that had built up over the years, so I think it seemed a lot worse than it might've actually been when it first came out. The other workers/personalities have all the right to give Doug shit and no longer work with him, but I feel like it ended up framing him as a wicked, selfish, evil guy when he's not. Flawed, definitely. But no outright villan. And unfortunately the personality given to his critic persona didn't help at all, with him supposed to be an asshole for comedy. (Plus a bad response, from what I've heard. It said in this video he just brushed it all off.) I'd say he's learned from the complaints, though. At least, the ones that had to do with the movies he's made and the production on his show. Like, he's learned to use less actors for better management/communication, which seemed to be a pretty common complaint, and growing and getting better is always a good thing.

[@Derl30]

It's nice to hear someone say something kind about Doug. I still watch him from time to time. I love his Stephen King reviews, for example.

[@picklestherandomtoon3151]

Quite possibly the best Doug Walker analysis I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a few)

[@kingbash6466]

I'm glad that a video like this exists. After years of constant, "Doug Walker bad, x other yt reviewer good" being repeated at nauseum, it's nice to see someone who is critical of his work without acting like he murdered their family.

[@darkchocolate1083]

I agree. Doug’s content has its flaws, but people went WAY overboard with it. The Wall review was pretty bad, but did it really warrant like a hundred videos about it? I admit I was swept a little in it myself after all of the controversies, but looking back most of his content still holds up imo.

[@IPITYTHEFOOLZ]

@@darkchocolate1083 just people chasing after whats popular. Trying to get clicks

[@redjirachi1]

It's like people forgot there's a reason he was popular in the first place

[@JarJarBinks4ever]

Kickassia is one of the films of all time.

[@ElvenRaptor]

Of all the movies made, this is certainly one of them.

[@ALIEN-DUDE]

HAHA YOU DID THE MORBIOUS MEME THATS FUCKIN HILARIOUS 😂😂😂😂 😂😂😂😂😂⚰️🪦

[@wreday720]

come on man... really...

[@JarJarBinks4ever]

@@wreday720 Kickassia is the film ever made

[@psychomammoth9640]

Chris O’Neil would be proud of this, that’s for sure.

[@squidtugboat3689]

I got into nostalgia critic in the late naughts and early 10s when I first really got into KZbin, there was a high schooler I did a acting program with who I looked up to and he told me about nostalgia critic. I watched a few videos and I was hooked. So when I think of Doug my thoughts always drift towards the post kickassia era of skits and those occasional serious reviews. Doug really got me to think about movies in a way I hadn’t before and although I drifted towards more intellectual creators over the years I always had a soft spot for Doug. I’m so glad someone else feels as I do.

[@Lonestarz95]

Although I haven't watched Doug in years, it's nice to see him level out. Him and James will always have a big impact on me in my humble beginnings on the internet.

[@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917]

"Some people think that Lindsay is a genius for looking like she doesn't want to be there. And some people think she's a genius for breathing." Underrated joke.

[@TauGeneration]

the funny part is that it can be interpreted for linsey fans OR haters.

[@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917]

@@TauGeneration I can only see Lindsay fans liking it if they unironically think that she's the best part of the movie for acting like she doesn't want to be there. Personally, I just have a bit of a dislike for that "too cool for school," attitude. If everyone else is having a good time and you're like "this is stupid," and showcasing your boredom, that isn't you being the one smart person in the room, it's you refusing to engage with the situation and attributing your apathy to the situation instead of your lack of willingness to participate. It's like someone grumbling and giving everyone sour looks because they're hungry after they refused to eat at the pizza buffet with everyone else. Yeah, the pizza was old and dry, but everyone else was like "okay, let's make the best of this," and you were like "nah, old pizza is beneath my lofty standards." It might be true, but, go somewhere else if you're gonna be like that.

[@wormswithteeth]

my cousin has a lot of talents

[@noahkarpinski1824]

@@ashblossomandjoyoussprung.9917 to be fair, it was the persona that was written for her, before she developed her own style and voice It's a lot easier to look back on her and read motives into her performance

[@Duskool]

@@noahkarpinski1824 Yeah, i think Phelous has that same type of persona to him in this? tho it fits him more to an extent

[@kodybuffettwilson]

I reckon your serious look at Kickassia is more than a little optimistic, but your final summation on The Nostalgia Critic, Doug Walker, and people's connection to them is spot-on. I cringed at Doug's creative efforts many a time and used to view his current output out of a sense of obligation, but now I can see that I keep watching him because he is genuine. He may not always hit the mark with his critiques, but he definitely cares about film.

[@tailsknuxfan101]

The last part of the video is the most truthful and accurate analysis of Nostalgia Critic I've seen.

[@GeekCritique]

Bravo, man. With genuine sincerity, you put words to a feeling I've had, but didn't know how to articulate. It's nice to know I wasn't the only one. Thank you!

[@spagredo]

Dude you’re only person who I would watch a 50 minute video about Kickassia

[@smugalice6206]

The Cursed Content Club episode is pretty good.

[@callumparker7737]

Thealmightyloli does a really good retrospective of the Channel Awesome films and the drama behind them. A really good watch.

[@Green_Speed]

Next B-Mask video idea: 2-hour deep dive on the history and impact of the KZbinr "evil alter egos" trope

[@korwashere]

As someone who similarly spent many of their earlier years watching the critic, and whose content was some of my first exposure to critique in general, this video was immensely cathartic. Top notch work as always

[@SuperChrisMarlowe]

I will always be grateful to Nostalgia Critic and That Guy with the Glasses. I managed to learn English thanks to hundreds of videos from this site. Different authors were like different difficulty levels. Doug was easy to understand, he spoke loudly and clearly. Lindsey spoke quietly and calmly, and I had to listen to some fragments over and over again to get everything. At first I was kind of apprehensive of Spoony, he seemed very, very weird. But in the end he became my favorite author, his bizarre works I enjoyed the most. What a master of delivery! This carefree, irresponsible and overly ambitious undertaking ended very badly. And it probably couldn't have ended any other way. But its authors knew how to entertain and even how to educate. I only hope that after all these years at least some of their conflicts have been resolved, and some resentments have subsided.

[@ahok1937]

Exactly the same; i learned a LOT about english language and american culture thanks to him.

[@trosinesss]

Doug sure did have a lot of influence in a lot of us, we may like to think we “out growth him” but speak for myself I’ll check out his stuff every now and then and sometimes I can see where’s he’s coming from.

[@TheGamerGeek128]

Finally, some good fucking food. Jokes aside, I appreciate how whenever you cover a subject, you always seem to make an effort to add something to the conversation that hasn't already been said by everyone else while still being sincere in the point you're trying to make

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

I just found a DVD of Kickassia last month in a second-hand shop for $1.5. It's probably the coolest and rarest piece in my entire DVD collection.

[@coltoneisenhauer6276]

Honestly this reminds me that I donated a box of movies to a thrift store and kick-assia was one of them. Now I'm pissed at myself.

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

@@coltoneisenhauer6276 I have to ask where your head was at with that move? Any movie from the internet is going to be a limited edition. And now someone else gets that limited edition for like a buck.

[@coltoneisenhauer6276]

@@TheDanishGuyReviews yeah I'm kicking myself for it now. But I was going through a mental health crisis, and decided to downsize alot of my possessions for some reason. And unfortunately kick-assia and I believe suburban knights as well became unfortunate casualties during that dark time in my life.

[@ImmaLittlePip]

I gotta say as a young teen growing up on the wild west of the internet and seeing pioneers of internet culture It truly was a magical time Rip the wild west 2000s - 2016 you were beautiful, weird and edgy time but mostly beautiful and edgy

[@theothertonydutch]

2016? I feel that it ended somewhere in 2011.

[@plaip6404]

What an incredibly empathetic video. Thank you so much for making this. I don’t know what else to say without sounding like I’m exaggerating, but I just seriously loved this. Beautiful, beautiful video. I hope I can be as understanding and empathetic as you present yourself in this video someday.

[@OpEditorial]

Kickassia was, for a feature length internet video, surprisingly well made. Everything has a kind of low-res, early 2000's naive enthusiasm about it; complete with a decent story, costumes and effects (by home movie standards) and because the people involved looked like they were having fun, it exists as a well edited testament to wasted potential.

[@narcoticundertow]

love this positive re-interpretation of doug's work. his favourite films list is my favourite video he's done - it introduced me to A LOT as a youngster, including the works of hunter s. thompson (who i was mad into, like any teenager would be) off the back of the fear and loathing reccomendation. the man has some choice taste. hope this video does well!!

[@thatguynamedskyy6756]

The best Animal Farm adaption

[@BMask]

Another favourite of Doug's. Not even joking.

[@SebastianLundh1988]

So, I watched this when it was released back in 2010, and I'm not gonna lie, I liked it. I've not seen it in like, 10+ years, and it probably hasn't aged well, but back then, when I was a 21 year old young man, it was great. It is weird how my memories of watching it for the first time are as old now as things from the late 90's were back then.

[@lukebisping1417]

I am so freakin' happy you brought up the Tragedy thing, Doug isn't a living tragedy, He's a Dude just like anyone else, a dude who messed up big time in afew areas but a dude. This video made me happy, you talked about him realistically and without exaggeration, A+ Dude, A+ I've had that view about him for along time, my Mom and I enjoyed Doug and continue to enjoy Dougs work, faults and all, He's a real person who just enjoys what he does, we've known that and threw out the years of people bashing the hell out of him we stood by Doug because we see him as a real person, real people make mistakes and grow from them and I am not ashamed to admit I still enjoy Doug and I'm really happy you put My Mom & I's thoughts into words, again, thank you.

[@lukebisping1417]

7 Months later, Never realized this video was going to be one of a kind, All of the points made in this have been completely ignored, I'm still seeing 2 Hour Long Videos knocking down Doug Walker still using the very same arguments this video debunked, This is the most mature video and it went over so many peoples head and why? Because they want to keep dunking on Doug because it's funny, completely ignore a Mans self Improvement so they can keep Danking it up. Like Yeah, I get it, Doug can be annoying and it's fine if you don't think he's funny but you can't just ignore all of the progress and growth he's had over these past couple of years just for some stupid long running joke.

[@ChrisDerBlonde]

Doug staying relevant through all these years shows that he is absolute force of nature. I highly respect that guy and I'm glad he is still dropping great content

[@ryancarless7921]

This really made me think of the NC as a creator we can all relate to. Even after every video, he’s still got some good points and jokes we think back to.

[@smugalice6206]

In a way, he’s also a creator we aspire to be: he doesn’t stop creating, and he doesn’t stay down when he’s hit.

[@ElvenRaptor]

@@smugalice6206 Well, you just convinced me to give him another whirl.

[@Neyebureturns]

I really needed this video. I discovered Doug videos when I finished high school and became a great fan. I learned English watching his videos. But then “Change the channel” happened at the same time I felt his videos weren’t as good as the first ones, so I stoped watching. But this Halloween I remember his Nostalgiaween videos, how watching them was a bit of a tradition, and that make me curious to see his most recent work.

[@robrophside3691]

Dan Olson and his ilk could do with watching Doug Walker's "Dark Toons" series. They would expect nothing more than "LOL that was creepy!", but Doug displays considerable knowledge, appreciation, and enthusiasm for the art of animation and draws attention to many subtleties that most would take for granted. But then again, the idea of Doug as a symbolic villain is so firmly entrenched in their heads that I doubt anything could shift it. They hold it as article of faith that anything he does must automatically be worthless.

[@fnex101]

It's honestly nice to see a take that isn't purely negative

[@YoungDogNoTricks]

Doug is such a common point in film appreciation for people of a certain age. I feel like he was so inevitable that he could be used like carbon dating for film dorks. It's nice to see someone tap into that instead of just dog piling on him (not that he doesn't deserve a decent amount of that) I think the critic, if not doug himself, should be looked at from that perspective more often. Does it say more about the people watching the critic or the videos themselves that people of specific types found his work as enduring as they did? P.S. Thanks to this vid I'm reminded that I forced my mum (someone who at the time was wholly unfamiliar with tgwtg, internet humour or even film really) to watch kickassia. As far as I remember, to get her to understand the stuff I enjoyed watching???

[@BMask]

That carbon dating point is spot on, totally with you there. I think I also showed my mum the bum review of Citizen Kane which it turns out she remembered and still enjoyed all these years later.

[@ArcosOfBlack]

I don't normally like videos that "Review" other creators, often times I find it to be disrespectful, but this...this was a wonderful video. You came at this from a place of understanding and even appreciation for him and his content, rather than simply bashing him for his older content. You even shined a light on his latest content, and how he's clearly evolved, even if only a little. What I've always appreciated about Doug's reviews was how he clearly knows what he's talking about, even if he doesn't always hit his mark. He's clearly a fan of movies and film making. He usually tries to be fair and shine light on both the good and the bad of a film. And you know, thruough all the years of hearing so many bad scandals with KZbinrs I grew up watching, I take a weird sort of comfort in knowing that Doug's worst crime was, seemingly, just being incompetent. He's an idiot, but he's an idiot with passion and appreciation for what he has to talk about. I'll always respect him for that.

[@abc.6223]

I appreciate seeing a little positivity for this era of dumb fun for once. Even if it was painfully unprepared and stressful to film apparently.

[@tinfoilslacks3750]

At the end of the day, the word that best encompasses Doug Walker is "Earnest". And I think how much you like his content is going to come down to how willing you are to meet his content on its terms and identify with it. Like the willing suspension of disbelief, but rather than believing the impossible you're connecting with the laughable.

[@caiosoares2834]

There's a quote from a great video that goes well with that last part. "There's just love, and when you learn to love the things that suck you can't really lose." - Steak Bentley, Venture Bros and Failure.

[@asneakylawngnome5792]

Honestly, Doug has provided me literal countless hours of entertainment. Especially since I work 12 to 14 hour days, listening to his reviews is something that gets me through the day and I will always appreciate and respect him for that despite some controversies that, in my opinion, Doug barely has anything to do with. He’s just got what AVGN has going on right now too.

[@milesmacmahon6001]

I don't know how no one has brought this up before, but its uncanny how similar you and Harry Partridge sound, as well as your shared love of Channel Awesome and Kickassia. You can't fool me, Harry!

[@waywardlaser]

Never really clicked with Dan Olson either, honestly lol. Doug is someone who I've continued to enjoy watching throughout the years, even with shit like The Wall review behind him. Nowadays I think he's found that good balance between humourous riffing and personal analysis and whatever ego he may have once had is seemingly gone. That Top 20 Favourite Films video you brought up even introduced me to many movies I still adore to this day including Lost in Translation, which has since become my #1 all-time favourite. So I have Doug to thank for that.

[@nikademuswtf]

Thanks for a well constructed video. I have confessed on other videos that tend to focus on the negatives of Doug Walker that I have a "nostalgic" connection to the movies. I'm not ashamed to say I found them (mostly) entertaining while also acknowledging their flaws...esp the third THREE hour one. For me the triad of Doug's movies represent a period of time for me personally. Good or bad.

[@thomaswest4033]

Ironically I got a lot of nostalgia from this. You put into words how I felt as a young kid watching nostalgia critic. Why I loved his work, the feeling of closeness I got from his reviews. This was really special to revisit. Thank you.

[@Parisella]

I like this. I feel like a lot of people hate kickassia in hindsight, even though it was the best example of what could be Nostalgia Critic's golden years. He really started to fall of after that, but it doesn't mean that his old stuff was terrible.

[@stevena488]

This thing reminds me of Gorilla Interrupted, the first RLM movie before they were even RLM. I'm not a huge fan of the Walkers or Channel Awesome but I loved this video. It's the efforts of a bunch of fans who want to make a film and, ultimately, suck at it but in a way that's kind of Ed Wood levels where I think you can absolutely be entertained by it and learn from it. It feels like KZbins High School/early college years which got people looking at other movies. Had that air of naughtiness like back when you were a kid, watchin something like Billy Connolly or Monty Python back in the day where you'd laugh because they swore and talked about sex and other crap. The main take away was It felt doable and you felt like "If they could do it, why can't I?" I find it so weird that there are kids who are alive who didn't live in a world without KZbin. But they weren't part of the KZbin that I remember when it was MAINLY AMVs (you got your choice of Linkin Park "Breaking the Habit" or Drowning Pool "Bodies"), people putting up music illegally, you had the odd movie critic (some dude called the Angry Nintendo Nerd?), a BOATLOAD of pirated Adult Swim stuff like Aqua Teen Hunger force, and this weird intimacy to it all. Like it felt like a bustling marketplace where you could find almost anything! Was still effectively corporate (Don't think we can fool ourselves with that) but it felt like it was something you alone knew about. I think the most powerful lesson of Channel awesome and KZbin is "Prepare for Fame/infamy if you ever show your face because oh man, there's a price to pay for the loss of anonymity. Also, please don't nearly kill someone during the making of your film. Especially not someone with undiagnosed BiPolar disorder and a heart condition." Thanks B, for giving a different perspective on this!

[@burtbiggum499]

Hey almightyloli is making a series on this right now too. The collective unconscious strikes

[@psychomammoth9640]

It was thanks to Channel Awesome and its many creators that broadened my horizons, especially with the likes of Cinema Snob, Anime Abandon with Bennett, and things like fanscription. Glad I found these guys years ago, and the critic popping up in my early KZbin days.

[@myless7387]

Awesome video. I like how you mention his videos displayed some movies from a very slanted or specific perspective, because I think Doug's work has also gone under the same scrutiny in some videos. And in a similar way, this displays his work from a lot more of an appreciative if not straight positive light. That's really refreshing because I think Doug and friends are really creatives in the end, despite the cringe and failures. It's fun to see somebody praise the hiddem jems for once really

[@heartnet40]

Dear God, it feels we're coming full circle with this and I already love it. Second-hand embarrassment and my love for B-Mask...take me awaaaaayyyyy

[@DeadEndGoose]

I really appreciate this video. I used to like Nostalgia Critic amongst other creators, but this is a really balanced video that filled me in on a lot of things I wasn’t aware. Also, it must have taken IMMENSE restraint to not cut to modern-day spoons when talking about the Dr.Insano plot thread

[@heartnet40]

So I might be shooting myself in the foot for expressing this, but if there's anywhere I think is more appropriate to say it I don't think I'm gonna do better than the comments section that gives Doug Walker his fair shake. You brought up Dan Olsen and the fact there are aspects of his critique that don't resonate with you and there's a part of me that twists a little on the inside because I feel it too. I've had this nagging feeling for the past 4-5 years or so about online review spaces ever since Doug fell out of favor and to me, it feels like there's an aspect of sincerity that's been lost since. That call against Doug's character in Dan's analysis always hit me the wrong way because at the end of the day, Doug's "The Wall" video is *just* a bad video. And as you said, I don't think the bad video is a significant enough insight into Doug's character for Dan to be as aggressively antagonistic and belittling of his ability to be a content creator as he is. Hell, as a lot of people are regarding Doug. I hate the feeling of using a platform of "correct analysis" as a measuring stick for one's own right to exist as a creator. It doesn't sit well with me that we've been in this age of hardcore analysis that seems to treat being wrong or having the wrong perspective of something as inexcusable. And it's never so much that you're not allowed to have opinions, nobody these days is bold enough to say that out loud, but it scares me a little bit that things can be made out of spite or out of malicious over-correction and come off as insincere. Doug's real opinions on things come off as sincere, people targeting a channel like CinemaSins (Or even Doug Walker, hell, conversations about how he RUINED online discourse happen monthly on Twitter) or what have you don't come across as sincere. They come across as a more meticulous form of offense that something like the Nostalgia Critic used to parody. It comes across as viciously trying to convince you of something being more grandiose and flawed than it might otherwise be and that the outrage against these things is something that is *important.* Except Nostalgia Critic was a character. Lewis (Linkara) attacking Red Letter Media for having opinions that he doesn't even really seem to understand about the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy isn't. And I don't know if that's irony, I just know I don't like living in this kind of environment where bad content isn't allowed to exist. I don't like CinemaSins. I don't like MauLer's repetitive and antagonistic 70-hour long videos. I don't like video analysis that constantly uses the wisdom of real-world philosophies to justify the annoying writing of anime story-telling. I don't like a lot of content on this platform as it stands currently. But I understand that these things are allowed to exist. My concern is that the current critical landscape and unforgiving competitiveness of KZbin's content creation has removed the sincerity of people trying to do what they want to in favor of these gigantic essays about analysis that sounds more "correct" than the other guy's. Doug Walker has a lot of problems, and I understand some people have history with him. But, using Dan Olsen's response to his "The Wall" review as an example, I don't think I can ever be comfortable with the idea that you can paint an entire guy's persona with whatever brush you decide is appropriate just so long as your media analysis is better than theirs. It seems cruel, callous, and the implications scare me. My favorite videos Doug Walker ever produced when I was still a big fan of his were always his vlog styled opinion pieces as well as his commentary tracks for his reviews. There's a wonderful sense of genuine positive emotion I feel watching Doug just talk about things. When he talks about when people make jokes and skits about him and his antics and you see his face light up with genuine happiness that he inspired someone else to write comedy that speaks to me far more than his underwhelming reviews ever will. And when you contrast that with some of his peers constantly flipping the table on social media when they come under similar scrutiny or comedy (looking at you Lewis), it really makes me wonder just how "worth it" it is for people to wear this idea that they're "Better" than Doug like a badge when I can see them stumble and fail in ways that arguably make me more uncomfortable. Aaaaand that was a lot. Damn it. I wasn't expecting you to give me a lot to think about or put me in an introspective mood over a video about fucking Kickassia. I was 100% ready to wallow and relish in old school nostalgic feelings of laughter and silliness that I hadn't experienced in a long time with you, but as you tend to do, you've got me thinking more broadly and seriously about things that maybe I should have a greater appreciation for. I genuinely can't keep my jaw off the ground with how your writing continues to improve and impress. Simply at a loss for words. Thanks for the incredible video.

[@bigredjanie]

I think Lindsay Ellis in particular hasn't taken scrutiny that well, not helped by whispers that she's difficult to work with if you're not entirely on her side. I remember her "Mask Off" video felt the need to answer every little question or critique people had about her, including over her falling out with Mara Wilson, which she partially explained using... a Guardians of the Galaxy meme. It just felt like the worst way to try and go against "cancel culture", if anything playing more into that toxic back-and-forth such a culture brings. And when you put yourself up to this lofty standard as the best of the best, you're placed under such scrutiny that a weird edgy joke from 2009 will feel like this big hypocritical thing, instead of just something dumb you moved on from ages ago.

[@bigredjanie]

And with CinemaSins, I think some people (Lindsay included) go way overboard in blaming them for nitpicky film criticism, or that if a film explains itself and covers up a plot hole that's "taking away the magic" somehow, as if (for example) in LOTR Gandalf not wanting to take the ring himself isn't worth answering the "why can't he?" questions the audience has.

[@danielcorey377]

I think a lot of the issues with all this stuff come to a head when you put the character and the person in the same place in your brain. And that's the nature of the internet, we now have the opportunity to be "closer" to our favorite creator than ever before. Often it's just them, maybe a few other people, talking to a camera like you're just sitting there. It's easy to forget these people are flawed human beings at the end of the day too, and I've seen creators struggle with juggling their persona vs. life. It's easy to point and blame and laugh from the outside, but the reality is often way more complicated than anyone makes it out to be. Not to say you can't criticize internet personas, lord knows I do often (at least internally), and bad stuff, for lack of a better term, does deserve to be called out. But at the end of the day, all you can really do is figure out what's right for you.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Tbf Linkara gets shat on for a comic he wrote long before he started his reviews and for kinks I don't even think he has anymore and for his appearance and voice. That's different from how people make fun of Doug. And you might not want to hear it, but Lewis partially gets mocked for having progressive social views too. And Doug kinda DID ruin film criticism online considering people rarely engage with the themes or anything intellectual with the films they review on here. Doug is pretty anti-intellectual in his own regard, completely ignoring Roger Waters's trauma and dismissing the Wall as pretentious.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

Also I don't see how critiquing other content creators isn't sincere

[@arjay9745]

Being an (ahem) older person, I saw the NC through the eyes of my teen-aged sons, who adored him. Of course, much of what they loved on the (to me) magical new Internet seemed a tad immature to someone my age, but it was fun watching how he inspired them, and I found him honestly funny and insightful enough to justify his career choice. Does a critic have to always be right or should they simply get you thinking about a film? I think the latter, and the content was for a young audience anyway, so it didn't need to be profound. It just had to be a good introduction to the subject. Anyway, when KZbin recently recommended a video to me heavily criticising his work, I was baffled, so I looked up Channel Awesome today and watched a few reviews (more adult versions of the old NC, totally watchable), then hit the old ThatGuyWithTheGlasses content, and found them pretty much as I remembered. I was left feeling that what most people have probably come to dislike about Doug is that he reminds them of their own aging and must therefore be unceremoniously consigned to the back of the desk drawer like a photo that shows you in a gawky stage of development.

[@supernoob17]

you're paving the way for the doug walker redemption arc, doing gods work here

[@GhoulCityOffline]

This is a fucking awesome video. It's personal, positive and insightful. This is film analysis. This isn't just a film bro reciting plot points beat for beat and talking about how much everything sucks. You're actually a guy with something to say. Incredible job.

[@goodlydraws6007]

Of all the tgwtg movies I liked it the best because even of you can say it’s “tgwtg does a war movie” it’s more of its own thing than “tgwtg does a fantasy film” or “tgwtg does a scifi film.” and it’s cathartic to hear someone articulate why it actually is the cream of the crap. It’s like that one video that explained why Mario Broz z worked as a series even though it was goofy video game sprite videos fighting dragonball z videos.

[@tgeFallman]

"I have to say i love B-Mask, i was... watching various places and i saw... B-Mask, the great B-Mask... and he did... Beyond Pictures... and he talked about his famous Marvel retrospective video, right? And he said 'it will be out when it's out'. And we like that, it will be out when it's out. But great work ethic. So good with the _Fish People_ right? The great _Fish People_ right? 's ok."

[@generictitle7942]

This video made me think about how I viewed Doug’s content, like many others in the comments. I started being a fairly big Nostalgia Critic viewer, in the same position as a kid who liked film but didn’t have anyway to share it. Eventually, when he shifted to his newer review style, I gradually watched less NC stuff and more of his Vlogs, Disneycember, and personal reviews. I enjoyed his expressed passion from them. Once in a while, I’d stop and look at an newer NC video if it was for a movie I was interested in, but I was still lukewarm to them, disliking them more often than not. Once the Change the Channel stuff happened, I had already mostly moved on from Doug’s stuff, watching Phelous and Lindsay Ellis, so when I heard they and their colleagues had bad experiences with CA, it stung a bit, especially since I still thought of Doug as a good guy, which I still think more than he isn’t. Now, after watching all his biggest bad content, watching a lot of riffs and video essays on him, I’m left somewhere in the middle. I think Doug does enjoy film, with a passion, like B-Mask says in this vid, but I also think he has a tendency to let his ego cloud his judgement when actually producing content, sort of making his own films. In a way, he is kind of trapped by the Nostalgia Critic, not because he can’t leave, but because he’s made what was once an exaggerated character into an extension of himself, while also having that exaggeration, so it becomes muddled. I’m sure he thinks that his The Wall video is actually a love letter, despite the scathing attempts at jokes, because he both likes the movie but felt it necessary to make it a Critic video. I guess my point in all this is to say that there’s something intriguing about Doug Walker. Not because he’s a trainwreck or creatively bankrupt, but because his efforts are so great, yet somehow so lacking, but he continues because of a seemingly genuine passion. And not to mention, at least to me, his love for film is somewhat infectious, as it helped solidify my one love for the medium.

[@Jensegaense]

Honestly thank you for making this video, really great perspective on both the general early video review era and Doug Walker himself. Really made me rethink the man after Olson's perspective shaped it in a very cynical light. Still doesn't make EVERYTHING regarding the Channel Awesome disaster excusable, but as you mentioned calling him "inherently incurious" feels incredible mean-spirited from one creator to the next, and one critique from THAT video that I now disagree with as well.

[@chrisossu2070]

Really, when I reflect back on how I developed my own stories through the years, I find myself really uncomfortable with Olson so readily shutting down the concept of the "rule of cool" approach to story formation, because, plainly put, I make my stories by first thinking about how I would approach an existing story differently and letting things just mutate from there. And if you had the resources, wouldn't you just want to explore some fanfiction ideas once in a while? Olson seems to convey that he believes that a creator is inherently lesser for doing so. Ultimately, taking into account what I've seen from Doug now, I don't believe he is a lost cause in the sense that he is shallow and uncreative. It is just that he struggles to cotton to the _technical_ side of movie making, trying his hardest to recapture those moments he remembers seeing on film but not quite understanding the nuances behind the scenes.

[@gingeygal2392]

I'll admit I did love Doug's stuff for like 10 years from teen to adult and even worked with him doing social media fanart for a while before everything hashtag changed. I can't watch his stuff now as it still feels very awkward considering everything and to be honest I've grown out of it from when I watched it as a young dorky teen. But you can't say he didn't try and he sure did give people some big laughs back in the day whether intended or not. And I wouldn't have my bigger love of film without his older videos inspiring me. I actually hung out with him for a filming day and cameo in an episode and he's a very nice guy with great intentions of being a film maker and comedian. However, when I spoke to him saying I was going on holiday to Sherwood Forest in Nottingham when I got back to the UK, he didn't believe it was a real place and joked "was I going to Neverland afterwards" If that doesn't sum up Doug as a person I'm not sure what does. Brilliant video as always B-Mask 😁 thanks again for bringing this interesting and nostalgic piece of the internet to the light with your great commentary

[@tgeFallman]

Nottingham is a real place?

[@josephleebob3828]

@@tgeFallman probably

[@Shartmaster32]

I love the thumbnail art so much Doug is drawn looking real crazy

[@АртёмДубравин-ы6у]

That's a really nice review dude. You seem to understand the guy very, very well. On a deep level. Now what I really hope for is a JWario documentary at least three times as long. It's so bizarre nobody ever talked about all that drama.

[@jedisquidward]

I really appreciate the last section of this video. As someone whose main consumption of Doug's videos was his Disneycember videos, I feel a lot of his own critics are a bit too eager to characterize him as an "incurious" person.

[@JuanPablo-su6vw]

I don’t get why people say Doug is like a happy clown on stage but a sad man behind the scene. Is not that I care that much but is kinda frustrating when everyone said that when in reality the guy looks fine. Is like everyone is seeing things that I don’t.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

If you watch The Review Must Go On, it definitely seems like Doug feels trapped as the Critic