List of Nostalgia Critic episodes (2014)

The Critic starts off Nicolas Cage Month by reviewing Face/Off (1997). He criticizes the plot holes, overacting from both Cage and John Travolta (particularly when they are playing each other), the fact that the film makes the villain more likable than the protagonist, and the usual clichés from both the 90's and director John Woo (including a running gag where the Critic points out several scenes that supposedly could have used Woo's trademark, doves). However, he lends heavy praise to the action, and acknowledges that the corniness is what makes the film so fun. Special criticism is reserved for the complete total incompetence of the prison Archer-as-Castor Troy is sent to.

The Critic continues Nicolas Cage Month by reviewing The Wicker Man (2006). He considers the film hilariously bad, criticizing the overall poor acting and story, the implied misandry of the island's inhabitants, and the fact that the film relies on poor attempts at scares (including a plethora of obvious foreshadowing) to make up for those flaws, particularly the ongoing scenes of Cage's character having visions of a truck hitting a little girl like in the opening. Special criticism is reserved for the complete incompetence of Cage's character (despite being a police officer) and how he does not seem to realise that something is wrong with the island. However, he does admit to finding a scene where Cage punches a woman out cold while wearing a bear suit unintentionally hilarious.

Throughout the review, the Critic is stalked by Tamara, who keeps referring to the film as her favorite of all time. At the end, she and Malcolm Ray capture the Critic, and force him to talk about the infamous bee torture scene from the film's unrated cut, which he initially refuses to address. The Critic eventually claims that the only reason the scene could be enjoyable is because of Cage's over-the-top performance, which makes the scene much more memorable than possibly any other scene from any of his movies. After stopping Tamara from trying to force The Cinema Snob and Spoony to talk about the scene at a bar, the Critic invites her to work with him, which she accepts.

The Critic concludes Nicolas Cage Month by reviewing Ghost Rider (2007). He feels that the premise has a lot of potential and finds the scenes with Ghost Rider himself to be quite awesome, but is disappointed to find that Cage's performance is a lot more downplayed than usual, feeling that the film would have been better if he had been over the top. He also feels that the potential is ruined by the poor script, acting (particularly the often incoherent mumbling of Sam Elliot, leading to multiple Big Lebowski references), romance, cartoonish moments (such as the Devil having a demon puppet for a shadow and the heroine using a magic eight ball) and villains. Special criticism is reserved for the ruining of an awesome scene where the two riders journey across the desert by having Elliot leave just before the final battle, claiming that he used the last of his powers in the ride, when he could have saved it for the battle. The Critic ultimately lays the blame for the film solely at the feet of writer-director Mark Steven Johnson, who he says should never have been allowed near another superhero movie after Daredevil (and adds should never have been allowed near that movie either, as he wrote another film that the Critic hated).

The Critic reviews Ghost Dad (1990). Though he admits that the effects are decent for the time it came out, he heavily criticizes the fact that acting legend Sidney Poitier is the director, as well as the awkward acting, especially from Bill Cosby and Ian Bannen, unfunny script filled with stereotypes and a ridiculous plot twist, complete lack of realism both in the treatment of the scenario and the way the characters act in general, and feeling that the film's creepier moments fit better in a horror movie. Special criticism is reserved for the rules of the afterlife, which make no sense and feel completely random, as well as being inconsistent and often making the film feel like an "invisible man" story than a ghost story.

The sketches have the Critic pretending to be a ghost, claiming to have committed suicide after watching Ghost Dad, and torments Ray and Chambers by making them dress in various humiliating outfits as revenge for their assault on him during the Wicker Man review.

The Critic reviews the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland (2010) after following "Carrotjuice the Black Rabbit" (Ray), who has stolen a hard drive of old home movies, into "Burtonland", which he explores with "Malice" (Chambers). Though he addresses some nice visuals and a bit of zaniness from the source material, he criticizes it for being disloyal to both the story and the spirit of the source material, pointing out the clichéd and weak story, generic and poorly-acted characters (particularly Mia Wasikowska as Alice) and content that is too violent for a PG-rated film, such as the main character crossing a moat filled with severed heads. Special criticism is reserved for the world's real name being revealed to be "Underland" instead of "Wonderland" which pretty much makes the film's entire title incorrect, as it is not a remake of the animated film but a live action sequel, even saying that Care Bears in Wonderland was a better adaptation, as it kept the zaniness throughout and the main threat better fit the story.

In the end, after the Critic tells Burton (also played by Doug Walker, who appears as the Wizard of Oz) off for all his bad remakes, saying he has been living in someone else's shadow, Carrotjuice and Malice play the home movies and reveal that the Critic's childhood room is filled with Burton paraphernalia, with work inspired by Burton's films that even the Critic thought were not that great. Burton then convinces the Critic that it is worth sitting through some bad films to get to good films before sending him back to the real world.

The Critic, along with Malcolm and Tamara, looks back on The Disney Afternoon (1990-1997), imitating what it was like to come home from school and watch it. He finds most of the shows to be great nostalgic classics, some more than others, but finds Bonkers, Shnookums and Meat, Quack Pack, and Mighty Ducks to be terrible. During the review, comments made by Malcolm that anger the Critic result in him beating him up. The review ends with them being "forced to do their homework" by the Critic and Malcolm's mothers and Linkara pretending to be Tamara's grandmother.
Shows looked at include:

• Gummi Bears (1985-91)
  • He praises the show's theme song, animation, stories, villain and voice acting.
• DuckTales (1987-90)
  • Having mentioned the show in previous episodes, he praises the animation, stories, catchy theme song and timeless characters.
• Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (1989-90)
  • He praises the show for its main characters, adventures and morals. Special mention is given to the "Case of the Cola Cult" episode.
• TaleSpin (1990-91)
  • He praises the show's humor, adventures and the characters of Rebecca Cunningham and Don Karnage, but dislikes the character of Molly Cunningham. He questions why The Jungle Book gets its own show and why only three of the characters (Baloo, Louie and Shere Khan) are on the show. (Incidentally, The Jungle Book did get its own show proper in 1996.)
• Darkwing Duck (1991-92)
  • He praises the character of Gosalyn Mallard as the most energetic child character in a Disney show, some of the villains, the satire of other super hero related stuff and the Darkwing Duck as the first Disney character to be an egotistical hero.
• Goof Troop (1992-93)
  • He has mixed feelings towards this show, feeling it's trying to have Disney be more hip and modern with its audience. He also finds the character Max not all that interesting and the adventures in suburbia not fun. However, he finds Pete and his family more funny and wishes the show was more about them.
• Bonkers (1993-95)
  • He criticizes the annoying main character, the Disney characters not getting enough cameos, unfunny humor and the show's premise for ripping off Who Framed Roger Rabbit, while stating that the idea of cartoon characters in the real world doesn't work due to the show being completely animated.
• Gargoyles (1994-97)
  • He previously did a full episode dedicated to the show. He praises the dark original story, characters, animation and feels it is a good mature Disney show.
• Aladdin (1994-96)
  • While praising the idea of the show, its stories and new characters, he criticizes the poor animation, continuity errors with the movie, Aladdin and Jasmine's bland relationship, Dan Castellaneta's poor attempts to re-create Robin Williams' performance as the Genie and an overuse of Iago on the show.
• Timon & Pumbaa (1995-99)
  • He finds the show has decent pacing, okay animation, fun stories and even finds Timon and Pumbaa more funny here than in The Lion King.
• Shnookums and Meat (1995)
  • He pans the show for ripping off Ren and Stimpy, the animation for being too clean and finds the main characters to be more annoying than Bonkers. Though while Shnookums and Meat is actually three cartoons in one, he gives no mention of the other two segments "Pith Possum" and "Tex Tinstar"
• Quack Pack (1996)
  • He criticizes the characters of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the theme song's lyrics, scripts, stories and what the show stands for.
• Mighty Ducks (1996-97)
  • He finds this show to be what killed The Disney Afternoon. He criticizes the show for having to do nothing with the movie series it is based on despite it having the title and sport they play, the story and main characters. However, he praises the casting of Tim Curry and Tony Jay as the villains and the idea of putting them together on the show.

Note- During the commentary of the review, Doug explained he was too harsh on Goof Troop and in fact likes the show. He also addressed why he didn't include shows like Hercules or The Little Mermaid.

After a parody of Batman Returns, where like Catwoman the Critic returns home in a daze and goes on a violent rampage on his house's objects, it is revealed that rage was caused by the Critic accepting to review Foodfight! (2012) following incessant requests by his fanbase. Agreeing to do so upon realizing his review could jumpstart it into popularity, declares it not only the worst animated movie he has ever seen, but also one of the worst movies he's ever reviewed, heavily panning the massive amount of product placement, ridiculous and inconsistent plot, horrible and often frightening animation that enters the uncanny valley, hideous racial stereotypes, dreadful puns and horrible sexual innuendos, the latter of which he deems unfit for what is supposedly a film for children. Special criticism is reserved for the fact that the product mascots shown are practically background characters in their own film (despite taking up a good chunk of the advertising) and half of them are bitter, unflattering parodies of the ones the producers could not afford, as well as the fact that the film's budget was apparently $65 million, which baffles him considering the outcome, and how they wasted it on the final product.

The Critic reviews The Swan Princess (1994), another frequent fan request. He calls the film "Diet Disney", as it rips off elements from many of their films, especially Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. He also criticizes the poor plot and romance, the main characters for becoming bland and generic despite the wide range of emotion their childhood selves expressed in the opening, leading the majority of the songs to be sung by supporting and background characters, certain weird casting decisions (particularly Steven Wright as Speed), the weak comedy, and the animation for being too fast paced and energetic for a romance. However, he does give some praise to the opening song "This Is My Idea" for being somewhat entertaining, and the mercifully short run time. Special criticism is reserved for Rothbart's scheme for making no sense whatsoever and as well as the strange name he has.

At the end, he talks to Chambers and Ray about other "diet" animation brands, such as "Diet Dreamworks" (i.e. Hoodwinked, The Nut Job and all the Ice Age and Rio sequels), "Diet Pixar" (i.e. Cars 2 and Monsters University) and "Seuss Zero". The latter drink's description foreshadows the next review, after being described as being orange and having none of Dr. Seuss' creative genius.

The Critic reviews The Lorax (2012) while breaking into the headquarters of the focus group experts (Rob and Ray) from the Cat in the Hat review, lecturing them on the mistakes made by the film. Though he admits it is not as bad as The Grinch or The Cat in the Hat and praises the animation, he criticizes the complete lack of loyalty to the story, spirit and message of the original book, boring and generic characters (particularly the villain), poor voice casting (particularly Zac Efron, who plays a 12-year-old boy despite the fact that he was 24 when the film was released and sounding it), irritating and dated pop culture references and weak songs (particularly because only one mentions the environmental message, and the others go in the opposite direction). Special criticism is reserved for the ending for taking away the ambiguity of the book and replacing it with a stock, clichéd climax and conclusion and in-your-face message, which ironically makes it less memorable.

By the review's end, the experts predict that the film has become retro and that all of its fans have returned, only to find the Lorax Mall empty except for one man, who quickly loses interest himself and walks off. When the Critic lambasts their simplification of the story and declares that people will continue to read Seuss's books no matter what, one of the experts reveals himself to be "Black Willy Wonka." He shows the Critic that the fans have gone back to reading the book, and that that was his plan in making this, along with The Grinch and The Cat in the Hat: to make audiences appreciate the books more.

The Critic revives his "Old vs. New" segment, comparing Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy to Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films alongside a hyperactive fangirl (Chambers) who fell in love with him in his review for The Lorax. He starts the comparison by discussing the stories, like he did with his "Old vs. New" of the Nutty Professor films.

Best Story: The Raimi trilogy
He decides that the Raimi trilogy's stories were easier to follow when compared to the very complex stories of the Webb films.

Best Action Scenes: The Webb films
He praises the faster and more realistic action scenes such as their choreography, their settings, their pacing, and even the best Stan Lee cameo ever. However, he admits to liking the train sequence of Spider-Man 2.

Best Villains: The Raimi Trilogy
While he criticizes the over-the-top performance of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, and Topher Grace's lack of screen time as Venom, and praises the development of the Lizard and Harry Osborn of the Webb films, he decides that the Raimi villains are more memorable and enjoyable because of their cartoonish nature, and that over-the-top villains like the Rhino and Electro feel out of place with the serious tone of the Webb films.

Best Romantic Lead: Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy (The Webb films)
He directly states that "Mary Jane sucks", and even though he admits that Kirsten Dunst tried doing the best with her performance, he criticizes the poor writing of the character and her relationship with the hero, as well as her "dumbass in distress" status (despite being written much better in other Spider-Man media). He heavily praises Emma Stone's performance as Gwen, finding her to be the opposite of Mary Jane and superior in every way, giving special praise to her romance with Peter, which is what he says is the best part of the second Webb film. He also adds that if Mary Jane did die in the first film, he wouldn't care like he did for Gwen's death.

Best Spider-Man: Andrew Garfield (The Webb films)
He states that between both actors there is a perfect Spider-Man. While he praises the nerdy aspect of Tobey Maguire in the first Raimi film, he criticizes the rest of his performance, calling him too whiny and sensitive to everything. He heavily praises Andrew Garfield's performance on the other hand through his energy, likable nature and has the cool aspect that Spider-Man should have. He also brings up that Garfield portrayed a Spider-Man that fans would want to be like (Being that he quit when his girlfriend died as opposed to Maguire's where the job was just too hard.)

The Webb series beats the Raimi trilogy 3-2. The Critic finds both series to be enjoyable, but leans towards the Webb series, when he at first considered the reboot miles above the Raimi Trilogy and Hyper Fan Girl visa versa, but realized how close the two film series' were. Hyper Fan Girl is upset at being in the friend zone with the Critic, but is encouraged by Linkara (disguised as her grandma) to go after him.

The Critic reviews Blues Brothers 2000 (1998). Though he praises the soundtrack, he considers the film to be a major disappointment as one of the worst sequels of all time (also one of the worst movies he has ever reviewed), heavily bashing its disloyalty to the original film, lack of story, random musical numbers, over-the-top scenes, abysmal comedy, cheap special effects, all-over-the-place editing, the miscast John Goodman and J. Evan Bonifant, and horrible ending. Special criticism is reserved for the randomness in the film, compared to Cards Against Humanity and the SNES video game.

The Critic reviews the long-requested Jurassic Park III (2001). While calling it a bad movie, he considers it slightly better than the previous sequel for being shorter and less pretentious. He criticizes the annoying characters, particularly the one played by Téa Leoni, lack of wonder and effort in the storytelling, poor character development and attempts at scares, and the ending to Alan and Ellie's relationship. Special criticism is reserved for the Spinosaurus killing off the T. rex, the main Dinosaur of the franchise.

The Critic reviews After Earth (2013). He feels that it had potential if the film had the right script or performance by Jaden Smith, but neither were accomplished. He heavily pans the poor performances of Jaden and Will Smith, the clichéd and often unexplained elements of the setting, and the usual M. Night Shyamalan trademarks of terrible plot, dialogue, directing, ideas, and pacing. Special criticism is reserved for the name of Will's character, Cypher Raige, and for a weird scene where Jaden seems to know what his dad tells him despite having no communication.

The Critic, Linkara, and Spoony reunite to review another Uwe Boll film, BloodRayne (2006). They heavily pan the plot holes, complete lack of cohesion, boring characters, awful acting (particularly the utterly emotionless and seemingly drunken performance of Michael Madsen), abysmal directing and production design, insulting portrayal of vampires on par with Twilight, and lack of loyalty to the video game it's based on, all expected from Boll. Special criticism is reserved for the appearance and over the top delivery by rock legend Meat Loaf.

After finding Malcolm and Tamara in fear over an apparent new law breaking up Pinky and the Brain, the Critic explains why such a law would not work by reviewing The Purge (2013). He feels that the film had potential if it tried to be a dark satire, but fails because it takes its ridiculous premise too seriously. He also criticizes the film's poor attempt at explaining why the titular law works, Michael Bay's involvement with the film as one of the producers, the lack of logic shown by the characters, weak suspense, and large amount of pretension and clichés. However, he praises Rhys Wakefield's entertainingly over-the-top performance as the "Polite Leader", though he erroneously calls the character "Henry", who is a different character in the film.

During the review, the Film Brain (in a parody of the Polite Leader) shows up demanding a crossover review. Not wanting to do two in a row, the Critic has the others distract him long enough to finish, with news of the aforementioned break up sending Film Brain away. He then has Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche act out the break up, which apparently brings world peace.

The Critic reviews Small Soldiers (1998). While not considering it awful, he calls it confusing, as it doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be an action packed kids movie or an edgy adult action film. He criticizes the plethora of clichés from the films of director Joe Dante (even keeping a checklist), as well as normal screenwriting clichés, elements ripped off from both Toy Story and Dante's own Gremlins, bland characters, confusing story element of the clearly benevolent Gorgonites being portrayed by the toy company as the villains and the obviously dangerous Commandos as the heroes, and scenes too violent, scary, and naughty for kids. Special criticism is reserved for a disturbing and frightening scene involving fictional Barbie knockoffs and for the fact that the main villain survives an impossible to survive crash leading to an unnecessary extra 30 minutes of movie.

After the review, he goes to bed, unaware that Hyper Fan Girl (Chambers) is watching him and holding the subject of his next review, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

Note: Doug had originally considered the film for the original Nostalgia Critic finale in 2012 following a fan poll, but scrapped it in favor of Scooby-Doo.

The Critic is "invited" by Hyper Fan Girl (Chambers) to come to her house, filled with manly films, comics, and video games, and review The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) with her, while under the vigilance of a hired hitman (Ray). The trio agree that the first film was relatively harmless and that Royal Engagement is not really terrible per se, but make fun of the plot, girly cliches, obvious villains, and that Anne Hathaway's character is hardly ever taught any responsibilities of being a princess in the film. Special criticism is reserved for a scene in which the maids sing "Frère Jacques" while dancing with pots, and an unnecessary cameo by Stan Lee. After the movie ends, the Critic accuses Hyper Fan Girl of manipulating his inner manchild, like the movie manipulates the inner womanchild of its audience.

NOTE: Doug reviewed this film during Disneycember, and found it to be "so bad it's good" and good enough for a Nostalgia Critic review.

After multiple requests following his review of the original, the Critic reviews Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012), this time, joined by Mike J of Shameful Sequels, who is angry at the Critic for repeated episodes on films he already reviewed, such as Jaws 3D and Alien Resurrection. While they admit that the Ghost Rider's design is slightly cooler, Nicolas Cage's performance is more over-the-top and enjoyable, and the action is better, they feel it has even more problems than the first, criticizing the nonsensical plot, boring side characters (who the Critic adds are blatantly copied from screenwriter David S. Goyer's previous films), horrible cinematography and editing, weird dialogue, lack of screen time for Ghost Rider, and numerous bizarre moments. Special criticism is reserved for the Devil's multiple stupid choices throughout the film, such as a stupid ringtone for his cell-phone, losing track of his son, and trying to escape from Ghost Rider by just driving away in an ordinary car.

As promised in the previous editorial, the Critic goes over his favorite episodes of his favorite show of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-08). However, this time, Dante Basco, the voice of Prince Zuko, is after the Critic, and looking to make him pay for his worst episodes list.
Throughout the review, Basco tries to kill the Critic as Zuko, leading in a massive chase through a local Barnes & Nobles bookstore, in which he finds out what happens to Zuko's mother, and is ultimately stopped by the Critic and joins him to talk about the best Avatar episode of all time. Afterwards, he changes his uniform from Zuko to the American Dragon: Jake Long, where he voiced the title character, much to the Critic's displeasure.

11. "The Ember Island Players"

• He almost put it on the "Worst Episodes" list, but ultimately feels that, as far as series recaps go, it is one of the strongest.
• Note: In a commentary for this episode, Doug admitted that had he known that this joke was already made and upon second thoughts he would have changed this episode with Tales of Ba Sing Se, specially for the tale of Iroh.

10. "The Chase"

• He heavily praises the action, ruthlessness of the character of Azula and the depiction of the difficulties the characters go through.

9. "The Firebending Masters"

• He heavily praises the hero's journey Aang and Zuko go through, particularly the ending with the dragons.

8. "The Day of Black Sun"

• He considers it one of the best two part episodes ever, heavily praising the turmoil the characters suffer, the villains' cruel nature, the tragic ending and the twist of Zuko joining the team.

7. "Zuko Alone"

• He praises the flashbacks to Zuko's past and the relationship between him and Lee, and the ending for successfully making the audience feel bad for a villain.

6. "The Puppetmaster"

• He considers it a chilling episode, heavily praising Tress MacNeille's performance and the depiction and animation of Bloodbending.

5. "The Guru"

• He considers it a great build up to the Season 2 finale, comparing it to The Empire Strikes Back and feeling that the build up and the fact that only Toph's story is resolved gets everyone hyped for what happens next.

4. "The Southern Raiders"

• He praises Katara's emotional journey and performance, the bittersweet conclusion, and the fact that she gets so obsessed that she Bloodbends at one point.

3. "The Crossroads of Destiny"

• He considers it a strong season finale, further emphasizing the similarities to Empire as it leaves the heroes in their worst position in the show and leaves you wondering what will happen in the next season. Also making another note on what a great villain Azula is.

2. "The Storm"

• The only Season 1 episode on the list, he heavily praises the backstories of Aang and Zuko and the parallel created between them, considering the look they share at the end to be very profound.

1. "Sozin's Comet"

• Along with a much calmer Dante, they consider it a solid series finale that a show like this deserves, as it wraps up all the major plot lines, makes strong use of all the characters, and is a perfectly exciting and satisfying note to end the series on. They also defend against some of the criticisms from this episode, such as Katara being the one to beat Azula, and the way Aang beats Ozai with their own opinions.

After a short intro of him being killed by JonTron for reviewing Foodfight, which he himself had reviewed first, The Critic starts off a new Nostalgia-Ween by reviewing the only Stephen King movie directed by the man himself, Maximum Overdrive (1986). He praises the AC/DC soundtrack, but also criticizes the poor writing, over the top acting (particularly Yeardley Smith's annoying performance), ridiculous death scenes, inconsistent explanation of the cause of the events, lack of scares, and usual cliches of King's films, even discussing them with Pencilhead (Ray), leader of the "Troperaisers." He also feels there is no excuse for the poor quality this time since King made it personally. However, he feels that the silliness of the film is ultimately what makes it so fun, and says that if approached as an over-the-top B-Movie (which he suspects King himself did), it's actually very entertaining.

Note: Tamara was absent from this episode due to illness, though she is still listed in the end credits.

After ending the previous week's editorial on a cliffhanger by announcing that he'll review the number one greatest modern horror classic in full, the Critic puts together his own crew of cliched characters known as the "Token Troop" to review Monster Squad (1987) with him, Malcolm, Jim, Rob and Jason playing their respective cliched characters. Though they criticize the nonsensical plot, cliched characters (including one literally just called "Fat Kid"), and content that's too violent, vulgar, and dirty for a children's film, they consider it the movie that perfectly defines the 80's and the ultimate movie to watch for anyone wanting to relive the decade. Special criticism is reserved for the scene where one of the characters asks someone if they've seen a virgin, causing the critic to create the scene into a Pepsi commercial (a nod to Madonna's Like a Prayer). During the review, Tamara tries to get into the troop, but fails as it's boys only (and keeping up with the theme of the 80's). Eventually, the troop runs into their worst enemy, a monster covered in stuff from reality, the presence of which makes them doubt and criticize the movie. However, Tamara manages to destroy the monster with YouTube comments, snapping them out of it and allowing them to give it praise once again.

The Critic and Film Brain finally do a crossover by reviewing Forest Warrior (1996). They criticize the nonsensical plot, lack of screen time for star Chuck Norris and transformation scenes (despite him being a shape shifter, he transforms through jump cuts), poor fight choreography, heavy handed environmental message, generic characters and soundtrack, and poor pacing. Special criticism is reserved for the spectacularly cliched villain. However, they consider it entertaining in its cheesiness and consider the one transformation scene at the end to be great.

The Critic starts off the holiday season by reviewing the television special Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (2000). Already finding the song the movie's based on to be obnoxious, he criticizes it for making the titular grandma too attractive, as well as the weak plot, confusing setting, boring characters, poor and sometimes dirty humor (particularly some really weird names), awful segues into badly written songs, and the final act for using too many courtroom terms. He does admit that it isn't an entirely horrible movie, moreso incredibly awkward. Special criticism is reserved for the fact that the grandma's store is worth millions, which makes both her and the grandson seem awful, as they don't want to sell it, despite the money undoubtedly being capable of helping many.

Unlike previous years, he starts out calm as he's wearing a "chill pill patch" and doesn't want to scare his fans. However, Tamara, insisting that he should feel free to celebrate how he pleases, removes the patch, causing a now-insane Critic to sing a heavy metal song, "I Fucking Love Christmas."

The Critic reviews A Christmas Story 2 (2012). He considers it a completely pointless sequel to an already over-commercialized film, and heavily pans the awful writing, abundance of unnecessary narration, lack of dialogue for the main character and love interest, poor comedy and visuals, easily unlikable characters (particularly Daniel Stern as the dad), the main character's perverted actions, and large amount of fantasy sequences and throwbacks to the original. Despite this, he does praise Braeden Lemasters' performance as Ralphie, explaining that he captured the spirit of the original Ralphie and makes it his own. Special criticism is reserved for the mall sequence where the main character and his best friends work and are given too many chances despite making many mistakes worth firing over.

The sketches have the Critic being pestered by Hyper Fan Girl (Chambers) and Benny the hitman (Ray) as they try to remind him of all the good things about the original.

NOTE: The episode opens up with a crossover with CinemaSins in one of their segments called "Movie Recipes" trying to make Christmas Carol 2 eggnog. The Critic as well helped with their video, Everything Wrong with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, where they did the whole video in rhyme.

The Critic finishes the year by reviewing Care Bears Nutcracker Suite (1988). He considers it no better or worse than any of the other films, criticizing the poor writing, weak animation, rehashed character designs from the previous movies (particularly the heroine looking exactly like the ones from the previous films), over the top voice acting, lack of connection to the titular ballet (even using music from it at random) and confusing ending. Special criticism is reserved for the plot twist as being far too obvious, and the fact that the telling of the main story is obviously a huge waste of everybody in the framing story's time. After the review, he announces that January will be "Matrix Month", where he'll review, editorial free, all three movies and "The Animatrix".

Note: Doug previously put the film on his "Top 11 Nostalgia Critics I Will Never Do" list, but decided to review it anyway.