Suburban Knights

You know what's hilarious about Doug's anniversary flicks? Everything! The fact that the production quality and acting ends up surpassing some of the high budget films he reviews.

I also find it funny that the same reviewers that accuse Doug for not being in the right mindset to review kids films also pick on his work that they're clearly not in the right mindset to see either.

I think the film is a wonderful accomplishment. You see these (That Guy With The Glasses) characters make fun of other people's work weekly, and once a year they come together to make fun of themselves. It just doesn't get any better than that.

When professional actors (such as Bruce Campbell) attempt self-parody, it looks silly and even sad. You can tell that they have exhausted themselves and are doing it almost out of desperation. When TGWTG team does it, you can tell they're having as much fun as the target audience.

What is more ironic then a an Internet movie reviewer that fails at acting, directing, comic timing, editing, special effects, regular timing, scenery, comedic events and putting two movies together for hundreds of thousands of Internet money?

Nothing.

Why these people would show off how untalented they are is beyond my imagination. I can't even grasp why any of these individuals thought it was a good idea to use their real names and be forever connected to this crap.

Maybe they are going to be Internet reviewers forever? Maybe they think this is some way to jump start their "careers" or maybe their ego is so inflated that they actually can't see how abysmal this is....

There's a far more prominent narrative structure to this follow-up that surpasses its predecessor in almost every way, ranging from absurdist comic gold to brief moments of bogged down exposition. The film is at its best when it explores and brutally parodies the classic tropes of the adventure fantasy genre, from frustrating plots to ridiculous costume, and in doing so it stands not only as a harsh critic of those stories but as a charming love letter to parody as a film genre.

For me, the one thing that plagued the last film TGWTG did ("Kickassia") was that after the second part, it just went no where. "Suburban Knights" on the other hand actually progressed into a film that had an interesting beginning, an enjoyable middle, and a satisfying ending.

There are quite a few jokes taken from other movies (and some added upon in ways that sort of ruin them) but mostly it brings its own bag of laughter throughout. Of course it's nothing spectacular as this is clearly a low budget movie, but it's a watchable film.

The acting is fair, the special effects are low budget but acceptable, and I hope they improve upon this one and do an even better anniversary film next year.

7/10

Lured by false promises, the internet reviewers find themselves summoned to suburban Illinois to embark upon a quest for a powerful gauntlet. They have to LARP in order to have a chance of finding it, which is where the second word in the title comes from, and they're split into two groups, so it doesn't grow stale. But is it entirely safe? And who is the mysterious sunglassed, leather-coat-wearing black guy who keeps appearing…? If you are not already a fan of the people involved, this is not for you, simple as that. It devotes no time to explaining who they are, and this is not produced to show off talents, but to have fun. And both they and us do. Since the trailer gives away who they choose to portray, I will do the same: Spoony is Gandalf(and the Gatecleaner, his take on Nightmare, the VHS-driven boardgame, and acts as the RPG nerd), NC is Link(from Zelda), Joe is Inigo Montoya(you killed his *insert incorrect family member here*, prepare to die!), Linkara is King Arthur, Nostalgia Chick is Arwen(Elvish princess of LOTR), Benzaie is Conan, Sage is Aslan(from Narnia), Phelous is The Rock Biter(Neverending Story), MarzGurl is Princess Mononoke, FilmBrain and Luke Mochrie are Harry Potter(the two are rivals for Doug's favor), CS is Indiana Jones, Obscurus Lupa is a fairie tale princess(probably Disney's Snow White), 8-Bit Mickey is Peter Pan, and the second size-joke of the duo has Handsome Tom as Willow(literally a small role, he doesn't want to act that much... on that, the performances vary greatly), Paw is Jeremy Irons in Dungeons and Dragons, Todd is Dread Pirate Roberts(Princess Bride) and JewWario is David Bowie from Labyrinth. This uses all of them some, no one is "forgotten", and it plays to their strengths. A lot is gained from the interpersonal dynamics of these characters and the… roles they take on. Finally, the team get into arcs! There is nice use of Mati of Captain Planet, whom none of the others like, and it builds up to its well-earned epic climax. The battles are awesome, and get increasingly grand in scope. Choreography, execution and FX are very well-done. This treats the theme of science vs. magic, and both are treated with respect(whilst they also have fun with it... similar to Charmed), and this has some of both, rational explanations and superstition. Backstory and plot are interesting, thought out well, surprising and add up well. This is paced well, the roughly two hours fly by. It has very different kinds of comedy in it, with clever, silly, wordplay, parody and pop culture references. There is some disturbing, violent and/or sexual content in this. I recommend this to every fan of the TGWTG crew, and no one else. 8/10