Films Worth Watching According to Red Letter Media’s Notorious Film Critic

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Last week Red Letter Media’s Mike Stoklasa (as the crotchety, maniacal Harry Plinkett) assaulted yet another Star Wars film in his latest review. The victim was eight-year-old Attack of the Clones, and I’m sorry to say, it didn’t survive the attack. The film’s dignity was ripped out and left bleeding, and I’m sure even the “infallible” Mr. Lucas could smell the blood.

(More on Techland: Red Letter Media at it Again With Attack of the Clones Review)

So what is it about those pesky Star Wars prequels that gets Stoklasa all in an uproar? Everything. We chatted briefly on the phone late last week and though he says he feels weird taking on a film that’s nearly a decade old, it’s just so damn easy.

Allie Townsend: So what pissed off fans so much about the Star Wars prequels?

Mike Stoklasa: Well, they had to hold up against the earlier films. He had that going against him. I think it was just an expectations thing. When you watch the prequels and you see all the things in there and you see what the story is, it’s almost like anyone could write a better film. It’s mind boggling in a way. It’s frustrating because he has all of the technology. It’s a contradiction. He has all of this material with which he can do whatever he wants and what he chose is not good.

(More on Techland: Stoklasa’s Review of The Phantom Menace)

AT: And now he’s pimping out the franchise as a comedy series. You’ll never run out of material.

MS: I saw something else, too, where he’s making a Star Wars thing for 2-year-olds. I think it’s called Squishies, where all of the Star Wars characters are these tiny little Lego-like guys. They have really big feet and they’re squashed down and they’re geared for like preschool-aged children. That’s really aiming below the mark. It’s almost like Star Wars has become a joke onto itself.

It’s almost like the prequels were like big cartoons for him. Then he came out with The Clone Wars and that seems like a better format for his ideas. It’s like a children’s cartoon show and it’s devolving from there even further. Now it’s infant entertainment.

AT: So, you kind of made me hate Avatar a little. And I loved it when I saw it. So, what films are actually worth watching. I need to know.

MS: Sci-fi wise, of course the original Star Wars films, the original Trek movies. There’s a lot of good sci-fi out there. It all depends. I really like Dark City, the original Matrix movie, but not the sequels. I don’t know. If it’s intelligently written and it doesn’t talk down to the audience I’ll enjoy it.

The problem with more current sci-fi stuff is that it’s all about just big special effects. The Independence Day type movies, Jerry Bruckheimer. Action and sci-fi became merged. I really liked Moon, I saw that recently. Action/sci-fi too: Aliens, stuff like that. It all depends on how they’re done and why they’re done. That’s why I don’t like prequels that much because I feel like they’re made for reasons other than just telling a really good story.

(More on Techland: Stoklasa’s Review of Avatar)

AT: So who’s your next victim?

MS: I need to take a break from Star Wars for a bit. I have an idea for something, but I’m not sure if I’m going to do it yet. But, kind of like how I did the Avatar review between the two Star Wars movies, I’ll probably do something like that. Something shorter. (I’m sure I heard some menacing laughter in the background.)