When I read the effusive (or is it fulsome?) praise heaped on Redboy 13 by Mark Savlov of the Austin Chronicle, I could only think it might be due to a personal friendship with the filmmaker... This is not destined for "cult classic" status. I will admit that it has heart, and so is mildly likable in places, but it's also one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and yes, I am a fan of indie film.
Instead of being unintentionally funny, a la "Plan 9 from Outer Space," Redboy 13 is simply embarrassing, and that's not a good enough payoff. There's a few decent jokes, and an excellent Clint Eastwood parody by Robert Logan (Colonel Calcan). Yet key problems remain, such as incessant, unfunny hamming by the helicopter pilots, and the terribly flat acting of Redboy himself, Devon Roy-Brown. Also, Redboy 13 is completely inconsistent with its own premise. Is Redboy a heroic junior spy or not? In the opening episode, Redboy actually has some cheesy derring-do, but he has no later heroics, and becomes an dull character awaiting rescue throughout most of the duration. And he has so little screen time, you wonder why it isn't titled "Annoying Stupid Helicopter Pilots."
Despite being terrible, Redboy 13 is still not nearly bad enough to be good.
Instead of being unintentionally funny, a la "Plan 9 from Outer Space," Redboy 13 is simply embarrassing, and that's not a good enough payoff. There's a few decent jokes, and an excellent Clint Eastwood parody by Robert Logan (Colonel Calcan). Yet key problems remain, such as incessant, unfunny hamming by the helicopter pilots, and the terribly flat acting of Redboy himself, Devon Roy-Brown. Also, Redboy 13 is completely inconsistent with its own premise. Is Redboy a heroic junior spy or not? In the opening episode, Redboy actually has some cheesy derring-do, but he has no later heroics, and becomes an dull character awaiting rescue throughout most of the duration. And he has so little screen time, you wonder why it isn't titled "Annoying Stupid Helicopter Pilots."
Despite being terrible, Redboy 13 is still not nearly bad enough to be good.