ericstevenson Reviews

Saberspark (2011– )

He's a really nice guy

[10/10 · 7 May 2024]

Saberspark is yet another critic who mostly looks at cartoons. It seems as though he doesn't really top 10 ten lists like PhantomStrider or that many flat-out reviews like MrEnter. Saberspark is great because he gives off the appearance of a nice guy. The best part is probably how analytical he gets. Some of his best videos are talking about the history of animation and what their low points and high points are. Yes, I have seen a video where he shows himself in real life.

It might help that he's also a brony. Anyway, he doesn't really swear like most online critics. It doesn't seem like he's playing a character or anything like most people on Channel Awesome. Scratch that. Most people who WERE on Channel Awesome. I think my favorite video of his is probably his analysis on the downfall of "Family Guy". He's a good role model for critics.

Animation and films are my two biggest passions. Well, that and Internet reviews in themselves. I don't understand why people would accuse him of using clickbait. Doug Walker got rid of drawn title cards simply because he wanted to be marketed better! Saberspark even makes fun of himself with the joke that he's a closet furry. All in all, a great analytical series written by a nice guy. ****

Sonic X (2003–2006)

I guess this is an unpopular opinion

[10/10 · 5 May 2024]

I've seen most of the Sonic adaptations (and even read some comic book versions) and I'm going to say that...this is my favorite. I haven't seen much of Sonic Satam or "Sonic Boom". We can still agree "Sonic Underground" is the worst. This one introduced more characters from the games than any other Sonic adaptation...by far. It was just wonderful growing up and seeing all of these characters together. Now, the show has gotten a lot of hate with the inclusion of human characters, most notably Chris Thorndyke.

The Sonic franchise in general is absolutely fascinating, seeing as how every adaptation (out of like a dozen) has at least one main character not one from the games. The balancing of these new characters and new themes are what make it or break it for these adaptations. This features the first two seasons with Sonic and friends going into the human world, which is pretty interesting seeing as how later games would establish a more human like setting. The third season inverts it, with Sonic and friends back, albeit with the main human character (Chris) helping them fight...you guessed it! Villains that weren't from the games. This season also introduced Cosmo, who is my favorite canon foreigner.

Even with her kindness, she still acknowledges she has her faults. They do a good job with a love interest for Tails. Many of the problems people complained about in later games (the addition of too many characters) ironically have made it here, which in a strange way makes it authentic to the games. With the unique tones of each and every Sonic cartoon, this one still worked very hard to be more faithful to the games, with great animation and nice character dynamics. A shame Knuckles and Rouge never became an official couple...or did they? It's seriously a great introduction to the games coming out of this time while still having a unique identity, at least for me. ****

Honest Trailers: After Earth (2013) Season 2, Episode 23

Possibly their best ever

[10/10 · 27 April 2024]

This is an honest trailer for "After Earth". The movie ends up being so bad the narrator literally gives up. This the only time he ever does that. I keep wondering if it was a lot more appropriate for "Velma". That would have been the best trailer ever. Anyway, this one is awesome. It viciously mocks a movie by M. Night Shyamalan, which he obviously deserves.

You know, it's kind of ironic that they complained about Indian representation in "RRR" when they themselves viciously mock media made by Indian-Americans. Really, all we have is stereotypes? We also have a horrible director, who is much better than Apu. How fortunate there would only be two characters for nicknames. Then again, there were even fewer people in "Gravity". They didn't do that because "Gravity" is infinitely deserving of you seeing it than "After Earth".

I looked at Rotten Tomatoes, and it turns out "After Earth" is indeed his worst movie. If Chris Rock had made a joke about this film, Will Smith would have killed him. This might be my favorite episode. Don't worry about them saying "Take a knee". At least they don't say, "This is extremely dangerous to our democracy" or "It's okay, you can admit it, if you've bought an item or two or ten for yourself". No, I don't intend to see this. ****

The Marvels (2023)

Not so marvelous

[6/10 · 21 April 2024]

This movie tells the story of a villain named Dar-Benn (I DID have to look up that name!) who is the new Kree ruler attempting to steal water and air to create a new world for the Kree. This directly follows up "Ms. Marvel", the mini-series which I haven't seen. I have also not seen "Secret Invasion", which this film also follows up. The best thing about it is near the end where the characters have to escape by being eaten by the Flerkens. Yes, I guess Goose was pregnant. Wait, was Goose believed to be male?

Ms. Marvel's powers are very interesting with how she can create crystals out of nowhere. This comes in rather useful when she needs to jump in the air. I actually loved "Captain Marvel", but this, not so much. The main problem is that it's the shortest film in the MCU and is trying to put in too much in too little a time. I guess Dar-Benn is an even lamer villain than MODOK! As the lowest rated MCU film on this website, I can say "Eternals" is still worse. **1/2.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

A big "meh"

[6/10 · 13 April 2024]

Yeah, things aren't looking the best for the MCU lately. This movie features Ant-Man and all his friends going to the quantum realm. Their initial goal is to just meet up with each other, but then they find out this villain named Kang who wants to conquer the Multiverse. The best part is probably how great the visuals are. We get some fantastic character designs which seem right out of "Star Wars", which makes sense as Disney also owns them. The main problem with this film is MODOK.

Yeah, it's Darren from the first film only rebuilt as MODOK. He is very bad in this film and completely unnecessary. His redemption comes completely out of nowhere and I couldn't feel for him at all. I do still like these characters, even if they make bad decisions like not telling everyone what was in the Quantum Realm. It does give an explanation for what was happening to Janet all those years. Sadly, while a good revelation not good enough to make up for its faults, but it's at least okay. **1/2.

Wonder Showzen (2005–2007)

It's raunchier than "Robot Chicken"!

[10/10 · 8 April 2024]

The pilot episode of this show was simply titled "Kid's Show" and enjoyed a fine run on the Internet. Then it became its own show and its sketches were shown regularly online. Like "Robot Chicken", a lot of these clips were stand alone, but it's always nice to see the entire episode. I have seen every episode. Well, it wasn't too hard, as there were only 20. This show is a parody of "Sesame Street" featuring inappropriate stuff like many Muppet parodies.

Now, this was something that grew on me. When I first saw the bits, I thought it was relying too much on shock humor. I then realized there was in fact a lot of effort put into it and it really was a one of a kind show. The puppet characters aren't specifically based off of characters from "Sesame Street". The sets and animation are extremely creative. Now, here's what some people didn't like.

Kids as young as 5 were saying pretty gross things and was this bad for their development? I am defending this, because I know that children know that something is a work of fiction and I know the parents consented to this. I assume it's the same process as any other R-rated movie or show that uses child actors. True, this is more direct to its approach than other works like that, but children know the difference between reality and fiction. It really was a shame this ended so soon because it was trying to make a point even with how gross it was. Just uh, don't let kids watch it, not that it's probably airing any episodes anywhere on TV anyway. ****

Satina (2019– )

Satina's so adorable

[10/10 · 27 March 2024]

This cartoon tells the story of a demon girl named Satina who is the daughter of Lucia, the Queen of Hell and her dad, a normal human named Dave. Even though there have been many shorts, there has really only been one episode that could be considered of average episode length. Still, they are referred to as episodes. The first is easily the best, because it's the longest. What's interesting is that we still don't even know much of Dave and Lucia's relationship. Are they married?

Are they divorced? We're not even sure which of them Satina lives them. She's shown living with either at times! Satina's the best character. It's mostly because of how utterly adorable she is! That can be hard to do with a demon girl.

Her voice is probably what sells it the best. Some people have compared this to "Hazbin Hotel" or "Helluva Boss". I guess demon characters are big recently. It's nowhere near as popular as them, but still wonderful in its own right. Dave seems like a pretty down to earth guy. Then again, as the Queen of Hell, Lucia's technically even more down, as she's IN the Earth. ****

Robot Chicken: May Cause Season 11 to End (2022) Season 11, Episode 20

Is this the end?

[9/10 · 22 March 2024]

So, this is the last episode of Season 11 and I believe it's the last episode of the show period. They joke at the end about having to wait six months for new episodes, but it's been over a year. The best segment here is the Noid sketch. The weird thing is that they actually got some stuff wrong. The incident with Kenneth Noid happened in 1989, not 1996. They also deny the character was discontinued for the crime.

The last line of this season and possibly the entire show is, "Dude, we can sell them on eBay!". The George Washington Barbie sketch was probably the worst. It was just kind of gross and not funny. It looks like Thanos has a better proportioned head this time. It's weird to review something with so many segments, but I'm making it work to celebrate me now watching every single episode of the show! It's been a great ride just seeing every segment I missed. ***

Robot Chicken: Happy Russian Deathdog Dolloween 2 U (2021) Season 11, Episode 12

A wonderful story!

[10/10 · 22 March 2024]

This episode is another special where it's all one story. At first, I was thinking I was getting tired of the Nerd constantly appearing on the show. You see him more fleshed out here. He goes to a costume party and finds himself trapped in a time loop. He somehow gains the powers of the character he dresses as. That makes no sense, but it's freaking awesome!

It doesn't repeat after a certain time. It repeats whenever he dies. After he's out of costumes, he'll be dead for good. I have to admit that is a unique take on the idea. In the end, he finds out the peach face guy who's been stalking him is in fact himself. He then defeats himself but giving himself (not the other him) confidence.

It's actually Loopy the Time Loop Toucan who did it! He was also behind the movie "Groundhog Day" because remember, they never did explain how the time loop happened there! It even ends with the Nerd talking to his crush. Then part of a plane falls on everyone. It also love how it outright asks if "Donnie Darko" is a time loop movie. I...think it is. ****

Robot Chicken DC Comics Special 3: Magical Friendship (2015 TV Movie)

It's the longest...by one minute

[10/10 · 16 March 2024]

This is the sixth "Robot Chicken" extra long episode overall and the title should tell you which DC Comic special it is. Anyway, this was incredible because it has an actual story with it. The first couple of segments are separate, but then it all becomes one big segment. It basically features Batman and Superman having a rivalry. It's certainly more entertaining than "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice". Batman is told by Superman he can travel back in time.

He ends up using a treadmill which was in fact from the comics. I love how Brianiac tells the audience this. Interestingly enough, he's just talking to a brick wall at first. He then appears to genuinely be talking to the audience. He ends up bringing a bunch of superheroes from other Universes. You who are fans of DC Comics should get most of the references.

I knew Negative Wonder Woman would show up eventually. It's resolved by Batman the janitor simply unplugging it. Another great gag is the guy with the rock meeting the guy with the paper and the guy with the scissors. The Flash joke was great too. It really is one joke after another. It can be hard to review a sketch special thing, but this works out wonderfully for a review. ****

Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale (2022)

RIP Akira Toriyama

[9/10 · 8 March 2024]

I watched this to commemorate the life of Akira Toriyama, the creator of "Dragonball". This fan film is great, featuring this alternate universe where Vegeta arrived to meet up with Goku when he was fighting Chi-Chi at the tournament. I initially thought it was Vegeta who was fighting Goku, but it turned out to be Brolly. What a great bait and switch! The scenes with Chi-Chi were the best in the short. I think she had the most accurate voice of any character there.

Vegeta's didn't seem quite right. I did love seeing these unique designs. I wasn't expecting Brolly to lose his hand! I guess that is something pretty rare in this franchise. Well, the limbs always grow back on a lot of these characters. There's a live-action segment at the end, which is a tad out of place.

It's still wonderful with how you can tell it's a different continuity, yet still faithful to the original. Thank you, Akira Toriyama, for giving us one of the best franchises ever. I feel bad knowing little about the guy himself. Anyway, this had a very unique kind of animation. It's always awesome to see Vegeta become an actual king! I mean, people have always wondered why he didn't become one if his father was dead. ****

Mad (2010–2022)

Yeah, not my thing

[5/10 · 5 March 2024]

I am a huge fan of "Mad" magazine and it would be interesting to see a more faithful TV adaptation than "MadTV". Unfortunately, this just isn't anywhere near as good. The main problem is that too much time is devoted to these random mashup parodies. The mashups are just too random to really enjoy. You could take any two pop culture icons and put them together for no reason. This show is by no means terrible.

There are definitely good jokes here and there. Yes, it does feel a lot like a tame version of "Robot Chicken". Unfortunately, by making the humor tamer you take away what made the magazine so funny. There's definitely creativity and it's pretty unpredictable. It's nice to see these different animation styles. It just doesn't add up to much. **

The Cleveland Show (2009–2013)

Rather pointless

[3/10 · 27 February 2024]

This is a spinoff from "Family Guy" focusing on Cleveland of course. He has a new family, which basically changes him to be more like Peter. I admit that on "Family Guy", he was one of the more likeable characters. Here, he just comes off as too boring. Maybe the best part is that there's only half of the cutaways that "Family Guy" has. It still doesn't change the fact that this has worse comedy.

Cleveland Jr. Is now fat. There was one episode where he claimed in this thoughts that he had gained weight, but another that said he killed the original Cleveland Jr. And stole his identity, which is honestly pretty funny. It's a good thing this was Seth MacFarlane's only animated show to stay cancelled. At least "Family Guy" has some good dynamics and episodes every now and then. Of course, it's even dumber that Mike Henry had to stop voicing Cleveland after the death of George Floyd. He did it for five years on this show and nobody cared! (not that anyone cared about this show to begin with) *1/2.

Epic Rap Battles of History (2010– )

Simon and Garfunkle Vs. Hall and Oates!

[10/10 · 24 February 2024]

"Epic Rap Battles" is an amazingly well done Internet series. The plot is simply that two people have epic rap battles. Despite the name, it's not just done with historical figures. It's literally any person, living or dead, real or fictional. Will it be real vs. Real? Real vs. Fictional? Fictional vs fictional?

Probably the most impressive thing is that the people on this really did their research! You have to be smart to understand a lot of the jokes and know the stuff that they're talking about. I think my favorite might be Ash Ketchum Vs. Charles Darwin. I get it, they're both about evolution! There really aren't that many episodes when compared to other long running YouTube shows. I imagine that must be because these episodes are very hard to make.

Even if the visuals don't always work out, you can constantly be entertained by the songs. I think the craziest one would have to be Genghis Khan vs. The Easter Bunny! Who seriously ordered that? I guess I could even compare this to "Death Battle". I mean, it's rap, not death, but there are some similarities. We even get some celebrities in this like Key and Peele! ****

Super Bowl LVIII (2024 TV Special)

Be like Jesus

[10/10 · 13 February 2024]

This Super Bowl admittedly didn't have the best commercials. Yes, that is statistically what most people watch the Super Bowl for. My favorite was probably the one showing the people washing the feet. I thought that was a commercial for some kind of shampoo, but instead it was about how Jesus loves us all. It's weird how that message can be anywhere. Here we have the San Francisco 49ers against the Kansas City Chiefs.

I used to live in Kansas, so naturally I was rooting for the KCC. They couldn't get in any points at first! They actually manage to get it down to a tie and went into overtime! They said this is the first time this has happened in 28 years! I assumed the winner would be the first one to score any points. Instead, the KCC got a touchdown and won!

I was so not seeing that happening! I don't even care about sports much, but this was amazing! This was a unique Super Bowl! I loved the cat commercials too. We got a cat saying "Mayo" and a cat dressed as a potato! I can understand better how sports games are important to many people. ****

Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku (1990 TV Movie)

A special?

[10/10 · 11 February 2024]

This has always confused me because many people refer to this as a "special" and not a "movie" like the literally over a dozen "Dragonball" films made. It's certainly longer than a lot of the movies, like "The Dead Zone", which is only 41 minutes long! Anyway, this is considered by many people to be the finest "Dragonball" related work to not have official involvement from the series creator, Akira Toriyama and I certainly agree! It's certainly one of the best origin stories ever made! This features Goku's father Bardock as he was the leader of a group of Saiyans who worked for Frieza. It starts off with him destroying some people who give him the power of precognition.

He's able to have visions of the future of his son, Goku but it's not until the end that he understands what these visions mean. His son is the one who will stop Frieza someday, or at least beat him the longest battle in the entire franchise. Eh, close enough. Frieza's fear is mostly of the Saiyans teaming up to beat him. It's weird to admit this, but I think it was interesting to see some backstory on characters like Dodoria. I mean, a lot of these guys don't have much purpose before Vegeta kills them. It's great how Bardock tricks Dodoria's own men into beating each other.

I've heard some people say it doesn't make sense that this special treats Goku as Bardock's only son, when he had a brother, Raditz. The answer's pretty simple, as Bardock simply doesn't even pay much attention to Goku in this, much less remember Raditz. While it's sad to see him go, there is this short manga that retcons his death as sending him to the past where it's revealed he was the original Super Saiyan! Whether or not this is canon, there's no doubt that this deserves respect as something that inspired Bardock to have a cameo in the manga. Either way, it's an extremely well driven plot giving humanity and loyalty to this character. Tying in directly into "Dragonball" at the end is wonderful too. ****

Roundhay Garden Scene (1888)

That twist!

[9/10 · 31 January 2024]

This is generally considered to be the first movie ever made. Well, not feature length. It features some people walking around and...that's it. This seriously has the funniest FAQ I've ever seen on this website. It's asked, "Are there any plans for a sequel?". It jokes about how hard it would be to film that.

It's wonderful that this website has a sense of humor. It's also probably the shortest movie ever created, as it's roughly two seconds long, maybe a tad longer. This is my first review made with this apparent new format this website has. I do have a problem in that the frame rate doesn't hold up. It looks like just a couple of pictures going by. Don't worry, special effects get better. ***1/2.

Death Battle (2010– )

Dr. Manhattan Vs. Squirrel Girl!

[10/10 · 24 January 2024]

"Death Battle" is a cartoon series that pits our favorite fictional characters fighting to the death! What's interesting is that a lot of these battles talk about statistics. They make sure to go over the stats of each character and rate their weapons, power and physical strength. It would be easy to just have a match where two characters fight. That's what MUGEN is for! Anyway, this has two great hosts, Wiz and Boomstick.

Boy, is Boomstick a great name! This series has gotten some controversy over the years, because of people who disagree with the turnouts. These people make sure to do their research and test everything. It's hard to disagree with them. If nothing else, it can give you a great update on how your favorite characters work. My favorite is probably Bill Cipher Vs. Discord.

Oh, I have good taste! That's the highest ranked episode here too! I like how they usually use characters that are at least comparable. Some are rather bizarre, but you can always learn about them. These are basically fanfics coming to life! The animation is always so slick and just fun to look at. ****

Return to Zootopia (2017)

Has its faults, but is still good

[7/10 · 16 January 2024]

It was very interesting to see a fanfiction come to life, as that's basically what this is. At two hours long, it's a lot for any animated movie! Well, it's more like a motion comic. How can it be one of those? They have actual captions! If you include this as an animation, then it is indeed the longest flash animated film on the entire Internet.

This movie features Nick and Judy come across the new mayor, a bunny named Miles Walker. He publicly exposes them as lovers, even though they aren't really established as lovers until after this statement. Hey, it's a lot better than the "Zootopia" abortion comics! It earns its PG-13 rating. I hold "Zootopia" up in a very high standard as it's my favorite non-Pixar Disney CGI movie. A real "Zootopia" comic sequel is coming out, and even though this lacks the humor of the original, it can still keep you satisfied until the real sequel. ***

Dexter's Laboratory: Chicken Scratch (2001)

It's a short AND an episode!

[8/10 · 9 January 2024]

This was a "Dexter's Laboratory" short that was shown in theaters before "The Powerpuff Girls Movie". It was eventually released as part of the latter seasons, which makes perfect sense. I know a ton of people hate this, mostly because it comes off as stupid. It features Dexter getting chickenpox and Deedee telling him that if he scratches them, he will turn into a chicken. He straps himself up to stop himself from scratching, but breaks through it and does in fact turn into a chicken.

The later seasons were definitely forgettable and pale, but this was just good for a short. The animation really does get a bump here. I just find it funny to see Dexter scratching himself and going insane and especially being strong enough to break through those straps. Yes, it's technically stupid, but I do in fact enjoy it. You can still ignore post Season 2 "Dexter's Laboratory" episodes. It's certainly better than most of those episodes. ***

Once Upon a Studio (2023)

Happy 100 indeed

[10/10 · 1 January 2024]

This short features all the Disney characters coming together for a group photo shot at the end. The real fun is seeing all the characters together. I'm going to say my favorite characters to see were the "Zootopia" characters. Dang, that is still my favorite of these Disney movies released since the beginning of the 21st century. They manage to do a lot in such a short time. They even use characters from Disney movies most people don't like, such as "Chicken Little".

I'm perfectly fine with that. They even use Asha, in an early appearance before "Wish" was released. It's a shame how that film was considered such a disappointment for a milestone celebration. This does not include any Pixar characters, BTW. I guess we'll have to wait until 2079 for that to happen. We get some great lines, like Eeyore saying they'll have to wait another 100 years to do this.

Yeah, so happy everyone appeared in character. I loved Elsa freezing the picture of Hans when mentioning the villains appearing. It makes sense, I mean it would be hard to have to work with the villains on this. Sorry to Adam (YMS) for not liking how Scar looked. You're the guy who said "Inside Out" was too similar to "Herman's Head" and that "Toy Story 3" was too similar to "Toy Story 2", so this is Disney getting back at your hypocrisy for saying how "Kimba The White Lion" wasn't like "The Lion King". Oh and Happy New Year and a hundred years of the most popular movie company ever! ****

South Park (Not Suitable for Children) (2023 TV Special)

It was quite unpredictable

[8/10 · 28 December 2023]

I have to admit that this wasn't nearly as good as the last special. Trey Parker and Matt Stone said they're specials, not movies! Anyway, this episode featured all the kids in "South Park" being addicted to this energy drink Cred. Clyde hides the fact that he doesn't have any. Meanwhile, Randy tries to make extra money by making porn on an OnlyFans profile. I hadn't even heard of OnlyFans before!

I didn't know about Prime Beverages either. The best scene was probably when the kids got to Pueblo and children were killed. Yeah, that's morbid, but it's to be expected from this show. While slow moving, I was still eager to see what would happen next. The miners joke was nicely done too. This is why I just avoid social pornographic websites. ***

Wonka (2023)

A world of pure imagination indeed

[9/10 · 25 December 2023]

The trailers gave us an impression of a heartwarming movie and that's exactly what we got. This is probably not a direct prequel to the 1971 film, although the Oompa Loompas do look exactly as they do in that movie. This movie features Willy Wonka being tricked into working in a laundromat because he didn't read the fine print, a reference to the original film. He meets other people who were tricked and they help him escape so he can sell his chocolate. The imagery is amazing, although there's only one Oompa Loompa who doesn't appear until halfway through the film. It's certainly a wonderfully colorful movie.

The best part about the movie is that it's a wonderfully upbeat film. My brother was even crying through it and he almost never cries! I wish I could have looked to see him do that. The sidestory with the orphan was probably the most heartwarming. Even the funny sidestories end up becoming relevant in the end. What a wonderful film and a very Merry Christmas for everyone! ***1/2.

Rick and Morty: Fear No Mort (2023) Season 7, Episode 10

I liked it, just didn't think it was great

[8/10 · 18 December 2023]

This is kind of a strange episode as it features Morty going into a hole where he has to confront his fears. He jumps out of the hole a total of nine times, I think. It's times like these that make me wish I hadn't read the spoilers. Okay, it turns out Rick was never accompanying Morty and Morty's biggest fear was Rick never calling him irreplaceable. The best part was the end (before the credits) where Rick puts Morty's picture up for people who conquered their fears in the hole. It was interesting to see Diane.

The creators confirmed that even though this whole thing was an illusion, this was in fact the way Diane acted. Yeah, I really didn't think it was that interesting for a season finale. The part after the credits with Mr. Poopybutthole was great. I just wish there was more action in this. Denny's really is a great restaurant. The opening was pretty much unlike the rest of the episode. ***

Frosty the Snowman (1969 TV Short)

My childhood was good enough

[8/10 · 14 December 2023]

I have to admit that while I watched a ton of Christmas movies and specials, there were so many more that I missed! Anyway, this was a good special, but I wouldn't call it a classic. It was too bad we didn't get to see more of Frosty playing with the kids. The plot is, well just listen to the song. They added an evil magician which is where the hat comes from. It's a nice touch, but it seems like they're trying to put too much into a special.

The animation holds up extremely well and it's great to watch. It's great to see Jimmy Durante appear as a cartoon version of himself. Karen's the only real kid character who's important to the plot. The most emotional part is when Frosty melts. I mean, you really do feel for Karen in this scene. While rushed, still a fine cartoon, even though it's not on the level of something like "A Charlie Brown Christmas". ***