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Gags used by The Nostalgia Critic in various episodes.

One-Use Gags[]

The Nostalgia Critic tends to use running gags throughout his reviews. However, most are often self-contained to the one video. These include (but are not limited to)...

  • Various parodies of Nintendo's "Now you're playing with power" slogan in response to questionable behavior (including "incest", "vehicular manslaughter", and "pedophilia...and that's just wrong") and overly praising villain Lucas while "Oh Yeah" by Yello from Ferris Bueller's Day Off plays in The Wizard.
  • The "Ambiguously Gay Duo" theme used to describe homo-erotic themes and making escape and suicide attempts throughout the entire review in Batman & Robin.
  • The ruler hitting him over the head in Captain Planet every time he says "ruler" as a response to Wheeler saying "fire" to make fire appear.
  • Erotic overtones and comparisons to John McCain in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
  • The repeated use of the word 'Genius!' to describe cheesy scenes and dialogue in Surf Ninjas.
  • "Duck-Tits Woo Hoo!" in his Howard the Duck review, a callback to "Duck-Tales Woo Hoo!" which was first featured in The Top 11 Catchiest Theme Songs.
  • A tumbleweed flying across the screen after bad jokes on Good Burger.
  • Playing the Imperial March and screaming "Jonas!" every time Jonas and his crew drive past in the Twister review, also promoting random products to reflect Jonas selling out.
  • Playing the Friday the 13th theme for certain appearances of Macaulay Culkin's character in The Good Son.
  • "Why? Jackson wills it!" from Moonwalker.
  • Making many imitations of Number 5/Johnny 5 in his Short Circuit 1 & 2 reviews, which are mostly done by jerkily moving his arms and saying synonyms of his opinion on a scene.
  • Different examples of what Willy's whale sounds sound like ("It sounds like Jar-Jar Binks in a blender!") in Free Willy.
  • Shooting Mother Brain from Captain N: The Game Master, saying "I'm awesome." and having the screen flash 'End of Series' while the Captain N announcer says the intro.
  • The way nobody in Judge Dredd can say the word "law" like a normal person.
  • In the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special review, a counter was used to tally the gay jokes he could have made.
  • A Manchine puppy advertisement in the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special.
  • Mocking Vanilla Ice's whiteness (complete with a "white-o-meter") in Cool As Ice.
  • "EXTREME!" from Airborne.
  • In Blank Check, describing clichéd moments as "Bland Shit 101" (two times with animated feces falling down the screen).
  • Nostalgia Critic questions a scene in a movie that makes no sense of why it's in there and says "Cheese." A picture of Cheese comes up as it says 'CHEESE! It's as good as any other answer." Also, Da-Jodel-Rudel plays when that happens.
  • The Nostalgia Critic impersonating multiple voices from The Care Bears Movie when the Care Bears' ship came from behind a rock attacking a specter crow with a united Care Bears Stare, saying "Taste the Rainbow, mothafucka!"
  • STUFF! when contraptions work in Waterworld.
  • Following Jack Black's quotes with phrases by Khan from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in NeverEnding Story III.
  • Following Marlon Wayans' buzzing sounds with Chris Tucker as Ruby Rhod from The Fifth Element in Dungeons and Dragons.
    • Also, many jokes regarding a villain with blue lips ("You got something on your lips...").
  • Scene transition with the Critic in front of a psychedelic background (parodying the one from Austin Powers) in Inspector Gadget. It was once use again in Son of the Mask.
  • Screenwriting Cliché #x in Milk Money.
  • A hand slapping the Critic every time he makes a sexual joke about Catherine Zeta-Jones in the review of The Haunting.
  • A clip from A Few Good Men of Jack Nicholson as Colonel Jessup saying, "You fucking people," in the review of Doug's First Movie.
    • "BUT I DIGRESS!"
  • The 'Be Disturbed' button that was pressed during moments in The Cell that were meant to be disturbing (e.g. The Horse scene), which makes a voice say 'BE DISTURBED' along with screaming. The former is parodied when Vince Vaughn's character is being tortured with 'Be Disturbed. Now Turned on. Now confused. Now Disturbed Again'. The gag is used in tandem with the "Ask me what it means!" gag below.
  • Variations of "Turtles, fight with honor!" (Like: Turtles, fight with cement!) in the TMNT review.
  • In the review for Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Critic says/yells "It's Thomas The Fucking Tank Engine!!!" whenever Peter Fonda's character acts depressed when the film is supposed to be lighthearted and fun.
    • "Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!" "Fuck yeah, sparkle, sparkle, sparkle!"
  • In The King and I, the Critic had title card "on stand-by" that said, "You heard right" when the most impractical things happen in the movie (i.e. the dragon is defeated by whistling and twirling).
  • A cutout of Count von Count from Sesame Street appearing to count how many times Dr. Seuss rolled in his grave in The Cat in the Hat. But he used it again in Baby's Day Out and count crouch shot wasn't funny.
  • In Alone in the Dark when Christian Slater's character would monologue, he'd say, "Why the hell was I in Star Trek VI?" in reference to his cameo in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as a minor character with no use.
  • In Bridge to Terabithia, when questioning the more odd aspects of the fantasy world, it is answered with "TERABITHIA; GOD DAMNIT!" 
  • In Dawn of the Commercials, the Wicked Witch of the West sexually harassing men, with the men being confused.
  • During the Man of Steel review, Angry Joe having a traumatic childhood involving a lobster suit, nipple tasers, nitroglycerine and venomous ferrets.
    • "I AM JESUS!"
  • In the Eight Crazy Nights review, when the Happy Madison audience laughs at the grossest thing possible.
  • In Face/Off when Nostalgia Critic wants to add doves to emotional scenes.
  • In After Earth and Pluto Nash, the Critic uses "THE FUTURE" as an excuse for weird technology.
  • In Child's Play 2, Nostalgia Critic made it seem like Phil Simpson was a killer when in the film, he was just one of Chucky's victims.
  • A shot of Stephen King during the intro to Maximum Overdrive in front of the truck saying, "Because somebody had to do Stephen King right", which is played after every plot hole in said film.
  • Summarizing and skipping over the many rambling philosophical speeches in The Matrix Reloaded.
  • In the Mamma Mia review, whenever there's something pandering to the female audience in the film, the NC emphasises, "We're the good chick flick."
  • Getting electrocuted in the balls every time he curses in Demolition Man.
  • The "Swell-O-Meter" in Reefer Madness. Used to make fun of how many times the word "swell" is used in the film.
  • In Jupiter Ascending, the Critic uses a sidepot for the other movies that the film was obviously ripping off.
  • The "Jem Fan" meter is used in the Jem and the Holograms review each time there's an element in the movie that pisses them off.
  • In Quest for Camelot, the Critic's frustrations with the movie's lack of explanation causes him to trigger nuclear explosions that level the whole town.
  • In Blues Brothers 2000, the Critic dubs in several characters' dialog when they angrily tell Elwood off about something or other in the movie: "You got no plot, you got no comedy, you don't even have the other Blues Brother! Unless you [have something to offer me that is a thousand times better than this crappy film], count me the fuck out of this!"
    • A clip from the original movie of Jake saying "Bullshit" is used when something nonsensical happens in the newer movie.
  • In Ghost Rider 2 - Spirit of Vengeance, every time the Critic cannot find an answer to an issue with the movie, he just shows a clip of the maids from Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement dancing and banging pots.
  • In The THIRD Animated Titanic Movie, any time something in the movie happens that completely makes no sense, a clip from The Departed is played, showing Matt Damon's character saying in a bored tone, "Okay".
  • In The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, any time a possible homosexual innuendo between Fred and Barney happens, an audio clip from the Flintstones theme plays, saying, "We'll have a gay old time".
  • In Hulk, any time something unexciting is happening in the movie, the Critic screams "THE HULK!!" in desperation as the said title appears on screen with a dramatic sting.
  • In Woody Woodpecker, the logo of the Dark Universe appears with a music sting several times when Woody Woodpecker either appears unexpectedly or does something violent to humans.
  • In Ghostbusters 2, when people do stuff that's generally dickish or makes no sense, a clip of Winston from the first movie is played where he says "I love this town!"
  • In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, any time a scene has a failed jumpscare, a Raptor Man says "Wah-waaaah!"
  • In The Search for Santa Paws, whenever something surprisingly disturbing or grim happens, Critic nervously sings "Santa Paws, Santa Paws" to the ironically cheery tune of "Jingle Bells."
  • In Hop, whenever a seemingly dark or strange theme occurs, the logo for the movie appears with an announcer saying "Hop" followed by a fake slogan, and then once again "Hop" except for the last time because the announcer is "too depressed". The gag would later be reused once for the next review, Stuart Little.
    • "Lines we all know the real Russell Brand said"
  • In Barney's Great Adventure, where Barney, Abby and Cody looks and thinks at the magical egg what could happens.
  • In Hannibal, the YouTube representative says "Nope! You can't show it on YouTube unless you want to be demonetized!". And as a result, the Critic has to come up with a alternative. The gag would later be reused once for the Demon Knight review.
  • Oftentimes when there's a pause in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, ominous music plays as text fades in reading "The Disturbing Pause Zone".
  • In Supergirl, whenever a scene had a possibly erotic undertone, it would cut to a skit of Malcolm playing a writer upset that he mixed the movie script up with a porn script.
  • In The Hunchbank of Notre Dame, NC kept track of a number of time's Frollo's voice supposedly caused women to leave the room when he said something kind of sexual.
  • In Playing With Fire, there was a counter that marked anytime it would use a reaction shot of the dog.
  • In Batman Returns, the announcer anytime would say "Merry Christmas from Kenner, Play-Doh, Diet Coke and Golden Books!"
  • In An American Tail, when Fievel was still lost in New York his family but missed or passed each other, they're counted as "Goddammit Just Look That Way!"
  • In Hancock, there was a counter that marked every time a joke about the Will Smith slapping incident at the Oscars could've been placed, since Doug edited the video the day after it happened and couldn't make any jokes.
  • In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, whenever the movie shows a shot of boys sitting on toilets, they're counted as "Awkward Boy Sitting On Toilet Scenes".
  • In Elf, several clips of Will Ferrell's over-the-top performance as Buddy are counted as "That Moments That Scarred Parents Because Kids Try To Reenact It IRL".
  • In Click, counted as "Walken Moments Band-Aiding This Movie".
  • In South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Chaplin subs in words with the same meaning for any major expletives in the film, to prevent demonetization, as well as a clip for "DOLORES!" from Seinfeld in place of the word "clitoris".
  • In The Road to El Dorado, counted as "Burn Him With Fire Hot Take".
  • In The Flash, counted as "Shirt Tugging" Moments That Remind Us Of The Real World Ezra Miller.

Running Gags[]

Gag Description Uses
"HAW HAW!" Nelson from The Simpsons says "HAW HAW!" whenever something bad happens.
Or do they?! Whenever the Nostalgia Critic explains that the film's heroes "live happily ever after, or do they?!" This suggests the film is going to end in a cliffhanger.
60s Batman elements This joke uses various camp elements from the 60s Batman TV series to make fun of certain parts of the movie.
"Y'know, for kids!" "Y'know, for kids" or something similar stated below often describes something violent, disturbing or suggestive found in a children's film. The phrase is derived from the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy.
The 9mm pistol This centers on the Critic producing a pistol and either threatening something (or someone) annoying him, actually shooting them dead, or in preparation for a suicide attempt.
Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba! Used as a sarcastic exclamation to something obvious which is supposed to be surprising.
"Adventure HO!" Nostalgia Critic poses in front of an action scene as if an adventure is starting after he points out the show he's discussing has a very simple premise, such as focusing on babies or depicting a kid living in the Bronx. The Critic's enthusiasm in the delivery and pose are proportional to the level of excitement he felt while watching the show. It was very short lived.
  • Nicktoons
  • Nickcoms (Adventure HOE, used to make fun of Melissa Joan Hart as Clarissa Darling.)
"Bad Touch!" The Critic would shout this when an adult touched a child in what he believed to be an inappropriate way. When such an event occurs, the Critic would shout "Bad Touch!" or call the police on his cell phone.
"ELEPHANT!" First used in reference to You Can't Do That on Television's running gag of dumping slime onto anyone who said the phrase "I don't know"; the Nostalgia Critic, seeing this as random, compares it to the idea that every time he would say the word "elephant", the Burger King would appear. In future appearances, this word seems to be the Nostalgia Critic's "safe word" that would bring him back to reality when he sees something totally bizarre. The Critic shouts the word "elephant", causing the image of the Burger King to appear and bring himself back to sanity.
Good actor forced into bad movie. The Critic complains about a good actor being in a lame movie. Occasionally, the complaint will include him imagining a scenario where the actor is forced into the movie, with the scenario depicted actually being a clip from a much better film they appeared in with edited/revoiced audio.
Bat Credit Card The Critic goes into a rage and shouts death threats and sometimes starts shooting things with his pistol when someone brings up Batman's "Bat Credit Card" (unofficial name) from Batman & Robin.
  • Batman & Robin
  • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ("Bat Credit Card." "A BAT CREDIT CARD?!")
  • Top 11 Nostalgia Critic F*** Ups Part II
  • Atop the Fourth Wall: Silent Hill: Dead/Alive #3 and 4
  • Rover Dangerfield (As Nostalgia Kitten, "A cat credit card?")
  • You're a Rotten Dirty Bastard Bloopers (With Spoony)
  • Top 11 Dumbest Spider-Man Moments ("No! That didn't happen!")
  • Top 11 Batman TAS Episodes ("Don't tempt me, Clooney!")
  • Screen Junkies 1 Year Anniversary
  • Christmas with the Kranks (Young Nostalgia Critic says it)
  • Transformers: Age of Extinction (Blockbuster Buster)
  • The Phantom of the Opera (Tim mentions it, and NC shoots at him to shut him up)
  • Atop the Fourth Wall: Batman and Robin: The Official Comic Adaptation
  • Dreamcatcher (Mentioned among other running gags)
  • Top 11 Worst Movie Sequels (while talking about "Batman & Robin", a shot of this is shown while the Critic says, "They so don't care that they even gave [Batman] a... (through clenched teeth) you-know-what...")
  • Atop the Fourth Wall: Batman: The Official Movie Adaptation (Showing up at Linkara's, NC complains how their previous encounter broke the joke)
  • Batman Returns (Maybe they had a line of credit and they called– I'm not digging up old wounds)
  • The Simpsons Movie (image)
  • Aladdin (NC) (Image)
The Arnold Schwarzenegger Impression NC does an impression of Arnie.
"Put That Cookie Down!" Also originally from Jingle All the Way, this is a sub gag of the above that is used when Arnold is first introduced in movies. It is a mash-up of Arnold Schwarzenegger's line from Jingle All the Way.
Boner Finger Sometimes, when the Nostalgia Critic gets aroused, he points his left index finger in a manner that suggests he is getting an erection.
Zuul, Motherfucker, ZUUL! The gag refers to The Gatekeeper Zuul, a Terror Dog from the Ghostbusters movie franchise. Each time a demonic monster shows up in a film, Doug says the line, echoing the monster from the movie.
Acting Like Commercials If the Critic points out an actor who acts more like he or she is in a commercial than a movie, he will superimpose various logos over clips of the actor.
Pee-Wee Herman's Anti-Crack PSA Pee-Wee Herman teaching children about crack ranked #1 in the Critic's Top 11 Drug PSAs video because he found it absurd to hire Paul Reubens, who hosted a crazy show, played a drug peddler in Blow, and masturbated in public (granted it was an adult theater) to promote avoiding drugs, especially to teach it in character as Pee-Wee Herman. Later, it's used to show how wrong it is to use drugs.
Sonic Says This joke uses the viral PSA from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog about being touched inappropriately. The Critic will often suggest showing it after viewing a scene where an adult character acts impulsively creepy towards a child character.
The Elephant in the Room In literal reference to the old adage, the elephant in the room will appear (as a drawing by Doug) whenever the Nostalgia Critic is blatantly skipping over a touchy subject that he knows will be brought up. The elephant has also appeared along with the Nostalgia Critic in an episode of Familiar Faces. It seems the elephant will always appear at the mere mention of the words "Jonathan Brandis".
  • The NeverEnding Story II (regarding Jonathan Brandis' suicide)
  • Next Top 11 NC Fuckups (regarding the autism joke in "Ernest Saves Christmas")
  • It (since Jonathan Brandis appears)
  • Familiar Faces: Baby Doll
  • Pen And Paper Corner: Ironclaw
  • Ponyo (When the Critic came close to making a joke about the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, regarding all of Sosuke's home being underwater)
  • Top 11 Simpsons Episodes (regarding the Critic's refusal to mention his Let's Play video of "Bart's Nightmare")
  • Pixels (Pointing out that this movie is similar to an episode of "Futurama")
  • Dreamcatcher (Doesn't appear, but is mentioned among other running gags)
"Chuck Norris!" Sometimes, after someone in a movie attempts something seemingly impossible, the Critic will proclaim that only Chuck Norris can pull it off. Usually, this is followed by the appearance of a photograph of Chuck Norris against a firework background and someone exclaiming his name in a high-pitched voice.
The Gollum Impression If a character undergoes a sudden change in personality and behavior, the Critic will mimic the change by acting out an argument between Smeagol from "The Lord of the Rings" and his Gollum half.
TIMING! One of the Critic's most proudly annoying gags; introduced in Casper, the cartoon ghost jumps at the screen and says "TIMING!".

The Exposition Song

A song that is sung by Casper and the Critic when an excessive exposition (revealing a major plot point through an otherwise inconsequential bit of dialogue) is made in a movie.
The Classic Morning Machine Gag Introduced in Casper, a morning/breakfast machine gag is used and Nostalgia Critic says it was never used in a movie before and then mentions a bunch of movies it was used in. The most notable ones he uses are "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" and "Several Wile E. Coyote cartoons".
I WAS FROZEN TODAY! Originally a one use gag that suddenly became a running gag. He uses it whenever a character is frozen. The origin comes from the Suburban Commando review when Christopher Lloyd's character was arguing with Hulk Hogan.
Tickle Me Amy A gorilla doll called the "Tickle Me Amy" (parody of Tickle Me Elmo) says some inappropriate words and phrases when she's tickled.
MAN! When a film shows humans harming animals or the environment, the Critic dramatically says "MAN!" then dramatic music is played and the word "MAN!" is shown next to a picture of a cute or endangered animal with a single tear running down their face. Sometimes an 1930's style announcer will speak about how man is bad while they show clips from the movie in black and white.
  • Ferngully: The Last Rainforest
  • Ferngully 2
  • Once Upon a Forest
  • Jurassic Park: The Lost World
  • Free Willy
  • Grease 2
Ha-Bullshit Critic used this twice to show obvious remakes.
DOUCHE! If a character, particularly a male character acts like, well, a douche, the word is stamped over that character with a voice saying it.
  • Blank Check
  • Old vs New: King Kong
  • Conan the Destroyer
  • Familiar Faces: Baby Doll
Bond Theme The playing of the theme from James Bond.
"Explain, movie! Explain!" Used when movies fail to explain the plot.
  • Quest for Camelot (he shouts this so loud he accidentally nukes his neighborhood and probably elsewhere)
  • Old VS New: Nutty Professor
  • Next Top 11 F*ck-Ups
Mako Worship In the TMNT review, the Critic took a moment to criticize the voice actor for Splinter (Mako). Fans of Mako were outraged and he quickly apologized. Ever since, when Mako is mentioned in a review, the Critic smiles innocently and reaches for an angelic picture of Mako's face in the top right corner of the screen. It's now a dead gag.
Scary Slo-Mo The Nostalgia Critic uses this for scenes that are (possibly) supposed to be funny, but just come off as either creepy, disturbing, or just plain damn weird.
Goofy Holler Goofy's yelling "YAAAAAAA-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOOEEEYYYY!!!" from the Disney cartoons is added to people falling.
"CAT!" Introduced in End of Days, The Nostalgia Critic screams "CAT!" whenever a failed jump scare appears, like a cat jumping out.
Dr. Smith Introduced in Lost in Space, Dr. Spider Smith (played by Doug Walker) appears and talks about his plans of world domination and spiders, which annoys The Nostalgia Critic.
"That's a Lot of Fish" This running gag from Godzilla is done whenever there is, indeed, a lot of fish or whenever something involves Matthew Broderick.
THE END This running gag from Rover Dangerfield is used when the characters in an animated movie appear to be caught in an inescapable death, followed by a title card saying "THE END" and accompanied by the Looney Tunes theme.
Musical Number The Critic occasionally sings a musical number in a few videos, either ones written from scratch or parodies of other songs.
  • Batman & Robin ("Supercrapafuckarificexpialabullshit", sung to the tune of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious)
  • FernGully: ("Cheap Toxicite", sung to the tune of "Sweet Transvestite" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
  • Waterworld ("STUFF!", sung to the tune of the '60s Batman theme)
  • Garbage Pail Kids (sung to the tune of the 2001: Space Odyssey theme)
  • Suburban Commando ("Rip-off" sung to the tune of the Star Wars theme)
  • Casper ("Filler Night", to the tune "of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson).
  • Holiday Clusterf**k
  • Star Wars Holiday Special (The Santa Christ theme song to the tune of "The First Noel")
  • Commando (Arnold's theme song)
  • Junior (The Boring Song to the tune of "Phantoms" by Paik)
  • Commercial Special (sung to the tune of "Poor Jack")
  • The Thief and the Cobbler ("I Heart Love")
  • Little Monsters (sung to the tune of the montage music)
  • Once Upon a Forest (Toxic Gas, sung to the tune of "Toxic Love" from Ferngully)
  • Secret of NIMH 2 (Timmy and the Brain, sung to the tune of Pinky and the Brain)
  • Revenge of the Commercials (Zack the Psycho Maniac)
  • James and the Giant Peach ("Rhinos")
  • The Tommyknockers (Stephen King's Maine to the tune of the Gilligan's Island theme)
  • Nostalgia Chick: The Worst Witch (Sung "Everyone's A Whore On Haloween" to the tune of "Everyone Loves Halloween")
  • The Cell ("Pee-Wee's Dungeon", a parody of the opening theme to Pee-Wee's Playhouse)
  • Moulin Rouge (Sung various songs parodying some of the songs in the movie throughout the review, the songs are parodies of Welcome to the Moulin Rogue, El Tango de Roxanne, and The Show Must Go On)
  • The King and I ("You're a Mean One, Kralahome", to the tune of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch")
  • Les Miserables (Same as in Moulin Rouge, the songs are parodies of Prolouge/Work Song, I Dreamed A Dream, Master of the House, A Heart Full of Love, One Day More, Stars, Javert's Suicide, and Do You Hear the People Sing)
  • Last Airbender (Sung to the tune of a sailor song)
  • Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer ("Critic Didn't Like This Part", sung to the tune of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", "The Old Broad Got Run Over By a Reindeer", sung to the tune of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", and "I Fucking Love Christmas")
  • Daredevil (Mimics the rock singer over the credits)
  • Legend of Zorro (Sung his own version of the Zorro theme song)
  • Hocus Pocus (Nostalgic Spell on You, a parody of I Put a Spell on You)
  • The Phantom of the Opera (Same as in Moulin Rouge and Les Miserables, the songs are parodies of Think of Me, The Mirror, The Phantom of the Opera, Notes, All I Ask of You, Wishing You Were Somehow Here, and The Point of No Return)
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks (Parody of "The Girls and Boys of Rock and Roll" from The Chipmunks Adventure)
  • Beauty and the Beast (2017) (Disney's Bland Remake, a parody of "Beauty and the Beast" song)
  • Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins (Brief parody of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! intro)
  • Ghostbusters 2 (First, a brief parody of Glinda's song in The Wizard of Oz, and over the credits, the parody of a Perfect Strangers theme song)
  • The Wall (Same as in Moulin Rogue, Les Miserables, and Phantom of the Opera, the songs are parodies of When the Tigers Broke Free, Another Brick in the Wall, Goodbye Blue Sky, Comfortably Numb, In The Flesh, Waiting for the Worms, Bring the Boys Back Home and Trial.)
Psyche Hitler Either showing the clip from "Captain America" where a man shouts "Heil Hitler!" and shoots a scientist, or the Critic saying "Psyche! Heil Hitler!"
"Fucking Bubbles!" Showing a clip from the Return of the Nostalgic Commercials review showing the product "Bubble Thing。"
The Wunder Boner Showing a clip from the second Nostalgia Critic Commercial review advertising "The Wunder Boner".
"That's...That's Chaos Theory" Showing a clip from Jurassic Park of Jeff Goldblum's character in the Jeep going "That's, that's chaos theory." Used when referencing Jeff Goldblum's acting or Jurassic Park in general.
Convertible "wow" When a convertible is shown, cuts to the girl in the Barbie commercial saying "wow."
  • Return of the Nostalgic Commercials
  • Inspector Gadget
"What?!? Pumpkin?!?" Whenever something random involving a pumpkin appears.
  • The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
  • The Thief and the Cobbler
Mindfuck When a strange chase scene occurs and the song "Flagpole Sitta" is played.
  • The Tom and Jerry Movie
  • Top 11 Nostalgic Mindfucks (he's counting down mindfuck scenes in movies). Although in this video the music used was "The Greatest Show Unearthed" by Creature Feature.
  • Jingle All the Way (Similar, but is instead called "WE DON'T CARE!", and different music plays)
  • Thief and the Cobbler
Sweet Transvestite Done when Tim Curry appears sometimes.
  • Nicktoons
  • Ferngully
  • Top 11 Villain Songs
  • IT
  • Once Upon a Forest (he sings a parody of "Toxic Love" from FernGully instead after hoping the smoke released will sound like Tim Curry)
  • A variation is used in Osmosis Jones, where Critic sings "Toxic Love" from FernGully to mock Thrax (who is played by Laurence Fishburne).
"Drat! I've been foiled by the power of love" Done when a villain is defeated by love.
Entirely Pointless/This has been another pointless moment When a pointless scene occurs.
  • Street Fighter
  • Captain America
  • Bebe's Kids
  • The Room
  • Once Upon a Forest (a clip of Slappy Squirrel saying "That was pointless." after the gospel number by the birds.)
  • Wicker Man
"Circle of Life Parody" When a movie opens with a sunrise, a Circle of Life parody is sung.
  • Congo
  • Zeus and Roxanne
"Monkey!" When Dennis Hopper appears or when a monkey is involved.
"It's Not Pop Tarts!" Used when someone asks, "What's so cool it's hot and so hot it's cool?" Based on the confusing tag line of an early Pop Tarts commercial.
Scary Care Bears Face When Mickey Rooney appears.
FAIL! When a character fails to save the day or the Critic pans an actor's performance, the word FAIL appears.
Drinking out of skull and firing gun When a child is messed up, he compares it to his childhood and his need to do that every once in a while.
  • Street Fighter
  • Animaniacs Tribute
  • Pound Puppies and the Legend of the Big Paw
"IT'S AFTERBURNER!" When the game Afterburner is shown, but the people in the movie call it something else.
  • Suburban Commando
  • Return of the Nostalgic Commercials
Awkward Levels Rising When a scene should be awkward, he notes "Awkward Levels Rising".
Rapping Dog From Titanic - The Legend Goes On and is used when an animal raps.
"Rrrheumatism!" When a character trrrills an r, Cornelius from Once Upon a Forest appears, saying "Rrrheumatism".
"Boomer Will Live!" A phrase exclaimed whenever a dog falls into or barely out of harm's way.
  • Independence Day
  • Ernest Scared Stupid ("Rimshot will live!")
  • The Lost World: Jurassic Park ("Boomer will... oooh... ummm... we'll getchya another Boomer.)
  • Star Trek: Generations ("Spot (a cat) will live")
  • Sharknado ("Boomer will... uhhh, we did a Zuul motherfucker joke last time")
  • Man of Steel ("Boomer will... be saved by John even though it would've been a lot easier if he just sent Clark go in to get him, causing John to hurt his leg unable to make it back in time, but he stops Clark from saving him because he's an attention hungry martyr who doesn't want Clark to be outted even though he's gonna be outted just a few years later anyway.")
  • Christmas with the Kranks
  • Starship Troopers ("Boom- OOOOOOH... No Boomer")
  • Independence Day: Resurgence ("Boomer... is like really dead.")
"Did someone say, 'care'?" The Critic says, "I don't care," and unintentionally summons a Care Bear.
  • The Care Bears Movie
  • Secret of NIMH 2
  • Care Bears in Wonderland
DuckTales Theme The catchiest theme song ever will never leave! Shows up randomly.
"Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should!" The Critic talks about smoking, then shows a clip of Fred and Wilma Flintstone endorsing Winston Cigarettes.
The Stephen King Drinking game The Critic plays a drinking game when watching Stephen King movie adaptations. He drinks whenever a Stephen King cliche (Such as flashbacks) is shown.
"BEAR!" Clip of Charlton Heston saying "I want that BEAR!" or the Critic just saying "BEAR".
  • Alaska
  • The Avengers (Was voted over DARK HEART'S "Time for a game of disappearing bears," and Christopher Walken's "This is not over.... BEARS!")
  • Wicker Man (mentioned via photo book)
Sky-gina The main characters in the film approach and/or enter a cosmic worm hole that kind of looks like a cosmic vagina.
"Time for a game of disappearing bears" Care Bears clip showing bears vanishing.
DVD Quote An edited critic quote on a DVD of the film he's reviewing is shown.
Queenly Princesses The Critic asks if a princess who rules over a country in absence of her parents, the king and the queen, does not call herself a queen because the title "princess" sounds prettier.
  • The Super Mario Bros. Super Show (Though the Critic said this would apply more to Princess Zelda from the video games, since the cartoon shows her kingly father.)
  • The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Captain N
  • The Magic Voyage
  • Felix the Cat - The Movie
  • Star Chaser
"Scaring the little GIRL?!" A clip of Mr. Toomey from The Langoliers saying this.
"ABBOT!" The Critic says this word in a high voice, apparently whenever a character in a movie experiences something scary.
"I'm acting!" The Critic says this in imitation of whatever actor was talking in the film, mocking their acting.
Alan Smithee The Critic mentions this name, a fake name actually used by many film directors when they wish to disown a film.
Catherine ZEETA Jones! Whenever Catherine Zeta Jones appears in a movie, the Critic exclaims "Oh Snap!" as porno music begins to play over her clips. He says her name in a loosely Mexican accent putting much emphasis on her middle name. The Critic shows extreme infatuation for her. He then says "I don't care if you - something humiliating toward her career-. ONE DAY, YOU WILL BE MINE!"
Robin whining When someone in a movie sounds too whiny, the Critic plays some clips of Robin griping in gibberish.
"This is most unorthodox!" When in a movie an elder person or a group with laws that last from centuries are contradicted or outraged, Doug will speak this phrase with a British accent. Usually this joke is accompanied by a gibberish sound which represent elder people grumble as though flabbergasted.
  • Saved By the Bell (used for the oil tycoon represent, but with a louder voice)
  • Little Monsters (used for a school janitor)
  • The Avengers (used for the members of the Boodles club that doesn't allow women from 1762 and where Emma Peel is walking)
  • Patch Adams (used many times in representation of the medical order being outraged by Patch's methods)
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Pixels (Done by the Apple Sandler)
  • Alice Through the Looking Glass (NC overdubs the guests at the party Alice attends)
  • Freddy Got Fingered (this time, NC overdubs the customers with "Most orthodox!" because the dialogue in the movie is too predictable)
Randy Newman/Phil Collins Song

When there is a pointless song or pointless music playing in the film, the Critic mockingly imitates Randy Newman, or in later reviews, Phil Collins, singing a song about the thing said pointless song/music is focused on.

"Bend your knees! Use your arms!" A reference from Surf Ninjas, when Johnny teaches an army of ninjas how to surf.
It Happens When something weird occurs and NC responds with "It Happens" with subtitles appearing at the bottom
"Fuck YOU, Asshole!" This comes from a line uttered by John Matrix (Arnold Schwarzenegger) in Commando a hit-man holds a gun at Arnold and says "Fuck you, Asshole." The gun is jammed, and Arnold replies with the same line, annunciation the word "you". This line is dubbed when a character is attacked by someone in the weakest way possible, and strongly swats that person in return.
  • Commando (the source)
  • Transformers Cartoon
  • Scooby-Doo
Pulling the "NOT!" card When a character/characters (most specifically kids) look like they are reasoning with the other side, or apologizing, they immediately say "NOT!" to contradict what they previously said. Comically, Nostalgia Critic acts defenseless as a victim of the NOT line, as well as noting how childish the card is.
Doug Theme The Nostalgia Critic has a huge hatred for the 90's TV Nicktoon Doug. Could it be because the show was so entirely "bland and boring" to comprehend, or could it be his torturous curse of coincidentally sharing the same name as the titled character? Still not convinced? See how long he lasts once he hears that iconic theme song?

The theme song to Doug is randomly played, sometimes when The Critic wants to change the song because it's too catchy.

Cut! When the camera is held on a particular shot for a long time, or if a scene drags out longer than it should.
  • The Good Son
  • Next Karate Kid
  • Top 11 Dumbest Spider-Man Moments
  • Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Doomsday Machine
  • Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa
  • Disneycember - Lilo & Stitch: The Series
THINK! When a film has forced dialogue or if the plot conveniently bites the characters in the ass and they didn't, well, "think" about it.
"You dirty little kitty." When a character acts seductive. It was first introduced by Bhargov in the Mortal Kombat: Annihilation review as he, Critic, and two other friends watch the "cat fight in the mud".
  • Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
  • Judge Dredd
  • Dungeons & Dragons
  • Top 11 Dumbest Spider-Man Moments
OF COURSE! Used from the Street Fighter movie when M. Bison yells "OF COURSE!", The Critic uses it whenever a villain's plans are "to, you guessed it, take over the world."
  • Masters of the Universe
  • Batman & Robin
  • Street Fighter
  • Lost in Space
  • Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (He almost stops it from appearing, but it squishes him)
  • Full House
  • Inspector Gadget ("Not worth it!")
  • Kickassia: Part 3
  • Mr. Magoo (At the wrong time)
  • Daredevil (While looking for the right joke, he comes across this line while looking)
  • Christmas with the Kranks
  • Freakazoid
  • Disneycember - Bolt
  • Disneycember - Tron
  • Disneycember - The Avengers
  • The Simpsons Movie (image)
SPOTLIGHT FETISH Makes fun of Spielberg's overuse of background lighting.
T-Rex Song I'm a motherfuckin' T-Rex!! Used whenever something awesome yet implausible happens.
Pig Power in the House An upbeat rap song that appears in the film "Gordy". Used occasionally in moments of celebration.
Disney Logo The Disney Logo is used whenever an inappropriate for children moment happens in a Disney movie
Foaming mouth guy The foaming mouth guy from Avatar: The Last Airbender appears, screaming and then foaming from his mouth before passing out. Used whenever something not actually exciting is conveyed as exciting.
  • The Last Airbender
  • The Shining (Mini-Series)
  • Sharknado
My cabbages! The cabbage merchant from Avatar: The Last Airbender's voice is heard in the background shouting "My cabbages!" Used as a Wilhelm Scream.
Cartoon Sound Effects Various cartoon sound effects are playing while somebody in a movie or TV show are getting hurt in a humorous way and the last sound effect (that's not cartoony) Colm Wilkinson from Les Miserables singing "Home." 
  • Les Miserables
  • The Shining (Mini-Series)
Balls Dropping Sometimes the Critic's balls drop all the way to the ground.
  • Blank Check
  • Top 11 Batman the Animated Series Episodes
  • Captain N (mentioned)
  • Eight Crazy Nights (mentioned)
Web Sites Sometimes the Critic's review is interrupted by a mouse opening up a website.
  • Once Upon A Forest (porn)
  • Eight Crazy Nights (a porno called Jingle Bell Cock)
  • Swan Princess (Google to look up Saint Sabastian.)
  • The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (someones searches for Piper Perabo on IMDb)
  • Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas (a video of Patrick Stewart wearing a singing Christmas hat)
  • Hop (the editor program is opened with a note "Make Thumper Quack Pack")
Hallelujah Plays when Nicolas Cage appears in a movie.
  • Face/Off
  • Wicker Man
  • Ghost Rider
CHRISTMAS!!! The Critic yells out this particular word loudly with glee at the start of every holiday season. He LOVES Christmas, the absolute best time of the year!
Demented Looney Tunes The Looney Tunes theme plays over footage of Nicolas Cage
  • Face/Off
  • Wicker Man
  • Ghost Rider
  • Ghost Rider 2
  • Freddy vs. Jason (the movie ended on decapitated Freddy Krueger's head winking to the audience)
  • The Sorcerer's Apprentice
  • Hop
  • Con Air
  • The Ant Bully
"Top 10" gags Inspired by David Letterman's top 10s from his time on The Late Show; when a scene occurs that's so odd that one joke isn't enough to sum it up, the Critic does a quick list of the top 10 jokes that could be made, culminating in him pointing off screen, shouting "Play me off, Paul!" and dancing to a clip of Paul Shaffer playing "All Along the Watchtower".
  • North (Top 10 Jokes involving the line "Loosen his pants")
  • Return of the Commercials (Top 10 lines from the Ghostbusters movies making fun of a bizarre toy where a ghost attaches to a human's rectum)
  • Doomsday Machine (Top 10 alternate porno titles the film could have had, due to its overly suggestive nature)
  • Wicker Man (Top 10 jokes involving a scene where Nicolas Cage punches a woman while wearing a bear costume)
  • Dragon's Lair (Top 11 death scenes involving NC losing the game multiple times as his character in the game keeps dying. Announced by Don Bluth instead of NC and there's no Paul Shaffer music)
  • Labyrinth (Top 15 jokes involving the pants David Bowie's character wears in the film)
  • Commercials Resurrection (Top 10 jokes involving a Disney Cruise Line commercial where a girl calls her baby brother a little souvenir)
A FAMILY picture Whenever a gross/disturbing/unappealing to kids... scene happens in a family film, green text saying A FAMILY PICTURE pops up, and NC says "A FAMILY PICTURE" in his "idiot" voice. On special occasions he says "A DISNEY PICTURE." This is a reference to the DVD commentary of Ralph Bakshi's cult animated movie Wizards.
Crazy Taxi Whenever the main character is in a taxi. A parody of the Sega game Crazy Taxi appears.
Firing Squad This happens when the Nostalgia Critic has the opposite opinion of everyone else in the world.
Business Execs These are the people that own the rights to Dr. Seuss movies (and other adaptations) and make them suck. Their signature answer when the Critic asks them a question is, "Well, the chart says..."
FET-ISH MOV-IE Whenever in a children film shows suggestive things and it seems that its a fetish for something that the director or writer has.
  • Foodfight
  • Small Soldiers
ALAN Whenever a character is named Alan, the Raptor from Jurassic Park 3 pops up and says Alan.
Big Lipped Alligator Moment The Nostalgia Chick coined this phrase to describe a random surreal moment which occurs during the course of a movie and is never brought up during the rest of the movie in question. It refers to the alligator in the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven, who had a huge lower jaw and was in an odd musical number. To quote Lindsay, "The scene comes right the fuck out of nowhere, bears little to no impact on the plot and once it's finished, no one ever speaks of it again." (Funny because the big-lipped alligator did appear again in the film.)
"YOU CANNOT BEAT US!" Originated from an Australian Nintendo commercial (animated by Mainframe Entertainment, creators of ReBoot), this line is spoken by an evil, demented animated character on the show.
Repeating pain The Critic says "Can I see it again?" and replays a section in the film where a character gets hurt, which he finds amusing.
Gravestone Every time someone in a film gets into a situation which may involve a possible death, the screen cuts to black and a picture of an animated gravestone, or at one point, just a cemetery, is shown as a mournful note is played.
Nicolas Cage impression The Critic does an impression of Nicolas Cage in some instances.
Actor's made-up middle name Sometimes, when the Critic introduces the actor that plays a character in a movie, he makes up a wacky middle name for the actor that may reference other stuff the actor is best known for.
Reenactments Every time the Critic reviews a movie that's not out on DVD yet, instead of showing clips from the movie, he and his co-stars show their own reenactments of the movie. The Critic and his co-stars will attempt to act out the movie their own way, as well as perform some gags that reference what the Critic is mentioning about something in the movie.

Other times, when the Critic is reviewing a movie, he ends up getting into a situation that parodies and reenacts the movie he's reviewing, with the co-stars acting out and parodying some characters in the movie who either join or pursue the Critic, as well as situations and props in the movie being parodied and shown. They always serve to replace movie clips in the review.

Arnold-baby from the Junior review ("MAMA!!") Originated from the Junior, the scene with the CG Arnold-baby is used to freak out the Critic.
  • Junior (first appearance, NC screams and throws up several times; the scene later threatens to play whenever he tries to bail out of the review)
  • Conan and Conan the Destroyer ("NO! Not that child!")
  • Son of the Mask (used in a side-to-side comparison with the Loki baby, causing the NC to have a heart attack)
  • Terminator Genisys ("You should see my baby pictures.")
  • Nostalgiaween Intro 2022
Girlish scream When the Critic sees something beyond scary or he has to review a particularly bad movie, it makes him scream in such a high pitch that he sounds like a little girl.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movies (while cowering in a bathtub over how terrible the third TMNT movie is)
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Book Launch (he and the whole crowd do this when there is ten seconds left until the launch of the book)
  • Batman & Robin (when he learns that the film has reverted to the campy style of the original "Batman" TV show, the Critic screams for help in a high-pitch tone)
  • Halloween '08 Special (when Teddy Ruxpin reveals himself as the devil; also when he calls for help when he learns that Teddy is holding him hostage)
  • SNICK (when he finds that the only way to conclude Nickelodeon Month is to review the movie Good Burger)
  • The Pagemaster (when talking about scary it is that Stephen King is writing drama)
  • You're a Rotten Dirty Bastard (when he sees that The Spoony One is the new Nostalgia Critic)
  • Junior (at the sight of the CG Arnold-baby)
  • Kickassia: Part 6 (when he sees the angry crowd rush him and beat him to a pulp after he realizes they have disconnected his detonator from the dynamite)
  • Return of the Nostalgic Commercials (in reaction to the boy in the Nerf commercial, specifically at the part when the Critic complains that he thought this was a game, and the boy says, "Don't you get it?")
  • Suburban Knights: Part 4 (when the witch threatens everyone in a demonic voice)
  • The Avengers (when he realizes that the Avengers movie he is reviewing is not the then-upcoming Marvel version)
  • The Tommyknockers (when the TV talks to him as The Godfather and announces that he's rigged his house to explode in a few seconds)
  • Child's Play (he and Phelous do this when they challenge each other to see which one's scary toy will give them more nightmares)
  • Ponyo (in reaction to the crowd rushing him when he announces his intention to review this movie)
  • Son of the Mask (at the sight of the baby inflating his head like a balloon)
  • Catwoman (when confronted by the Halle Berry Catwoman, against whom he is helpless, according to the "Train Your Catwoman" manual)
  • Disney's Alice in Wonderland (when he sees Carrotjuice for the first time)
  • Foodfight! (during his nervous breakdown at the beginning of the video, in parody of Catwoman/Selina Kyle's breakdown from Batman Returns)
  • Rise of the Commercials (in reaction to the creepy Nintendo commercial, he does this while shitting himself)
  • The Smurfs (he and the Black Nerd do this when the latter's Smurf Movie brew explodes after he adds a crowning turd to it)
  • Battle of the Commercials (when he sees a British PSA in which a kid gets electrocuted at a power plant)
  • War of the Commercials (in reaction to the British PSA on Animal Abuse)
  • The Nutcracker (2010) (in reaction to the Rat King ripping off the head of Sticks)
  • Stuart Little 2 (as Mrs. Little, demonstrating how unhealthy it is that the Littles don't argue)
Don Bluth's death glare Bluth uses this on the Critic after he makes fun of one lesser piece of his work too many.
"Cats and dogs living together: mass hysteria!" This line by Peter Venkman in "Ghostbusters" is used to show the cliched competition between cats and dogs.
Beethoven's "Fur Elise" Plays to emphasize an upper crust/high art mentality of something
  • Are Video Games Art? (plays throughout)
  • The Adventures of Pluto Nash (played while the Critic looks at a "Movie Menu" to place an order for one of the movie's bad cliches)
  • Dreamcatcher (plays at the beginning as the Critic examines a glass of wine)
  • Freddy vs. Jason (plays while the Critic judges several of the horror crossovers)
  • Battle of the Commercials (plays while the Critic questions McDonald's as a fancy establishment)
  • I'll Be Home For Christmas (plays during the Critic's first talk with Chester A. Bum)
  • Top 11 Worst Movie Sequels (plays during the runners-up)
  • Cool World (plays while Ralph Bakshi talks about his origins as a painter)
  • Alien vs. Predator (plays while the Jock Side and the Smart Side of the Critic's brain list their opinions about several moments in the film)
  • Wonder Woman (plays while Batman and Superman make some changes to the film to fit the style of the DC Extended Universe's previous movies)
  • Norm of the North (plays while the Critic analyzes Greene's confusing evil plan)
  • Fox Kids (plays when Walter and Heather gleefully continue the recap of Fox Kids' shows the Critic didn't watch)
  • When Did Marvel Villains Get Good? (plays in the opening when the Critic acts like a snobbish person denouncing the Marvel Cinematic Universe)
  • The Animated Lord of the Rings (plays when Tamara is acting as a Tolkien fan when talking about the animated film)
"Ask me what it means!" A cartoon version of Tarsem, the director of The Cell, hops around the screen saying "Ask me what it means! Ask me what it means! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
Anime Reference The Critic makes an anime reference.
Canada In his commercial specials, the NC has a hatred for Canada, because they make scary PSAs. In recent specials, other countries have been deemed "scary" as well.
Hatred of Pokémon It's been stated by the Critic several times he hates the Japanese media franchise Pokémon as it was everywhere in its heyday (but hey, so was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) He takes potshots at it every time it's involved in something he's reviewing or he just so happens to bring it up.
Pronouncing a character's name wrong In his earlier reviews, Critic would sometimes pronounce a character's name wrong continuously, only to have a clip of the character pronouncing their name to come up each time.
"Had only two days left until retirement" Whenever a movie shows a character or an item either dying or getting destroyed, NC will claim that the person/item had "days until retirement".
America In the Dawn of the Commercials a Denny's commercial is Red, White and Blue Pancakes taste like America.
Wilkins Coffee Wilkins, one of Jim Henson's first Muppets, appears to try to get people to drink Wilkins Coffee.
Doyle! In The Mask, a character named Detective Doyle is played by Jim Doughan. When Jim Doughan's character appears in other films, Nostalgia Critic will mimic Lt. Kellaway saying, "Doyle!".
NEEEEEEEERD! Whenever the Nostalgia Critic has an encounter with the Angry Video Game Nerd.
We shall be married in the morning The clip from Enchanted when Prince Edward said the line in clips when someone said "I love you."
Barney Rubble as a karate instructor Whenever something is shown as potentially offensive by today's standards but wasn't always so in their day, a clip of a Cocoa Pebbles commercial from the 1980s in which Barney Rubble is shown as a stereotypical karate expert, complete with wig, slanted eyes and glasses, is shown.

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