"LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space" Movie Review

Hi, I'm the Amateur Critic. I review just about anything.

Is it possible to review a video that you liked as a kid? IDK, but I want to review one of my personal favs: LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space.

            If you combine a Batman movie with some of SciFi Channel’s cheesy alien/monster movies and filter out all the adult content, this is what you’ll get. Personally, I love this movie. I love how Veggietales’ co-host Larry the Cucumber gets to be a superhero; and I love how the show touches on an important moral: telling the truth. But weird stuff happens in this movie: it’s corny; over-dramatic moments reign supreme; and there’s more spotlight on the monster and the victim than on the hero.

Now with that said, let’s take a look.

Countertop scene:

-We may want to skip this, unless you’re dying to hear a letter about how a kid is being pressured into lying about something that he did wrong.

Opening scene:

The story begins when 2 kids (or peas) walk out of a movie theater. They see a shooting star (or asteroid? Explain, movie! Okay, we’ll assume that it’s the monster coming down.)

            We then cut to a science lab where 2 scientists are just now noticing the shooting [whatever]. Well, one of them notices, while the other guy is griping about his job.

-Dude, if you wanna make your job interesting, just shut up and do it!

            So the scientists put up the LarrySignal and call LarryBoy.

-Now tell me whether or not if this reminds you of a Batman movie.

            Meanwhile, at… [Luigi’s Mansion?] our hero is on the roof, when his butler Alfred (played by Archibald Asparagus) calls him. The butler gets knocked out by a stray plunger, and Larry sees the LarrySignal up in the sky and takes action.

-But why leave your butler lying on the ground after you accidentally knock him over?

Alfred: “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.”
You sound like that commercial with the elderly lady on the floor, saying the same thing… yeah.

            So LarryBoy rides off to find the fallen object from the sky. And after the title sequence, we see the shooting star thing land in a suburban neighborhood.

-Was there an impact? No. It was just a small ball… with eyes… & an antennae… & a nose…
-To avoid future disappointment, just know that this movie has a supernatural, strange monster that never gets an explanation as to where it came from in space or what it is (besides a fib).

Junior’s house:

Junior Asparagus and Laura Carrot are having a tea party.
-Since when did little boys had tea parties? (Unless, the girls forced them to…)

-Gee, I wonder who the victim is… (Hint: the kid wearing a cap, the one climbing a bookshelf…)

            Junior accidentally breaks his father’s antique plate [featuring a bowler stereotype from the fifties or sixties…] Laura sees this, and bails out of the tea party.

-Geez… what kind of friend is she? If she sees that her crew is in trouble, she abandons ship.

            Junior is left with this predicament, until a small alien pops out from behind Mr. Snuggly (the teddy bear). The alien introduces himself: “… Fibrilious Minimus, but you can call me Fib.”

-By now, the kid should’ve questioned the alien being in his house.

            The Fib sees Junior’s predicament and advises that he tell his parents that Laura broke the plate. Junior questions this, but Fib assures him that “people do it all the time.”

-That “people do it all the time” quote is open for debate, actually.

            So when Junior’s dad comes into the living room and sees the plate in pieces, Junior tells him that Laura broke the plate. Luckily for him, his dad believes him.

-Dad should’ve questioned his son more. Junior should’ve told his dad about the alien. There are so many “should’ve’s” in this scene that it’s a recipe for disaster. Somebody draw a line here!

            When Dad leaves, the Fib pops out again, but this time, he’s a little bigger than before. Junior questions this, but Fib tells him that he had “always been this size.”

-Funny how Fib can tell people to lie, & then turn around & bullshit the people that he tells to lie.

            Anyways, Fib praises Junior for lying, and they both leave the house and go into town.

-Junior doesn’t tell his parents about leaving with a stranger? Don’t his parents know anything?

LarryMobile scene:

LarryBoy still searches for the space object, until his butler [Facetimes?] him & says to keep looking. Our hero keeps searching, passing Junior & Fib, as if they were regulars in town.

-This was where LarryBoy should’ve pulled over & captured the Fib. That would’ve been “The End” before anybody got hurt. But where the plot is going was too tempting for the writers…

            LarryBoy drives away, and then Junior’s other friend Percy Pea drops by. When Percy comes, Fib hides in the alley.

-Come on, Fib. Why the obvious evil demeanor? Why not trick people into thinking that you’re good? Or… are you going to do that later on? IDK. Stuff like that is just too subtle!

            Percy confronts Junior about breaking Dad’s plate. (Apparently, Laura ratted out Junior to him.) But with Fib telling him to lie, Junior tells another lie, but this time accusing Laura’s brother, Lenny. Just like his dad, Percy takes the bait.

-Geez, how long until people become less lenient?

            As soon as Percy leaves, Fib comes back, and this time, he’s much taller than Junior. Again, he lies to Junior about “putting on a few pounds” to explain his grown.

-Also, look at how Fib tells Junior this next sentence. He has this attitude as if to say, “Don’t you worry; everything’s gonna be A-okay.”

-Look, the line is: “…I’ll always be your little fib.”

As Fib says that line, look at how he’s looking down at the camera! I have a few theories on this:
1. The script is taped to the camera, but the words are too small; so Fib leans in to read his line.

(Or…)

2. Fib must have this “thing” for Junior; he’s like looking at the kid affectionately… weird!

-This where Tim Gregory (the voice actor for Fib) should’ve known that his role was going to suck. I mean, that’s a terrible line! Who would write that?! Besides, little is known about Tim Gregory. Where did Big Idea find this guy? Did they have a last-minute casting call somewhere?

            Anyway, after that WTF moment, Fib praises Junior for lying, saying that he has “a gift.”

-How is lying a gift? It’s more like a curse.

LarryMobile scene 2:

We then cut to LarryBoy passing Junior and Fib… again!
-What’s with him? He keeps failing to capture the Fib! Does he just stare at his shoelaces the whole time he’s driving? Just remember, guy, something fell from space, and is supposed to be taken seriously. I guess Larry’s clumsiness is being used to the convenience to the plot.

            LarryBoy decides to call it quits, despite Alfred advising him not to.

-“There are no space aliens in Bumblyburg.” Yes, there’s a space alien in Bumblyburg. You passed him twice.

Alley scene:

Junior and Fib run into Laura and Lenny Carrot and Percy Pea. His friends are mad at him for lying. And what does Fib do? He hides again.
-I promise you, that’ll be the last time Fib hides his face from other people. Just wait.

            Junior is confronted about breaking his dad’s plate.

-Wow. All this conflict over a plate?

            Junior is panicking. So, as a last resort, he makes up a story about how a group of aliens that switch brains with cows, and break into his house and break the plate. Percy finds out that Junior got that story from a movie that they saw days ago.

-This lie was more outrageous than the first two lies. Notice?

            Finally, we see that Fib has grown so huge, that… eh, apparently makes Godzilla look like a tamed lizard at a petting zoo. Fib grabs Junior and shows his face in town.

-This rampage scene may remind you of Godzilla. Well, let’s see. Fib charges through town, steps on cars, and smashes buildings.

            The town’s officer Scooter sees the monster, and does the noblest thing: get out of his squad car and scram before the Fib crushes the vehicle.

-Is he the only person in this town’s police force? That sucks. No wonder crime is big in this town, and they need LarryBoy.

            So the call for LarryBoy is made by the scaredy-cat police officer. And where is our dashing hero at a time like this?: At home playing a cheesy knock-off of Candyland.

Manor scene:

Larry is losing in the board game, while Alfred is apparently winning. He finally looks out his window and sees that Bumblyburg is in turmoil.
-There’s only one building on fire, lights flashing, and people screaming. You know, Godzilla can do more collateral damage than that.

            Larry quits the board game to go save the day, delivering this line as he leaves:

Larry: “Alfred, I got work to do. Consider our game… postponed.”
-Cliché…

Town-in-ruins scene:

The Fib is still on a rampage, and Junior asks why he’s attacking the town. Fib says something about fibs growing, and that the kid now belongs to him.

-Fib’s tone is so serious that it… well, makes the Joker from the animated Batman series look like a kid clown with a death wish.

            LarryBoy finally shows up and challenges the Fib. While that’s happening, Junior’s so-called friends Laura, Lenny, and Percy hide in the same alley that the giant Fib came out of.

-Why hide in an alley? Just run home or somewhere safe! It’s like they want more trouble!

            Fib challenges to come and get him, which turns out to be a big mistake, because as soon as Larry gets back in his LarryMobile, the monster heads for the water tower.

-The angle that we’re seeing Fib escape is so… awkward. I mean, look at the angle!

It’s like we’re looking up his skirt or something (Well, he’s not actually wearing a skirt.).
-Plus, notice that there are no National Guard soldiers, tanks, or any army equipment trying to stop Fib. If there was a standing army in Bumblyburg to kill the monster, then the movie could’ve ended in seconds. But no, the town is relying on one little cucumber hero to take on a 30-50 ft. tall monster who has a hostage. Kind strange, huh?

            LarryBoy tells Alfred what’s going on with the monster, and Alfred suggests that the hero use the new buttons on the car’s dashboard. Although the buttons aren’t labels, Alfred agrees to tell them which button to press to get through the mission.

            Meanwhile, the Fib starts climbing the water tower.

Fib: “Let’s see if your little faithful friend can help you up here.”
-And let’s see if my fat ass can climb all the way up while I’m off scene for a minute or so, while the camera focuses on the hero trying to work his car. I should know, ‘cuz… that’s what the script indicates… I peeked.

LarryMobile scene:

So LarryBoy starts his car and races to the water tower. He has trouble with the buttons, but then Alfred tells him about the correct button to make the car fly… just after Larry unknowingly presses the wrong buttons.
-You know the clumsiness with the controls & buttons is fueling the overdramatic-ness of the plot. But hey, this movie will experience more overdramatic schmaltz after a few more scenes.

            So Larry presses the “fly” button, and the car becomes a plane, sending him upward. The Fib sees this, as well as everyone else in town.

LarryPlane scene:

LarryBoy learns that the monster is called a lie… (no, this is the truth. The monster is called a lie… Yeah, the dialogue makes it complicated.) Larry asks how to stop the monster, but Alfred doesn’t have the answer yet.
-What’s with the delay? The answer is so obvious. You’ve just been told what the monster was. Just think “What’s the opposite of a lie?” & then go from there! But just like the overdramatic schmaltz in this movie, we have the delays in the plot… By the way, what’s the plot of this movie?

Is it…

A.    Junior hanging out with Fib, and then regretting it

B.     LarryBoy searching for the Fib, and eventually dueling with him

Nobody really knows. I mean, the focal point of the movie is about the lying and how that’s causing all the problems, but we got several things going on in this movie, that we’ve lost touch on who the real main character is.

On the VHS & DVD covers, you have LarryBoy posing on a rooftop, but when you watch the movie, we focus on him off and on. When it comes to the scenes, it’s almost as if he’s playing hide-and-seek with us. But isn’t he supposed to be the main character in this movie, since he’s on the friggin’ DVD cover?

            Finally, not wanting to delay anymore, LarryBoy goes balls out and jumps out of his flying vehicle. Fib looks up and sees the plane come at him… and fly past him.

-What the heck?! That plane could’ve slammed into him and he would be dead. And then Junior would’ve been saved, and that would be “The End.” But no.

Water tower scene:

Fib hears Larry screaming from above him.
-Please let LarryBoy come at him like a missile…
(LarryBoy is falling towards Fib.)
GO LARRYBOY! KNOCK HIS BLOCK OFF!!!

            The Fib sees LarryBoy come at him. Just then, Fib catches Larry with his free hand; and he squeezes the life out of Larry.

-You know, this is a pretty dark scene for some viewers. But don’t you worry: at least LarryBoy isn’t bleeding profusely from being squeezed… otherwise this movie wouldn’t be G-rated.
-Plus, nothing can stop the Fib! I mean, this movie had so many opportunities to get rid of this guy. Plain & simple: just put King Kong or Godzilla on their ass and finish them! It can’t be that hard! But you know, the movie keeps the monster to the convenience to the plot.

            LarryBoy now finds himself trapped in the monster’s clutches and is quick to learn that he can’t do anything to stop Fib.

-Big bleepin’ surprise…

            Then Fib tells Junior (in his high and mightiest voice ever in the movie) about how lies can grow just big enough to swallow a person. This reveals that the Fib is planning to eat Junior.

-I wish I could take this scene seriously, but with how the scene is being shot, I just find myself trying to count the number of zits that that guy has. In fact, some of the shots are just awkward, if you look closely at them. Some of the shots are close to their faces; some zoom in to create whacked-out suspense… weird, huh?

            Finally, the Fib decides to eat LarryBoy first.

-Okay, wait a sec. How does he come up with that decision after he just told Junior that he was going to eat him, not LarryBoy? That doesn’t make any sense.

            So, while Fib slowly puts LarryBoy into his mouth, we get this obnoxious scene where Alfred is trying to find the answer to their problem, but accidentally unplugs his computer in the process.

-You know, I could send 10-20 text messages by the time LarryBoy is placed inside Fib’s mouth.

-Plus, I could post a blog entry by the time Alfred plugs his computer back in.

-I mean, come on now! This is just silly! How long does it really take to put something in your mouth? And how long does it take to plug something back in? THINK!!!!!

            So Fib is now sucking on LarryBoy like a Tootsie Roll, when Alfred claims that Junior can stop the lie.

-Duh!

            Junior hears this and comes out with the truth, saying that he, in fact, broke the plate…

-…that wasn’t so dang important to begin with.

            As Junior tells the truth, the Fib spits out LarryBoy and shrinks to nothing.

-It’s about friggin’ time the Fib gets the axe in this movie. This movie had so many opportunities to do so earlier!

            LarryBoy returns Junior to his parents. Junior waits to be punished, but Mom tells him that what he had been through today was “punishment enough.”

-So, are you saying that being held hostage by a supernatural creature and on the edge of being swallowed was “punishment enough”? Are you high? And by the way, Mom… where the hell were you and Dad while the Fib was running around lose with your kid unsupervised?!

            So, being none-the-wiser, the parents hug Junior and LarryBoy disappears into the night to look out for more crime.

The story ends with… a red fib landing from space and going to somebody else’s house?

-I don’t think so. Why? Because of the Rumor Weed in this movie’s sequel, that’s why.

            When the story ends, LarryBoy joins Bob the Tomato to recite a verse from the Bible about what they learned from the story: John 8:32b, they mentioned. Afterwards, they sing a theme song about LarryBoy (sung by Nicole C. Mullen).

-Okay, this was made in 1997. But how much do you want to bet that the “Rock On, LarryBoy” song by Michael Farren (or the corn band Shux) was way better than this song?

            Anyways, that was LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space. Now despite all the comments that I made on this review, does it really work?

            Well, you know how those old drug PSAs from the 80s and 90s aim on scaring people (especially kids) not to do drugs. I think that’s the kind of approach that this movie took… well, not with the drugs, but with the lie being the form of a monster that threatens to eat people.

            The storyline isn’t all that perfect, because there were some plot holes involved. There were over-the-top dramatic moments that wouldn’t even fit into a decent horror movie. Oh, yeah, and what happened to LarryBoy being the main character here? (He’s on the friggin’ VHS/DVD cover!)

            Okay, so that was all my bad stuff. So, what did I like about the movie? Well, it started a popular trend in the Veggietales series. The creativity was noticeable. Plus, I don’t care if this movie’s got problems; I don’t care if screwed up in some areas. I still like it as is. Well, I wouldn’t recommend this to younger kids, but maybe kids at the age of 5 or 6 can go ahead and see this movie. (Well, I don’t really know what age limit there is for this movie. I mean, I first saw this movie when I was 11; and even to this day, I still watch it.)

Amateur Critic
Source: LarryBoy and the Fib from Outer Space
All rights go to Big Idea Entertainment

Editorial: Is Barney A Good Teacher?

Hi, I'm the Amateur Critic. I review just about anything.

This is my second editorial on my blog. So let's begin.

Remember Barney the Dinosaur? I remember growing up sitting around the TV with my sisters and watching that show. As a kid, I thought I learned everything from Barney about what life had to offer, but not really. I remember finding out in 5th grade that some of what Barney taught me were lies.
As an adult, I realize what Barney has and has NOT taught me. But before we can point out the good and bad stuff about Barney, it's best to talk more about who he is and what he's about.

The show normally starts with a group of kids doing something or WANTING to do something; and they always show Barney as a plush toy, of which Barney transforms into his real-life self and apparently makes the kids' day and solves their problems. Barney would always be accompanied by BJ and Baby Bop, who are his... well, the show doesn't clarify if BJ and Baby Bop are his children or the dinosaur kids that he's babysitting, but we all just assume that he's their babysitter and teacher. Oh, and later on in the series, they add an orange dinosaur named Riff, who somehow has mind-powers (No, really. When he uses his magic, his head lights up like a disco ball.) Nonetheless, Barney would have many activities for him and the kids can do.

So now, where does Barney fall flat? Well, I ask because there has been some criticism about this show for as long as it's been around.
For example, notice how whenever Barney and the gang come across a problem, no one is crying or is getting upset to the point where people are saying "I can't do this anymore" or "I'm going back to my dressing room, because this script is God-awful." No. Everything has to be happy. Like, the show cannot function with negative emotions and feelings. The show is always fixated on positive and happy emotions and feelings. Kind of a mixed message there. Are they trying to say that there are no such thing as good and evil, but only good? If so, then that's where they're wrong, because in today's world, there's talk of child abuse, families going through financial problems, parents divorcing, and peer pressure at school. Now with those issues in mind, the show does little to nothing about solving those problems or coping with them. Although Barney is bringing joy to the kids and giving them unconditional love, he only gives us a one-dimensional insight on the world: in other words, there's no room to recognize the evils in this world- everything has to be happy & every problem has to be solved.

Another thing about this show is that there are a billion plot-holes in every episode. For example, the Imagination Island special. The gang uses their imaginations to sail on a ship. The ship gets caught up in a big storm. The storm makes the ship get stuck in the trees. Barney and friends get on an island in search for somebody that can help them get their ship out of the trees. They meet some toymaker that refuses to share his stuff with anybody, but Barney sets the record straight with him that sharing is caring. Then the toymaker agrees to help them get their ship up and running again... by making it fly, letting everybody go home. Great story, right? Here are the plot-holes:

1. How does Barney get everybody else together to join the adventure? We see him visit the two girls at the beginning. Oh, and by the way, what was the focal point of the special, anyway?
2. How did Professor Tinkerputt end up on that island? Did he get shipwrecked or something? I remember him saying something about how he didn't want the world to get the toys that he made, but... what's the story behind it?

Okay, so that's all my bad stuff. Now, I want to talk about the good stuff. I love the creativity that's being put into this show. The show is so imaginative that sometimes I wish I could live there for one day, because who wouldn't want to get away from stress for a while? The animation may seem cheesy at most times, but when your a Barney fan, you just don't care. As a kid, when the feature-length film came out, I was wanting to watch it again and again (Honestly, I haven't seen Barney's Great Adventure in years, but I'll watch it again so that I can do a review on it. Note to self: gotta give that movie a review).

So... is Barney a good teacher?

Out of all the shows I watched as a kid, this show was the most unforgettable; I mean, the show really stuck to me. The songs were memorable; the creativity was pretty good at the time; and the unconditional love was also memorable. Sure, the show could've been more edgy and would've addressed issues that the world is dealing with right now; but it's also better that it doesn't, because it acts as a stress reliever to kids and adults if life ever gets them down.
I think he could be a teacher, but a great one to the younger viewers, because younger children are just starting to learn about what life has to offer them in a basic sense. I mean, we can't just tell them: "Well, kids, there are dangers in this world, like violence, arguing, and people dying..." That's more like saying, "Screw the kids" than just thinking "Hey, we want our kids to be safe. They're too young to know about the evils of this world. So why not teach them positive things like reading and writing and exploring..."
So Barney the Dinosaur can be a teacher in some ways. Again, the show could've been a little more edgy, but for what it is, it's not so bad. I don't care if the show's got problems; I still like the show.

Amateur Critic

Sources:
Barney and Friends
Barney's Imagination Island

All rights go to the people that made Barney and Friends.