I think I can safely say that there has never been, before or since, another film quite like Revenge of the Red Baron. This Roger Corman production defies categorization, failing as comedy, fantasy, or horror. Mickey Rooney plays a borderline senile WWI vet whose fixation with the titular air ace somehow causes the German pilot to return to 'life'. Not as a full grown man, not as a zombie, but as a doll flying a 1/8 scale Fokker triwing. True to the Corman ethic, the doll also happens to be one of the cheapest contraptions you'll ever see: its head can open its mouth and blink and it can (barely) move one hand. It also speaks with a ridiculous comedy German accent and is lumbered with some painfully unfunny puns. Cliff de Young plays Rooney's Type A son, Laraine Newman is his wife, and young Tobey Maguire does his best as the delinquent grandson who is the only one who understands what's going on. Keep a bucket handy in case your jaw drops off.
14 Reviews
Quite possibly one of the worst films I've ever seen...
legal_action_org27 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Yesterday I saw this film on TV. The description (I have digital cable) said something along the lines of 'toy possessed by the spirit of the red baron stalks a family'. My thoughts: "Sounds odd, but I guess I can give it a whirl". What I wasn't prepared for though was that it was going to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
The story: An old man (Mickey Rooney) who shot down the red baron years ago (and then built a toy airplane from the scraps of the 'barons' plane), and his family that he lives with begin to be attacked by said toy airplane after a big storm somehow magically transmits the 'barons' vengeful soul into said toy airplane.
Yes, the concept is bad already, but the poor dialog, ultra cliché characters, overacting, poor special effects, and countless continuity errors strive to drive one thought into your head: "Why was this movie made"? For a "B" movie though, this does have its share of cheesy yet clever one-liners (mainly from the 'baron' as he needlessly slaughters many an innocent victim) that manage to evoke some pleasure from this film's viewing.
This film has to have some of the most annoyingly cliché characters in the history of cinema. From the 'overly harsh' dad who doesn't make any time for his son, to the son (played by a young Tobey Maguire) who everyone else sees as 'troubled and untrustworthy', the the 'obnoxiously nosy' neighbor, to the 'fat cop' who is convinced 'the kid did it' even without a shred of real evidence, to the 'very rude' nurse and doctor. There are even a few more, but I think you get the idea. And with the exception of Maguire, Rooney, and Laraine Newman (the 'mom'), all of them make for some extremely unlikable characters.
Special effects: strings. Yes, in almost every shot of the toy plane, you can see strings holding it up. Also, a few times the bullet holes in people don't show up at quite the right time when the 'baron' fires magically endless amounts of ammo from the small, fake, gun turrets on the plane.
Speaking more of the magic bullets: one point in the film the 'baron' *SPOILERS* comes across a few shotgun shells. And somehow now he has unlimited machine gun ammo.
I give this film 2* out of 10, only because a few specs of enjoyment can be scraped from its insanity.
The story: An old man (Mickey Rooney) who shot down the red baron years ago (and then built a toy airplane from the scraps of the 'barons' plane), and his family that he lives with begin to be attacked by said toy airplane after a big storm somehow magically transmits the 'barons' vengeful soul into said toy airplane.
Yes, the concept is bad already, but the poor dialog, ultra cliché characters, overacting, poor special effects, and countless continuity errors strive to drive one thought into your head: "Why was this movie made"? For a "B" movie though, this does have its share of cheesy yet clever one-liners (mainly from the 'baron' as he needlessly slaughters many an innocent victim) that manage to evoke some pleasure from this film's viewing.
This film has to have some of the most annoyingly cliché characters in the history of cinema. From the 'overly harsh' dad who doesn't make any time for his son, to the son (played by a young Tobey Maguire) who everyone else sees as 'troubled and untrustworthy', the the 'obnoxiously nosy' neighbor, to the 'fat cop' who is convinced 'the kid did it' even without a shred of real evidence, to the 'very rude' nurse and doctor. There are even a few more, but I think you get the idea. And with the exception of Maguire, Rooney, and Laraine Newman (the 'mom'), all of them make for some extremely unlikable characters.
Special effects: strings. Yes, in almost every shot of the toy plane, you can see strings holding it up. Also, a few times the bullet holes in people don't show up at quite the right time when the 'baron' fires magically endless amounts of ammo from the small, fake, gun turrets on the plane.
Speaking more of the magic bullets: one point in the film the 'baron' *SPOILERS* comes across a few shotgun shells. And somehow now he has unlimited machine gun ammo.
I give this film 2* out of 10, only because a few specs of enjoyment can be scraped from its insanity.
Wacky horror comedy
hogbolelly9 December 2005
Hahahha! This movie is hilarious; similar premise to Child's Play but I enjoyed it more. As opposed to many horror movies, or horror/comedy movies, this movie embraces strangeness to a degree not seen in many other films. The weird neighbor, manipulative psychiatrist, disturbing janitor, evil nurse, and other characters deliver some very funny moments. The film scoring for this movie has a theme that seems like it was written for a children's daytime TV show; which makes the chase scenes hilarious. The other reviewers missed the sense of humor in this film. Whether it was intentional or not(and I believe it was) this movie contains some very funny parts.
Strange
drhackenstine7 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Just got done watching this on cable. I really don't know what to think of it. It's very dumb, yet strange. A killer doll in a remote control airplane terrorizes a family and quips bad one-liners, that are never funny. Features a high body count, but no blood. Some of the murders are kinda mean-spirited. The scenes when the toy airplane goes after somebody are very bad, horribly done, yet funny. I guess it works for a boring Sunday afternoon. The random, senseless murders and shootings keep it going. The killer Red Barron doll is the worst villain I have ever seen in a horror film. A cast member from Mad TV wrote this movie. Go figure. Two stars.
Not a good film by any stretch of imagination
jaybob28 January 2006
The only reason I recorded & watch this film, was because of MICKEY ROONEY, & as usual the mighty Mick, does another good job, & why not he has been in films for 75 yrs. There never was a more talented actor.
Another reason to watch is to see Tobey Maguire in one of his first films.
The film itself is a silly stupid comedy, fantasy, IT IS NOT A HORROR FILM by any stretch of imagination.
The rest of the cast is adequate to say the least.
For fans of the 2 actors only & if you have nothing better to do.
rating **1/2 /4----- 67/100 points IMDb 5/10
Another reason to watch is to see Tobey Maguire in one of his first films.
The film itself is a silly stupid comedy, fantasy, IT IS NOT A HORROR FILM by any stretch of imagination.
The rest of the cast is adequate to say the least.
For fans of the 2 actors only & if you have nothing better to do.
rating **1/2 /4----- 67/100 points IMDb 5/10
Worst Horro Movie Ever
compbuttons28 August 2005
This movie was so badly un-scary that it was funny. As said in the comment before it should be labeled a comedy and not a horror film. It is sort of like Child's Play but even that series of films had some frightening elements in them. The person who is probably the luckiest as well as most famous in this flick is Mr. Toby Maguire. He is most famous for his role as Spider-Man in the movies of the same name. The reason I call him the luckiest is because after making such a severely bad movie he was lucky to get another shot at a role in ANY movie. This movie is not one to be watched if you are looking to be scared or frightened but it is good for a couple of laughs and a lot of give me a breaks. If you are looking for scary go watch Scream, Nightmare on Em Street, Friday the 13th, or even jaws because this movie here is guaranteed not to scare.
Not for kids, teens, adults or anyone, how did they ever get the cast to sign up for this misery?
inkblot1125 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Jimmy (Tobey Maguire) is a teen still seething from his parents divorce. All too often he gets angry at school and, finally, he is suspended for confronting a teacher. His mother (Laraine Newman) loses patience and forces Jimmy to spend some time with his wealthy but uncaring dad. Now, Jimmy has lists of chores to do and nothing is ever good enough for his working-on-my-tan father. The only bright spot is the chance to see his grandfather (Mickey Rooney), a semi-invalid who bunks with his son. When they get some free time, G-pa and Jim fly the older man's prize possessions, two remote control airplanes. One of the flying machines is a WW I American vessel, the other, a replica of the Red Baron's plane. One day, sadly, Grandpa has a fall and ends up in the hospital. After this, strange events occur. The Red Baron plane begins to fly on its own, with a nasty mini-German pilot with an urge to kill. Jimmy has a few narrow misses and his dad sends him to counseling, refusing to believe his story. Then, Dad gets attacked in his own swimming pool and dies. Jimmy is blamed and jailed. But, at a tense moment, his mother comes to realize her son is telling the truth and breaks her son out of lockup to escape. Will they? Can anything stop this Chucky in the air? This horrible film is for absolutely nobody. Children should definitely not be allowed to see it and fans of horror films probably won't like it either. Rooney, who is still charming, must have been out of his mind to agree to star in it, and Maguire, Newman, and all of the others were likely temporarily insane, too. With a different approach, such as the Red Baron just making messes instead of murdering folks, it might have worked. But, no costumes, script, direction, actors, or anything else could save this bomb. The best revenge here is to steer far, far away from this disaster of a flick.
Possibly the worst movie I've ever seen
mram1610 August 2006
I knew things were going to be bad when I saw the atrocious opening title sequence. I should've changed the channel right then and there, but in an act of intellectual masochism I kept on watching. Of all the historical figures they could've used for a horror flick, they chose the Red Baron? That level of stupidity alone is enough to drive most people away, but with a cast this good how could I resist (he said sarcastically). For his part Rooney is mostly unintelligible, and none of the actor's did a good job. The musical score was horrible, the effects were horrible, and I still haven't figured out what the deal was with all of the Baron's bad jokes. If you see this movie for free, you'd still have paid too much. Avoid at all costs. Since negative 5 isn't a choice, I'm giving this a 1 star rating.
What were they thinking?!?!?!
planktonrules15 May 2023
If someone asked me to tell them about some of the dumbest films I've ever seen, I would most likely think of "Revenge of the Red Baron". It's one of the worst written and inane films I've ever seen and is a sad waste of talent.
The premise of the movie is historically inaccurate. While the actual Red Baron was shot down by a combination of ground fire from Australian troops as well as a Canadian pilot (Roy Brown) chasing him, the movie has you think that Grandpa Spencer (Mickey Rooney) was the man responsible. Most viewers wouldn't know this...but too many would know the premise is completely wrong and it would take them out of the movie. Also, how could Grandpa have been in WWI when he would have to be in his mid-90s when the film was made...and Rooney wasn't young but he certainly wasn't 90 (he was actually 74).
Here's the insane plot. Grandpa Spenser is obsessed with the Baron. His grandson (Tobey McGuire) loves the old man but the boy's father is a real angry jerk. After dad inexplicably tries to destroy Grandpa's radio controlled WWI plans,, the Red Baron, of sorts, comes back from the dead due to lightning to kill Grandpa's family. Oh, did I mention that this Baron is a puppet who flies one of Grandpa's planes?! The puppet is creepy....but also incredibly stupid. I mean REALLY stupid.
What we have here is a totally wrong-headed film that tries to be a horror film but only succeeds in being a horrible film. It's not too surprising Rooney made the movie, as later in his career he would appear in anything...provided the check cleared. As for Tobey McGuire, well, fortunately few people saw or remembered this film from very early in his career...otherwise he wouldn't have been cast in anything!
Overall, a very cheap and terrible film. Beginning with the appallingly bad opening titles to the finish...it's just amazingly awful! It's so strange, so bad and so wrong-headed, you might be like me and are unable to stop watching!
The premise of the movie is historically inaccurate. While the actual Red Baron was shot down by a combination of ground fire from Australian troops as well as a Canadian pilot (Roy Brown) chasing him, the movie has you think that Grandpa Spencer (Mickey Rooney) was the man responsible. Most viewers wouldn't know this...but too many would know the premise is completely wrong and it would take them out of the movie. Also, how could Grandpa have been in WWI when he would have to be in his mid-90s when the film was made...and Rooney wasn't young but he certainly wasn't 90 (he was actually 74).
Here's the insane plot. Grandpa Spenser is obsessed with the Baron. His grandson (Tobey McGuire) loves the old man but the boy's father is a real angry jerk. After dad inexplicably tries to destroy Grandpa's radio controlled WWI plans,, the Red Baron, of sorts, comes back from the dead due to lightning to kill Grandpa's family. Oh, did I mention that this Baron is a puppet who flies one of Grandpa's planes?! The puppet is creepy....but also incredibly stupid. I mean REALLY stupid.
What we have here is a totally wrong-headed film that tries to be a horror film but only succeeds in being a horrible film. It's not too surprising Rooney made the movie, as later in his career he would appear in anything...provided the check cleared. As for Tobey McGuire, well, fortunately few people saw or remembered this film from very early in his career...otherwise he wouldn't have been cast in anything!
Overall, a very cheap and terrible film. Beginning with the appallingly bad opening titles to the finish...it's just amazingly awful! It's so strange, so bad and so wrong-headed, you might be like me and are unable to stop watching!
I threw up because of this movie
zorro5002013 July 2006
Seriously, I threw up this movie was so bad. That has never happened to me before. This movie and the holocaust are god's biggest over sights. Watching porn with the good bits blurred out would most likely yield a better acted movie. I hope no one else has to ever see this movie because it really was a crime. The devil is the only thing that could create such a horrible thing is Al-Zarquawi but thank god he is dead now. The words i am about to use to describe this movie don't come close to describing the heinous crime that was committed by making this movie. THe words i was about to use are: Ugly, OH MY GOD MY EYES ARE BLEEDING AND MY FACE IS MELTING, I HAVE LOST ALL SANITY, YOUR KEEPING THE BABY,NO NOT HER!!!, That wasn't there when i went to sleep last night.
Perhaps the greatest movie of all time...
creadler11 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Every so often, Hollywood astounds us by coming out with something truly remarkable. A film that challenges who we are as people, and asks pivotal questions about where we are going as a society. Those of us in the industry consider such films the highest form of cinema. It is apparent to us all that even within this highly select group of films, "Revenge of the Red Baron" is truly a stand out.
Maguire's portrayal of troubled youth Jimmy Spencer is nothing short of spectacular. Unquestionably the film that made Maguire a household name, his performance is surpassed perhaps only by Kristin Horton's standout role as "...Nurse" in which she she brilliantly provides the loom on which director Robert Gordon weaves his carpet of brilliance.
"Dead neighbors make good fences..." & "Your security system is full of holes...", commentary made by the all too realistic looking Red Baron (John C. McDonnell), display the almost psychic ability of writer Michael McDonald to analyze the 21st century political agenda during the turmoiled 1994 year in which the movie was created. Terrifyingly accurate is disturbingly understated for the significance of this film.
In a final move of brilliance, the movie closes with a shot of the red baron escaping from his plane via parachute, showing how then, as now, death & war are never truly over, and never truly forgotten. My only regret is that I will never be able to watch this movie for the first time again, and I can only hope that someday we may have a sequel.
Maguire's portrayal of troubled youth Jimmy Spencer is nothing short of spectacular. Unquestionably the film that made Maguire a household name, his performance is surpassed perhaps only by Kristin Horton's standout role as "...Nurse" in which she she brilliantly provides the loom on which director Robert Gordon weaves his carpet of brilliance.
"Dead neighbors make good fences..." & "Your security system is full of holes...", commentary made by the all too realistic looking Red Baron (John C. McDonnell), display the almost psychic ability of writer Michael McDonald to analyze the 21st century political agenda during the turmoiled 1994 year in which the movie was created. Terrifyingly accurate is disturbingly understated for the significance of this film.
In a final move of brilliance, the movie closes with a shot of the red baron escaping from his plane via parachute, showing how then, as now, death & war are never truly over, and never truly forgotten. My only regret is that I will never be able to watch this movie for the first time again, and I can only hope that someday we may have a sequel.
FUNNY NOT SCARY
SUPERNOVA HEIGHTS26 July 2001
This the same film like child´s play ,one of the most famous horror film,Revenge of the Red Baron is not scary because the Red Baron is one of the worst Killer dolls that it was building ever.the fight with the planes is funny and the murders are funny too.If you have Scary of Horror films please Watch this and your fright Become laugh. SENTENCE FOR THIS FUNNY MOVIE:It´s a waste of time
What were they thinking!!!!!
ILostMyNameCanIHaveYours6 October 2008
Toby, if you're reading this, please do your self a favor. I want you to go to the nearest Church, go to the alter, get down on your knees, then thank God that he forgave you for this awful film and allowed you to get the lead roles in good movies like Spider-man. If you're not a Christian then go to the nearest synagogue, moss, Hindu temple or what ever. If you an atheist then thank your own luck, but I think only God could have caused you to shake this awful movie from your reputation!
Toby plays a kid who now has to spend some time with his grumpy father and grandpa play by Mickey Rooney. The poor old man must of bin really desperate for cash if he agreed to this role. Any way, grandpa Rooney is a World War 1 vet who shot the evil Red Baron down in battle. I thought he was on our side? So Rooney take the parts of the Barons plane and makes a toy plane; that just happens to have real guns. When lighting strikes the plane the ghost of the Red Baron posses the toy, bringing it to life. So this toy plane complete with a cheap puppet polite goes on a killing spree. It up to Spiderman-oh sorry I mean Toby, to stop this evil!
To sum it up real quick, just in case you don't want read the rest; this movie sucks!!!! Stay away!!!!
Now for why. It's really hard to say who this movie is made for because it dose not seem to fit any genera.
Family Film? No way! This movie is way too violent for little kids. The Red Baron shoots who ever he comes across. He kills Toby father by electrocuting him and laughs "evilly" as he does it. This movie will scare the crap out of any one under 7. Parents stay away!
Horror movie then? Oh God no. As I said before any one under 7 will be scared. The rest us will be rolling in our seats in pain! The Red Baron is the worst villain of all time. He is nothing but a cheap puppet with one of the worst German Accents I have heard in my life. It seem like the movie is trying to be scary and yet at the same time try's to avoid being scary. The music is just too bright and happy for a horror flick. The evil one liners suck and how all the characters act in the film kill's any scary mood to this movie. Which never existed to begin with!
Then maybe it's a Comedy you ask? Nope, you see dear reader comedies are funny. This is just painful. The humor in this is much like something that a 5 year old would write. The humor, if that is humor there attempting at, is so cheesy that no one will be able to laugh! The only thing funny and scary about this movie is how did this movie get a script and production team to agree to make it! This is one those idea's that should stay in a writers head, not to be shared to anyone.....ever.
If you do come across this movie on DVD don't watch it. Here a list of things I like you to do instead.
1. Take a hammer and smash it. 2. Take a gun and shoot it. 3. Flush it down the toilet. 4. Burn it 5. Drive over it with your car. Just don't watch it. That would be a waste of your time and sanity.
That why I give this plane crash a big fat 1 out of 10.
and I hope it burns in hell.....
Toby plays a kid who now has to spend some time with his grumpy father and grandpa play by Mickey Rooney. The poor old man must of bin really desperate for cash if he agreed to this role. Any way, grandpa Rooney is a World War 1 vet who shot the evil Red Baron down in battle. I thought he was on our side? So Rooney take the parts of the Barons plane and makes a toy plane; that just happens to have real guns. When lighting strikes the plane the ghost of the Red Baron posses the toy, bringing it to life. So this toy plane complete with a cheap puppet polite goes on a killing spree. It up to Spiderman-oh sorry I mean Toby, to stop this evil!
To sum it up real quick, just in case you don't want read the rest; this movie sucks!!!! Stay away!!!!
Now for why. It's really hard to say who this movie is made for because it dose not seem to fit any genera.
Family Film? No way! This movie is way too violent for little kids. The Red Baron shoots who ever he comes across. He kills Toby father by electrocuting him and laughs "evilly" as he does it. This movie will scare the crap out of any one under 7. Parents stay away!
Horror movie then? Oh God no. As I said before any one under 7 will be scared. The rest us will be rolling in our seats in pain! The Red Baron is the worst villain of all time. He is nothing but a cheap puppet with one of the worst German Accents I have heard in my life. It seem like the movie is trying to be scary and yet at the same time try's to avoid being scary. The music is just too bright and happy for a horror flick. The evil one liners suck and how all the characters act in the film kill's any scary mood to this movie. Which never existed to begin with!
Then maybe it's a Comedy you ask? Nope, you see dear reader comedies are funny. This is just painful. The humor in this is much like something that a 5 year old would write. The humor, if that is humor there attempting at, is so cheesy that no one will be able to laugh! The only thing funny and scary about this movie is how did this movie get a script and production team to agree to make it! This is one those idea's that should stay in a writers head, not to be shared to anyone.....ever.
If you do come across this movie on DVD don't watch it. Here a list of things I like you to do instead.
1. Take a hammer and smash it. 2. Take a gun and shoot it. 3. Flush it down the toilet. 4. Burn it 5. Drive over it with your car. Just don't watch it. That would be a waste of your time and sanity.
That why I give this plane crash a big fat 1 out of 10.
and I hope it burns in hell.....
Not for kids... or anyone else!
Wizard-825 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Most actors do not start off their careers by appearing in lead roles in "A" movies. Usually they have to get whatever parts they can get, and that includes Tobey Maguire, who appeared in this Roger Corman production before he was famous. After watching this movie, I am sure that today he is very embarrassed by this early effort, especially when it was re-released on DVD with his name prominently plastered on the front of the DVD case.
What went wrong with this movie? Plenty! First of all, while this movie is marketed towards a family audience, it is NOT appropriate for children. The first clue should be its PG-13 rating ("For some violence", according to the MPAA) This movie has some scenes of violence that will freak some kids out, like the protagonist's father being electrocuted to death, people shot and sporting bloody wounds, and much more. But the movie also earns its rating with plenty of foul language, with characters using words such as "s**t" and "a**hole".
So the movie is not for kids. But it's also not for adults. There is not one likable character in the movie. Even the paramedics are shown to be nasty! Add terrible special effects, unconvincing acting, really stupid decisions by the characters, and no explanation as to how the protagonists lose their "wanted" status by the police at the end of the movie, and you have one terrible movie. It's not even so-bad-it's-good to watch.
What went wrong with this movie? Plenty! First of all, while this movie is marketed towards a family audience, it is NOT appropriate for children. The first clue should be its PG-13 rating ("For some violence", according to the MPAA) This movie has some scenes of violence that will freak some kids out, like the protagonist's father being electrocuted to death, people shot and sporting bloody wounds, and much more. But the movie also earns its rating with plenty of foul language, with characters using words such as "s**t" and "a**hole".
So the movie is not for kids. But it's also not for adults. There is not one likable character in the movie. Even the paramedics are shown to be nasty! Add terrible special effects, unconvincing acting, really stupid decisions by the characters, and no explanation as to how the protagonists lose their "wanted" status by the police at the end of the movie, and you have one terrible movie. It's not even so-bad-it's-good to watch.
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