Overrated and overhyped

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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 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

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.

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.