Movie reminds viewers how the internet, namely YouTube, can help create new horizons for users.
Tucked away in one of the wooden cabinets under my parent’s TV set is a bunch of long forgotten home movies on VHS tapes. Among the tapes is a recording of my two older brothers unwrapping our first home computer during the Christmas of 1995.
Twenty years ago, computer technology was a novelty. Beyond the realms of Google and AOL, no one really knew what the Internet had in store. Fast forward a couple years and now people are making their living off of the Internet. According to Forbes.com, YouTube’s number one most subscribed content creator, Felix Kjellberg, also known as “Pewdiepie,” made around $7.4 million in 2014. Sites that promote and distribute user-generated content, specifically places like Tumblr and YouTube, have opened up opportunities for people that, until recently, did not exist.
In 2005 Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox published a video of themselves lipsynching to the Pokemon theme song. The video was quickly removed on grounds of copyright infringement but that did not stop the two from reaching further success. From then on, the duo, who are known by their channel name, “Smosh,” have seen their viewership increase tenfold over the past decade. Besides Smosh’s original channel, they also have a successful gaming channel, cartoon channel and website.
This past July, Smosh, released their first movie aptly titled Smosh: The Movie. And while the duo is not the first internet celebrities to produce their own feature length film (i.e Ryan and Sean’s Not So Excellent Adventure, Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie, Fred: The Movie), Smosh: The Movie is available to watch on more platforms, including Netflix, than any of its predecessors.
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The plot of the movie, while relatively simple, is somewhat convoluted. Padilla and Hecox play themselves in the movie which takes place the day of their five year high school reunion. When someone posts an embarrassing video on the Internet, the two literally jump into a portal that takes them into the actual YouTube website so they can change the video before Padilla’s high school crush, a girl named Anna, remembers how lame he used to be.
The movie incorporates a ton of familiar aspects from the duo’s past videos including a parody of Pokemon called “Magic Pocket Slave Monsters,” a subtle nod to the copyright fiasco. There are a ton of YouTube star cameos scattered throughout including Markiplier, Jenna Marbles and Harley Morenstein from “Epic Meal Time.” The production quality of the movie is fantastic and the hard work and dedication that was put into creating it shows.
However, this movie put me to sleep. I found most of the content trippy, convoluted and, at times, childish. But, when I remember that Smosh’s target audience is typically for adolescent boys, I understand that the movie is not necessarily trying to appeal to me.
On the other hand, I like Smosh: The Movie because it is an exceptional reminder that anyone who has access to a computer and their parents camcorder can be a celebrity if they work hard enough. The YouTube stars that we have come to celebrate all began as people with visions. It is hard to break into the video community and doubly hard to keep making original content that people want to watch, but the success has its benefits.
“...(Online) content (has) changed drastically. (YouTube) is now a website that professionals and amateurs share and where professions can start and skyrocket” freshman Daniel Maggio said.
In short, I would only recommend Smosh: The Movie to people who are casual fans of the antics the original YouTube channel has to offer. Otherwise, stick to YouTube.
Kaitlyn McGarvey is a freshman studying journalism. Who are your favorite YouTube celebrities? Email your responses to km451814@ohio.edu or tweet @McGarveyKaitlyn.
