‘Rick and Morty’ Just Roasted Superhero Fan Boys for Half An Hour Straight
Everyone’s a critic, but only Rick Sanchez can teleport into James Gunn’s office and criticize him to his face.
If your only exposure to the cinematic universe based on popular DC Comics characters such as Superman and Batman was through the online discourse surrounding each divisive movie, you might be under the impression that Gunn is a war criminal whose transgressions against art deserve to be tried at The Hague. Rick and Morty writers know better than anyone that nerd followings can grow inflammatory in their feedback, so, when the show invited Gunn and his fellow DC movie director Zack Snyder to cameo in tonight’s episode just a few days before the release of Superman, even the release date of “Ricker Than Fiction” felt like a subtle, playful F— You to the internet’s most irate fanboys.
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In “Ricker Than Fiction,” Rick Sanchez decides to hijack his favorite action movie franchise from Gunn and generate a superior film using artificial intelligence, only to find that automated screenwriting and nerd rage are no replacement for a capable filmmaker who just wants the fans to finally shut up.
“Ricker Than Fiction” revolves around the in-universe film franchise Robo Trees, directed by Gunn, and Rick’s explosive, irrationally angry reaction to an unsatisfactory umpteenth installment. Rick portals into Gunn’s office at Warner Bros., destroys his desk and declares that he can engineer a better Robo Trees movie using his scientific prowess.
Rick’s invention, an automized movie generator that can turn a script into a full feature film and alter plot lines based on user inputs, goes on the fritz and sucks both Rick and Morty into the Robo Trees reality. Meanwhile, Rick’s disproportional fanboy fury ruffles Gunn’s feathers, who, after a talk with his friend Zack Snyder, tracks down Rick and tries to steal the moviemaking machine while Rick and Morty are trapped inside it.
In the end, the day is not saved by fans getting exactly what they want and “correcting” the movie to fit their tastes, but by a caring simpleton who never had a problem with the new direction of Robo Trees and doesn’t mind slightly contrived, cookie-cutter plot devices so long as they help out the characters whom he loves. Jerry, who turns down a two-film contract with Gunn, manages to steer Robo Trees toward a heartfelt ending that saves Rick and Morty’s skins.
“I admit it, making movies is hard,” Rick comments upon his escape. “From now on, I’m just going to be an impossible-to-please fan!”
Keep Rick’s words in mind when the RottenTomatoes user reviews start to roll in for Superman on Friday — you’ll never know how hard it is to pull off a blockbuster until you’ve flown a mile in his tights.
