Remake of the 1958 sci-fi horror classic about a deadly blob from another planet which consumes everything in its path. Teenagers attempt without success to warn the townspeople, who refuse to take them seriously.
Director:
Chuck Russell
Stars:
Shawnee Smith,
Kevin Dillon,
Donovan Leitch Jr.
A massive ball of furry creatures from another world eat their way through a small mid-western town followed by intergalactic bounty hunters opposed only by militant townspeople.Written by
Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>
The Critter emerging from the toilet is likely an homage to Ghoulies (1985), a similarly-themed movie that used small monsters coming out of the toilet as their marketing strategy to promote the film. See more »
Goofs
(at around 49 mins) When the rest of the family drags the father in through the front door of the house after he is attacked the second time, a crew member is very clearly visible through a window at the back of the shot. See more »
Quotes
Critter 1:
Status report.
Critter 2:
Minor Damage.
Critter 1:
What now?
Critter 2:
Food!
See more »
Crazy Credits
After the very end of the credits, once the theme has ended followed by the title, you can hear the sounds of alien critters laughing. See more »
Alternate Versions
The DVD includes an alternative ending (hidden as an Easter Egg). See more »
Unfairly judged as a rip off of Gremlins from 1984, Critters should be thought of as a fun film taking all it can from the glorious peak of 50s sci-fi creature features. From the Critters themselves to every other character in the film, it shouts out as a colourised version of a 50s staple.
Critters escape from a space prison and head for another planet, Kansas {well OK then, Earth}, here they intend to eat every thing that gets in their way. The inhabitants of a small town don't know what has hit them, but aided by a couple of intergalactic bounty hunters, they fight back to hopefully rid their homes of the furry maniacal Critters.
Watching this is like watching a roll call for every stereotypical character ever put into a creature feature film. Cute kid who could be a hero, nice but dim farm hand, homely family with guts and verve, the sheriff who is just not gonna believe what is happening no matter what evidence is produced, and etc. Yet it works because they are homaging past masters, they aren't trying to kid anyone that it's a new idea, it's good fun that doesn't outstay its welcome.
The Critters are great, furry balls of fury with a shed load of teeth that are backed up by off the cuff subtitles to enthasize their grumblings. Genre babe Dee Wallace Stone gets to do her stuff, whilst M Emett Walsh has fun as sceptical sheriff Harv. It's not a classic genre piece by any stretch of the imagination, but it is fun {witness a delightful E.T. scene}, and I for one look forward to part two later in the week. 6.5/10
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Unfairly judged as a rip off of Gremlins from 1984, Critters should be thought of as a fun film taking all it can from the glorious peak of 50s sci-fi creature features. From the Critters themselves to every other character in the film, it shouts out as a colourised version of a 50s staple.
Critters escape from a space prison and head for another planet, Kansas {well OK then, Earth}, here they intend to eat every thing that gets in their way. The inhabitants of a small town don't know what has hit them, but aided by a couple of intergalactic bounty hunters, they fight back to hopefully rid their homes of the furry maniacal Critters.
Watching this is like watching a roll call for every stereotypical character ever put into a creature feature film. Cute kid who could be a hero, nice but dim farm hand, homely family with guts and verve, the sheriff who is just not gonna believe what is happening no matter what evidence is produced, and etc. Yet it works because they are homaging past masters, they aren't trying to kid anyone that it's a new idea, it's good fun that doesn't outstay its welcome.
The Critters are great, furry balls of fury with a shed load of teeth that are backed up by off the cuff subtitles to enthasize their grumblings. Genre babe Dee Wallace Stone gets to do her stuff, whilst M Emett Walsh has fun as sceptical sheriff Harv. It's not a classic genre piece by any stretch of the imagination, but it is fun {witness a delightful E.T. scene}, and I for one look forward to part two later in the week. 6.5/10