Critters (1986)

What makes it different from others?

Best movie ever!

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I used to watch 'Critters' a lot in the eighties and loved it, so I thought I'd invest in the DVD box set containing all four films and take myself on a trip down memory lane. At first, the film started off well... despite the slightly outdated special effects showing the outer space penal colony where the titular aliens escape from, it's actually quite enjoyable. The alien prison guard is fun and the bounty hunters he send to capture the critters (or 'Crites' as they're technically known) are dry and menacing at the same time (for heroes anyway!).Anyway, the Critters land on – guess where – Earth and start terrorising the occupants of a farm in America. For a start I'd forgotten how little the actual Critters are in it. We don't really see them until about half way through and I know that people will claim that the lack of actually seeing them builds tension, I just wanted to get them on screen, as they're clearly the stars.Oh, yeah, the stars – it's unlikely you'll have heard of most of the actors, but you're probably not expecting to when comes to eighties horror B-movies (unless you've watched Star Trek: Voyager and know the alien crewmate 'Neelix' or seen – a normally older – Lin Shaye in other horror works). The Bounty Hunters are fun in a silly over-the-top kind of way, but their silence doesn't really open them up to carry the film when the monsters aren't stealing the show.The second half picks up, simply because we get to see the beasties more. Every scene the Critters are in is pretty good. Yes, it's a comedy horror and – in my opinion – the emphasis is truly on comedy. Critters isn't that horrific – I won't go into details as to how many people are killed, but it isn't that many. The Critters don't really get going as a murderous death squad, but they are still cool.The ending feels a little like an anti-climax, as if the writers didn't really have any idea of a fitting climax. The – very – end then feels like an afterthought of cheesy niceness which doesn't really go with the rest of the film's tone.Overall, Critters is still fun. I still liked it, but I think it was more suited to the 'boy-me' as opposed to the 'adult-me.' I'll probably watch it again at some stage, but now I'm left with a box set with three other Critters films to watch – all of which I loved growing up. Now I'm scared they won't live up to what I remember!

Definitely a good movie! It's a fine mix of horror, comedy and sci fi all in an hour and a half! However, I would really wish that the movie was longer. If the movie was a bit longer, I'd rate it 10/10, but because it was a bit too short I rated it 8/10. But still, this is a VERY good movie. The jokes are funny, the scares are (very occasionally) scary, the sci fi is a job well done - the perfect movie for fans of horror comedies and science fiction! The humour isn't exactly pointable, and it's a bit hard to figure out...but when you figure out the joke's definition, you will laugh! This is an especially good movie for 10+ because I remember watching this when I was 9 turning 10, and I LOVED it! A must see!!!

This movie rocks! Anybody who just sees the poster automatically thinks it's a rip-off of Gremlins, but this isn't a rip-off, it's something completely new.Now, I have to admit: I did go to this movie because of James Rolfe's review on it (and that kick-ass "Power of the Night" song), though I knew about it ever since I saw the first TMNT movie.Anyways, this movie definitely delivers. It has awesome-looking creatures, fun characters, great music by David Newman, and a bad-ass storyline.Some creatures from space escape to our planet, and it's up to the bounty hunters to have them destroyed. I love the bounty hunters. They can disguise as anything they see with their own eyes.If you think that this is a cheap rip-off of Gremlins, you are wrong. Check this movie out!

A 1950s style sci-fi movie made in 1986. It involves a family living in a remote farm in Kansas. There's mom Helen (Dee Wallace), father Jay (Billy Green Bush), son Brad (Scott Grimes) and daughter April (Nadine Vander Velde). They're attacked by "crites" from outer space. They're nasty little creatures with a mouth full of VERY sharp teeth, can roll around and shoot poison spikes. They're followed by two bounty hunters who have been hired to destroy them.The plot is familiar but this movie is FUN! It doesn't take itself too seriously and just takes the audience along on an entertaining ride. The movie is full of funny lines and clever ideas. I really got a kick out of how whenever the crites talk we see subtitles! However it's not all laughs. It is violent at times and they are two genuinely horrific scenes.DEFINITE SPOILERS!!! The first is when we first get a good look at the crites and the father is brutally attacked and when Steve (an unknown Billy Zane) is attacked and killed. These are bloody and scary. END SPOILERS!!!Also to acting is pretty good--especially by Wallace. The special effects are, at best, OK but they totally fit the tone of the film. This is a fun, scary and great sci-fi film. Recommended!