Grabbers (2012) User Reviews (112)

Sober entertainment

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 19 September 2012]

You have to love a movie that plays with stereotypes and uses them for the plot. Of course you could call this twist in the plot convenient, but that would take the fun out of it. Plus it does really feel genuine in the movie. Even the romantic aspect of it does work (which is even crazier than the story of the movie itself).

The movie is called Grabbers for a reason. And the reason will be revealed pretty early on. Of course the twist that I mention will take some time until it is discovered by the characters, but most people who watched it did realize it much earlier (could be that it was in the description of the movie, since I haven't read it, I couldn't tell you though). A really fun light little comedy, that is worth your time

Grab some beers before watching this one.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 9 June 2015]

This appreciably loopy horror / comedy takes place on Erin Island, a community for fishermen off the coast of Ireland. Richard Coyle plays police officer / amiable lush Ciaran O'Shea, who's given the job of showing around new arrival Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley). Soon they find their hands full: pilot whale carcasses litter the shore, and people are disappearing. The culprit is discovered by likable lug Paddy Barrett (Lalor Roddy): a species of (alien?) blood drinking squid like creature, that thrives in the water. Ciaran and Lisa discover that the secret to making themselves and their fellow citizens less appetizing to the monster will come rather naturally.

"Grabbers" deals in obvious stereotypes, to be sure, and it hits a lot of the expected beats for a genre story of this nature. It may not be original in terms of basic plot, but it does put a modestly interesting and charming Irish spin on a tried and true formula. Sometimes it gets a little tiresome, but it manages to deliver a fair amount of laughs. It starts somewhat slow (after a "grabber" of an opening) but builds in intensity until an action packed climax in the rain. The creature design is reasonably enjoyable, and the visual effects (and gore) are easy enough to take. The 2.35:1 aspect ratio allows for some pretty picturesque visuals.

Coyle is an engaging hero; he's flawed, but it comes as no surprise when he is able to rise to the occasion when the excrement hits the fan. The lovely Bradley is an appealing heroine, and she displays a fine comic ability in the later parts when she gets good and drunk. The supporting cast is solid as well: Russell Tovey as biologist Dr. Adam Smith, Bronagh Gallagher as area local Una Maher, David Pearse as Brian the barman, Ned Dennehy as Cooney, and Pascal Scott as Dr. Gleeson.

Monster movie lovers ought to have a pretty good time with this one.

Seven out of 10.

Monster battling; Irish style!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 12 November 2012]

There's nothing like some good old-fashioned monster movie mayhem! That's also what director Jon Wright must have thought when he read the script for this totally unpretentious but enormously amusing and respectably made mixture between comedy and horror. "Grabbers" isn't just reminiscent to the 1990 crowd-pleaser "Tremors"; it's actually the best monster flick since! "Tremors" was, and still is, so popular because of its fast-paced action sequences, terrific special effects and the swell dialogs & marvelous chemistry between the lead actors. "Grabbers" exactly features all these trumps as well, more or less in the same portions even, and yet it never once feels like a lame imitation or an uninspired knock-off. The uniqueness of "Grabbers" lies within the fact that it's a largely Irish production. The screenplay shamelessly exploits all the typical clichés and stereotypes that are irreversibly linked to the Irish people and their culture, but the self-parody works amazingly efficient. When a fiery meteor crash-lands into the sea, the live extraterrestrial content washes ashore and promptly feasts on a colony of grey whales. Somewhat later, when the town's missing person cases alarmingly increase, the drunkard deputy and the geeky new female "garda" discover the mother alien's hideout on the beach. Together with a local scientist, they also discover the fierce creatures survive on blood and are therefore allergic to high doses of alcohol in the blood. So what's a bunch of poor, defenseless and thirsty Irish folks to do…? The easy and light-headed ambiance of "Grabbers" sucks you in from the very beginning and there are many more ingenious elements to make this an enjoyable viewing experience. Richard Coyle (from the BBC hit-series "Coupling") and the 15 years younger native Irish actress Ruth Bradley play extremely well together and even the completely implausible slowly unfolding romance doesn't annoy too much. There's also a large variety of awesome supportive characters, like a mumbling fisherman and a couple of crazed tavern owners. The monster's design and special effects are very adequate. Okay, it's computer engineered, but not exaggerated. The mother alien actually looks somewhat like the mythical Kraken, with a truckload of tentacles and hundreds of razor sharp teeth at the center. Many of the situations are laugh-out-loud funny, but the important ones are also tense and exhilarating. Great entertainment, highly recommended.

Get a grip

[bushtony · 7/10 · 16 December 2012]

Remote island off the Irish coast is invaded by tentacled blood-sucking aliens from outer space. The aliens, it is discovered, are allergic to alcohol so the natural course of action is for everyone to lock themselves in the only pub and get hammered to levels usually reserved for the town drunk.

Small, low budget, fun and quite charming. The film benefits from some eccentric characters and performances and is elevated by the presence of the impossibly cute and gorgeous Ruth Bradley as a straight-laced police officer and Richard Coyle as her alcoholic partner. The scene in which teetotaller Bradley gets drunk for the first time is delightful and very well-observed. Bradley is very easy to fall in love with here.

So it's funny, smart, unpretentious and in a way "cosy" entertainment. It's not going to win any awards or set the world on fire and is perhaps a bit too mainstream to become a cult item. Still, as an inoffensive and amusing time-waster it's well worth a look.

fun horror comedy

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 9 August 2016]

Garda Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley) arrives at Erin Island in remote Ireland for a two week tour after battling the fast times of Dublin. Drunken Garda Ciarán O'Shea (Richard Coyle) is not happy at having the eager newcomer. It's a quiet place where nothing ever happens. Whales starts getting beached. People are getting grabbed. They find the multi-tentacled grabbers and their possible alcohol weakness. The problem is that everybody has to get stinking drunk.

Richard Coyle is a charismatic lead. Ruth Bradley is a pretty foil to him. She's also a fun drunk. The duo probably needs a funny fat sidekick. The start is a little slow. It's more fun when the grabbers show up. It needs a bit more drunk humor. The monster is relatively good. This is a good creature feature with some comedy.

Must get drunk to fight a monster. Sounds like fun right?

[moviesmaniax · 7/10 · 19 February 2015]

Must get drunk to fight a monster. Sounds like fun right? Grabbers is a comedy/sci-fi film with its smart goofy concept with silly humors at its finest and creatures that are really well designed. However, the film could have been much more better if there's more into the story as it doesn't seem to extend its goofy concept to reach its full potential quite yet and the plot just falls short. There are some GORES but don't expect any memorable or over the top bloody kills which is also quite disappointing as the film could have been much more fun if it's bloodier than this. Some jumpy SCARE scenes but beside that, the creatures look quite terrifying, sometimes quite cute with amazing visual effects that you might not expect it to be this good at first. Overall, this is a nice little FUN sci-fi/comedy film that's consistently funny with its goofy concept and impressive creature effects, but still leaves much more room for improvement.

>>B-<<

Grabbers Review

[worshipthylouie · 11 January 2014]

A good old fashioned monster on the loose scenario with additional comedy elements. That is what you should expect going into this crazy film. It is in the same vein as the likes of Tremors. Did I mention that you should also be prepared for wacky, Irish folk, drinking their brains out?

Grabbers has found a unique way to merge drinking in a bar, and alien monster into the same movie. How is this possible? Well, it just so turns out that the monsters are allergic to alcohol. The plan of the heroes in this film is to throw a party at the local bar on this remote Irish island that is being attacked.

Offering free beer, you better have already guessed that all the Irish folk showed up for this special occasion. With the majority being unaware about the monster threat however. No, that revelation is going to come when they are already extremely drunk.

This is where the comedy lies. Watching drunk people try to take on tentacle style creatures who use rapid fire tongues to suck blood out of victims is an hilarious thing. You'll see them try to drive, take pictures with the monster for the discovery channel, and even construct a water gun flamethrower throughout the course of a drunken stupor.

Anyways, the film begins with an bright object falling from the sky. It lands on earth, giving an origin to how these creatures suddenly appeared on this island. Whales start to get mutilated, and alcoholic Garda Ciaran O'Shea (Richard Coyle), and his new partner Garda Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley), are on the job to find out what happened.

Oddly enough, the only one who has an answer is the town drunk, Paddy (Lalor Roddy), who claims that he was attacked by an odd creature. As expected, no one believe him. But when they do, and when they start to see it for themselves, is when this film actually gets fun.

The acting and characters were all top notch. Although I found the lesser characters to be far more entertaining than the two leads. Ciaran and Lisa had chemistry on screen. They had a believable romance, that did not seem forced in any way, which was a strong point.

Lisa was only just as fun as the secondary characters when she got drunk. Sober, well, no one in this film were half as fun sober. I'd also recommend that you do not watch this film sober. Or if you do not feel like getting tipsy, at least grab a beer or two from the fridge. During my viewing, I did not have any on hand, and that made me very unhappy.

One small nitpick is that at times, the actors and actresses may be hard to understand for some. I missed a few lines due to the strong accents. Not a big issue whatsoever, but just figured I would point it out.

The scenery is this movie is gorgeous. It is very nice to look at, and added to the experience. However, I am sure by this point, you simply want to hear about the actual alien monsters. It looked like it was out of a high budget movie. Completely well done, detailed and realistic.

The special, practical and computer generated effects were great quality, and never hindered the film like it does sometimes in other monster themed affairs. With all the positive I've said, I must go ahead and point out that this film has a very disappointing climax.

I am not talking about the last scene, which leaves potential for a sequel. That made me happy. The final fight itself was the major letdown. You've seen countless monster films end the exact same way. It just had potential to be so much more.

Before the climax, and about forty minutes into the film, things were very exciting. It started off slow for me, but does not seem to have had for others, so hopefully you have more fun with it than I did. When the Irish folk gather up in the bar, and the monsters goes on the attack is when my eyes were specifically glued to the screen, and not wondering anywhere else.

All in all, it is surely worth a watch. Just remember my tip, it is properly enjoyed with a few ice cold brews. If you are a genuine monster movie fanatic, no shame in adding this to your collection.

Superpower Film Scale: 3/5

1: Villainous Waste

2: Careless Bystander

3: Hero unaware of powers

4. On the verge of greatness

5. Heroic film

Terrible

[richkiel · 2/10 · 30 July 2021]

I would give this film one star only, were it not for the monsters, which I thought were kind of cool, though not very original, and the CGI is not exactly top notch.

The film is poorly written and directed, though. It wants to be a horror comedy, with a tone similar to Shaun of the dead. But the jokes are never funny and the action scenes with the monsters are tedious and a wasted opportunity.

I have no idea why the film makes so little sense. It is as if they weren't even trying. For instance, in order to prevent panic, they don't even tell the locals there are monsters around. How dumb is that? Also, since the monsters are allergic to alcohol, they get everyone to drink crazy amounts of booze. But it is established that while the monsters won't swallow them, they will still kill them, drunk or not. So the whole idea makes zero sense. Hardly anything in the film does.

There is also a stupid anticlimax at the end, and a romance that goes nowhere.

A waste of time.

Original, fun & underrated

[chez1111 · 9/10 · 1 May 2015]

I'm no expert, I seldom ever write reviews unless I feel strongly about a film and/or feel that it has been overlooked.

Also, I won't explain the plot because that has already been done & is detailed under the heading "Storyline" above. (It bothers me when people just regurgitate information that has already been provided, or worse yet, expand it to 'spoiler' point!)

*In my opinion, as a fan of UK films & fanatic of the horror genre, this movie is an absolute gem.*

The story is really original, smart, funny & moves along with no trouble keeping your interest. The characters are endearing (even those with more minor roles), the creature is very unique with effects that, I think, are well done. As for the filming location, it is absolutely beautiful, making all of the scenic shots just breathtaking.

It made me jump...several times, hold my breath in angst, get a tiny bit misty, almost wet myself from laughing so hard & also made me think, just a little. (the humor is not corny, but smart & witty. It's often subtle)

I admit, there was one scene in which a character did not react in the most believable or logical way (Under attack they did not use a phone that was right next to them, etc.). Otherwise, I really have no other criticism.

I only watch movies that I really like more than once or twice, & I have watched this movie well over ten times! It's rating seems very low to me & I hope that my input might encourage people to watch despite it's number rating.

This is just my personal viewpoint. However, everyone that I have had watch this has enjoyed it and had fun...I really hope you do as well!!

A decent affectionate tribute to the creature feature.

[geodrake-71-627198 · 7/10 · 3 September 2012]

A sort of cross between 'Father Ted' and 'Tremors'; this tongue in cheek creature feature is heavy on the humour and light on the horror. When an extra terrestrial object crashes into the sea, the community of Erin Island (off the coast of Ireland) is attacked by tentacled blood suckers. It's up to the team of veteran, hard drinking Garda Ciaran O'Shea (Richard Coyle) and his rookie partner Garda Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley) to solve the mystery – if their differences can be put to the side long enough. Aiding them is English scientist Dr. Adam Smith (Russell Tovey). The film's delightfully 'B' movie title is reference to the name given to the alien beings by the terminally alcoholic fisherman Paddy Barratt (Lador Roddy) who captures one and keeps it in his bath. Until it busts out through the cottage wall… National stereotypes are used to a shameless degree. Nearly all Irish characters are laid back, got the gift of the gab and like a good drink; whilst the English character's upper class and eccentric. Most of the jokes (and a lot of the plot) revolve around voluminous alcohol consumption. This could have got tired very quickly if the performances from Coyle, Brady and Roddy weren't so endearing. Chalk and Cheese partnerships are a staple of film and television plots to the point of nausea. However there's real chemistry and romantic tension between Coyle as O'Shea and Brady as Nolan. Supporting cast members also put in good turns. Russell Tovey (who's done a lot of T.V. work in the U.K.) is the weak link; his portrayal of Dr. Smith comes across as amateurish compared to his fellow actors. He's not plausible as the rival to O'Shea for Nolan's affections. Creature effects are a joy to behold thanks to Shaune Harrison who supervised them. He's a veteran of prosthetics and special makeup effects, having worked on huge releases like 'Star Wars: The Phantom Menace' and 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Parts 1 & 2'. A lot of care and attention to detail went in to making the 'Grabbers' as believable as possible. The sight of a brood of baby aliens exploring the pub bar is just fantastic and beats the lazy C.G.I that's too often employed in movies these days. Unfortunately the big storm that cuts links between Erin Island and the mainland and increases 'Grabber activity' (they like the wet) is badly mishandled. No stock footage of actual storms is used, instead water sprinklers are relied on and the result isn't remotely credible. Production values are high and direction tight enough to satisfy multiplex audiences and if given a wider release I'm sure 'Grabbers' would do very well at the box office – with the popularity of titles like 'Hot Fuzz'. Horror lovers will be disappointed (as was I) that there're no decent scares to be had. Grabber kills are predictable and pretty gore free. The humour is all light hearted and superficial, which is fine but there are no belly laughs or 'what the hell' moments as in classic horror comedies like 'Braindead'. Overall 'Grabbers' is a fun way to spend an hour and a half of your life even if it's a bit one dimensional.

Big Flaw

[artpf · 4/10 · 26 November 2013]

When an island off the coast of Ireland is invaded by bloodsucking aliens, the heroes discover that getting drunk is the only way to survive.

Only how does it know you're drunk when it sticks tentacles in you from a long distance. Seems to me it can kill you before it knows it doesn't want you. Huge story flaw.

I didn't love the flick. It's pretty for sure. The landscapes a re great and makes you want to go to Ireland. But I didn't love the story line or the direction, not the music which is something out of Spielberg.

Well balanced - Drink it up

[vipcorp-954-708527 · 8/10 · 4 April 2014]

I watched this movie expecting it to be a comedy. It is, but to a lesser extent than I was led to believe. Don't get me wrong, it has its share of humor, but if you take out the comedic elements, the film really stands up as a good low budget creature feature. Pleasantly surprising!

A simple script, no Oscar winning performances or intense dialog, but no over baked hams here either - except maybe in one or two spots where it's done intentionally for humor. The male and female leads were exceptional and they played their roles just right. They were endearing. The assortment of characters making up the island folk were spot on and I wanted to pop on down to the pub and buy them a round or two.

Although Grabbers borrows elements from a number of classic films in the genre, it never seems tired or cliché. I think that's due to it's understated nature and the originality it does have. Anything familiar is presented with respect and with it's own style.

A big nod to the writer and director on this one. Getting the balance this finely turned between comedy and horror isn't easy. American Werewolf in London had that, but not many others. I don't quite think this compares with that classic, but it's got that certain 'something' that will grab you.

Low budget is where you'll find the gems in this genre and Grabbers is top notch. A perfectly balanced, thoroughly enjoyable movie. If you like the genre, don't miss it.

pretty good movie

[hr-boege-546-170392 · 7/10 · 18 February 2013]

this is a b movie, in the good meaning. watching this i couldn't stop thinking on the monster movies from the 50s. the story has its silly and serious moments, which makes it entertaining. there is of cause some of the well known clichés, but i think that the story is entertaining. i like when horror movies can be funny to, like some of the nightmare on elm-street movies. actually a lot of my favorite horror movies, have some funny elements. it makes them stand out, and way more entertaining. i think that this movie would be even better if i were Irish. i think they, made some jokes that Irish people enjoy more then us not Irish. all in all, give this movie try, especially if you have some friends to watch it with. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Seriously, it's pretty bad

[digdog-785-717538 · 5/10 · 4 December 2012]

Grabbers is not really garbage, but quite nearly that;

Somewhere in Ireland, a mish-mash of Jaws and a whole bunch of 80s monster films attacks locals in a quaint fishing town. The young and dashing police constable will save the villagers by getting them drunk and destroy the monster with fire, as you do.

As one can tell from the premise, it's not meant to be a serious film, but (problem number 1) the comedy within Grabbers is pretty bad, as is most of the dialogue delivered fairly decently by a number of uninspired and not particularly talented actors (problem number 2). The scary bits do decisively better, but unfortunately the story is minimal and the pacing pretty darn awful(problem number 3). The film itself is relatively low budget, and the special effects lack punch .. and effort (the scene where the PC is wrestling with one creature is sad and laughable), also the lighting and direction departments leave much to be desired; photography is truly forgettable (problems 4 & 5).

So in the end Grabbers is not a film that will grab you te-he-he ... no seriously, it's bad. Not really so bad as many other low-fi thrown together films of lately, but more like something which leaves you wondering "why am i watching this?".

My vote, a 5/10 for the lack of any truly horrid bits and also the lack of anything decent. GG.

...finally, a great, great, great reason to get sloshed...

[bcheng93 · 6/10 · 15 March 2014]

...well, the idea for this horror comedy is fairly original, and it works in a wacky sorta way. i didn't expect much going in and totally enjoyed it. i would watch just about any movie as long as it has a couple of good-night rain scenes in it and this one has.

i don't think there were any A-listers in this movie but everybody in this movie did more than a competent job. like i said the idea for this movie is fairly original and that was the only reason i watched it. i just want to say that for me personally, the lead actress is totally gorgeous and a fine actress, i will look for more works of hers in the future.

i like horror movies cause i want to feel scared and tense...,to me it is not about the gore. this movie does that very tastefully as there was only about 15 seconds worth of gore in the whole movie and they all worked well. there was tension in parts of the movie and some scenes were scary. there were the usual cliché characters, but they all felt like they belong in the movie.

what is unique and hard to do though, is to blend the horror with the comedy and the movie did itself quite well in that department. this movie was pretty funny too! it seems like every British movie or Irish or Scottish is like a beautiful tourism commercial and this one is no exception...kudos to that!

everything about this movie was well done and nothing felt corny or hammy and BTW...for all you CGI fans out there, for what there was it was really well done too.

i'm surprise it took me this long to find this " gem " of a movie and i think i'm going to watch it again as soon as i'm done with the review.

mark my words, this will become a cult classic and i can't wait till the sequel comes out.

Grabbers

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 2 September 2016]

Erin Island, off the coast of Ireland, was just a quiet, idyllic fisherman's spot away from the busy hustle and bustle of the Dublins, where everyone knows each other, with many sharing a shot or pint at the local pub. At the beginning of the film a male and female alien land in the ocean close to Erin, eventually washing ashore, looking to find humans as a source of blood and water, both of which are key to their survival and longevity. Arriving to Erin is a cute, perky, astute, and genially spirited Dublin officer, Lisa (Ruth Bradley, absolute charmer), on holiday, accepting a law enforcement post alongside perennial drunk, Ciarán (Richard Coyle). She is substituting for Ciarán's boss while he ferries with other island residents to the mainland for two weeks. Habitual drunk fisherman, Paddy (Lalor Roddy), cages the female alien in his lobster trap, himself attacked with it poisoned by the high content alcohol in his blood! Ahhh, yes, a vulnerability! The giant male alien comes looking for its mate, equipped with a tongue that whips around necks and even through victims, moving about with slimy tentacles, containing a circle mouth with shark fin teeth that can clean crunch off heads.

Yep, booze is the answer to combating aliens...I love it! This film has so many things going right for it. The aliens are ugly, resembling a combination of sea creatures and the island setting, especially the beach and natural landscapes, is stunning. But the leads and additional cast (can't fail to mention Russell Tovey as the enthusiastic sea animal expert) launch this off the pad exponentially. The drunk pub gathering with all the remaining village folk in the hopes of saving them from the male alien and its hatchlings is a hoot! Bradley has her Weaver Aliens forklift moment, and Coyle must fend off the face hugging female alien...just two memorable scenes among many. There are severed heads, baby alien slugs slithering in the pub, dead whales ashore as foreshadowing, a woman jerked out of her home by the alien tongue through her chimney, Bradley hilariously drunk, Coyle and Tovey eyeing Bradley and clearly in their tone, little asides, and patterns of behavior competing for her, and the incredible special effects for the aliens...so much to recommend in this appealing sea creature comedy. Aims to please and has a cast that is talented enough to pull it off. The villagers accumulate seamlessly into the charms of the comedy. Serious sleeper. Especially amusing is seeing the leads aware of their chemistry, wishy washy about addressing their building feelings, and gradually falling for each other. Roddy steals every scene he's in.

It will grab you when you least expect it...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 6 September 2012]

"Grabbers" was really an enjoyable movie. If you like monster movies, tentacled monster movies, then "Grabbers" is the right movie for you. It is lots of fun and has just the right amount of thrills and suspense to make it interesting.

And what is really great is that you get to see the creature quite early on in the movie and in full detail, whereas many other monster movies tend to shroud the creature in darkness and only give us quick glimpses of what it is. I like movies that lets us see what monstrosity is stalking the people in the movie. And I will say that the creatures in "Grabbers" were actually quite nicely made; good design and good effects.

"Grabbers" is sort of a mixture of many previous monster and horror movies. You have elements of "The Host", "Alien", "Slither" and "Tremoers" to be found here, if you are looking for similarities to other movies. I just watched it for what it was, however, a movie for entertaining me. And I enjoyed the story and I really liked the creature effects, very real and very unique. There was somewhat of a Lovecraft's Cthulhu-touch to the tentacled creature.

The story in "Grabbers" is taking place on Erin Island, where drunkard police officer Ciarán O'Shea (played by Richard Coyle) gets stuck with newcomer officer Lisa Nolan (played by Ruth Bradley) as the supervising officer is away on holiday. Something crashes into the ocean, and some local fishermen are mysteriously lost at sea. Local drunkard fisherman Paddy Barrett (played by Lalor Roddy) catches something bizarre in his fishing net, something that turns out to be a very deadly catch.

"Grabbers" had a very enjoyable story, it there weren't really any dull moments throughout the movie. Lots of fun from start to end, with just the right amount of thrills, scares and mystique. The movie was nicely acted by the people cast for the various roles. However, I will say that if you are not too strong in understanding Irish dialect, then you might want to use subtitles, as it can be a wee bit difficult to understand from time to time.

I was thoroughly entertained by "Grabbers" and it was really much more fun than I had expected it to be. This is a great movie, and definitely worth a watch if you enjoy a solid monster flick.

The fairly attention-grabbing grabbers are worth the attention.

[fedor8 · 3 January 2013]

The best thing about this movie is its visual quality. It's been a while since I've seen a modern (horror) film with such beautiful colours – almost an anomaly when one considers the ugly mono-colour look of most modern movies, with usually one or two colours (green and/or blue) dominating the screen, while the others are safely locked away in the director's laptop.

The humour is cute rather than funny, but overall OK. The gags related to the drunkenness were predictably not funny, though not irritating either. I had expected the Irish clichés to be much worse.

None of the characters are annoying, the aliens looks good, the female cop is cute, the scenery is interesting, and there aren't many lulls. (A bit slow around the middle, but that's about it.) Certainly one of the better alien-invasion flicks.

Grabbers is garbage

[dgefroh · 1/10 · 26 November 2012]

I've looked at most of the reviews on this movie and I'm amazed and also wondering what these other folks are smoking. This so called movie is nothing short of a huge waste of time. If you are looking for a grown up opinion on whether to watch this movie or not, I'm here to tell you NOT!! Here's the bottom line on this horrible attempt of a movie, it's corny, poorly written, poorly acted, the special effects are juvenile and amateur, the story line is not funny it's stupid, and finally the Irish dialect makes it almost impossible to understand what these actors are saying further driving this film into the very bottom of the barrel. You can choose to believe me and my review and pass on this one, or you can decide to go with some other opinion posted by other reviewers, but I truly believe my opinion is accurate and the others that like this attempt are drunk on Irish whiskey.

Never Mind The Graboids Here's The Grabbers.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 11 August 2014]

Grabbers directed by Jon Wright and written by Kevin Lehane. It stars Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russell Tovey and Lalor Roddy. Music is by Christian Henson and cinematography by Trevor Forrest.

On a remote Irish island something creature like is stirring, new Garda partners Ciaran O'Shea and Lisa Nolan are about to become the island's only hope for survival…

Great great fun, a play on Tremors, itself a play/homage to the creature features of the 1950s, Grabbers has all the fun schlocky staples in place, but crucially it also has its own identity. The islanders are a bunch of eccentric types and the two Garda protagonists are polar opposites but not cliché ridden, their chemistry strong as they play off of each other for joyous rewards. The creature effects are impressive for a modestly budgeted production such as this, and the narrative contains strength through ingenuity of plot developments and a knowing sense of playing up stereotypes. Lovely photography as well! Score! 8/10

Do yourself a favor and grab this movie

[adi_2002 · 6/10 · 9 June 2013]

Because it's funny. The first time I read title I thought it was a movie about a bank robbery with car chases and more action but I never think it could be a comedy-horror where the action takes place in northern UK. A policewoman (Lisa) is sent to replace a colleague went on vacation for two weeks. Arrived in town she meets her fellow O'Shea witch is rude because he doesn't have the good sense to help her with luggage. He is an alcoholic and it is ironic how he manages to stay in police business with this flaw. A meteor falls near the island and they find themselves invaded by a strange creature that resembles an octopus and needs blood and water to survive. Immediately, the monster make some victims, some fishermen, a few whales occur at the edge of the sea for no reason and people begin to worry when one of them capture a baby octopus and keeps it in a aquarium. It begins to attack one by one and the two police must team up to save the others. Know then that the combination of blood and alcohol harms octopus and so they organize a party at the village pub where they hope to save them all by make them drunk. Someone try to find out what is really going on but too late and the monster comes already after them. Are discharged one floor above and Lisa is sent to bring back the car keys to create an evacuation plan to destroy the octopus. I liked that at first Lisa seemed very serious she is not smiling, had no sense of humor and after they drunk her turned into a completely different person. Who knows maybe eventually alcohol can save your life ... but of course only in the movies.

Alcohol on standby...

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 9 May 2014]

On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, a community comes under attack from ravenous, tentacled, blood-sucking creatures from outer space. When they discover that the aliens are allergic to alcohol, the locals decide that their best chance for survival is to get smashed.

Playing drunk is probably one of the hardest tricks for an actor to pull off convincingly, so when a film requires every character to get absolutely hammered, it's asking for trouble. Watching the cast of Grabbers unconvincingly slur and sway their way through this silly monster movie proves quite painful at times and, with such a collection of obnoxious characters largely comprising of drunken Irish stereotypes (Ruth Bradley as Garda Nolan gives the only likable performance), much of the intended humour falls very flat indeed.

The plot also suffers from fundamental flaws that seriously weaken the film: getting drunk doesn't seem to stop the 'grabbers' from attacking, so the islanders' plan not only proves completely pointless, but actually a hindrance (in reality, it is merely an excuse for the film-makers to add a new angle to what is otherwise a routine monster flick); on a lesser note (but one that still bugged me), no-one on the island seems to be under the age of 18, a contrivance that conveniently allows for everyone to get involved in the binge drinking. What would they have done had there been children present?

Technically speaking, Grabbers is surprisingly good, with superb cinematography, decent creature designs and slick CGI special effects that belie the modest budget, and director Jon Wright makes great use of his best asset, the beautiful Irish coastal scenery; these elements help make the film less arduous overall. However, with such a weak script and unconvincing performances, I think it might be best to watch the film in the same state as its characters: well oiled!

4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

Laughs and scares are abundant

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 20 August 2015]

Oh my days, this film is nuts, I am a fan of all things Irish, and when they do humour they know how to do it properly.

Something has washed up along the stunning Irish coast, they turn out to be Pilot Whales, but what's caused this strange phenomenon? Big time cop Garda Lisa Nolan lands on the small community of Aran Island to offer support to casual cop Ciaran o'Shea. The locals soon start disappearing, in monstrous fashion. And not long before it's full scale mayhem.

I've become a huge fan of Russell Tovey, the guy can do it all, he is so funny, but Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley make a fantastic double act.

The humour is so good, it's so funny and the effects are considering it's a B movie, well put together. The backdrop of the grabber against a pub full of drunken Irish villagers is class.

I fear this will be one of those films not enough people will get to see, it's well worth a look.

Safe Yet Fun Film That Mixes Genres

[gregsrants · 7/10 · 21 October 2012]

When young female Garda Lisa Nolan (Ruth Bradley) relocates to a small island off the coast of Ireland, she had no idea that her following few days would be spent fighting monsters, getting drunk and fighting monsters getting drunk.

It all begins when a strange illuminated object is seen crashing into the sea. Soon after, strange occurrences begin to unfold. Fishermen go missing. Mauled whales are washed up on shore. And a local town's drunk captures some sort of monster in a lobster trap.

Meanwhile, Ruth Bradley is being shown around town by local Garda, Ciarán O'Shea (Richard Coyle from BBC's Coupling). Prior to the recent events, the town has been relatively a quiet and peaceful village with only the odd drunken brawl being brought to the authorities' attention. But as events continue to unfold, they learn that there are creatures – named Grabbers as named by the town drunk - with a craving for human blood. Further experiments on the captured Grabber reveal that the creatures do not enjoy alcohol tainted blood. So all the townspeople have to do is remain in a state of drunkenness until help arrives. Being Ireland – this is easier done than said.

Grabbers is directed by Jon Wright (Tormented) and is a pleasant mix of comedy and thrills that is a cross between Tremors if scripted from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft. Richard Coyle as the heavy drinking Garda Ciarán brings a confidence to his role and walks the tightrope perfectly between the humor and horror elements of the production.

Comedic moments trump science fiction elements and there are plenty of laughs to go around. Lalor Roddy as Paddy Barrett steals most of the scenes to which he is allowed to emote, but the budding relationship between Ciarán and Lisa is the focal backdrop amongst all the chaos.

As with most alien invasion films, things escalate in size and violence and the creature effects in Grabbers are top rate. With a reported budget of only $4 million, we were amazed at what Wright and his effects crew were able to pull off without the large blockbuster budget of larger scaled Hollywood productions.

There were a few elements in Grabbers that didn't quite click on all cylinders – namely the relationship between the two leads – but that was hardly enough to pull the movie down or deflate an audience that seemed to relish in the cross genre mix.

Grabbers opened the Toronto After Dark Film Festival this October and was the perfect film to launch an event that brings the best of horror, science fiction and cult films to the masses. It was a crowd pleaser that can ease an audience into a week of thrills and chills much like Monster Brawl was on opening night of 2011. It is a polished piece of work that could be easily labeled as 'safe' due to the non-excess of blood spilling, violence or mature situations.

It would be difficult and unfair to label Grabbers as either a 'Monster Movie' or a 'Horror Comedy'. What it is, simply, is a good time filled with enough of everything to appeal to a mass audience.

www.killerreviews.com

Could have been great - without the dramatic scenes

[Lomedin · 4/10 · 11 September 2013]

I was looking forward to watch Grabbers. The premise of an alien race that cannot cope with alcohol landing on Ireland -the merry country of drink until you spew out your entrails- couldn't sound more hilarious.

Unfortunately, for some reason, they decided to actually go easy on the funny crazy stuff and give this film more seriousness that it should have. The romantic/dramatic scenes really ruin the movie for me. It could have been much better if this would have been just a goofy, plain crazy flick.

The special effects surprised me greatly. I was expecting more shabbiness and they actually were pretty good.

Alas, people looking for a good laugh, I'd recommend looking somewhere else. This film tries to take itself too serious some times for its own good.