Critters (1986) User Reviews (161)

Two Words--> Critters rock

[ryangilmer007 · 7/10 · 8 May 2000]

and they roll and they chew and they eat and eat and eat. Darn those space people for solving the critter problem.

This was one of those TV late night movies that is totally awesome because of its creativity. Oh course while I watched it, I had no dreams of Gremlins and never connected the two.

In reality, I guess Critters are Gremlins without the Gizmos, but then again Gremlins without Gizmos are just plain mean.

and Critters are just mean....

They kill with no reason, they eat like there is no tomorrow, and even the Church cannot save the poor town's cattle.

As far as a classic, this is not, but it and Tremors are up there with the most immaginative and creative horror movies of the past few decades.

Quite fun actually

[TheOtherFool · 6/10 · 27 February 2004]

At the start of 'Critters', somewhere in space, 10 'Crites' are being brought to custody, but 8 of them escape, so that 2 hunters have to get them back. Now, this sequence could have easily lasted 10 minutes in any other movie, but 'Critters' doesn't waste time: it takes about one minute. There is no explanation what these Crites are exactly, who the hunters are, or why the're all going to earth. They just do. That way, all the fun happens on the earth. The Crites come to earth nearby a farm in the middle of nowhere (where else really), where they attack the family living there. The usual scenes of the kettle eaten, the silly police chief and the village idiot/drunk who warned everybody this was going to happen are all thrown in, but the movie never loses pace and is pretty funny all around, and not that gruesome either. A nice 80's horror flick, worth watching. 6/10.

Entertaining and fun!

[yossarian100 · 7/10 · 20 December 2003]

Critters tries to be nothing more than good entertainment and simple fun and succeeds admirably at both. Decent acting, believable characters, and an engaging story prove once again you don't have to spend tons of money to make a good picture.

Lunchtime!

[DarkPhoen1x · 21 November 2002]

This movie is one of the rare low-budget horror flicks that are actually good. The basic plot is that little furry monsters (kind of like hairy kirbys with teeth) land from outer space and begin to eat the town they land by. Pretty basic storyline, but this is a monster movie you know. The Critters (or Krites, to be precise), are, while obviously puppets, very cool and well done. The human actors on the other hand...well, they are terrible. The dad, his shoulder and leg practically gnawed of by critters, remains alert and vigilant, even though he's covered in blood. The boy is average, at best. The bounty hunters are alright. The best actor is Charlie, the drunk. He pulls off a very good performance.

Ok, so this movie won't make any headlines, or be famous. But if you are looking for a late night horror movie, with a dash or two of humor, Critters is a good choice!

Cheesy eighties garbage - but good fun!

[The_Void · 7/10 · 17 September 2007]

I saw this film for the first time as a kid on a coach on the way home from a holiday in France. I guess whoever was in charge figured all the kids would be asleep by the time they put this on, but I managed to stay awake and watch the lot, and Critters became a firm favourite of mine for the next few years. Despite seeing this film and the first two sequels several times as a kid, I could pretty much remember nothing about it when it came to watching it this time; and despite the fact that Critters is not quite the film I remember it being, this is still a fun little eighties crapfest with plenty to recommend it for! The plot focuses on a war in outer space that spills over onto a farm in a small mid-western town. The town unwittingly greet a meteorite, that later gives way to a host of nasty, furry little creatures with big teeth! Hot on their tails are a pair of intergalactic bounty hunters sent to track down the furballs - but the 'critters' get their first, and manage to cause quite a lot of damage before the bounty hunters eventually arrive...

Critters is clearly reminiscent of the 1984 hit Gremlins, as evidenced by the basics of the plot as well as the focus on humour. The critters themselves are hilarious little creations - thick black hair and a mouth full of teeth, but in their own way they're also fairly frightening! Gremlins isn't the only influence on this film - the whole idea of something bad coming from space being followed by something to stop it obviously came from The Terminator, and there are a number of other ideas taken from elsewhere - but the film doesn't feel like a bunch of stolen ideas, and that is to it's credit. The secluded farmyard setting is also to its credit, and again, while it's not the most original location for a film like this to take place, it works well so that isn't a problem. The cast, which includes the likes of M. Emmet Walsh, Dee Wallace and Billy Zane, all do their jobs well, and the action is always exciting enough to ensure that the film remains interesting. I won't say that this is a classic of the genre - but its good fun and I certainly recommend it.

strictly B-movie fun

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 6 September 2016]

Jay and Helen Brown (Dee Wallace) live on their rural farm with their son Brad and teen daughter April. The town is invade by space critters which escaped from intergalactic prison. They are pursued by two space bounty hunters who took the shape of band members from a music video. Brad has an older friend in Charlie McFadden. April has boyfriend Steve (Billy Zane). Harv (M. Emmet Walsh) is the sheriff.

I really love critters, the space creatures. I also like the space bounty hunters. This is strictly B-movie with B-movie acting and story. It does have some notable performers but they're not asked to do great work. It's just fun to have these critters rolling around.

Where are the Krites ?

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 4 March 2008]

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

A creature film classic

[Agent10 · 6/10 · 21 May 2002]

While the `B' movie horror flick typically bore and enrage me, this proved to be one of those rare exceptions. I must have watched this movie six times, and every time, I was freaked out by the little critters who couldn't appease their undying need for sustenance. This was quite a cool film to watch, especially when the creatures are finally killed off (which you will have experience for yourself). This is my idea of good mindless fun, which is exactly what I expected from this film.

Long Set-Up for a Fast, Fun Payoff

[Ltufano23 · 5/10 · 27 September 2023]

As a lover of cheesier scary movies, Critters has been on my list for a while. While this isn't winning any awards, it is certainly a fun time! With actors that are cheesier than Gouda, the personalities are larger than life and expressions are almost anime-esque. Unfortunately, it is a long feeling lead up, with plenty of talking and character development before we get any action, which made the majority of the film a boring and slow. Though once the action starts, it is a fun ride all the way to the end. The Critters are creepy, humorous, and genuinely scary, which surprises me that they are not more mainstream of a movie monster. This is a quick and fun film, so while it isn't close to perfect, it is definitely worth a watch.

Good 80's Sci-fi horror comedy.

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 7/10 · 12 May 2006]

Somewhere in space, a prison asteroid was going to have a vicious gang of furry basketball-shaped razor-toothed creatures called "Krites" until they suddenly escape to Earth so they can eat whatever comes in their way. The Brown family ( Billy Green Bush, Scott Grimes, Dee Wallace Stone, Nadine Van Der Valde) will have one hell of a night fighting off these hungry hairballs that not even Sheriff Harv ( M. Emmet Walsh) and lovable drunk Charlie ( Don Opper) can stop them until a pair of intergalactic shape-shifting bounty hunters named Ug ( Terrence Mann) and Lee comes to the rescue to kill these things.

Funny and entertaining horror/Sci-fi comedy with charm and wit plus a good sense of humor. The film was kind of a cash-in on the success of "Gremlins" but it's not really like "Gremlins" but more in the tradition of those 50's Sci-fi flicks and E.C. comics, Billy Zane does a nice early appearance before he became a major star and Don Opper becomes quite the lovable drunk that anyone can relate too.

This movie does have some good special effects for it's time including those bounty hunter transformations, if your looking for a fun lighthearted Sci-fi/horror combo with humor then this is it.

Also recommended: "Critters 2: The Main Course", "The Deadly Spawn" ( a.k.a. Return of the Aliens The Deadly Spawn), "Bad Taste", " Killer Klowns from Outer Space", " The Thing ( 1982)", "Night of the Creeps", "Slither", " Doom", "Mars Attacks!", " Dreamcatcher", " War of the Worlds ( 1953 and 2005)", "The Terminator 1 & 2", " The Fifth Element", " Starship Troopers", " Evil Dead II", " The Blob ( 1958 and 1988)", " Species", " Alien Series", "Predator 1 & 2", "AVP: Alien vs. Predator", "Men in Black", "They Live", "Contamination", "Pitch Black", "Insemenoid", "Lifeforce", "Pod People", "The Faculty", "X-Files: Fight the Future" and "NightBeast" .

Doesn't demand much attention, but manages to be entertaining enough when it grabs it

[tomgillespie2002 · 5/10 · 19 October 2012]

A group of alien creatures known as the 'Krites' escape from a meteor prison station and head towards Earth, so the leaders of the station instantly sets two shape-shifting bounty hunters out to retrieve them. On Earth, the rural Brown family, Helen (Dee Wallace), Jay (Billy "Green" Bush), their daughter April (Nadine Van Der Velde) and son Brad (Scott Grimes), live peacefully on their farm in Kansas. The Krites (or 'Critters') arrive on Earth and wreak havoc, attacking police cars and encroaching on the Brown family's farm. The bounty hunters arrive too, witnessed by Jay and Brad, and aggressively seek out the critters, as the tiny terrors descend on the Brown's.

Seemingly both pro and anti-Spielberg in nature, Critters benefits from - like so many horror films of its era and ilk - the puppet design. While the whole concept is a thinly-disguised rip-off of the vastly superior Gremlins (1984), the critters are certainly enjoyable to watch, as, unlike the gremlins, they dispose of people in variously gruesome ways with their razor-sharp teeth and their spikes (which they project like darts from their back). It's just a shame that the makers decided to crowbar in the alien bounty hunter sub-plot that not only takes the action away from the critters, but gives the film a very silly, slapstick edge that reminded me of Suburban Commando (1991).

While Spielberg had set the family blockbuster groundwork with Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and the massively successful E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), depicting the wonder of alien invasion from the view of the family unit, Critters seems to be happy enough following this familiar path, but giving the film of a more violent edge (in one scene, a critter bites the head of Brad's E.T. teddy). It is these aspects that work for and against the film, giving it a warm familiarity of the line of 'kid-friendly' 80's horror/sci-fi movies, but reminded you that Spielberg did it far, far better. But at only 82 minutes, it doesn't demand much attention, but manages to be entertaining enough when it grabs it.

www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Amusing Sci-Fi Horror Thriller with an Sense of Humor.

[hu675 · 8/10 · 3 August 2005]

Eight flesh eating aliens has escaped from a maximum security prison in space! These aliens are traveling to Earth to eat anything living. The Brown Family (Dee Wallace Stone, Billy Green Bush, Scott Grimes, Nadine van de Velde) are being stalked and trapped in their own farm house. The only ones that could help The Brown Family is a shape- shifting trigger happy bounty hunters that could help destroy the aliens.

Directed by Stephen Herek (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Life or Something Like It, Mr. Holland's Opus) made an genuinely well made low-budget sci-fi/thriller with comedic overtones. This film was a small box office success. The film went on to be a Cult Favorite. Also starring in this film is M. Emmet Walsh as a Sheriff, Terrence Mann as the lead Bounty Hunter and Don "Keith" Opper as Charlie. Which Opper did some additional writing for this film. Lin Shaye from "Kingpin" and "There's Something About Mary" fame has a bit part. Watch for Billy Zane has a bit part as well.

DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer (Also in Pan & Scan) and an good digitally remastered:Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. DVD also includes an alternate ending as a hidden feature. "Critters" is amusing knock-off to "Gremlins" but done extremely well, despite it's low budget. Written by the director and Domonic Muir. From a Story by Muir. Robert Shaye (The Then-Founder of "New Line Cinema") executive produced the film. This is worth seeing. Followed by Three Sequels. (*** ½/*****).

Ravenous cheeseballs from outer space!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 9 March 2006]

Ah, childhood memories… I hadn't watched "Critters" or any of its sequels since I was a young boy and I nearly forgot how incredibly entertaining they are! Along with "Night of the Creeps" and "Killer Klowns from Outer Space", "Critters" definitely is the most successful horror-comedy of the 80's and it actually even manages to be much better than the blockbuster it obviously borrowed its ideas from, namely Joe Dante's "Gremlins". The screenplay also uses story elements of innumerable other movies (the farm-setting, the space prison concept…) and yet it never really directly rips off any of them, which is quite an admirable effort. Hairy little space monsters, with funky red eyes and an insatiable appetite, escape from their prison transport and land in rural Kansas where they immediately attack farmer Jay Brown's cattle and family. The son of the family tries to reach the nearby village for help, but the Critters (or "Krites", as they're called in space) make it impossible to get away. Luckily enough, there also are two intergalactic bounty hunters with heavy artillery looking for the murderous furballs. The story opens a little slow with an overly extended family portrait of the Browns but, once the critters are rolling over the earth and eating their way through the countryside, Stephen Herek's film is both funny and action-packed at the same time. The dialogs are surprisingly witty and contain numerous references towards great Sci-Fi classics. Particularly the bounty hunters are hilarious, with one of them impersonating a famous rock star and the other indecisive about what appearance he wants to take on. The sharp-teethed Critters are engaging creations, made by the endlessly talented Chiodo-brothers of the aforementioned "Killer Klowns…" The acting performances are rather forgettable. M. Emmet Walsh is underused as the town's sheriff and Dee Wallace Stone tries to look too much like a teenage scream queen. There are early roles for Billy Zane and Lin Shaye, who would only reach their popularity-peak in the 90's. Light-headed fun for the whole family!

Peculiar and Incredibly Annoying little Creature Feature

[aidanratesmovies · 3/10 · 29 March 2021]

Although it may not be the copycat Gremlins film everyone thinks it is, Critters is an incredibly unoriginal, uneven, and poorly made little creature feature- and is honestly quite frustrating to watch. Nearly every character is poorly written, a bland range of stereotypes with a bland cliche family at its center. The plot goes all over the place and yet nearly nowhere at all. I don't like to usually be so harsh on these types of movies, I go into them with the intention of having fun, but it's hard to even have fun in an ironic sense with this film, as it is simply too forced to enjoy. I enjoy bad films that know what they are, and I feel deep down Critters does know what kind of film it is, it's just that in total, the film tries so hard to prove that point, that you are exhausted at all the forced wackiness and jokes it throws in there by the end. The dialogue is incredibly poor, feeling like an android wrote it, and the acting in total is absolutely atrocious, with names you wouldn't recognize in anything besides Christmas with the Kranks, if that. I enjoy the look of the critters, but we hardly get to focus on them close up, and only see them in shadows or rolling in balls, which is disappointing giving the name of the film and all. There is also a weirdly forced 80's song by an artist you have never heard of that plays at least 3 times throughout the film, and is so bad I honestly thought of muting the dvd when i kept hearing it. In the end, I did not enjoy Critters in the slightest. For some it may be the bad-movie fun they seek to enjoy, but for me, its anything but enjoyable.

My Rating: 2.75/10.

Creative and Fun

[Michael_Elliott · 3 March 2013]

Critters (1986)

*** (out of 4)

Fun sci-fi spoof about a Kansas family who finds themselves under attack from small fur balls that can shoot out poisonous darts and have an appetite for flesh. CRITTERS was New Line's reply to GREMLINS and for my money it's the better movie. There's no question that this film was made for a rather small budget but I think it's a perfect example of how the genre can be done right without having to spend a lot of cash on special effects. The film offers up some fun homages to other films, some great characters to root for and we're also given some terrific villains who you just love to hate. I think the creatures themselves are certainly the highlight of the picture. Their design really was a work of genius in the way that they can roll to wherever they're going and the darts are just an added goodie. I really loved the way that they looked and there's no question that those teeth are priceless. While the things aren't ever scary I really don't think they need to be because this picture really isn't about being scared but it's about just having fun. It also doesn't hurt that we're given a great family to cheer for along the way. Dee Wallace Stone play the mom, Billy Green Bush the dad, Scott Grimes the son, Nadine Van Der Velde the daughter and M. Emmet Walsh plays the local Sheriff. We also have Billy Zane in a small role as a boyfriend. The performances are also extremely good here including the always reliable Dee Wallace Stone. Grimes makes for a good guy to cheer for as well. The film really doesn't contain any major violence, which wasn't the norm for the horror and sci-fi genre from this period but the creativity here really makes up for that. Director Stephen Herek really does a nice job mixing everything up and he keeps the film moving at a terrific pace. The film has plenty of laughs but best of all is that you can just sit back and have a good time with it.

The Beginning of a Now-Classic Series

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 25 May 2014]

A race of small, furry aliens make lunch out of the locals in a farming town.

"Critters" somehow got the reputation as New Line's response to "Gremlins". This has been disputed, but the connection never seemed obvious to begin with. More interesting is the connection with "E.T.", as the film features not only an inflatable alien, but one of the stars: Dee Wallace.

Providing the creature effects are the Chiodo Brothers, now best known for Killer Klowns. Billy Zane appears in a supporting role before he made it big. And most notable is the directing of Stephen Herek, who made some more cult classics in the following years: "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989) and "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" (1991).

A cheesy film, "Critters" is lovable because it has a variety of science fiction and horror elements without ever getting too gory or too obscene. Rather than focus on darker or more adult themes, they chose to aim for a PG-13 rather than R rating and play up the comedy. This was a wise choice.

"Smells like Cow crap to me dad..." Entertaining & enjoyable, if a little bit shallow, Sci-Fi/horror film.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 3 May 2005]

Crites are little furry, reptile like alien creatures who have a big mouth with lots of sharp teeth & an insatiable appetite. They are able to curl into a ball & shoot poisonous spikes from they're backs which slows down or paralyses their prey. They are being transported across the universe in a prison ship, but they escape & steal a spaceship for themselves & head for the only planet in the solar system to support life, that planet is Earth. Warden Zanti (Micheal Lee Gogin) calls in the cavalry in the shape of two bounty hunters. Helen (Dee Wallace-Stone) & Jay Brown (Billy Green Bush) live on a farm near Kansas with their two children, April (Nadine Van der Velde) & Brad (Scott Grimes). Their normal peaceful existence is shattered one night when the Crites aboard their stolen spaceship land on their farm, Jay & Brad go to investigate & discover a half eaten cow. The Crites are clever little aliens & cut the Brown families phone lines & electricity, they are now trapped & have to desperately defend themselves against the Crites who just want to eat them. Meanwhile the two bounty hunters have arrived on Earth, one takes the appearance of a rock star named Johnny Steele (Terrence Mann) while the other eventually takes the form of the local deputy, Jeff Barnes (Ethan Phillips) when he is killed by the Crites. Harv (M. Emmet Walsh) the local Sheriff, starts to receive lots of calls about strange occurrences as the two bounty hunters cause mayhem wherever they go. But will the intergalactic bounty hunters be able to track the Crites down & make it to the Brown families farm before it's too late & everyone there ends up as Crite food?

Co-written & directed by Stephen Herek I though Critters was an enjoyable & undemanding Sci-Fi horror that's good fun. The script by Herek, Domonic Muir with 'additional scenes' by Don Keith Opper as Don Opper who also stars in the film as Charlie McFadden, is well paced & isn't boring & thankfully doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. It's a little on the clichéd side, a bratty teenager saving the day, the sequel orientated ending, characters stranded in an isolated location under threat from monster/alien with no way of contacting the outside world & the standard cardboard cut out disposable characters who end up eaten, but Herek keeps things moving along at a nice pace & it isn't a huge problem here. The Crites themselves are pretty cool & the special effects surprisingly good throughout even if the giant Crite at the end is severely underused. I was particularly impressed with the optical effects, including the spaceships & view of earth from space among others considering the year Critters was made & the obvious budget restrictions. There isn't a whole lot of gore but that didn't seem to matter much as the film as a whole is solid, someone has their fingers bitten off & there are a few bite wounds but that's about it. The acting is good from all involved & Critters as a whole is well made with a definite slickness & professional shine. Overall Critters is a bit shallow & predictable but good fun to watch & is certainly a agreeable way to pass 80 odd minutes.

These things are vicious...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 19 June 2017]

"Critters" is a classic in its own rights, and it is a movie that is distinctively memorable. It is a movie that I first watched when I was in my young teenage years. And I remember the movie fondly, and it was a rather good movie back then. I have watched it a couple of times since then, and "Critters" definitely have that certain value and contents to it that sustains multiple viewings.

They actually had a good list of talents to perform in the movie, and the cast list had some good enough names to it. It was particularly fun to watch a very young and inexperienced Billy Zane appear in "Critters". It was also nice to see a young Lin Shaye in the movie. And if you have been watching movies during the 1980s and 1990s, then you will definitely also recognize the likes of Dee Wallace, M. Emmet Walsh and Scott Grimes.

The idea with the shape-shifting bounty hunters was also quite interesting, especially since one of them kept changing forms every now and then.

I will say that people were doing good jobs with their given roles and characters, and it seemed like the people were having a great time while filming this particular movie.

Taking the movie's age into consideration, then the special effects and the creature designs are actually still good and somewhat impressive. And I must say that I personally do like the design of the critters, and the malicious nature that they have. It just makes for some good, wholehearted fun entertainment. While on the topic of the design of the critters, then it was a great combination that the creatures were small and fuzzy, yet at the same time monstrous and beastly. Granted, the critters puppets were a bit stiff, rigid and unnatural in their movement, but hey this was from the late 1980s. The way that they moved by rolling forward in a curled up ball-like position, was actually quite good.

The pacing of "Critters" is also quite alright, because the movie starts out quite nicely and continues on in a good pace. So writers Domonic Muir, Stephen Herek and Don Keith Opper had actually come up with something that worked quite well. And director Stephen Herek was doing a formidable job at bringing the movie together on the screen.

"Critters" is very 1980's, and if you have seen movies from that decade, then you definitely know what I mean by that. Whether you like that or not, is of course a matter of personal preference. I enjoy the decade and there are some good horror movies to be seen from the 1980s.

This movie is a combination of multiple genres; Sci-Fi, horror, comedy and action. And the mix and match of genres do work out quite nicely.

"Critters" is an entertaining movie that is most definitely worth sitting down to watch, regardless of it being your first time or if you have already seen it before. And if you are new to the "Critters" franchise, do take into consideration that the movies will take on a more comedy aspect after this first movie - but they are still quite enjoyable.

Weird, imaginative nonsense.

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 12 February 2005]

The Krites are the critters. They are nasty little hedgehog-type creatures and while they may look cute you wouldn't dare pet one as they'd rip your hand of and share the rest of you with their pals.

The Krites are prisoners on an asteroid jailhouse floating through the far side of the galaxy. Chaos inevitably breaks out and the Krites escape in a stolen ship, heading for the nearest solar system and it's only inhabitable planet...earth! Not to worry though, a couple of intergalactic bounty hunters are soon on their tail and track them all the way to the quiet farming town of Grover's Bend, Kansas. The worst thing ever to happen in Grover's Bend is the local drunk (the ever lovable Charlie) getting chucked out of a bar. But now the Krites are here and they lay siege to the Brown farm, eating their cows, Billy Zane, chickens etc. Anyone or anything getting in their way is promptly poisoned by their anaesthetic spikes and feasted on.

Once the bounty hunters arrive the almost do more harm than good. The bulk of the laughs come from this, including a running joke on how one of them has shape-shifted into the form of an '80s heavy metal rocker. The other can't make up his mind and constantly changes into various townsfolk.

The Critters (8 small ones and a big shaggy one) may be Gremlins clones but there's no denying their cuteness. Though while I would love a pet Mogwai, I think I'll pass on a pet Krite.

Critters is a mad comedy-horror with loads of imagination and the nerve to tell a truly offbeat story. Much like Stephen Herek's next movie (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure) Critters succeeds on pure energy alone.

Awful script and acting

[mieriks · 4/10 · 13 December 2023]

This movie, about a group of small but vicious alien creatures called Crites that escape from an alien prison transport vessel and land near a small farm town on earth, is a bad comedy movie.

Without doubt, it has very impressive practical effects. There's a lot of action and it's visually appealing in general. However, what heavily affects the experience are the awful script and acting. The script is basically straightforward, which is kind of what you can expect from a movie like this, but it also gets way too cheesy, which makes me cringe a lot. Despite that the movie focuses on the action, the acting is ruining much of the experience, especially because of Billy Green Bush (as Jay Brown) and Dee Wallace (as Helen Brown). I can't say more than that they did horrible. The script and acting are very important elements in a movie, and their disappointments overshadow the impressive effects.

Despite its impressive practical effects and action sequences, this movie falls short due to its underwhelming script and subpar acting, particularly from Bush and Wallace. The cheesy dialogue and wooden delivery of the actors make the movie more cringe-worthy than enjoyable, ultimately rendering it a disappointing experience.

A very awesome sci fi movie

[Critters1986 · 7/10 · 11 April 2012]

Now today I'm not going to review this movie, instead I'm going to talk about this movie. The reason for that is I don't wont to be the 100th person to say what this movies about. Anyway I really enjoyed this movie a lot. I enjoyed it so much that I keeped on watching it again and again. But soon I got bored of watching it all the time. This maybe a Gremlins rip off but dosn't mean its bad. Now in this movie it stars Dee Wallace Stone, Billy Green Bush, Scott Grimes, M. Emmet Walsh, Nadine Van Der Velde, Don Opper, Lin Shaye and a surprised guest Billy Zane. It was Directed by Stephen Herek who went on doing Mighty Ducks, 101 Dalmations and Bill and Teds excellent adventure. ( Which were all good movies.) Now that will be it for today. I will go and review Critters 2,3 and 4.

Too cheesy, even for the genre

[HorrorEnjoyer · 1/10 · 17 August 2010]

While I understand it's a horror COMEDY it's not excuse for horrible acting and horrendous psychology of the movie, while premise is not too bad and fitting for the genre the overall picture just falls apart as movie goes along. For starters there's only two deaths in the whole movie and they wasn't even of any of the main characters and while it's common for it's time for cheesy flicks to have no balls at all it doesn't change the fact that it really badly harms the credibility of the critters as an intergalactic threat - they can't even deal with few puny humans, their ability to grow here while promising - completely unexploited. Acting is really very bad even for it's time, maybe not Troll 2 bad, but definitely up there, I was very surprised that boy(worst actor in the movie) was nominated for an award for hes sucking, I guess at that time they were giving awards to anyone who were willing to showcase themselves on the big screen. The worst however is the ending, the premise that firecracker, which little boy carries around with him, can blow up the most advanced alien spacecraft in galaxy is beyond stupid and convenient, it's dumb even by movie logics, because earlier it was clearly established, that it couldn't even blow up a single critter, who swallowed the thing. The ending really made me angry and disappointed and that's the reason I'm so harsh on my vote, but come on, for the movie, which spawned three sequels I expected something at least tolerable.

This Movie Is A Classical Version Of Why We Are Afraid Of Monsters

[burtgum · 10/10 · 14 July 2006]

Ever since I watched this movie when I was 4, I always knew it would be my favorite of All Time.

This Movie is a perfect look of how we can take a plot that may sound sort of pathetic, and make it a hit. This movie has great special effects for its time, as well as great looks. The Critters are Nasty looking and can give you quite a scare. They'll make you think twice about walking into a basement.

It has been told and said that CRITTERS is a copy of the "CLASSIC" movie Gremlins. Personally, I think thats just an excuse because this movie rocks and put some pressure on the Gremlin people.

You cant look at this movie as a modern aged and modern special effects man. This was 86, and not the biggest time of great effects. Even so, if you haven't seen this movie, get down to the movie store and rent it!

Critters

[Toronto85 · 7/10 · 1 April 2011]

A bunch of hairy little space creatures attack a small Midwestern family in Critters. The film starts off in space and ends up showing critters crash landing into the small town where the Brown's live. There is also a group of space bounty hunters that land on Earth to kill the furry demons. The story centers around the Brown family and in particular, young Brad. One night, a meteor of some sort falls out of the sky near their property. It's a bunch of critters and soon they attack the entire Brown family, forcing them to barricade the house up. Meanwhile in town, the bounty hunters are shooting up the entire town looking for the critters. The power of the bounty hunters are that they can change their face to look like anyone else's. All this leads to an explosive conclusion.

This is a really fun movie. The acting is pretty good, the special effects are done well, but the story is pure eighties cheese. We have soon a ton of these movies that were made back then. The Ghoulies series, Gremlins, even the later Leprechaun installments. These smaller devilish creatures that kill anyone in sight. You would think that the people could get away from the critters, and most of them do, but they also shoot out sharp spikes to get their victims.

I also love the small town aspect of it. You got the nosy townsfolk, the lazy sheriff, the old fashioned families, etc. It's just a fun little horror/comedy film that takes itself more serious than the next few entries to the series.

7/10

The 80s Have Dated

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 30 May 2003]

Watching this reminded me of how bad everything was in the mid 1980s . It was bad enough that the cold war was still on when any moment WW3 could have broken out , but to have crap music , crap hairstyles and crap fashion is just too much . Maybe it wouldn`t have been so bad if someone had dropped the bomb because then we`d be back to the stone age with better hairstyles , better clothes and - with the exception of Matt Johnson and U2 - cavemen could make better tunes than anyone in 1986

***** SPOILERS *****

As everyone has said CRITTERS is more or less a reworking of GREMLINS . This is something else almost unique to the period when someone comes up with a hit movie then we get a tidal wave of movies apeing the original`s style . Yeah I know it still happens today but it`s slightly less obvious now . In fact CRITTERS is a rip off from GREMLINS and THE TERMINATOR with the scene where the bounty hunters walk into the diner and start blasting away , I could have sworn I heard " I`ll be back " . And am I alone in hating the scene where Steve ( Billy Zane - Yes that one ) is attacked by the critters and April and her brother run out of the barn leaving him to his fate ? Hopefully April will never get another boyfriend ever again if that`s how she treats her dates

Sorry , I think I`m taking this film far too serious