4 Film Favorites: Critters 1-4 Collection

4 Comments

1. Adam J. Thompson

   November 3, 2010 at 8:22 am

   Review by Adam J. Thompson for 4 Film Favorites: Critters 1-4 Collection
   Rating:
   MOST HAVE FOR ANY COLLECTION AND YOU CANT BEAT THE PRICE.ONE AND TWO ARE THE BEST, BUT ALL 4 IN A COLLECTION YOU CANT BEAT THAT.BUY WHILE YOU CAN IF YOU DONT HAVE THESE YET.

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2. The Analog Kid

   November 3, 2010 at 7:48 am

   Review by The Analog Kid for 4 Film Favorites: Critters 1-4 Collection
   Rating:
   Any horror movie fan deserves to buy this set. All of these movies are fun and entertaining. You can’t beat the price for this content. If you love the “Critters” films and you don’t own them on DVD yet, then do yourself a favor and buy this set. It is well worth the price.

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3. E. Ringgold

   November 3, 2010 at 7:04 am

   Review by E. Ringgold for 4 Film Favorites: Critters 1-4 Collection
   Rating:
   A must have collection if you don’t have any of the Critter films. Watched Critters growing up in todays times they are funny to watch. Always loved the little fur balls.

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4. Saint Thomas

   November 3, 2010 at 6:46 am

   Review by Saint Thomas for 4 Film Favorites: Critters 1-4 Collection
   Rating:
   Anyone growing up in the late 1980’s who was (and still is) a fan of the movies GREMLINS and GHOULIES should already know about the CRITTERS films. Some people might consider the CRITTERS movies as the “poor mans” version of GREMLINS. Granted, both film series share similar themes (cute and frightening pint sized little monsters) but they can both be judged on their own merits. I read online somewhere that the story for CRITTERS was written a few years before GREMLINS took to the big screen. So it’s clearly an idea that directors have kicked around before. Heck, there’s even a scene in the movie DEMONS 2 (by the amazing Lamberto Bava) where an infected little kid turns into a menacing Goblin like creature!

   It seemed like everywhere you looked (back in the early to late 80’s) there was always some GREMLINS like clone coming out. Some were better than others. (Do I even need to mention the awful TROLL sequel? What about MUNCHIES?) ‘Yup! Everywhere you looked back in the 80’s, there was someone ripping off the Gremlin theme and CRITTERS wasn’t devoid of scrutiny. If you ask me, the GHOULIES series seems more like a blatant rip off of GREMLINS than CRITTERS is. No matter what the comparisons are, the bottom line is that these type of movies are pure fun and nothing more. Sometimes you want a little cute humor with your blood shed and carnage!

   For those of you who don’t know what a Critter is (or called “Crites” in the films) they’re basically little fur balls with sharp teeth. Try to picture a hedgehog mixed with a piranha and you’ll have some what of an idea. Also, they’re fast moving little creatures that hunt in packs, roll into balls and shoot poisonous spines from their backs! As if these elements weren’t bad enough, it seems like the more meat the “Crites” eat, the bigger they get! All the while laying more eggs as they go. Needless to say, these are some tough little buggers to exterminate! In the film series it always took some hardcore intergalactic bounty hunter to wipe them out until the next sequel.

   Here are some short reviews of the four films in this excellent collection.

   CRITTERS (1986)

   This movie pretty much sets the stage and is the best out of the series. Basically the “Crites” are being transferred from one intergalactic prison to another. Something goes wrong and the Critters end up escaping the transfer, crashing their ship on Earth in the process. This proves to be a bad thing considering they kill and eat anything they come in contact with and a small farm is next on their menu! Eventually one of the Critters eats so much meat that it grows into gigantic proportions! Around the size of a gorilla, maybe bigger!

   This movie is truly a classic! Not only is it a lot of fun but it also has actors Dee Wallace Stone (THE HOWLING) and BILLY ZANE (DEMON KNIGHT) in it to boot! The bounty hunters Charlie and Ug are truly enjoyable characters, and the special effects are a real treat for the audience. This is the perfect “popcorn” Horror flick for the whole party! The best out of the series if you ask me! It’s a little scary, not too bloody and perfect for the kids.

   CRITTERS 2 : THE MAIN COURSE (1988)

   Those pesky Critters are back at it again. As it turns out, not all of the “Crite” eggs were destroyed in the first movie. Some how, a local junk yard dealer ends up with the strange looking eggs and sells them to a little old lady. (Why? I’ll never know considering they’re so gross looking!) She paints them as Easter eggs and takes them into town for the local Easter egg hunt. Next thing you know, the kids in the town are all taking “Easter Egg’s” home and the Critters start to hatch yet again.

   This sequel isn’t better than the original (few sequels ever accomplish that) but it isn’t a bad movie either. It just doesn’t match up with the charm that the first movie had. With that being said, it does have movie director Mick Garris (SLEEPWALKERS, THE STAND, MASTERS OF HORROR) behind the wheel this time and some of the special effects are pretty neat. The end of the movie has the notorious “uber” Critter ball sequence too, which does take things up a notch although some people might think it just looks stupid.

   Over all, not a bad little sequel here. For some reason I just can’t get into this movie as much as the others. Even with it’s descent budget compared to the “direct to video” sequels. I think one of my main problems is the main character Brad Brown. He was the little kid in the first movie but now he’s a little older in this sequel. While I didn’t mind him in the original, I find him a little annoying here. It’s a small problem really. CRITTERS 2 isn’t bad.

   Which brings us to…..

   CRITTERS 3 : YOU ARE WHAT THEY EAT (1991)

   This second sequel is the first in the “direct to video” Critters movies. I would have to say this one is my least favorite in the entire series, despite it’s really not all that bad on the whole. Here’s the story. No longer terrorizing a little farm or a small town, the Critters have moved on to bigger and better things. Bigger meaning the big city! Better meaning they now have more people to eat! Despite the “Crites” seemingly being killed off in the second movie, they’re actually still alive and kicking in the woods near the town they terrorized. Somehow, they climb aboard a mini van with a singler Father and his two kids, hitching a ride along the way. The family unknowingly brings the “Crites” with them back to their apartment, and thus begins another feeding frenzy.

   The main problem with this sequel is the low budget. Some things just don’t make sense and the over all movie has some consistency issues. The end of the movie doesn’t have any “uber” Critter in it like in the other two films (although there is one main Critter I’ll call “Bleach” after getting a face full of the stuff) and the over all movie itself feels kind of rushed. Despite it’s short comings, CRITTERS 3 does have it’s up sides. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio (THE BEACH and SHUTTER ISLAND) gets his film start here and the acting itself is at least competent. This movie is not bad for a “direct to video” sequel. It’s just not the best in the series.

   CRITTERS 4 : THEY’RE INVADING YOUR SPACE (1992)

   This movie is much better in my opinion than the third one is. Although I’m sure some people would disagree with me on that one. The “vibe” gets back to the basics with it’s over all darker mood. The story picks right up after the “cliff hanger” ending in part three. The “Crites” are almost killed off into extinction and Ug tells Charlie (via space age communicator) that he needs to put the last of the Critter eggs in a space pod for safe keeping. Apparently they worry about mass extinction in space too, despite how deadly the “Crites” turn out to be.

   Charlie does so, becoming trapped in the space pod and cryogenically frozen in the process. The space pod flys into space and eventually gets lost along the way to it’s home base. Many years pass (it’s now 2045) and a salvage space ship with humans on it find Charlies vessel out of nowhere. Faster than anyone can say “Alien 3”, the Critters escape their hibernation sleep, start eating the crew and multiplying along the way.

   This sequel has some great aspects to it. Not only is it darker with it’s ALIEN like vibe, but it’s some how a little bloodier than the other movies in the series. For only being a PG-13 rating, some of the death sequences look like that could have came right out of a Slasher movie! My favorite scene is where a Critter tries to eat it’s way into some guys mouth! It’s funny and the special effects are really effective considering the budget. Another plus side to this sequel is that Brad Dourif (from THE EXORCIST III and the voice of Chucky from CHILDS PLAY) is in it and he really helps along an otherwise low budget film. Just watching his scenes makes you appreciate what a great actor he truly is. Even in such a low budget, “direct to video” movie he gives it his all! CRITTERS 4 is the third best in the series if you ask me.

   Moving along…..

   In the end, this is the perfect collection for any Horror movie enthusiast. Normally these type of DVD sets come with bare as bones extras. That’s not the case here thank goodness! Strangely enough, New Line Cinema gives us the options for widescreen or full screen viewing on the same disc! That on top of all the movie trailers included make this collection one of the best out there! I paid about $10 bucks for my copy and I love it to death!

   Gore Hounds, check it out despite the PG-13 ratings. They might not have the buckets of blood movies like THE EVIL DEAD have but they sure are fun! The Critter puppets are cool looking and it’s interesting to see the film directors work around the PG-13 rating. Heck! Any well seasoned Gore Hound (and Horror movie fan in general) should already know about the CRITTERS movies! They’re classics! These films are also great for getting young kids into the world of Horror without scaring them to death process. Start them off with CRITTERS and GHOSTBUSTERS, then eventually move them on to FRIDAY THE 13TH and DAWN OF THE DEAD. After that, it’s on to the greats such as DEAD ALIVE and SUSPIRIA!

   Ah’ yes! The wonderful experiences and memories of watching Horror films while growing up! Those are the good ‘ol days.

   Over and out.

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