I have a certain affinity for the "Critters" franchise. Sure, they were never high art, but they were a good bit of fun back in the day, and hold up as mildly engaging little creature-features. They're the perfect sorts of films to pop on during a slow, rainy day thanks to their excellent old-school puppet effects and a few goofy jokes thrown in for good measure.
2019's "Critters Attack!" is the long awaited fifth installment, coming nearly thirty years after the release of the previous film. Primarily produced for a direct-to-video and cable release, the film is a low budget affair that feels very typical of your general SyFy channel level schlock. Cheaply thrown together and ultimately disposable... but good for a few fleeting laughs thanks to some nifty creature effects and a couple clever moments sprinkled in.
Tashiana Washington stars as Drea, a 20-something sushi delivery girl with big dreams of going away to college. However, things soon start to turn deadly in her sleepy little town when a certain race of rolly-polly aliens invade. That's right, the krites are back and badder than ever! Now, Drea must team up with her younger brother (Jaeden Noel), two kids she's babysitting (Ava Preston, Jack Fulton), and a mysterious and seemingly "good" Krite nicknamed Bianca, in order to stay alive and save the day. At the same time, a woman named "Aunt Dee" (Dee Wallace) sets out to hunt the invading monsters...
Perhaps the most peculiar thing about "Critters Attack!" is the fact that from a basic scripting level... it's actually not that badly written. Screenwriter Scott Lobdell, perhaps best known for his work in the field of comics and for writing the delightful slasher-comedy "Happy Death Day," does a pretty good job establishing characters, setting up an interesting story, and injecting some fun and subversive little sequences. And there is definitely some fun to be had with the film thanks to this. I particularly enjoyed the subplot involving Bianca, the "good krite."
And to give credit where it is due, the creature effects are also typically very well-made. We all know the real reason you watch a "Critters" film is to see some monster-infused mayhem, and the movie doesn't disappoint in that regard. The krites are as deliciously vile as ever, and the puppetry is pretty darned solid all around. It definitely holds up to the effects of the previous films, and even exceeds them at times. I also will admit that the kills are appropriately gooey and gory, which is good fun for horror fans.
Unfortunately, the film often falls flat due to an obvious low budget and a shaky execution from director Bobby Miller. It's very clear that the production wasn't exactly inundated with money, and it leaves the movie feeling very cheap, patchy and thrown together. And that sort of thing is becoming harder and harder to accept as filmmaking technology continues to evolve and costs continue to fall. The fact I've seen zero-budget student films that look better than this professional production is a real problem.
And that's primarily the fault of the direction, which is sub-par at best. I'm sure Miller tried his hardest, but that doesn't change the fact that the pacing is inconsistent, the set-ups are basic and amateurish, the tone is all over the map and the general feel is very... blah. This same script in more experienced hands could have worked quite well. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case here.
But at the end of the day, I can't say I absolutely hated the film. As someone who enjoys a bad B-movie now and then, there was still some entertainment value to be had thanks to the nifty creature effects, gory kills and a relatively solid screenplay. And if you similarly enjoy low-budget schlock like me, I'd probably give this movie a very mild recommendation. It'd be worth seeing once if you should happen to catch it on cable, or see a cheap copy buried in a bargain-bin somewhere.
I'm giving "Critters Attack!" a sub-par but watchable 4 out of 10. It's patchy and poorly executed, but has enough fun little moments that fans of crappy B-movies might enjoy it.
2019's "Critters Attack!" is the long awaited fifth installment, coming nearly thirty years after the release of the previous film. Primarily produced for a direct-to-video and cable release, the film is a low budget affair that feels very typical of your general SyFy channel level schlock. Cheaply thrown together and ultimately disposable... but good for a few fleeting laughs thanks to some nifty creature effects and a couple clever moments sprinkled in.
Tashiana Washington stars as Drea, a 20-something sushi delivery girl with big dreams of going away to college. However, things soon start to turn deadly in her sleepy little town when a certain race of rolly-polly aliens invade. That's right, the krites are back and badder than ever! Now, Drea must team up with her younger brother (Jaeden Noel), two kids she's babysitting (Ava Preston, Jack Fulton), and a mysterious and seemingly "good" Krite nicknamed Bianca, in order to stay alive and save the day. At the same time, a woman named "Aunt Dee" (Dee Wallace) sets out to hunt the invading monsters...
Perhaps the most peculiar thing about "Critters Attack!" is the fact that from a basic scripting level... it's actually not that badly written. Screenwriter Scott Lobdell, perhaps best known for his work in the field of comics and for writing the delightful slasher-comedy "Happy Death Day," does a pretty good job establishing characters, setting up an interesting story, and injecting some fun and subversive little sequences. And there is definitely some fun to be had with the film thanks to this. I particularly enjoyed the subplot involving Bianca, the "good krite."
And to give credit where it is due, the creature effects are also typically very well-made. We all know the real reason you watch a "Critters" film is to see some monster-infused mayhem, and the movie doesn't disappoint in that regard. The krites are as deliciously vile as ever, and the puppetry is pretty darned solid all around. It definitely holds up to the effects of the previous films, and even exceeds them at times. I also will admit that the kills are appropriately gooey and gory, which is good fun for horror fans.
Unfortunately, the film often falls flat due to an obvious low budget and a shaky execution from director Bobby Miller. It's very clear that the production wasn't exactly inundated with money, and it leaves the movie feeling very cheap, patchy and thrown together. And that sort of thing is becoming harder and harder to accept as filmmaking technology continues to evolve and costs continue to fall. The fact I've seen zero-budget student films that look better than this professional production is a real problem.
And that's primarily the fault of the direction, which is sub-par at best. I'm sure Miller tried his hardest, but that doesn't change the fact that the pacing is inconsistent, the set-ups are basic and amateurish, the tone is all over the map and the general feel is very... blah. This same script in more experienced hands could have worked quite well. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case here.
But at the end of the day, I can't say I absolutely hated the film. As someone who enjoys a bad B-movie now and then, there was still some entertainment value to be had thanks to the nifty creature effects, gory kills and a relatively solid screenplay. And if you similarly enjoy low-budget schlock like me, I'd probably give this movie a very mild recommendation. It'd be worth seeing once if you should happen to catch it on cable, or see a cheap copy buried in a bargain-bin somewhere.
I'm giving "Critters Attack!" a sub-par but watchable 4 out of 10. It's patchy and poorly executed, but has enough fun little moments that fans of crappy B-movies might enjoy it.