Congratulations of course to Leonardo DiCaprio for his 2016 Oscar win. Unfortunately however he'd already received a NegaOscar for this movie so they cancelled each other out.
_Final rating:★★ - Had some things that appeal to me, but a poor finished product._
Sheldon Nylander
September 4, 2019
2
I'm honestly not sure who this movie was made for. First, even though the second movie was set up at the end of the first, there was no set up for this movie with the last one. The Crites were supposedly exterminated at the end of the "Critters 2," yet these monsters come from nowhere with no explanation.
The tone of the movie is wholly inconsistent, as well. It actually starts off almost like it's supposed to be a kids movie (it sets the kids up as the protagonists). Then, of course, people get attacked and eaten. Not that many, much like the first movie, but still. It keeps jumping back and forth between cutesy and bloody. Again, who was this made for?
The acting is mostly phoned in, too, with some of the actors hamming it up while other seem to put in a genuine effort with the poor script they've been given. If you want to see a very young future Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio doing a B-grade sci-fi horror movie, you've come to the right place. In fact, that's probably the only reason to see this movie unless you absolutely, positively have to see every "Critters" movie.
This film and "Critters 4" were made back-to-back and the ending reflects that. So you don't necessarily get a complete story. But it is a predictable one. You can tell right away who's going to be Critter-chow and who isn't. I can't recommend this one except for very forgiving completists who are futily hoping to recapture the magic of the first movie. I'm looking at you, "Highlander" fans.
<em>'Critters 3'</em> is one I'm unsure about. The critters (and the effects that bring them to life) remain fun, while the location of a dilapidated apartment complex is good. Despite that, my interest did drop a few times. All things considered, I think I narrowly enjoyed it.
Aimee Brooks is a solid performer in this 1991 flick, as are most of the actors around her. It's cool to see Leonardo DiCaprio make his movie debut, it's a rather standard role but the dude's alright. Don Keith Opper's Charlie feels tacked on; a bit of cast continuity is welcomed, mind you.
Who knew this franchise produced the goods (albeit just) three times on the bounce; well, for me it did anyway. Now I'm intrigued to see if <em>'Critters 4'</em> will keep the streak going.
