Plot: What’s it about?
A band of alien criminals has escaped from a space prison, with their stolen craft headed on a course toward Earth. These are no friendly aliens and in truth, they are small, but vicious hairballs who can eat and eat, devouring all in their path. And as it happens, these little furballs happen to love human flesh and as a result, trouble is certain. If the critters land on Earth, the entire population would be at risk and if something wasn’t done to contain the beasts, the planet could be demolished in only a short amount of time. Even non human elements would be in danger, such as livestock, pets, and whatever else happens to be within biting distance. But a space council has taken measures to protect Earth’s existence, as two special bounty hunters have dispatched to Earth with orders to wipe out the mean little bastards. The furballs manage to land in a rural town outside of a farm run by the Browns, which is where the beasts find their first meal, at the expense of assorted farm animals on the residence. The bounty hunters also touch down soon, but before they can reach the scene, the Browns find themselves surrounded by the space vermin. As the family tries to fend off these hideous invaders, the bounty hunters have endless trouble tracking the critters. Can the beasts be stopped, or will nothing stop them from devouring the entire planet?
After the massive success of Gremlins, several clones soon popped up in cinemas, including this one, known as Critters. And while none of those shameless ripoffs could equal the original Gremlins, Critters proved to be a fun franchise for fans of schlock. This first installment in the Critters series would spawn three sequels and chances are that if you like this one, you’ll have fun with the sequels as well. As the debut of the franchise, this first movie lays down the basics and crafts a framework for the numerous sequels that followed. But Critters follows a pattern itself, the kind of framework seen in previous movie about hordes of aliens, killer insects, or other such pests that swarm down on some sleepy old town. In other words, this movie rides on a pretty basic formula and as such, you shouldn’t expect to see new ground broken. As it should be, some nice new twists and turns are tacked on at times, but at its heart, Critters owes a lot to the drive-in creature features of a bygone era. This is a dark picture in some instances, but there is also a sense of humor and in truth, graphic violence is held to a minimum. You might not expect much of a cast in this kind of cheese, but we see Dee Wallace Stone, Billy Zane, Scott Grimes, and M. Emmett Walsh, as well as a couple of other famous faces. I was surprised to find New Line’s disc was bare bones, but for fans, Critters is still more than recommended.
Video: How does it look?
Critters is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with a full frame version also included on this disc. I knew this movie would be given a solid presentation, but New Line has crafted a superb visual effort here. The print is in much better condition than expected, with a cleaner, more refined appearance than previous editions. Critters is a dark movie, with tons of shadows and darkness, but this transfer remains stark and consistent. So detail is stable throughout, with nothing lost on account of murkiness or poor black levels. I found colors to be acceptable also, but the film never requires much of its hues. New Line has come through for horror fans, as Critters has never looked this good on home video.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and as with most horror movies, the audio is used to mostly create mood and atmosphere. Of course, the theme returns and sounds fantastic, but the rest of the elements also come off very well here. I found this to be a very active track in all respects, but the surround use never seems forced, which is good. The needed offbeat, yet eerie mood is present throughout and no problems seem to emerge at all. The dialogue is crystal clear and always at a proper level, never overshadowed by the other elements. This disc also includes a 2.0 surround option, as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a hidden alternate end sequence, the film’s theatrical trailer.
