Critters 3 is a movie that has eluded me for a very, very long time. It's one of those movies that you'd see all the time at the video store but when you'd go to rent it, it would be checked out. Then next time you went, they'd have it but you wouldn't be in the mood for it. This film is notable mostly for being Leonardo DiCaprio's first film, something I doubt he's too proud of considering his current fame. I actually remember DiCaprio back then from the TV show Growing Pains (as the new character brought in to keep the show fresh) and from the short lived Parenthood TV show. But anyway, so here it is about 18 years later and I am finally able to see it.
Critters 3 takes place a few years after part 2. Two young kids, Annie (Aimee Brooks) and Johnny (Christian and Joseph Cousins) are coming back from vacation with their widowed father (John Calvin). They get a flat tire and stop at a Rest Stop to fix it. The kids go off to explore and meet a boy named Josh (Leonardo DiCaprio). While trying to retrieve a lost frisbee, they stumble across a weirdo named Charlie (Don Opper), one of the survivors from the first two Critters films. Charlie warns them about the Critters, who just happen to have laid eggs close by. Somehow (I forget this part), the eggs end up underneath their car as they travel back to the city. The apartment building they return to is a shithole and the landlord is trying to make everyone move out so he can build a mini mall. Of course the Critters hatch and start killing off the tenants while the landlord, who happens to be Josh's father, brings Josh to get the tenants to move out. They end up trapped in the apartment and must band together to destroy the Crites, before they themselves become lunch.
Critters 3 is a step down from the first two, as far as storyline goes. The characters are a little silly, especially the guido maintenance man (I have never cheered so loudly for a character to die as I did when he got devoured by Critters) and the overweight neighbor Rosalie (who gets a chunk bitten out of her leg but is barely phased). There are some really slow parts in the film, but overall it was still decent. The thing that really caught me off guard about the movie was character development. They spend way too much time telling the back story of the characters and seeing them interact. I commend the filmmakers for trying to make the characters not your typical one dimensional morons, but it made the film a little slow. I mean, movies like Critters 3 should have one dimensional morons as characters, right? Overall, it wasn't bad but not great either.
RATING: 3/5
Agree with this review? Need another viewing of Critters 3 to be sure? Watch the film online and be sure to have your say in the comments section.
Oh...another "Critters 3" review! I'm pleased *smiles*. Is it "Critters" time these days?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the evaluation! Actually, I like the characters in this movie, and I don't think their development is a waste of time. It could've been much better if only the makers of this movie would've decided what kind of film they wanted to make - a horror movie, a family movie or a sci-fi movie...*lol*
dorian - I agree with your final statement. There was definitely a feeling of "family movie" throughout.
ReplyDeleteNice review. Mine was a tad harsh but so be it. A little controversy can go a long way.
ReplyDeleteYou're right on about the 'Guido' - though I think they should kept him around for a little longer just to keep the frustration level up.
There were a few things I did actually like about the film - one in particular was the "Mexican standoff" between the Crite and the bunny slipper. Good stuff and a nice little homage to the second film ...
Forgot to mention the bleached critter in my review. One of the best parts of the movie.
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