"Critters" is one of those movies that you just sit back and chuckle at. And you don't laugh because it's bad or funny its just got a goofy campy charm that you can't help but smile at. The simple way in which the special effects are executed the basic story of a family terrorized by little furry smart-asses from space...it's all good. But it's far from great or even very good. "Critters" is just an enjoyable little romp. It's a movie that would never be made today without being turned into heartless CGI-fest.

While it's probably my least favorite entry of this series, it's still soo much damn fun. I love these furry little rascals. Such a great, likeable family, that share a realistic dynamic, that make what happens more exciting. There's a few producer-mandated changes in the movie that sour it a bit, but they don't stop this from being such a great time.

Classic 'horror' film made in response to the box office hit Gremlins. It didn't do as well but it's entertaining enough nonetheless.

'Critters' is 'Gremlins'-esque fun overall, though it isn't supremely enjoyable all the way through; I felt some pacing issues. The titular aliens do look the part though, even all these years later. The practical effects are nice, that house explosion is particularly great. Scott Grimes is the actor that stood out most to me whilst watching. I do like how the kid is written, usually in these sorta films they tend to be only annoyingly bratty but here there are a couple of moments where you can see Brad's good; e.g. with Charlie, or with his mum. A nice touch, I thought. It is a movie that I'd say lacks consistent thrill, but all in all it's one I'll still be considering as passable. Hopefully the sequels are more critter-centric than human-centric though, that's the only way I reckon a franchise like this could avoid bad follow-ups.

Escaping from a specially-built prison asteroid, a tribe of spiny, sharp-toothed little fuzzballs land in the Kansas farmland, seeking food and mayhem in equal parts. While a local nuclear family investigates the correlating disturbances in their barn, a pair of shape-shifting bounty hunters touch down, change their appearance to pass as human and explore the town in search of the tiny fugitives. _Critters_ is a case of all or nothing. In a few very specific instances, it works shockingly well. The bounty hunters are a riot, deathly serious while completely oblivious to why they're raising suspicion amongst the locals. Here’s a hint: even in the mid ‘80s, there weren’t a lot of glamorously feather-haired rock stars marching around the Bible belt wearing head-to-toe red leather. One dumbfounded native sums it up succinctly: they “look like they was from Los Angeles.” Which might as well be Uranus, as these folks are concerned. So the hunters are a worthwhile addition; comic relief and well-armed backup all rolled into one. The creatures look reasonably good, too. They’re unique, with a few odd defense mechanisms and a quaint habit for ominously rolling through the dusty terrain like dark tumbleweeds. And we don’t want for blood or guts when they’re around. They even kill off a teenage Billy Zane while he’s trying to get laid! That’s about the extent of the good news. The bad news is, we only catch sight of the good stuff in limited quantities. Very limited quantities. Far too much running time is dedicated to the dull little family and their dreary little community, wasted attempts at character development that go absolutely nowhere. The interminable wait for shit to hit fan is excruciating amidst so much trite, ham-fisted exposition. Where did the tiny gray demons go? Can they have these people for dinner already?