"Critters Attack!" is a strange film to review. I honestly think this film was not made with reviews in mind. No, I mean really not made with reviews in mind, because it's hard to get a bead on what they were truly going for here. It seems like a reboot, but then Dee Wallace is in it and indicates that the Crites have been around before, although she behaves more like Lee from the first two films so maybe she's really Terrence Mann in disguise (who is conspicuously absent; I was waiting for him to pop up as it just doesn't feel like a Critters movie without Terrence Mann)...I don't know. So, let's break this down. To start, you'll notice that, to the film's credit, they stick to primarily to practical effects. This is good as it's trying to at least feel like the original films. Honestly, CGI Crites would probably have been really bad. They even bring back the giant Critter Ball from the second movie, although still no human sized Crites as seen in the first film. Crites are puppets and should only be puppets, although at the same time, something about these new redesigned puppets feels a little off. They've always had big mouths, but now they've got flip-top heads. Eh... However, the practical effects bring up a real oddity to this film. There are also a lot of prosthetics used for the Crites to chew on. Now, in and of itself, that wouldn't be an issue. What makes it odd is that it makes this film much more violent and gory than the previous ones. I like a good gory horror flick as much as the next person, but something about it feels...strange in a Critters movie. The previous films are very tame by comparison, with only two people dying in the first movie. This isn't necessarily bad as people who watched the old movies have grown up and are more mature now, but it does throw you a little bit. Then we get to the script. This film feels like it was written by a first-year film student. It's nonsensical, goes all over the place with little focus, explanation, or even a satisfying ending, if you can even call it an ending since it just seems to stop. The characters are not well fleshed out and they resort to gimmicks to try and get us to remember some of them since they have no other characteristics, like a guy who's obsessed with bagpipes. Heck, I forgot younger boy in the main group was even there half the time since his gimmick is that he doesn't talk and only communicates by texting. They probably thought they were being funny, but instead it creates a major stumbling block. Overall, while it's still a pretty bad film, but you can at least tell that the filmmakers were fans of the original and were trying to do something of a tribute, and let's be honest, unless you're a fan of at least the original movie, you're probably not going to see this one. In fact, that's exactly what this feels like: An amateurish fan film. You're not missing much if you avoid it or never even knew it existed, like me until I stumbled upon it completely by accident. I kind of wish I hadn't.

The film's greatest sins are ignoring established canon (suddenly krites can be killed by sounds like police sirens and air horns, and they can be safely kicked around and wrestled with, and their spines lack a paralyzing toxin [which is even acknowledged with the character quizzically saying "I'm fine?" after being shot], the black krites are suddenly all males and have a "queen" they don't respect who isn't ravenous for whatever reason) and leaving its story undeveloped. We're never given an actual explanation why the white krite doesn't want to eat people (or anything else, really. It would have been nice to have her chowing down on a pile of sushi at the restaurant), why the krites suddenly have a matriarchal structure, why the male krites don't obey the queen, how these krites exist when the last eggs are frozen with Charlie in a pod, nor are we given proper resolutions to the character arcs established throughout the film--which ends so abruptly that you can't consider it as actually having an ending. It cuts to credits immediately after the climax. Approximately ten more minutes of footage, a little more development on the part of the krite queen in some small ways, and an adherence to the established elements of the species would have saved this movie from being the worst in the series.

this movie is a pure bullshot. 1st and 2nd parts are a classic, 3rd part is okay, 4th part is so so and this one is... RUN AWAY FROM THIS CRAP. not worth "Critters" name. acting is tragedy, actors are even bigger tragedy and this whole movie is piece of a sh*t. -1/10

I didn't know these creatures honestly, just seeing the poster I thought it was a movie from the 70s or something... I'm going to be very honest, this is a huge piece of crap. And that strange tone it has... At times it seems like a Disney Channel production or one of those nanny movies they show on Saturday afternoons, but suddenly a Critter comes out and bites someone. Nothing fits... The kids are insufferable, especially the younger brother, and the protagonist doesn't have enough charisma to carry this. The only thing that could be saved, being very generous, is that they used puppets instead of cheap CGI. Nice to see "real" creatures, even if they move less than whatever haha. [SPOILER] The whole thing of including a "good Critter" named Bianca who helps the kids, was directly a reason to turn off the TV. [/SPOILER] The movie has no tension, the deaths are painfully boring and the ending is so rushed you're left looking stupid. The only good thing is it's just under an hour and a half, so the suffering ends quickly. Don't waste your time trying to find meaning, because there isn't any.

'Critters Attack!' isn't one I was expecting much from, based on that naff poster and it being a fourth sequel that was released 27 years after its predecessor. A terrible picture it is not, though if it wasn't for the cool deaths then I'd be rating this a notch lower. The critter usage and how those affected depart is neat, I enjoyed every moment in that regard. However, what surrounds those parts is damaging. For example, the cast are underwhelming, at best, and the main plot device is derivative; they went full 'Gremlins' with this one. Tashiana Washington is the minor standout from those acting here, Dee Wallace (unofficially?) reprises her role from the 1986 original; which is cool, but if I didn't know beforehand then I wouldn't have recognised her or "Aunt Dee", a character that didn't stand out to me in that first flick. Lastly, credit to Jake (Jack Fulton) for kicking the critters when fighting them; I recall questioning to myself whilst watching the other films why no-one was doing so; unless I was forgetting. It is the most obvious and clearly the best way to attack the football-esque movers. Anyway, this 2019 release (presumably) draws this franchise to a close. The last two aren't any good, but those first three made it a worthwhile watchthrough for me.