Critters 2: The Main Course

Don't really understand why this movie is rated so much worse than the 1986 first movie. In all honesty I think this movie is even a tad bit better than the first one.

The Critters-movies never were any great ones but then again, they also never pretended that they were. The simply do deliver some campy fun and simple entertainment. It's true that perhaps it's a bit of a rip-off of the Gremlins movies but as far as these similar type of movies go, this is really not a bad attempt.

This movie is a real sequel, meaning that the story picks up were the last one had ended and the movie also stars some of the same actors in their roles. This time they gave the still young Scott Grimes some more space, being the only member of the original family in this movie, this time. Seems kind of right for these type of movies to have a young teenager in the main lead. It sort of keeps things always light, simple and pleasant to watch.

The effects had also obviously improved this time. Not only do the Critters look better but also all of the other visual effects for the movie. After all, this movie is above all things still a science-fiction movie. This did not only had to do with the improved techniques at the time but also with its budget, that was more than two times higher this time but still fairly low though for a movie within its genre.

There is not much to the story or anything else really but it simply is an entertaining movie to watch.

6/10

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Critters 2 is a solid sequel. It's not as good as the original but only by a smidge. Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers) got his feet wet with this horror sequel and like any good sequel should do it expands the mythology and introduces us to some new elements. Although it's not as scary as the first this one is way funnier. And by focusing more on the humor it looses just a bit of luster. Our ginger hero from the original returns to his hometown to visit his grandmother for Easter and the leftover eggs hatch. Suddenly the little horrors attack the town and the bounty hunters return this time with Charlie and a new addition Leigh who continuously takes new forms but spends most of it's time as a playmate centerfold. But the problem gets way bigger as there numbers increase and a mega critter ball is formed. The movie is so fun with insane practical effects and a crazy, playful vibe due to Garris's confident and creative direction. All in all a wild ride.

Budget: $4m Box Office: $3.8m

3.75/5

With the news of more aliens still on Earth, the bounty hunters set off to find the lone human they can trust to help them corral the beings before they spread throughout the town and become too much for them to handle.

This here turned out to be quite an exciting and enjoyable horror/comedy that has so much going for it that there's just no shortage of fun to be had here. The fact that this one decides to get the creatures out quite early with the discovery of the eggs and the town becoming aware of what's going on with his reappearance to their total dismay and a series of isolated attacks that clearly signal the creatures are back and ready to continue their rampage as before, only making the creatures as completely oblivious to the others around them makes for a rather fun time with the different attacks not being recognized until the mid-way point results in some nice fun. With the different tactics of trying to get the creatures under control still providing a lot of laughs as well, it makes for much more fun to be had when it plays off the previously established guidelines for the series as well as injecting a lot of clever and sometimes creepy points in this to add in a horror angle when all is said and done makes this one a lot more entertaining and enjoyable. There's enough gore in this to appeal to the more traditional horror fans with their attacks on the townspeople in the diner, the church and the final attack in the storage locker not only provide some fun moments throughout with their fun combination of mixing light-hearted action with some rather gruesome moments to add up to a bunch of fun times. While there's some flaws here in that the continuous jokes about the events in the first film are used to make it appear that he's just insane and should know better about spreading such information around get tiresome quite quickly, there's enough to like here that it's enough to overcome the few flaws.

Rated PG-13: Language, Violence and Nudity.

Two years has passed... Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) is trying to move on by visiting his grand-mother (Herta Ware) for the easter holiday. The Bounty Hunters (Don Opper and Terrence Mann) are traveling back to Earth. Because the Critters were not completed destroyed. The Alien Eggs were not destroyed. Since Easter is coming, a small town somewhere in Kansas will discover that the Easter Holiday isn't everything.

Directed by Mick Garris (Pyscho 4:The Beginning, Sleepwalkers, The Stand) made an enjoyable sequel with better special effects and a bit more explicit violence. The film looks more like Joe Dante's Gremlins. This film was a box office disappointment. Critters 3 & 4 were direct to videos, because of the disappointment returns of Critters 2. The film also has likable performances by Tom Hodges, Liane (Alexandra) Curtis, Lin Shaye and Barry Corbin. Eddie Deezen (From Grease 1 and 2 Fame) has a bit part. Filmmaker:Tom Mc Loughlin (Friday the 13th Part 6-Jason Lives, Date with an Angel) has a cameo. Written by the director and David Thohy (The Arrival, Pitch Black). (*** ½/*****).

The Critters series consists of two first movies which are worth watching, and two last which are definitely _not_. Critters 2: The Main Course is certainly better as far as special effects go, but I'll be sentenced to eternal damnation if I know which one is better.

The action is still very lively, with necessary thrills and frills; the bounty hunters are back (you know Critters 3 failed because Ug&Lee were painfully absent and Charlie decked out); there's your average amount of mild gore and explosions. Brad seems to be blander than in the original, but his grandmother makes up for that.

The disadvantages of the film are pretty much few and far between. There's the usual mound of logical errors. The number of Crite eggs in the beginning is circa 12-20, mysteriously grows into some 50 when Brad's grandma purchases them, then, lo-and-behold, there's about a THOUSAND Crites in that giant rolling ball..... erm, on the cover that is. Charlie, however wearing state-of-the-art (no joke, I want one) leather space armor, HASN'T GOT A GUN. What's he supposed to do, choke the Critters with his flesh? Nobody ever thinks what species the [alien] eggs might belong to. Charlie and Brad are kinda overardorous over their meeting, since they barely knew each other in the original. And so on, and so forth. I'm not mentioning all, take a paper and pen and have some fun while watching.

Despite all this, I say this is a good choice for some people. I've read wayyyy too many coments in the style of "ohhh, this is SUCH crap I don't know why I've seen it...". Well, why did you? This is not a film that tries to be deep, this is pure entertainment for the youth, for the die-hard sf fans, and for the braindead. I liked it as a kid, I still like it (20 this June), and will show it to my kids for fun and enjoyment.

OVERALL ADVICE: you're a kid, you've got some spare time on your hands, watch it and have fun.