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[tab title="Movie Review"]

Critters Attack!

No CGI!  Great practical effects and gore!  The Kritts, this time voiced by Steve Blum, return!  And this time they are comin’ back with the nastiest of attitudes and, at one point, in the form of a towering ball of flesh and fur!

Critters Attack!, a bloody and practical effect creation of puppet theatre madness, concerns itself with the brother and sister team of Drea (Tashiana Washington, Gimme the Loot) and Phillip (Jaden Noel) as they go toe-to-toe with those lovable, high-bouncing critters B-movie fanatics love and cherish.  Unfortunately, the results are less than stellar as SyFy takes over the reigns of the series and its (probably) next round of sequels.

"this made for television entry into the series (it is the fifth) might not have the same B-movie vibe of its precursors, but it does feature some hilarious attacks"


 

From Sushi Delivery Girl to Bounty Hunter, Drea has quite the transformation as she discovers that Babysitting for someone on the Board of Admissions at Leroy University, the college she was rejected from, leads her down an unexpected path which includes watching one hero get squashed by a giant, rolling ball of Kritts.  She’s desperate to get in, though, and so, without so much of a second thought, she agrees.

The problem is that the Kritts are already chewing up humans and the scenery of her rural-set home.  And her drunk uncle, also a cop, is of little use.  From delivery guys on bikes to park rangers, these critters are non-discriminatory as they ravage the country side in search for more and more human flesh. {googleads}

Directed by Bobbly Miller (The Cleanse) and written by Scott Lobdell, this made for television entry into the series (it is the fifth) might not have the same B-movie vibe of its precursors, but it does feature some hilarious attacks as the critters practically throw themselves into the faces of their victims.  It’s worth a chuckle as an entire squad of park rangers are taken down in broad daylight. 

We also have two kids – those being babysat by Drea – who are sarcastic and, with one only communicating through his smart phone, entirely modern and believable.  So, with an African-American cast at its center, we should expect some different stereotypes, right?  We should but that doesn’t happen here. Unfortunately.

Instead of some inspired B-movie marvels in this flick, we have a legend returning to the franchise.  Dee Wallace is back in action.  Her NEW character of Aunt Dee, a badass bounty hunter, has some history with the Kritts, but we are not clear as to what exactly it is.  Wallace’s original role, in the first Critters, that of farm wife Helen Brown is not mentioned at all.  Here, she serves as a guide to the kiddos, turning them from Scream Queens and Kings into Kritt-killing Bounty Hunters.Critters Attack!

Claiming that Gremlins knock-off title, more clearly than ever before, is the inclusion of a white-and-black Kritt, named Bianca, who seems to be a Princess Kritt; lovable and furry, this one soon gives all the kids, who discovered her in the forest, enough reasons to go running for the hills . . . or at least to the nearest car that won’t start.

Thanks to some adlibbed moments from Washington, Critters Attack! IS worth the watch.  I just hope the next time they venture out into familiar territory with these outer space puppets that they get the B-movie tone right . . . because it still needs to be honed in a bit better than this, the fifth entry, in the series.

Critters Attack! is now out on blu-ray thanks to Warner Bros Home Entertainment.

3/5 beers

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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Critters Attack!

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Arrow
Available on Blu-ray
- April 23, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: English SDH
Audio:
English: Stereo 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc; reversible slipcover
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

With a strong 1080p transfer and some serious vibes thanks to a great lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 track, Critters Attacks! kicks all kinds of ass.  You’ll think the critters are in your own house, man!  The surrounds on this one are quite good.  Though a bit soft in places, the 1080p transfer is a good one for a film that runs the gamut of lights and darks throughout. The darks in many of the film's dimly-lit scenes don't reach pure black and there is the occasional spot of noise where dark and light areas converge, but that could be from the original digital photography.  Shot in South Africa, the greens are good and so too are the blues throughout this movie. 

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • There is one scene specific commentary.  It is quite hilarious and almost makes the movie worth adding to your collection.

Special Features:

There are some surprises here!  A great cast and crew – including Dee Wallace – interview segment about the look of the film, an EPK featurette with more interviews, and The Critter Ball gets its own featurette.

  • Engineering Gore: Designing Critters (8 min)
  • Critters: An Out-of-this-World Experience (7 min)
  • The Critter Ball (2 min)

Blu-ray Rating:

  Movie 4/5 stars
  Video  4/5 stars
  Audio 4/5 stars
  Extras 4/5 stars

Overall Blu-ray Experience

3.5/5 stars

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[tab title="Film Details"]

Critters Attack!

MPAA Rating: R for bloody creature violence.
Runtime:
89 mins
Director
: Bobby Miller
Writer:
Scott Lobdell
Cast:
Tashiana Washington, Dee Wallace, Jaeden Noel
Genre
: Horror
Tagline:

Memorable Movie Quote: "Did you see that? I think it was an alien spaceship."
Theatrical Distributor:

Official Site:
Release Date:

DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
July 23, 2019
Synopsis: While babysitting for a college professor, 20-year-old Drea accidentally attracts the attention of aggressive alien critters when she takes in one of their exiled royals.

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[tab title="Art"]

Critters Attack!

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