Critters 2 (1988) Review

Critters 2 (1988) Review

 

The second Critters movie, which sometimes bears the full title Critters 2: The Main Course, was the only sequel to be released theatrically, and though it had different writers and a different director from the original, some of the same creative team were involved, and a few of the same actors returned, as well. It’s been two years since the Crites invaded Grover’s Bend, but the bounty hunters are sent back there because Crite activity has been detected. A whole bunch of Crite eggs (shown in the final shot of the first movie) are ready to hatch, but everyone didn’t believe the stories about what happened at the farm in the first movie. Scott Grimes, who played Brad in the first movie, returns as an older Brad, and he’s less annoying than before. Brad knows what happened, and so does Charlie, who is now working with the other bounty hunters. They return just in time as the Crites invade the town, and everyone has to team up to stop them.

Believe it or not, this is actually a holiday-themed horror movie. It takes place during Easter, and it’s the only horror movie of its kind to have this setting that I can think of. There’s a great part when everyone is in church and the Easter bunny is supposed to make a special appearance for the kids. One of the Crites gets inside the guy’s rabbit costume and the guy bursts through the church window, falling on the floor gurgling blood. For a PG-13 movie, it’s pretty bloody and violent. It’s worth noting the first movie was PG-13 as well, and that one is what I would call a full PG-13—not a hard PG-13, with the maximum amount of blood and violence and swearing possible, but definitely not a soft PG-13, either, there’s still some blood and violence to be had. Critters 2, though, definitely goes harder. When the bounty hunters arrive on earth, the one who hasn’t taken a form yet sees a Playboy magazine and becomes the centerfold. Just like Titanic, this is one of those PG-13 movies with nudity, which doesn’t happen anymore as far as I know.

Critters 2 definitely feels like it takes a while to get going. They do the obligatory setup of the characters and build suspense. It’s like watching a bomb that’s about to blow, with the way the Crite eggs are being distributed around town, being painted by kids as Easter eggs, then finally they hatch and the feeding frenzy begins! The Chiodo Brothers did the effects for the Crites again, and they are just as good as before. The Crite massacre in the fast food joint called The Hungry Heifer is definitely a highlight, with another great one-word line of dialogue from a Crite subtitled. They also do some new things with the creatures to make it feel a little fresher. Before, we got the jumbo Crite near the end, and this time we get an even greater number of regular-sized Crites, plus they form a giant ball in the final confrontation as a form of protection and as a means of attacking in a new way.

Is Critters 2 better than the first Critters? It’s tough to say. I think it’s definitely better in several ways, but overall, I’d say it’s on par with the first. The scenes with the Crites are great, and it’s not like the new characters are way better than the ones from the first, but the characters who return from before feel worthy of having around. The premise is simple, but in a different way from before, and it isn’t quite as creepy, though no less entertaining. If you saw the first one and liked it, you should definitely see this one, too.