Critters: A New Binge

"CRITTERS: A NEW BINGE" (2019, Rubin) is the Critters franchise's first series (although it amounts to a 69 minute run time) and the franchise's most zany, off-the-wall, action packed effort.

There is a lot of CGI in this but it adds to the hilarity and the Critter puppets are operated with that soulful spirit that drove the original four films; there are also copious amounts of them and their dialogue is gleefully entertaining.

The cast were all unexpectedly competent, the writing and directing effective, the music fitting, and the ending was direct and emotional.

I for one am happy to return to the Critters dining table after starving these past 27 years. If "CRITTERS" (1986, Herek) was the appetiser, "CRITTERS 2: THE MAIN COURSE" (1988, Garris) was what it said it was, "CRITTERS 3" (1991, Peterson) was a delicious dessert, and "CRITTERS 4" (1992, Harvey) was the brandy digestif, then "CRITTERS: A NEW BINGE" is a fun after dinner game, followed by the trip to the toilet that is "CRITTERS ATTACK!" (2019, Miller) (not in a terrible way, in a making room for more kind of way.).

I really enjoyed this. The gore is way less and I think even a child could watch this without getting even a bit scared (when I first watched Critters, I was very young and it really scared me).

Innocent fun and a nice homage to a great film classic.

This series is basically a short movie broken down into 8 parts of 10 minutes. Not sure why they did that...if they released this on a weekly format, the people would riot! It really captures the essence of the first movie, a monster film with humor. Even though the series looks like it was done with less then a shoe string budget...more like an IOU paper slips budget but the writing is very good, especially the Critter's dialog. It's hilarious...truly hilarious. It doesn't take itself seriously at all and it comes off as a goofy campy experience...brings back the nostalgia for sure.

This was an amazingly great find on Shudder when it was available. Otherwise, it can be difficult to track down on streaming sites. It takes up after the original series was made and follows a family who is affected by the invading presence of the Critters. The acting by Joey Morgan, Thomas Lennon, and Gilbert Gottfried is a delight to watch during the series. It is hilarious and a wonderful casting selection that pushes as though in ode to the originals while still being groundbreaking in its own right. I haven't seen as funny of a horror series since Ash Versus the Evil Dead. The puppeteering for the Critters monsters was as sloppy as always, which makes it even more fun. Not high on scares, but one of the greatest comedy horror series, nonetheless. It's almost as good as the original Gremlins, but a little hokier.

This show is horrible, the acting, the dialogue, the effects. But I think that's the point. The only reason I watched this start to finish is because the episodes are 10 minutes long, no commitment needed and I can cross something off my watch list. A decent waste of time.