Munchies

Cute and playful, but lame and cheap. 'Munchies' is another Gremlins clone to come out from the 80s. I'm not much of a fan of the imitations.

First it was the excellent 'Gremlins'.

Then came the very average 'Critters'.

Lets not forget the lousy 'Ghoulies'.

But the complete pits would have to go to 'Hobgoblins'.

Is there more??

Now 'Munchies' for me would have to fall somewhere between 'Ghoulies' and 'Hobgoblins'. Actually I probably found it more entertaining than 'Ghoulies', but I preferred thst one's darker tone.

From the get-go it plays up its goofy nature (which it's better for it), but due to that nature the hammy acting (Alix Elias and Charlie Phillips), can get rather overbearing that you rather just see the munchies running amok. That's where the fun occurs. Mostly light-hearted fluff though, as the story mainly centres on the munchies (who are either hungry, horny and destructive) in a whole bunch of supposed comical encounters (some moments do work) in the small desert town as a couple of people are on the chase. It's silly, but strangely engaging thanks to the zippy pacing. The creatures themselves look rather bland and poorly detailed, as they're basic dolls being chucked about. Where their personalities arrived from is that they can actually speak... and with attitude.

Charlie Stratton and a feisty Nadine Van der Velde (who was in 'Critters') were fair leads. Harvey Korman was acceptable in two roles. Robert Picardo also pops up.

Amusingly low-cut entertainment for the undemanding.

Munchies is an interesting film. It's definitely trying to ride off the popularity of creature feature critter movies like "Gremlins" or "Ghoulies," but it does so in an interesting manner. The first part of this movie is a little more straightforward with a few jokes here and there. But a little over halfway through, we go to just straight up comedy. By the end of this movie, rather than being a knock off of the previously mentioned movies, it's more of a parody. Just straight up spoofing movies like Gremlins and Ghoulies. The budget for this film is also so low that we barely even actually get to see the munchies in action. They're hidden for most of the movie and it shows. Overall, if you can turn off your brain for an hour and a half and just have fun, you'd enjoy watching this movie. But if you're looking for absolute cinema, this movie is not for you. Just goofy fun, nothing major.

OK, now... I won't lie... This film IS basically a Gremlins rip-off, but many reviewers like to trash films solely on how they felt about it, instead of at least appreciating the artistic integrity of the film and seeing it for what it is, a rather good comedy, and may I say a blatant stab at Gremlins.

It seemed obvious to me, even as a boy, that it was intended to have a similar plot to Gremlins. This being a lighter touch on such a film, which was deemed scary by many youngsters at the time... The more comedic creature features are a fine way to introduce and draw kids in to the wide world of horror, of which I am now an avid fan and obsessed collector.

I haven't even seen this movie in years, in fact since I was about 12 or 13, but I still remember it clearly as one of the funniest B-grade 'critter-comedies' I saw as a youth.

Let's face it people... Reviews are never that much help anyway. They really are nothing more than one person's own humble opinion.

My advice: Watch any film that YOU think sounds even remotely interesting and make up your own mind. What have you lost in the end? The few bucks it takes to hire a movie and maybe the 2hrs of your time it takes to watch it.

This Roger Corman produced comedy could be labeled as a Gremlins rip-off. Well, it is. The Munchies are short little dudes who multiply rapidly and are into creating mischief and wreaking a little havoc. Sound familiar? The funniest thing about the movie is all the Gremlins references. There's a newspaper with Gizmo on the cover, Robert Picardo (of Gremlins 2) stars in the film, and the absolute highlight is the Munchies driving around in a Gremlin. Truly some classic stuff. Other stars of the film include Summer Camp Nightmare's own Charles Stratton and Nadine Van Der Velde from Critters. If you want to see the extremely poor man's version of Gremlins, rent the Munchies, if you can find it.

An excellent performance by Alix Elias highlights an otherwise mis-directed and confused pile of dreck. I have seen this movie, perhaps 12 times, and with each run through, I find less and less pleasure. Why are Munchies so lustful? Is that ever explained? Are they a reflection of our wanton, boorish 'animal selves?' If they are, why not make it more obvious? Why not peal back just a touch of the subtlety that plagues this movie, and make that connection explicit? Another part of this movie that bothers me to no end - motorcycles. The jacket the little monster wears on the front cover seems to suggest 'street-wise' traveler. The sun glasses say 'pretty cool dude.' With all this I'm ready for Easy Rider meets the Muppets. All I get is Munchies (1987). What gives? Stick to the Gremlins series if you're a fan of diminutive, wise-cracking, reptile puppets - it'll give you the treatment you deserve.