2019 was an interesting year for the Critters franchise. It saw two distinctly different attempts to revive the cute but deadly little space creatures that genre fans fell in love with back in 1986. Yes, it was kind of a shameless knock-off of Gremlins, but the stellar execution of the first two Critters movies successfully created a fun standalone sci-fi/horror franchise. The two mini-monster movies are distinctly different as well.
Gremlins is based on specific World War II-inspired lore mixed with Chinese mysticism, whereas Critters are a space menace being trailed by shape-shifting bounty hunters. With the help of an awesome cast and excellent scores, Critters was a functioning vehicle for a unique blend of sci-fi, horror, and comedy that worked. Stephen Herek, who directed the original 1986 movie, would go on to have a very successful career with films like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Mighty Ducks, and one of the first live-action adaptations of a Disney animated film with 101 Dalmatians. Herek is still directing, with a movie titled Dog Gone starring Rob Lowe slated for later this year or 2023.
Critters received a sequel directed by Mick Garris in 1988 that delivered the goods. The movie saw the return of key characters and was set during Easter, making it one of the few highly regarded Easter-themed horror movies. In 1991, New Line commissioned two direct-to-video sequels to the Critters franchise with parts 3 and 4. The third film manages to be somewhat charming but still clearly lacks the budget of the previous entries. It is often highlighted as one of the first acting roles for Leonardo DiCaprio, which inadvertently elevates the movie. Don Keith Opper's return as Charlie McFadden is a nice touch, and there are some fun antics in the film. Unfortunately, the fourth entry misses the mark completely, even with a few stellar cast members like Brad Dourif and Angela Bassett. Placing the film in space should have set the stage for the weirdest and most gonzo entry yet, but the script feels totally uninspired.
Let's take a look at the current efforts to revive the franchise and speculate on ways it could be done right.
Recapture the Original's Spirit
Critters wasn't resurrected until 2019 with Critters: A New Binge, a digital series that premiered on Shudder but now seems to have disappeared entirely. The series leaned heavier into comedic and absurd territory than anything that came before it. This may be dictated by the fourth film, which was painfully lacking in humor. Like the reverse of what happened between Batman & Robin and Batman Begins. A tone shift that tips the scale to one extreme, completely losing balance, only to be followed by a reverse shift too far in the other direction. Critters Attack!, the sixth entry in the franchise, was the worst one yet. While the movie attempted to bring in some fresh ideas by expanding the Critters species to include lighthearted peaceful ones, any of the movie's good intentions were completely overshadowed by a terrible script, lackluster production, and characters you don't care about. Even the return of Dee Wallace couldn't save this disaster.
With the bar set by Stephen Herek and Mick Garris, why not attempt to recapture the spirit of the originals? Why not get the script right? Can't the filmmakers at least process the footage to look like film? Why not emulate the score? You can't really blame the lack of budget for these massive missteps. The technology is so readily available, with pipelines so streamlined, there is no excuse that a once loved franchise has to stoop so low. Critters may be the victim of an undercurrent of self-deprecation. A kind of defeatist mindset entrenched in surrendering to the fact that "it's a Gremlins knock-off" therefore, why try to achieve greatness?
Intentionally or not, fingers inevitably point to decision-makers responsible for quality control at the onset of releasing rights. Not allowing enough time and opportunities to create a level of discernment that would better suit the reputation of any given Hollywood property is a common problem. Either that or a knee-jerk reaction arises from slippery business dealings coming from a hidden place of desperation, where artistic inspiration is secretly bankrupt and never properly addressed.
Take Inspiration From Other Successful Continuations
Intellectual properties are the result of complex human dynamics. From an outside perspective, we can't know the exact reasons why these things happen. But should a bridge toward a brighter future for the Critters franchise ever be constructed, perhaps a team could take inspiration from recent successful 1980s revamps like Cobra Kai and The Mandalorian, which take careful measures to recapture the flavor of the originals with every conceivable aesthetic choice. This approach should never be met with budgetary stonewalling. It is simply the result of being thoughtful about artistic choices that honor the source material, and it doesn't have to be limited to big studio money.
In fact, there's a fan film called Critters: Bounty Hunter directed by indie filmmaker Jordan Downey that is more on point than either recent official efforts. While fan films can spark outrage and legal troubles with rights owners, there is certainly something to be learned by Downey's obvious adoration for the original films, present in the look, sound, and music of the short.
At the very least, it would be a blast to get a do-over of a Critters film taking place exclusively in outer space. While this could be another hot mess, as long as they make it as fun as possible, there's no reason why a movie about cosmic bounty hunters taking out Crites at the source shouldn't be incredibly entertaining and action-packed. With a swath of other aliens and creatures the formula could introduce and commitment to the lore of the originals, a proper return to the franchise would surely be a win for rights owners and fans alike. With Seth MacFarlane recognizing the brilliance of actor Scott Grimes and placing him in a key role in The Orville, filmmakers would be wise to hand the original lead actor a proper script and offer for a return to Critters done right.