Critters 3 (1991)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Excellent but underrated film

Awesome Movie

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In this installment the 'victims' are trapped in an apartment building and being terrorized by the Critters. More comedy than the previous films and not as exciting, but still entertaining enough. It does get a bit silly at times.It was interesting to see Leonardo DiCaprio in his first film.

If you are already familiar with the concept of the critters from the previous two movies, then you will feel right at home with this third movie in the franchise.The storyline in "Critters 3" is very easy to keep up with, and it was very much in the spirit of the previous two. Except that they moved the story from the outdoors setting of Grover's Bend and taking it indoors in a New York Apartment complex. This change of scenery was actually quite interesting and fun.The creature (read critters) design definitely got an improvement, and there is more life-like movement to the ferocious little dangerous creatures. And they have taken on more of a personality trait as well, making them more than just monstrous eating machines. The details on the critter designs is better than in the previous two movies. It would seem that the paralytic quills that the critters can fire off are less potent in this third movie, for some reason, in comparison to the previous two movies."Critters 3" does take quite a while before it gets up into gear and starts to deliver what the audience wants; which is the critters, of course. That being said, don't get me wrong, because the movie is not boring or anything, it just takes its sweet time to establish some characters and setup the setting for the remainder of the movie.The cast in "Critters 3" were doing a good job, as the cast also had done in the previous two movies. And it is always nice to have some returning cast pop up in sequels. And having a young Leonardo DiCaprio in this movie was just hilarious, but he actually proved to be a good actor even back then. If you have been watching movies during the late 1980s and early 1990s, then you will see some familiar faces in "Critters 3", such as Diana Bellamy (playing Rosalie) and Frances Bay (playing Mrs. Menges).You can actually jump into the franchise with any of the movie, because it is hardly a prerequisite that you watch the movie in chronological order to be fully up to speed as to what is going on. So it is quite possible to sit down and watch "Critters 3" without having watched the previous two movies and still get the full enjoyment and entertainment out of the movie as you would if you had watched the previous two.The added comedy element is more prominent in "Critters 3" compared to the previous two, for better or worse. I did, personally, enjoy it, because it seemed like a natural evolution to take the franchise in. And the critter that drank the dish wash detergent still cracks me up every time I watch the movie."Critters 3" is definitely a well-worthy addition to the "Critters" franchise.

In case you don't know, 'Critters 3' is best known for being the first ever film to feature Leonardo DiCaprio. Here, he plays a kid who is a kid. Then, forever after, he was destined to play an adult who looks like a kid. But then that's just me being bitter at his seeming inability to age.Anyway, if you haven't seen 'Critters 3' then you might want to start with the first two, as they're arguably better and, well, chronology and all that. The Critters are little alien monsters who crash-landed on Earth and generally eat everyone and everything – or rather everyone and everything who isn't one of the lead cast. These baddies tend to only eat people you won't really care about. Or at least they certainly do now! I haven't seen another monster/slasher film where the villains do so little damage to so few people. If the Critters franchise was ever really classed as 'horror' (which it wasn't really – it was more only every horror with a spoonful of comedy). Now, it really is played out tongue-in-cheek with no real attempts to scare you. The Critters roll and bounce around the place, bumping into things and come across more like Mr Bean with bigger teeth than anything that really threatens humankind.Critters 3 is a short film. And for good reason. There really isn't that much in the way of plot to fill it. You get the little monsters brought back from the countryside into a big city. You'd think that with the added number of human-prey this would make a change from the farm-country the previous two were set in. However, the whole film is basically set in one apartment block. And, for some reason, no one (Critter or human) ever really seems to make much of a play to leave the building. You could argue that this creates an air of tension and claustrophobia. But it doesn't. It's just a cheap continuation of the franchise.Yes, I know I'm being kind of negative. And this is yet another step down for the franchise. But that's not to say that I didn't find some enjoyment in it. The Critters themselves – one again – are the real stars and, for all their 'prat-falls' they're still quite fun to watch.If you like your eighties monster-horror films then you're probably best off sticking to the first one (which most people seem to think is best, personally, I preferred part 2, but anyway...). However, if you REALLY like the Critters and want to see more of them, you can try this – it's the sort of film where you can surf the net and watch it at the same time and still miss much. Plus, did I mention it had baby-faced Leo in it? He's being chased my fur-balls – c'mon, that's got to be worth watching, right?

Critters 3 continues the story of the hairy Critters from outer space that try to kill any humans in sight. This time Leonardo DiCaprio joins tenants in an LA apartment complex as they fight to escape death. The film starts off with a family road trip. They stop off at Grover's Bend (same place from the first two movies) and some Critters and their eggs attach onto the car. They eventually wind up in downtown Los Angeles where they live in this seedy apartment building. Of course the eggs hatch and are now on the loose. They kill off a maintenance worker in the basement before attacking a large woman's Bunny slippers. Once they hear her screams for help, the chase is on between the tenants and the little monsters. Leo DiCaprio plays a kid with a nasty stepfather who is actually the landlord of the apartment.There are plenty of laughs throughout the whole thing. The large woman getting stung in her behind with the critters spikes. There is a funny scene reminiscent to Critters 2 in the diner when the monsters start eating the food and make a mess of the place. In Critters 3, we discover that the critters can indeed pass gas. This third Critters is very different from the other two, but yet just as good. I thought the location of the apartment building was smart and I like the chase scenes throughout the place.Definitely a good addition to the comical horror series. Check this one out for sure.7/10