Search - Critters 4 - They're Invading Your Space on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 2/26/2015...

The first critters movie really sucked!!

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX
Reviewed on 6/22/2009...

This one takes place in space and is 100's of years into the future. I'd say they went a lil' off course with this whole debacle.

3 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.

Critters 4 (1992)

The Tweeder | Indianapolis, Indiana | 12/31/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Director: Rupert Harvey
Cast: Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Paul Whitthorne, Anders Hove, Angela Bassett, Brad Dourif, Eric DaRe, Martine Beswick, Anne Ramsay.
Running Time: 100 minutes
Rated PG-13 for violence, language, and gore.

"Critters 4" starts, somewhere in Kansas and replays the last few minutes of "Critters 3" (1991) as the recurring character of Charlie McFadden (Don Keith Opper) is about to shoot the last two remaining Critter eggs in the universe which, we are informed, would mean the extinction of the entire Critter race which is against some sort of intergalactic zoological law or something like that. Charlie's bounty hunter friend Ug (Terrence Mann) is now known as Counsellor Tetra and is a top ranking official at the intergalactic council and orders Charlie not to shoot the eggs but instead put them into a pod that will land nearby very soon. The pod does indeed land nearby very quickly & Charlie does indeed put the eggs into it but he is also caught in the pod which I presume cryogenic-ally freezes him as it's never really explained. "Critters 4" then informs us that we are 'Somewhere in Saturn Quadrant 2045' where a salvage ship comes across the pod drifting in space. Rick (Anders Hove) decides to claim the unidentified, to them anyway, pod and try to make a bit of cash out of it. With the help of his crew, Ethan (Paul Whitthorne), Fran (Angela Bassett), Al Bert (Brad Dourif) and Bernie (Eric DeRe), the pod is successfully recovered. They get in touch with the intergalactic council and Counsellor Tetra say to go to an abandoned space-station where a trade will be made for the pod and its contents, Tetra also specifically tells Rick not to open the pod. So in true horror film tradition Rick opens the pod, thaws Charlie out and the Critter eggs which hatch, kill Rick and escape into the space-station.

Co-produced & directed by Rupert Harvey, "Critters 4" is a pretty useless film and rounds the Critter series of films off with a whimper rather than a bang. The script by Joseph Lyle and David J. Schow is both predictable & clichéd, the space-station with an unstable reactor that will blow up in a few hours, the protagonists only means of escape being neutralised early on so they are stuck, the race against time to save themselves, the constant bickering & arguing amongst the crew, people splitting up and the loser who turns into a hero & saves the day, yawn. A lot of plot devices seem to come straight from "Aliens" and it rips off "Star Wars" with a tacky waste compactor scene. The characters are no better and you probably won't give a damn about any of them. While the other "Critters" films could be described as comedy horrors part 4 cannot, it appears to be deadly serious throughout, making it incredibly slow, uneventful and dull. The looks cheap throughout with bland, dark unimaginative sets and it even steals footage from "Android" for it's ships and space scenes; "Critters 4" was apparently so low budget that the filmmakers couldn't afford any optical effects & the ones it takes from "Android" look seriously dated. The acting is pretty poor as well with Angela Bassett's over-the-top melodramatic reaction to seeing a few Critter eggs particularly cringe worthy. To look at "Critters 4" it is as cheap and unspectacular a production as you could hope to (not) see."

Ah, an improvement over Critters 3 (belive it or not)

Movie Dude | 02/07/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Being that this and Critters 3 were filmed back to back, this also was direct-to-video. Fortunately though, Critters 4 does not have the "direct-to-video faults" that Critters 3 had. This movie starts off showing what happened at the end of the 3rd movie. In my opinion of the 3rd movie, the ending is really all you need to see. By the way, DO NOT let the subtitle of Critters 4 fool you! This is no corny space movie. In fact, Critters 4 ranks up with the first one in the sense of a dark yet decent plot. Yes, the character of Charlie is in the movie and it does take place 50 years later but this is all explained. As far as the ending goes, it was surprising. Some people liked it, some didn't. As for me, I thought it gave the movie a good twist. As I said in my previous Critters review: skip Critters 3 and move on to Critters 4. The only reason I don't give this movie a 4th star is becuase it lacks some action compared to the first two Critter movies but don't let that dissapoint you. I would have to say that Crittes 4 is the only movie in the series that appears to be for adults as well as teenagers. Again, Critters 4 has a dark/decent plot somewhat similar the first movie and should not be missed."

DARKER...MEANER...HUNGRIER...

Jeremy Robertson | 02/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"They'rrrrreeee bacccckkkk! The critters (aka Krites)are back for a fourth time, but this time they are in space and they are planning to steal another space pod that another crew members are on. Brad Douif (Child's Play; voice of Chucky) stars in this movie as he plays the commander of the ship. He seems to be angry all the time and doesn't quiet want to get along with anyone on board the ship. No one on the ship as ever been to Earth before and now is the chance to get there for their first time ever being on planet Earth. But on their way into space, they spot a floating space pod in the air and they all decide to "reel it in" the ship. Charlie McFaddin is caught trapped inside the pod for over 25 million years along with two critter eggs that he has put inside the pod and are hatching on the ship. Once the critters start to hatch they find a way to work out the ship and start attacking the people. But they must do something before they get anyone else on the ship. Critters 4 has a good story going, but just not enough critter action as in 1 & 2. I thought it was a very entertaining movie! If you haven't seen Critters 4 yet, check it out. But don't bother seeing Critters 3 only 1, 2, and 4. These were the best of the Critter movies of them all. Critters 3 sucked."