I guess I can excuse the fact that this installment took place in space, since that’s were Critters began. That’s more believable than going from Crystal Lake to space.
Critters 4 opens with an inaccurately re-shot scene from the end of part 3 where Charlie has been advised to wait for a pod sent from the Intergalactic Council. There is a space law that says you cannot kill the last of any species, and a holographic Ug tells Charlie not to destroy the last 2 Krite eggs. As Charlie is loading the eggs in the pod, he gets trapped in it and is taken to space. 53 years later, in the year 2045, the pod is discovered floating around by the crew of a salvage ship, and they take it. They are unable to determine what is in it, but they find the logo of Terracrop. They speak to Ug, who is now Counselor Tetra of Terracorp. He explains that he will meet the crew at a space station not far from them. While waiting, a jerk crew member opens the pod with a space laser gun and out pops Charlie. Also, the Krite eggs have hatched. And the terror begins!
I don’t know what idiot told the filmmakers of this franchise that the character of Charlie is funny or interesting, but they were wrong. He is possibly the most boring recurring character ever. I will give Critters 4 some compliments. First, it is better than part 3. Not that it is a difficult feat to accomplish, but I do like it when a sequel is better than the previous installment. Second, the acting was much more tolerable. You have Angela Bassett and Brad Dourif, but even the actors I had never heard of were quite competent. Also, the Critters were more sinister and less “funny.” In fact, the overall tone of the movie was more serious than comical, which worked well. What did not work well? For one thing, only seeing the Critters twice in the first hour of the fourth part of a series named CRITTERS. The effects were pretty lame. Ethan freezes a Crite and then tells him to “chill out.”
Things I learned from Critters 4: In 2045, black and white Western movies are not only readily available, but popular with the young folks (I actually think this was used specifically as an excuse to use a slide guitar in the score and it be relevant). Gum is one of the best props ever. Brad Dourif chews gum like an Olympian. You know how really cool people chew gum and somewhat over exaggerate it when the speak to accentuate how cool they are? Brad is a Jedi master of this art. When you have a clear opportunity to escape, it is best to linger around and thus be susceptible to attack. TWICE.
It’s not crap. In fact, it is the second best of the series. Now, who’s ready to reboot?’
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