Not every movie has to be original. There's nothing wrong with taking a standard formula and having fun with it. The sequel to the surprisingly successful "Critters" is one of those movies. Who says hand puppets can't star in a great movie?
Brad Brown (Scott Grimes) returns to Grovers Bend two years after the "incident" to visit his grandmother (Herta Ware). As if in sequence upon his arrival, the Crites break free from their eggs (somehow they got missed at the end of the original). Three bounty hunters, now joined by Charlie (Don Opper), head to Earth to stop the invasion. The Easter holiday for the small town becomes a war zone between intergalactic aliens and the human race.
"Critters 2" does everything right that first film did wrong. The pace is faster, the little aliens get more screen time, and the body count is where it should be: high. No, the story really isn't important. That seems to be the point many other critics miss about a movie like this. Creature fans could care less about a story. Everyone in the audience is there to see the monster(s).
Here those uh, critters, are simple hand puppets. There's nothing particularly spectacular about the effects nor are they very realistic, but these little guys are funny. They never walk or move around much unless they roll into their little ball form. As it goes for a movie like this, the monsters generally die in a humorous manner (the tire crush is great) leaving behind a nice puddle of green goo.
Though it tries to be a continuation of the original, there are a few lapses that hurt the overall product. One of the rules, the fact that the monsters grow bigger the more they eat, isn't even mentioned and of course they never do get any larger. Their feast is a large one too so the potential was definitely available. While not the entire cast returns, most of them are written off quickly. The biggest loss is M. Emmet Walsh as the sheriff and his replacement, Barry Corbin, has none of the actor's style.
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