Grabbers
Ireland/UK 2012, 94m, Forward/High Treason/Irish Film Board
Blu-Ray: Sony (UK)
When the inhabitants of Erin Island are besieged by bloodsucking sea creatures, things look grim. Then they discover that the creatures have a severe allergic reaction to alcohol. The solution: gather all the locals into the pub for a big, all-night lock-in until help arrives...
Almost like an Irish take on Tremors, this is an entertainingly old-school creature feature with plenty of laughs to be had too. The actual creatures are superbly rendered, and the ensemble cast play it all with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek.
Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley are good leads as alcoholic local cop and visiting teetotal garda respectively, and their switching of sobriety in the second half of the film makes for an interesting twist. Russell Tovey is good value in the supporting role of an aquatic scientist, while a range of familiar character actors make up the rest of the local populace.
On the minus side: The movie gets off to such a breakneck pace, that it can't quite keep it up for the entire duration, whilst a sequence involving the massed baby offspring of the lead female creature taking over the bar and misbehaving á lá Gremlins is tantalisingly short, and so entertaining that you kind of wish all concerned had made more of it.
Still, overall these are minor gripes. If monster movies are your thing, and you need a good giggle too, Grabbers is good value for money. Recommended.
Now... someone give those baby monsters their own sequel...
Trailer from Toronto After Dark Fest 2012:
I *loved* this film. Unreservedly!
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