On a remote island off the coast of Ireland, a community comes under attack from ravenous, tentacled, blood-sucking creatures from outer space. When they discover that the aliens are allergic to alcohol, the locals decide that their best chance for survival is to get smashed.
Playing drunk is probably one of the hardest tricks for an actor to pull off convincingly, so when a film requires every character to get absolutely hammered, it's asking for trouble. Watching the cast of Grabbers unconvincingly slur and sway their way through this silly monster movie proves quite painful at times and, with such a collection of obnoxious characters largely comprising of drunken Irish stereotypes (Ruth Bradley as Garda Nolan gives the only likable performance), much of the intended humour falls very flat indeed.
The plot also suffers from fundamental flaws that seriously weaken the film: getting drunk doesn't seem to stop the 'grabbers' from attacking, so the islanders' plan not only proves completely pointless, but actually a hindrance (in reality, it is merely an excuse for the film-makers to add a new angle to what is otherwise a routine monster flick); on a lesser note (but one that still bugged me), no-one on the island seems to be under the age of 18, a contrivance that conveniently allows for everyone to get involved in the binge drinking. What would they have done had there been children present?
Technically speaking, Grabbers is surprisingly good, with superb cinematography, decent creature designs and slick CGI special effects that belie the modest budget, and director Jon Wright makes great use of his best asset, the beautiful Irish coastal scenery; these elements help make the film less arduous overall. However, with such a weak script and unconvincing performances, I think it might be best to watch the film in the same state as its characters: well oiled!
4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.
Playing drunk is probably one of the hardest tricks for an actor to pull off convincingly, so when a film requires every character to get absolutely hammered, it's asking for trouble. Watching the cast of Grabbers unconvincingly slur and sway their way through this silly monster movie proves quite painful at times and, with such a collection of obnoxious characters largely comprising of drunken Irish stereotypes (Ruth Bradley as Garda Nolan gives the only likable performance), much of the intended humour falls very flat indeed.
The plot also suffers from fundamental flaws that seriously weaken the film: getting drunk doesn't seem to stop the 'grabbers' from attacking, so the islanders' plan not only proves completely pointless, but actually a hindrance (in reality, it is merely an excuse for the film-makers to add a new angle to what is otherwise a routine monster flick); on a lesser note (but one that still bugged me), no-one on the island seems to be under the age of 18, a contrivance that conveniently allows for everyone to get involved in the binge drinking. What would they have done had there been children present?
Technically speaking, Grabbers is surprisingly good, with superb cinematography, decent creature designs and slick CGI special effects that belie the modest budget, and director Jon Wright makes great use of his best asset, the beautiful Irish coastal scenery; these elements help make the film less arduous overall. However, with such a weak script and unconvincing performances, I think it might be best to watch the film in the same state as its characters: well oiled!
4.5 out of 10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.