Grabbers (2012)
7/10
Grabbers
2 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Erin Island, off the coast of Ireland, was just a quiet, idyllic fisherman's spot away from the busy hustle and bustle of the Dublins, where everyone knows each other, with many sharing a shot or pint at the local pub. At the beginning of the film a male and female alien land in the ocean close to Erin, eventually washing ashore, looking to find humans as a source of blood and water, both of which are key to their survival and longevity. Arriving to Erin is a cute, perky, astute, and genially spirited Dublin officer, Lisa (Ruth Bradley, absolute charmer), on holiday, accepting a law enforcement post alongside perennial drunk, Ciarán (Richard Coyle). She is substituting for Ciarán's boss while he ferries with other island residents to the mainland for two weeks. Habitual drunk fisherman, Paddy (Lalor Roddy), cages the female alien in his lobster trap, himself attacked with it poisoned by the high content alcohol in his blood! Ahhh, yes, a vulnerability! The giant male alien comes looking for its mate, equipped with a tongue that whips around necks and even through victims, moving about with slimy tentacles, containing a circle mouth with shark fin teeth that can clean crunch off heads.

Yep, booze is the answer to combating aliens...I love it! This film has so many things going right for it. The aliens are ugly, resembling a combination of sea creatures and the island setting, especially the beach and natural landscapes, is stunning. But the leads and additional cast (can't fail to mention Russell Tovey as the enthusiastic sea animal expert) launch this off the pad exponentially. The drunk pub gathering with all the remaining village folk in the hopes of saving them from the male alien and its hatchlings is a hoot! Bradley has her Weaver Aliens forklift moment, and Coyle must fend off the face hugging female alien...just two memorable scenes among many. There are severed heads, baby alien slugs slithering in the pub, dead whales ashore as foreshadowing, a woman jerked out of her home by the alien tongue through her chimney, Bradley hilariously drunk, Coyle and Tovey eyeing Bradley and clearly in their tone, little asides, and patterns of behavior competing for her, and the incredible special effects for the aliens...so much to recommend in this appealing sea creature comedy. Aims to please and has a cast that is talented enough to pull it off. The villagers accumulate seamlessly into the charms of the comedy. Serious sleeper. Especially amusing is seeing the leads aware of their chemistry, wishy washy about addressing their building feelings, and gradually falling for each other. Roddy steals every scene he's in.
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