Review: Grabbers (2013)

I have a weakness for creature features.

This isn't anything new - I've mentioned it several times over the years - but I feel like any review of a creature feature needs that reminder.  Not because I'll be more forgiving of a creature feature (I will rip a bad one to shreds if I've a mind too), it's just that many of the tropes and cliches of the genre don't bother me.  If anything, I find them to be a feature: I know what to expect and can enjoy those occasions when expectations are subverted.

The horror-comedy Grabbers indulges in many of the tropes of the genre, but the twist to it (and the reason I love it) is that the protagonists discover that the titular creatures will not eat you if you are drunk.  So a plan is hatched to save the town by having a party at a tavern with free beer the entire night.  A perfect MacGuffin for the comedy part of the film.

There is no steely-faced man staring down death like in Jaws or Godzilla: our heroes are so plastered that they struggle to move a table to block a door.  Their compatriots struggle to stand up straight or go roaring out to fight the monsters with a Super-Soaker (or whatever the Irish equivalent is - for this is set in a small Irish town).  Everything about the fight against the creatures is ridiculous.

The performances are all fairly good - everyone calibrates their performances to match the tone of the movie.  Leads Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley (as Ciaran O'Shea and Lisa Nolan) have a few more serious moments that are played well enough, and Russell Tovey (as Dr. Smith, the island scientist) is best in show amongst the cast.

The creature design is also well done - a swarm of tentacles surrounding a mouth with a froglike tongue it uses to grab prey.  The CGI for the creatures (for there are many) is definitely a little lower budget, but nothing overly distracting from the movie at large.

I do have a few criticisms for the movie though.  For one, the tavern where a large part of the movie takes place isn't given nearly enough attention for a location of such plot importance.  The layout is a bit weird, and I imagine it would take another watch for me to really understand how the set 'works' as a whole as opposed to the three main locations within it.

The movie also takes its time getting to the meat of the plot.  While it does have a few characters encounter the creatures early (and meet their untimely ends for their troubles), getting from the second attack to the main gathering at the tavern could use a bit more brevity or a few more kills.

Overall, this is a fairly enjoyable film.  I'm sure some of the humor goes over my head since I am not Irish and it was definitely made for a local audience, but I still had a good time watching it and laughed quite a bit.

7 out of 10