It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
... View MoreClever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
... View MoreThe film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
... View MoreA film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
... View MoreErin 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.
... View MoreThis is the height of absurdity, and quite equally, the height of fun.Imagine, one fine day a bunch of sea-dwelling, bloodthirsty and truly ugly aliens attack a small town in Ireland. It's the back of beyond, where suddenly these aliens show up raising their slimy, gooey tentacles and start gulping and chewing up people as if they were peanuts that accompany drinks served at your local town bar.So as people go missing, the survivors start to get scared and wonder how they will survive the night. Because the creatures seem to be everywhere. People are terrified and panicking when they find out that one of them who had been gulped down by the alien was instantly puked out. Why they wonder? And then it hits them, the the person was drunk! They realize that the 'Grabbers' hate drunks more than your neighborhood traffic cop and your mom combined. So the solution to the problems, the immunity to the creature, and the key to survival is to get drunk! I love this! Imagine! The survivors now gather at a bar to hide and everyone starts to drink as if their life depended on it, which it really does! And as the creature hunts them down, the people of the town start a party in the bar getting drunk like many a skunk. This is a thriller, it's well made, well acted, the creature is yucky and dangerous with tentacles and all, some of the scenes are suspenseful and scary, the characters are well etched and likable, and yet at the end of the day this is a really funny movie. It is so different in idea, hence the story and the script are quite novel, quite quirky. The drink-to-survive idea is so unique, that you have to see it to believe it. What an idea! I personally drink-to-survive every evening but never thought of it being film-worthy idea, somebody did and did it well!Imagine the climax, where a group of drunk people try to take on the creature which is sober as a nun and has only had warm blood to drink! Can you guess who wins? The ending doesn't let you down, it gives you a high and is thrilling, scary yet hilarious. No hangovers here! And the name of the creature! Grabbers! Imagine that, By that logic a dog should be called Biters, a python Swallowers, a mouse Scurriers, and so on and so forth. The name could have only been given by a perpetually drunk, or an imaginative scriptwriter whether drunk or not.This is a film one can grab a drink and enjoy!
... View MoreI'm no expert, I seldom ever write reviews unless I feel strongly about a film and/or feel that it has been overlooked.Also, I won't explain the plot because that has already been done & is detailed under the heading "Storyline" above. (It bothers me when people just regurgitate information that has already been provided, or worse yet, expand it to 'spoiler' point!) *In my opinion, as a fan of UK films & fanatic of the horror genre, this movie is an absolute gem.*The story is really original, smart, funny & moves along with no trouble keeping your interest. The characters are endearing (even those with more minor roles), the creature is very unique with effects that, I think, are well done. As for the filming location, it is absolutely beautiful, making all of the scenic shots just breathtaking.It made me jump...several times, hold my breath in angst, get a tiny bit misty, almost wet myself from laughing so hard & also made me think, just a little. (the humor is not corny, but smart & witty. It's often subtle)I admit, there was one scene in which a character did not react in the most believable or logical way (Under attack they did not use a phone that was right next to them, etc.). Otherwise, I really have no other criticism.I only watch movies that I really like more than once or twice, & I have watched this movie well over ten times! It's rating seems very low to me & I hope that my input might encourage people to watch despite it's number rating.This is just my personal viewpoint. However, everyone that I have had watch this has enjoyed it and had fun...I really hope you do as well!!
... View MoreA mildly amusing romp with no pretensions to high quality cinema.Weird tentacled aliens arrive in a remote Irish village.They soon discover that drunk Irish people can be quite nauseating--literally!I can't help thinking this movie would have been better if they'd played it straight and gone with a traditional horror angle.As it stands, it's probably fine if you're drunk enough.I didn't recognise any of the actors but they did a decent job.I rate 'Grabbers' at 16.65 on the Haglee Scale, which works out as a solid 5/10 on IMDb.10 lines minimum, IMDb? Seriously?
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