"It's teenager Zach (Chris Cavalier)'s birthday and he plans to spend it watching Highlander and, well, masturbating but an army of miniature demon snowmen have other ideas. It is the perfect jumping off point for a mashup of Gremlins and American Pie, and for quite a chunk of time the film manages to coast along on that kind of silly guilty pleasure energy, with zippy pacing and plenty of jokes so stupid they're funny, plus cameos from icons such as Joe Dante (director of Gremlins)."
"Unfortunately the comedy writing isn't quite there, and the jokes rapidly revolve back around to so stupid they're stupid. Similarly, the introduction of a couple of sexy nymphomaniac nuns initially seems promising you wonder what their deal is going to be, assuming they will be more than one-dimensional sex puppets only to find that no, that really is their full extent. Maybe there's something refreshing about characters existing purely as eye candy, without any hypocritical woke pretence that there's more to it than that?"
"The film-makers have also baked in an array of references to dozens of brilliant films, which could have been a lot of fun, but you end up wishing it could all be a bit smarter and more nimble. You feel a little for Cavalier, who in the lead role delivers a performance that is as winning as possible given what he has to work with."
Teenager Zach plans to spend his birthday watching Highlander and masturbating, but an army of miniature demon snowmen interrupts his plans. The film blends Gremlins-style creature chaos with American Pie-style teen gross-out humor, delivering zippy pacing and many deliberately silly gags. Cameos from genre icons, including Joe Dante, add nostalgic appeal. Comedy writing weakens as jokes grow repetitive and increasingly crude. Promising elements, such as two nymphomaniac nuns, remain one-dimensional and primarily eye candy. Filmmakers pack the movie with numerous film references that feel clumsy rather than clever. Lead actor Chris Cavalier gives a winning performance despite thin material. The Creeps arrives on digital platforms from 1 December.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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