Coming to the party about three years too late, Munchies is a pretty blatant rip-off of Gremlins from legendary B-movie producer Roger Corman - it's just too bad that Ghoulies, Critters, and even the awful Hobgoblins beat him to the punch.

Somehow, Corman even managed to get Harvey Korman to star in this one (and, believe me, he's years removed from his stellar work on The Carol Burnett Show), as he plays an alien obsessed professor who is off in Peru with his wannabe comedian son Paul (Charles Stratton). While there they explore some ancient caves and uncover a small creature that they proceed to bring back home to the States when dad believes it's an extraterrestrial being.

But this being a "tiny creatures cause mayhem in various locations" type of movie, it's not too long before Paul and his girlfriend Cindy (the cute Nadine Van der Velde, who was menaced a year prior in Critters and is probably the best thing here) have to try and stop the, as Cindy has dubbed them, "Munchies" after our original critter splits into a gang of wisecracking little terrors who run rampant with a shotgun, blow-up an old lady's car, trash a video store, and even get up to no good at the local miniature golf course. Also in the mix is Korman playing a dual role as Paul's greedy businessman uncle, Cecil, who wants to capture the creatures for himself in order to make some quick cash.

How much does Munchies rip-off Gremlins? Well if the fact our creature splits into a group of hellraising tyrants doesn't convince you, just wait until early on when you hear one saying such things as "amigo" and "milk duds" in a cutesy Gizmo-like voice. Yeah, it's safe to say Corman and his Concorde pictures weren't really trying too hard to make this any less obvious than it is.

At least, though, it's generally played with an unserious tone and while there are a few dopey in-jokes (they ape the "glowing finger" moment from E.T. and in the scene where some people on the beach scream "Piranha!", which is in reference to the 1978 flick Corman also produced), Munchies is just too slight to be enjoyable. It's also one of those odd birds that walks the fine line between attempting to be a goofy "family" comedy (check Ernest B. Troost's upbeat musical score for proof), and having just enough PG-13 material to make it not suited for anyone under twelve - even if the movie is only rated PG and is marketed on DVD as a family film.

Not coincidentally, director Bettina Hirsch was also the editor of Gremlins (and has had a long career as an editor of over thirty, mostly big studio, films) and this marks her only credit behind the camera. Co-star Van der Velde has gone on to produce and write such children's television shows as Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends and Rolie Polie Olie. Almost all the remaining cast members have gone on to careers that consist of the occasional low-budget movie role and guest appearances on various television series.

Followed in the early 90's by Munchie and Munchie Strikes Back, two pretty much unrelated sequels (in them there's one "Munchie" creature that likes to befriend youngsters and grant them wishes) from the Corman movie factory directed by the seemingly always busy B-movie pro Jim Wynorski. (Chris Hartley, 6/26/06)

Directed By: Bettina Hirsch.
Written By: Lance Smith.

Starring: Harvey Korman, Charles Stratton, Nadine Van der Velde, Alix Elias.