Devoted -MuNcHiEs- fan since 87'Let's keep this brief, this cheap little flick by no means requires a detailed and lengthy review.Producer/director extraordinaire Roger Corman was behind this delightfully cheesy little low-budget Gremlins knock-off, from 1987 we have: Munchies! It's certainly a light-weight among movies, but also very amusing and entertaining and the pacing is tight and rarely if ever slow. Clearly designed to NOT be taken with any seriousness, Munchies is a goofy, somewhat kinky take-off of Gremlin's, but unlike the Gremlin's the Munchies can talk and they prattle off a string of cheesy one-liner's throughout the film - some funny sounding voices on those critters. It stars Harvey Korman in a double-role, his "bad-guy" role Cecil Waterman - a mustachioed, slime-ball businessman, clad in a tacky looking polyester suit and topped off with a bad looking rug - is probably the funniest character. Then there's our hero "Paul" played by a shrimpy, bemulleted no-name actor, who wants to have a career in comedy, only his jokes are usually quite weak and along for the ride is his hot and curvy girlfriend Cindy, played by the lovely Nadine Van der Veld. On the topic of Nadine Van der Veld's butt, I always thought it a shame, watching her running around in those skin-tight Guess jeans, her shirt, being untucked, effectively covering from view that lovely looking derriere of hers - a missed opputunity. I'm sure it's because a lady directed the movie.After some unforeseen meddling by Cecil and stepson, the Muchies are soon running amuck and multiplying out of control, causing mayhem through mostly rural California, starting by making a quick get-away, hilariously, in a two-toned AMC Gremiln (PERFECT CHOICE!!!). On their way, zig-zagging through the countryside they cause mischief at ice cream parlors, miniature golf courses (a 36-hole!!! course), video rental joints and Burger-Land. Then the adventure goes underground (revealing incriminating evidence which is bad for Cecil Waterman's local business empire) and my favorite part of movie happens here, it's during a scene when their all, as a group, chasing Cindy down a tunnel, their over-the-top laughter is just priceless. Sadly moments later the Munchies meet their end, when their dealt a strong dose of "Fire of the Gods". Paul sure can deliver in a pressing situation, after all he's the hero don't forget, an unlikely one - but none the less. The end sets the stage for a sequel, but as of yet I've haven't see a second Munchies movie. With a very brisk running time of only 83 minutes, the Munchies certainly falls into the "short cheapy" category.I can't figure it, some people REALLY take things a bit too seriously. Reading through some of the reviews here, some people actually feel the need to get pissy and vinegary ("what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" or "about as entertaining as a kick to the head"), when reviewing a movie as completely harmless and goofy as Munchies - pretty ridiculous folk's. You can do so much worse then this believe me. Munchies isn't anywhere near the bottom of the barrel - not even close. I've always deemed it a minor classic and it's easily one of the better Gremlin's knock-offs. On an end-note, the cheese-factor for this (starting with it's title) is extremely high, which is a very common thing for movies made in the mid-80's. That's the main reason why it's funny, because of it's over-the-top nature. So just sit back and let any semblance of seriousness leave your mind and enjoy the Munchies.....with some munchies.

Ridiculous-looking little boogers that spawn foam and reproduce themselves. So far for the horror-elements this movie has. All the rest of MUNCHIES plays out like a really retarded comedy that's so stupid you won't find it funny anymore after about 15 minutes. I can imagine little kids cheering for these little boogers, but adults will be left with only those supposedly "smart" references translating to on-screen stuff like Capt. Kirk's log entries from STAR TREK, the most well-known scene from E.T., a blatant statement from the filmmakers going "Look! We're cashing in on GREMLINS' success here!" and a cardboard cut-out of Clint Eastwood telling us... what about his western movies exactly? That last one was totally lost on me... Oh yes, and chemical waste disposal in caves seems to be a bad thing. Don't know where they got that idea from.Not to say that MUNCHIES is the most insufferable film to sit through, for that matter. It's just really, really dumb. And if you manage to crack a smile while watching it, you'll probably feel as dumb yourself for having done that after the film's finished.Good Badness? Yes, but only if "dumb", "retarded" & "ridiculous" are criteria you're looking for. 3/10 and, well, uhm, 6/10.

This movie may remind you of Gremlins. In fact I'd recommend Gremlins after this.Simon Watterman(Harvey Korman)and his son Paul(Charles Stratton) are in Peru. Studying a temple. Soon an Indian starts chanting some words and then a creature comes to life. Simon and Paul take him home where Paul names him Arnold. Soon Cindy(Nadine Van der Velde)comes in.After a few hours in Paul introduces Arnold to a porno magazine. Then we cut to a scene of love. Don't worry, you don't see nothing. But it looks as if Arnold wants to get into the fun as he climbs into the bed with them. Laugh fest.Soon Simons brother Cecil Watterman(Harvey Korman)and his stepson Dude(Jon Stafford)plan a heist to kidnap Arnold. Which they do. And soon it brings to a point that Dude is killed and that Arnold becomes a quatruple-some. Which means he will regenerate and become four.Soon Arnold and his pals are on a quest of fun and laughs that include running an old lady off the road, running bikers into a lake, swimming in the lake with two ladies and golf time. But it doesn't take much time for the ending to come.The thing I don't understand is this. They didn't kill the one that was trying to get to Cindy. All he did was disappear. But, still he wasn't killed. Oh and the only way to kill them is by electricity.

Not a knock on Korman as he was very funny on the Carol Burnett show. He was also good at playing secondary characters in Mel Brooks' movies ("High Anxiety" comes to mind). He is, however, not a person who can carry a movie in dueling roles no less. This one is basically a "Gremlins" knockoff, following a tradition of such movies as "Critters" and "Ghoulies". It is not a very good knockoff either, on par with "Ghoulies", but with a much lighter tone to it as it is no where near as dark as that movie got. In fact, this one is too light and frothy, and unfortunately many of the jokes end up falling flat. Though I did give it a 3 for a score, this is only because there is a movie that is even a worse "Gremlin" knockoff. If you watched Mystery Science Theater 3000 you know the one I am talking about...the infamous "Hobgoblins". This one has a guy finding a little critter in some underground place (I only saw this movie once a long time ago so I don't remember everything to clearly) and it starts out friendly enough. However, this creature quickly becomes unfriendly and of course more are spawned and that is the movie. More misses than hits in the joke department, and it is also really lame to see Korman playing the evil brother role. Best to skip this one, but then you may want to check it out just for kicks.