Little Monsters (1989) Reviews

• What a wonderful kid's film .. or not?

  kthejoker2000-07-17

  Although I did enjoy this movie (and gave it a 7), I found the PG rating a major misstep by the MPAA. Cuss words, adult situations, more than cartoonish violence .. not that the movie is lessened because of it .. but at the beginning of the video I rented, there was an add for kids to call a 1-900 number and try to win prizes related to to the show - but this movie is in no way made with kids in mind. Howie Mandel hams it up, and an early movie appearance by Frank Whaley is five minutes of fabulous.

• A childhood favorite of mine, "Little Monsters" doesn't hold up upon repeated viewings due to a loose plot and cruel nature...

  MaximumMadness2012-05-01

  The 1989 Fred Savage and Howie Mandel vehicle, "Little Monsters", is a children's/kid's film. While it was a childhood favorite of mine, I recently had a chance to re-watch it, and I have to say, it just doesn't hold up. It suffers from a loose plotting and a disturbingly cruel nature, and I'm shocked my parents actually let me watch it. Savage stars as Brian Stevenson, a young boy who has just moved to a new neighborhood, and is feeling sad because he lost all of his friends. When strange pranks appear, set up all over his house during the night, he is blamed by his parents for setting them up, even though he denies it. In addition, his younger brother claims to have seen a monster that comes out from under his bed at night. Soon, Brian encounters the monster- Maurice (Mandel), a playful and nutty humanoid with bright blue skin, who introduces him to the world of monsters underneath his bed- a massive land with all sorts of creatures who do nothing but play pranks, scare kids and play video games. However, over time, Brian realizes that the pranks and fun have consequences, and he and Maurice are forced to help his brother Eric, whom is subsequently kidnapped by "Boy", the evil leader of the monsters. To give credit where it is due, the film has a strong atmosphere. Although it's meant to be fun, the introduction to the film and the third act are meant to be creepy and unsettling for the audiences, and I will say, this film is oozing with atmosphere and the general creeps. It is well paced and well-shot, and it is very eerie for children. Particularly some of the earlier jumps and some of the monsters. In addition, the script (by future "Pirates of the Caribbean" scribes Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio) is quite imaginative, although it has been long-rumored that many scenes were cut and re-written, and that the final product differs greatly from the first draft. Finally, the music is incredible. It's very haunting and has an air of sorrow, mixed with hints of joy. It gives a good tone and emulates the up's and down's of the story magnificently. However, there are two huge, looming problems with the film. First, despite the imagination, the film isn't well-written. Characters are established well, but are not necessarily likable. And the plot is just a mess. In fact, the "plot" doesn't really exist until the last half-hour. Up until then, it's more of a series of skits and pranks. The villain ("Boy") and his motivations are not made clear, and the climax, without spoiling anything, is a non-sensical, sloppy mess. It brings the film down a few points, and takes away from the scenes that do indeed work. Secondly, this is a very dark, cruel film. Many scenes involve pranks played by the monsters, which become increasingly dark and morally questionable. Scenes involving tricking young children into drinking urine, scaring infants, tampering with food, destroying property, etc. break past the border of bad taste. And there is a great deal of violence in the film, including characters being kidnapped, burned, beaten up, and even a creepy scene where a monster is decapitated and has its head replaced with a pumpkin. It's very dark, and it's inappropriate for children under 12, I'd say. (Which is the target market, as kids who are any older are probably not going to like it) And the bigger problem is that there are no real consequences for the cruelty and violence, making the theme of responsibility very hollow and hypocritical. This film is a mess. It deserves about a 3 out of 10, but my nostalgia for it, and the sleepless nights of creeps it gave me has elevated it to about a 5 out of 10. I'd say it's decent for older children, but parents should plan on watching it with their kids, and making sure the theme of responsibility was clear to them.

• Most Underrated film I've ever seen...

  animallover122008-08-18

  An astounding film like this should be in the top fantasy and family lists, and I'm shocked that it isn't. I first saw it actually about a year ago, but completely forgot about it after that until about a month ago. Since then I've probably watched it 7 or 8 times. It just plunges you into believing in magic. Kids movies are NOT made like this today...and I wasn't even alive in the 80's. But this movie has more substance, more of a story and reason to being made. It starts off showing what kind of life Brian has, but quickly picks up when Maurice enters the scene. And it all turns to fun and games. But just as quickly it turns serious, but I won't give that away. The sets are amazing, the acting is great, the costumes are fun and wild looking. The swearing caught me off guard, but it's nothing kids haven't heard already. Either this movie was rated by another system or the MPAA just overlooked it since it did have such a small release...sadly. This film has to be the most underrated film I have ever wathced...It has quickly become one of my favorites and probably will always be... If you're a fan of quality movies then watch this one because it will blow you away.

• Fun & trouble all rolled up into one!

  GOWBTW2007-09-13

  Being a kid is always going to be tough. Mischief and mayhem is all normal. At night they are afraid to sleep because of monsters. An early stage of common childhood fears. But what if the monsters they encounter are childish themselves? Yes, they are scary, that doesn't mean they are also mean. That's where Brian and his brother Eric are about to find out in this movie, "Little Monsters". It stars "The Wonder Years'" Fred Savage, and his brother, future "Boy Meets World" star, Ben. Fred plays Brian, Ben plays Eric. Brian gets blamed for the the accidents and mischief in the family home. He insists there's a monster who did it. His father(Daniel Stern) doesn't bite. In some reason, he does speak the truth. He meets a very mischievous monster named Maurice(Howie Mandel, "St. Elsewhere", "Bobby's World" & "Deal or No Deal") who lives underneath his bed. Knowing that he was telling the truth, he goes into Maurice world and sees that not all monsters are bad. They just like to have a little fun. Both he and Mo bond, and create all the trouble they want. They even help Brian with the bully by sabotaging his lunch: replacing the tuna with cat food, and Maurice drinks all the apple juice and pees into the bottle to p--- him off! However, he went too far by destroying his favorite girls school project. Brian got very mad! There is one monster who bullies the other ones and breaks Maurice's horn. Brian and his friends help him by taking out the mean monster, and his cronies. Life is tough for a kid, having a friend that's not human is everlasting. I liked this movie a whole lot, it was a lot of fun. 3 out of 5 stars!

• Great movie

  katieMe2005-11-21

  This movie has always been a favorite of mine . It's one I always want to see and would let my kids see . OK so maybe that might be for me too. It never gets old and always keeps you smiling. I didn't realize this move came out when it did, because it stays with you like you just seen it. I can still see parts from the movie in my head that make me laugh. My kids would love this movie. I just need o get it now. If I did get it it would be playing all the time .It's not a movie that is gonna scare kids . It's a good family film for the whole family of all ages .The move is always gonna be a favorite with me!!