Critters (film series)
Encyclopedia
The Critters film series, from New Line Cinema
, comprises four movies that combine elements of horror
, science fiction
and comedy
. The first film, called simply Critters, was released in 1986
and received "two thumbs up" from Siskel and Ebert.
Althoughly widely believed to have been made to cash in on the success of the similarly themed Gremlins
, director Stephen Herek
has refuted this in interviews, pointing out that the first Critters script was written by Domonic Muir long before Gremlins went into production and subsequently underwent rewrites to reduce the apparent similarities between the two films. In any case, the basic plotline of the first film - mysterious strangers arrives in small town to repel marauding invaders - is more like a classic Western
narrative.
The central focus of the series is upon a group of malevolent carnivorous
aliens
from outer space
, called Krites, or Critters, that have the ability to roll into balls (cf. hedgehog
s) and combine into a pernicious sphere that can roll across the landscape and cause mayhem. In appearance, the individual Krites resemble small furry/spiky animals with large mouths and many sharp teeth. Throughout the movies they attack humans by biting and attempting to eat them, or at least a piece of them. The spikes on their backs can be launched as projectiles (render the victim unconscious). The coloration of the Krites varies between black, brown and navy blue. In the original film they were also able to grow to a much larger size, although this ability was dropped for the sequels.
The storyline for the first two films involves bounty hunter
s from outer space
who hunt the extraterrestrial
monster
s in a small American
town. The setting for the third movie is a city whilst in the final film the hunt takes place on a space station
.
The Critters are ravenous
creatures
that exist simply to eat and breed and the main human characters in the films endeavor to protect themselves while trying to think of ways to defeat them. Terrence Mann
appears in all four films as an interstellar bounty hunter named Ug, as does Don Keith Opper
as Charlie, an alcoholic who rises to the occasion when called upon to defend mankind. Leonardo DiCaprio
appeared in Critters 3
, and Dee Wallace-Stone and Billy Zane
both appeared in the first installment. Scott Grimes
starred in the first two films as Bradley Brown.
s) and combine into a sphere that can roll across the landscape causing destruction.
, the Crite whose face was burned by bleach is shown leading the group throughout most of the film and is the last Crite to be killed. Because the fourth film only has two main Crite characters, it is difficult to determine if a lead Crite is being suggested, although one Crite (the one who had the top of its head shot bald by Charlie when it was a hatchling) is shown as ordering around the other Critters.
s, rat
s, badger
s, opossums, hedgehog
s, rabid cats
, Tasmanian Devil
s, and a slew of other similar creatures.
The appearances of the Crites varies from film to film. In the first film, they appear to be much smaller than in the sequels (save for the lead Crite) and not as furry. Their stomachs are fully revealed whereas in the sequels they are covered completely by fur. Their fur appears more slicked back instead of wild or spiky like in the sequels, and their teeth appear more needle-like than in future installments. In one scene in the original film, a Crite's eyes appear to be orange instead of the bleeding red seen throughout the rest of the film, but this look is never repeated.
In the second film, the Crites appear larger than in the first film, have larger teeth, with fur (thicker and more haphazard than their predecessors) covering their entire bodies except for their arms and legs.
The third film portrays a larger, more rounded version of the Crite. Their eyes are larger, with a fluorescent, glowing red instead of the dull bleeding red from earlier films. Their fur is thicker and spikier than before, and appears to be blacker than the brownish tint seen in the second film. The skin is also lighter than before.
In the third and fourth films, the Crites look about the same in every aspect, although their eyes appear duller in the later film.
In Critters 4, Charlie tells Fran that it takes six months for Crite eggs to incubate. This is contradicted in the previous installment, however, when the eggs from the beginning of the film hatch in what appears to be a span of just a few hours. How many eggs a Crite can produce at one time is not revealed.
Crites only weapons are the natural weapons built into their bodies. One such mechanism is the ability to shoot a poison barb like a projectile at a victim. The barb injects a type of poison into the victim's bloodstream, causing the victim to fall asleep or unconscious for an unspecified amount of time. It is shown that removing the barb awakens the victim. It is not revealed whether these barbs affect other Crites. The fourth film is the only film in which the Crites do not utilize their poison barbs. The size and thickness of the barbs varies from film to film.
Another mechanism is their rather large mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth. A Crite's bite is shown to be extremely effective and difficult to extricate. In most cases, a victim is forced to beat on the Crite's snout like that of a great white shark
or crocodile
, or stab the Crite with sharp objects enough that it releases its hold.
In the third film, "Blackie" (as designated by another Crite), encounters Annie near the entrance on her way to find help. It opens its mouth and lets out a shrill and deafening scream that has enough power to shatter a jar. Although it serves the purpose of temporarily disarming or stunning the victim, it also serves as a beacon to alert the other Crites. This mechanism is never used or heard of in any other installment.
The second film introduces the giant Critter ball - an enormous ball of Crites all latched onto each other to move as one single unit. Not much is revealed about this mechanism, except that it enables the herd to survive a factory explosion and being rammed by a pickup truck, but not the direct impact of a bounty hunter spaceship. It is only used in the second film.
The Crites in the third film are shown launching themselves straight up into the air, as seen when one of the Crites launches itself up a laundry shoot in an attempt to attack Rosalie. A variation is shown at the end of the film, when a Crite tucks itself into a ball and revvs up as a means of attack.
While never shown to be used, Crites also have three sharp claws on their hands and feet.
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, comprises four movies that combine elements of horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
and comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
. The first film, called simply Critters, was released in 1986
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
and received "two thumbs up" from Siskel and Ebert.
Althoughly widely believed to have been made to cash in on the success of the similarly themed Gremlins
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature—called a Mogwai—as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel,...
, director Stephen Herek
Stephen Herek
Stephen Robert Herek is an American film director.Herek was born in San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin. His career as film director took off in 1986 with Critters followed by Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure where he worked with Keanu Reeves in 1989...
has refuted this in interviews, pointing out that the first Critters script was written by Domonic Muir long before Gremlins went into production and subsequently underwent rewrites to reduce the apparent similarities between the two films. In any case, the basic plotline of the first film - mysterious strangers arrives in small town to repel marauding invaders - is more like a classic Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
narrative.
The central focus of the series is upon a group of malevolent carnivorous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
aliens
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
from outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
, called Krites, or Critters, that have the ability to roll into balls (cf. hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s) and combine into a pernicious sphere that can roll across the landscape and cause mayhem. In appearance, the individual Krites resemble small furry/spiky animals with large mouths and many sharp teeth. Throughout the movies they attack humans by biting and attempting to eat them, or at least a piece of them. The spikes on their backs can be launched as projectiles (render the victim unconscious). The coloration of the Krites varies between black, brown and navy blue. In the original film they were also able to grow to a much larger size, although this ability was dropped for the sequels.
The storyline for the first two films involves bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
s from outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
who hunt the extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s in a small American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
town. The setting for the third movie is a city whilst in the final film the hunt takes place on a space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
.
The Critters are ravenous
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
creatures
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
that exist simply to eat and breed and the main human characters in the films endeavor to protect themselves while trying to think of ways to defeat them. Terrence Mann
Terrence Mann
Terrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
appears in all four films as an interstellar bounty hunter named Ug, as does Don Keith Opper
Don Keith Opper
Don Keith Opper is an American actor, writer, and producer who has starred in film and on television. He is known for his role as Charlie McFadden in the 1986 science fiction film Critters and all 3 of the sequels. His most recent film is in the 1998 film Where's Marlowe?...
as Charlie, an alcoholic who rises to the occasion when called upon to defend mankind. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
appeared in Critters 3
Critters 3
Critters 3 is a 1991 sci-fi comedy horror film directed by Kristine Peterson. It is the third installment of the Critters series. It was shot back-to-back with its sequel, Critters 4. Unlike the first two movies, it does not take place in the town of Grover's Bend...
, and Dee Wallace-Stone and Billy Zane
Billy Zane
William George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
both appeared in the first installment. Scott Grimes
Scott Grimes
Scott Richard Grimes is an American actor, voice artist and singer. Some of his most prominent roles are his appearances in ER as Dr. Archie Morris, Party of Five as Will McCorkle, Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, and the popular animated sitcom American Dad!, voicing Steve...
starred in the first two films as Bradley Brown.
Films
| Film | Director | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critters Critters (film) Critters is a 1986 cult science fiction film starring Dee Wallace-Stone, M. Emmet Walsh, Billy Green Bush and Scott Grimes. It was directed by Stephen Herek and written by Herek, Domonic Muir and Don Keith Opper . It is the first film in the Critters series... (1986) |
Stephen Herek Stephen Herek Stephen Robert Herek is an American film director.Herek was born in San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin. His career as film director took off in 1986 with Critters followed by Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure where he worked with Keanu Reeves in 1989... |
Stephen Herek Domonic Muir Don Keith Opper Don Keith Opper Don Keith Opper is an American actor, writer, and producer who has starred in film and on television. He is known for his role as Charlie McFadden in the 1986 science fiction film Critters and all 3 of the sequels. His most recent film is in the 1998 film Where's Marlowe?... |
Robert Shaye Robert Shaye Robert Kenneth Shaye , often referred to as Bob Shaye, is an American businessman, film producer, director and actor.-Early life:... |
| Critters 2: The Main Course Critters 2: The Main Course Critters 2 is a 1988 science fiction comedy horror film starring Terrence Mann, Don Keith Opper, and Scott Grimes. It was directed by Mick Garris and written by David Twohy and Garris... (1988) |
Mick Garris Mick Garris Mick Garris is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California.-Biography:He is best known for his adaptations of Stephen King stories, such as directing the horror film Sleepwalkers starring Madchen Amick and is the creator of the Showtime series Masters of Horror... |
David Twohy David Twohy David Neil Twohy is an American film director and screenwriter.-Life and career:Twohy was born in Los Angeles County, California... Mick Garris |
|
| Critters 3 Critters 3 Critters 3 is a 1991 sci-fi comedy horror film directed by Kristine Peterson. It is the third installment of the Critters series. It was shot back-to-back with its sequel, Critters 4. Unlike the first two movies, it does not take place in the town of Grover's Bend... (1991) |
Kristine Peterson | David J. Schow David J. Schow David J. Schow is an American author of horror novels, short stories, and screenplays. His credits include films such as The Crow and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Most of Schow's work falls into the sub-genre splatterpunk, a term he is sometimes credited with coining... Rupert Harvey Barry Opper |
Rupert Harvey |
| Critters 4 Critters 4 Critters 4 is a 1992 science fiction comedy horror film starring Don Keith Opper, Terrence Mann, Angela Bassett and Brad Dourif. It was directed by Rupert Harvey and written by Harvey, Barry Opper, Joseph Lyle and David J. Schow. It is the fourth and seemingly final film in the Critters series... (1992) |
Rupert Harvey | Rupert Harvey Barry Opper Joseph Lyle David J. Schow David J. Schow David J. Schow is an American author of horror novels, short stories, and screenplays. His credits include films such as The Crow and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. Most of Schow's work falls into the sub-genre splatterpunk, a term he is sometimes credited with coining... |
|
Cast
- Dee Wallace-Stone as Helen Brown
- M. Emmet WalshM. Emmet WalshMichael Emmet Walsh is an American actor who has appeared in over 100 film and television productions.-Life and career:Walsh was born in Ogdensburg, New York, the son of Agnes Kathrine and Harry Maurice Walsh, Sr., a customs agent...
as Harv - Billy Green BushBilly Green BushWilliam Warren Bush is an American actor, sometimes credited as “Billy Greenbush”.Notable movie appearances include Five Easy Pieces , The Culpepper Cattle Company , Electra Glide in Blue , Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore , The River , The Hitcher , Critters , and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final...
as Jay Brown - Scott GrimesScott GrimesScott Richard Grimes is an American actor, voice artist and singer. Some of his most prominent roles are his appearances in ER as Dr. Archie Morris, Party of Five as Will McCorkle, Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, and the popular animated sitcom American Dad!, voicing Steve...
as Brad Brown - Nadine Van der VeldeNadine Van der VeldeNadine van der Velde is a Canadian American actress, producer and writer. Van der Velde is a two time Emmy award winner, two time Annie Award winner and a recipient of a Humanitas Award.-Early life and career:...
as April Brown - Don Keith OpperDon Keith OpperDon Keith Opper is an American actor, writer, and producer who has starred in film and on television. He is known for his role as Charlie McFadden in the 1986 science fiction film Critters and all 3 of the sequels. His most recent film is in the 1998 film Where's Marlowe?...
as Charlie McFadden - Billy ZaneBilly ZaneWilliam George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
as Steve Elliot - Ethan PhillipsEthan PhillipsEthan Phillips is an American actor, playwright and author. He is known for television roles such as Star Trek: Voyager's Neelix and Benson's Pete Downey.-Personal life:...
as Jeff Barnes - Terrence MannTerrence MannTerrence Vaughan Mann is an American actor, director, singer, songwriter and dancer who has been prominent on the Broadway stage for the past three decades...
as Johnny Steele/Ug - Lin ShayeLin ShayeLinda "Lin" Shaye is an American film, theatre and television actress.-Early life:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Shaye is the daughter of Dorothy , a homemaker, and Max Mendle Shaye, a painter and supermarket owner. Her brother is film executive Robert Shaye...
as Sally - Michael Lee Gogin as Warden Zanti
- Art Frankel as Ed
- Roger Hampton as Jake
- Angel Casas as Samuel
The Critters
The central focus of the series is upon a group of malevolent carnivorous alien creatures called Krites (or Crites) which are known as Critters. They have the ability to roll into balls (like hedgehogHedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s) and combine into a sphere that can roll across the landscape causing destruction.
Organization
In the first film, the largest Krite took leadership over the others. This is carried over into the second film where, though later turning out to be Ug in disguise, the largest Crite was seen as the leader once more, being able to persuade the immense pack of smaller Crites to continue on to Polar Ice Burger instead of attacking the humans that were following behind them. Although the concept of the biggest Crite being the leader was dropped in Critters 3Critters 3
Critters 3 is a 1991 sci-fi comedy horror film directed by Kristine Peterson. It is the third installment of the Critters series. It was shot back-to-back with its sequel, Critters 4. Unlike the first two movies, it does not take place in the town of Grover's Bend...
, the Crite whose face was burned by bleach is shown leading the group throughout most of the film and is the last Crite to be killed. Because the fourth film only has two main Crite characters, it is difficult to determine if a lead Crite is being suggested, although one Crite (the one who had the top of its head shot bald by Charlie when it was a hatchling) is shown as ordering around the other Critters.
Appearance
Crites have been described as porcupinePorcupine
Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...
s, rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s, opossums, hedgehog
Hedgehog
A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand . There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to the Americas...
s, rabid cats
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
, Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
s, and a slew of other similar creatures.
The appearances of the Crites varies from film to film. In the first film, they appear to be much smaller than in the sequels (save for the lead Crite) and not as furry. Their stomachs are fully revealed whereas in the sequels they are covered completely by fur. Their fur appears more slicked back instead of wild or spiky like in the sequels, and their teeth appear more needle-like than in future installments. In one scene in the original film, a Crite's eyes appear to be orange instead of the bleeding red seen throughout the rest of the film, but this look is never repeated.
In the second film, the Crites appear larger than in the first film, have larger teeth, with fur (thicker and more haphazard than their predecessors) covering their entire bodies except for their arms and legs.
The third film portrays a larger, more rounded version of the Crite. Their eyes are larger, with a fluorescent, glowing red instead of the dull bleeding red from earlier films. Their fur is thicker and spikier than before, and appears to be blacker than the brownish tint seen in the second film. The skin is also lighter than before.
In the third and fourth films, the Crites look about the same in every aspect, although their eyes appear duller in the later film.
Reproduction
Not much is mentioned regarding the reproduction habits of the Crites, as no information is shown in the films or given in interviews by the creators. They are portrayed with a need to eat before laying eggs, but how they produce eggs in the first place is never revealed. No mating rituals are shown or discussed in the films.In Critters 4, Charlie tells Fran that it takes six months for Crite eggs to incubate. This is contradicted in the previous installment, however, when the eggs from the beginning of the film hatch in what appears to be a span of just a few hours. How many eggs a Crite can produce at one time is not revealed.
Diet
That Crites are exclusive carnivores is shown repeatedly in each film. The idea that eating more and more increases the Crites' size, eventually leading to a Crite becoming the alpha or dominant in its group, is suggested only in the first film.Hunting habits
Crites are normally seen to hunt and attack in groups in the movies. Rarely has a Crite been shown to attack on its own outside of the few occasions in the first and fourth films. Charlie explains in the fourth film that Crites generally go for a victim's face and neck, although the films show them attacking the chest and gut area of a victim more often than not. Once a victim is caught, usually one Crite initiates the attack and the others quickly follow in one swift barrage.Crites only weapons are the natural weapons built into their bodies. One such mechanism is the ability to shoot a poison barb like a projectile at a victim. The barb injects a type of poison into the victim's bloodstream, causing the victim to fall asleep or unconscious for an unspecified amount of time. It is shown that removing the barb awakens the victim. It is not revealed whether these barbs affect other Crites. The fourth film is the only film in which the Crites do not utilize their poison barbs. The size and thickness of the barbs varies from film to film.
Another mechanism is their rather large mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth. A Crite's bite is shown to be extremely effective and difficult to extricate. In most cases, a victim is forced to beat on the Crite's snout like that of a great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
or crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
, or stab the Crite with sharp objects enough that it releases its hold.
In the third film, "Blackie" (as designated by another Crite), encounters Annie near the entrance on her way to find help. It opens its mouth and lets out a shrill and deafening scream that has enough power to shatter a jar. Although it serves the purpose of temporarily disarming or stunning the victim, it also serves as a beacon to alert the other Crites. This mechanism is never used or heard of in any other installment.
The second film introduces the giant Critter ball - an enormous ball of Crites all latched onto each other to move as one single unit. Not much is revealed about this mechanism, except that it enables the herd to survive a factory explosion and being rammed by a pickup truck, but not the direct impact of a bounty hunter spaceship. It is only used in the second film.
The Crites in the third film are shown launching themselves straight up into the air, as seen when one of the Crites launches itself up a laundry shoot in an attempt to attack Rosalie. A variation is shown at the end of the film, when a Crite tucks itself into a ball and revvs up as a means of attack.
While never shown to be used, Crites also have three sharp claws on their hands and feet.