Grabbers – Film Review
Director: Jon Wright
Starring: Richard Coyle, Ruth Bradley, Russel Tovey and Lalor Roddy
Distributor: Sony Pictures
An Irish based sci-fi movie……well, it’s original, you have to give them that.
With only a few small productions under his belt, Jon Wright’s most recent film has a better chance of reaching a bigger audience than any of his previous outings simply because of the very novel concept. And also because it is very funny!
The plot centers on a small island off the coast of Ireland where, with the exception of some people bringing drinks into the local pub, nothing exciting ever happens. Sergeant Kenefick is heading on holidays for two weeks, so he has appointed the enthusiastic Garda Lisa Nolan from Dublin, played more than capably by the lovely Ruth Bradley, to look after things while he is away. This comes as grim news to the only other police officer on the island, Garda Ciaràn O’ Shea. Depicted by the very likable Richard Coyle, he holds a very lethargic view on life as well as a fondness for binge drinking.
It has all the all the elements of a romantic comedy, until you throw in the aliens. Washing in from the sea, a number of parasitic squid like creatures, labelled ‘grabbers’ by the locals, begin to terrorize the small community. When the Gardaì, along with marine biologist Dr. Adam Smith, discover that it needs blood to survive, they put a plan into motion: taint their blood with booze by having a major lock-in!
It bears a number of similarities with Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead, but the need for booze in order to survive is a novel element in this film. Whether the social commentary is incidental or intentional makes no difference because it is present regardless. Does the monster represent the outside world, forcing the Irish to conform to their stereotype of carefree social drinkers? After all, this is a view held by a large portion of the world, and we do little to quell the view when you consider much of Ireland’s tourism industry. This is plain to see in the film when we see how enthusiastically the plan for a lock-in is suggested, and how placid the locals behave in the middle of the crisis.
There is also the Drink Responsibly message to consider, which is delivered quite intelligently. The monster drinks blood, and so tainting the blood with alcohol keeps the locals moderately safe. If it latches itself onto the people, it becomes poisoned and is easier to fend off. From this, we can assume that the director does not eschew the notion of drinking entrely. However, the monster can still attack the locals without drinking their blood. The more they drink, the less capable they become of defending themselves, or even taking the situation seriously, thus putting other people at risk. The message is clear: Drink Responsibly (or a monster will get you!)
Despite this, the biggest issues with the film come in the form of the creature itself. While some of the action is decent enough, it is largely defused by the casual tone of the film. As well as this, while the CGI is impressive, the creatures themselves aren’t particularly creative. They are essentially mindless squids with tongues, fairly standard monsters in comparison to some of Hollywood’s latest turnouts. An action film this is not, although if you have seen the trailer, you probably knew this already.
In actuality, Grabbers is simply a fun film to lose yourself in, whether you are bothered with social commentaries or not. The two leads, Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley, are particularly likable and have a genuinely believable relationship throughout. There is chemistry, undoubtedly, but the film keeps you guessing as to what will happen between the two of them right up to the end. After all, drunken romances aren’t noted for lasting long.
Miss Lisa Nolan insists that she is referred to as Garda Lisa Nolan, establishing her as a straight character from the very beginning. In a very nice move, this caricature is flipped on it’s head when everyone needs to start drinking, and she quickly becomes one of, if not the most comical character in the cast. She proves that she has what it takes to bounce between serious to downright farcical roles and, most importantly, she does so in a believable manner.
The same can be said for the initially glum Ciaràn O’ Shea. He has that deadpan wit that is often associated with Brendan Gleeson, dry but charming nonetheless. His character is reserved but proves to be a little more complex than would be initially believed in the opening scenes.
The rest of the cast hand in decent performances as well. Standouts include Lalor Roddy, who depicts local drunk Paddy, and Bronagh Gallagher who plays Una, the barkeepers wife. Paddy is utterly caricature, playing up the stage Irishman like there’s no tomorrow, but he does so very well and provides much of the laughter of the film. Una follows a similar path, giving her husband something of a hard time, but is irresistibly likable nonetheless.
In the end, Grabbers is all about good fun. It doesn’t seem too ambitious, which is why the drinking commentary comes off as accidental more than anything else. But it does have good performances and some very good laugh-out-loud moments. If you like the craic, you’ll definitely find it here!
Score: 3/5
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