Ruuz
It's great when you re-visit a film you enjoyed as a kid and find that as an adult it still totally holds up. Sure Critters almost definitely found its start as nothing more than one of the slew or various Gremlins rip-offs that were being written up at the time, but it's precisely the differences from Gremlins that make Critters any kind of success. The more overt sci-fi elements of the film have become a mainstay in the franchise, and are a big part of what makes this thing worth coming back to.
Final rating:½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time.