Alright, take a look at that box art. We've got a creepy puppet in a leather jacket riding a pizza above the heads of a guy with a sexual predator mustache and a kid desperately attempting and failing to be Macaulay Culkin. How awesome you find that box art will probably directly correlate to how much you'll like MUNCHIE.

Which is to say MUNCHIE is not a very well-made movie, but it is quite entertaining when watched in the right state of mind (alcoholic beverages may help!). The acting is wooden across the board, the Munchie puppet looks like a dated, cheap children's toy that nobody bought because it was creepier than a Furby, and it's got a generic mom's-new-boyfriend character that rocks hideous '90s track-jackets. Everything feels slightly porn-y for a children's flick as well; there's much cleavage on display and one scene involving the school principal and his secretary feels distinctly softcore (tell me that actress isn't straight outta porn!). This is probably due to the director's seat being occupied by Jim Wynorski, a filmmaker much more at home directing exploitation and softcore flicks than children's movies.

It all comes off as a low-rent creepy E.T. (not, like, BADI-level creepy but certainly not cute), sans the emotional depth and filmmaking skill. Bad movie fans will have some fun with it, and little kids might too, I guess (they might need some kid beer though). Look for a preteen Jennifer Love Hewitt in her feature film debut, though she's not given anything to do but smile and look cute.

P.S. For those of you who greatly enjoyed 1987's MUNCHIES (anyone? anyone?) and are looking for a sequel, this is completely unrelated despite the trailer's claims. There is, however, a sequel to this one: 1994's MUNCHIE STRIKES BACK.

Few things are worse than a sequel that has absolutely nothing to do with the original movie. Except when that sequel is just bad in general. Somehow this movie is equal parts children's/family movie and highly inappropriate sex talk. There's even a child's party with a keg of beer. Sadly, it's just a bad movie with lots of plot holes. I'm dreading the 3rd one.

This is the funniest movie I've ever seen. Get blazed with your friends at night and prepare to laugh until your spleen explodes. There's hundreds of classic, quotable moments: when the bully's head slowly turns toward the camera as he prepares to tear Gage Dobson down. Gage's constant hallucinations (a firing squad? His own funeral? Is this really a kids' movie?). Chaos in the pizza place: "let's try Chinese instead!" The constant slew of subliminal dirty jokes and cleavage shots thrown in for the dads. The bouncin' soundtrack of farting tubas and tinkling synths whenever Munchie gets into mischief. Munchie is pure, unadulterated comedic genius, perhaps only surpassed in brilliance by the 1994 sequel, Munchie Strikes Back. Where is the triple-disc Criterion Collection version?