Leonardo DiCaprio Made His Feature Film Debut In A '90s Creature Feature

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There are few working actors quite as respected as Leonardo DiCaprio. From his many collaborations with the legendary Martin Scorsese, including the Best Picture winner "The Departed," to his devilish turn in Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," he's built up quite a catalog of outstanding performances. But everyone's career starts somewhere, and years before he became king of the world in "Titanic," he starred in a low-budget creature feature.

The movie in question is 1991's "Critters 3," which, as the title implies, is the third entry in the "Critters" franchise. By this time, the series had graduated to its direct-to-video era. Under the direction of Kristine Peterson, New Line Cinema brought the little furry killer alien creatures known as Krites from the rural setting of the first two films to Los Angeles. DiCaprio was a major part of the proceedings, playing one of the core members of the ensemble and earning his first feature film credit.

The third entry in the series sees the Krites invade a Los Angeles apartment building. The building is specifically designed for affordable housing, with Josh (DiCaprio) accompanying his crooked landlord stepfather to the property. Unfortunately, they're met with a deadly surprise in the form of these furry killers. The stepfather doesn't make it, leaving Josh and the other tenants to fight for survival.

This wasn't DiCaprio's first attempt at acting. As a child, he had brief roles on shows like "Rosanne" and "The New Lassie," as well as a Disney video entitled "Street Safe, Street Smart," and a few months before "Critters 3," he appeared on TV's "Growing Pains." But this was his first turn as a movie star. In light of where his career has gone in the years since its release, that makes it an important cinematic relic. Although admittedly, it's not a well-regarded one.

Nobody would accuse the "Critters" movies of being high art or anything like that, but the first two movies were well-liked by the intended audience and remain favorites amongst horror fans who grew up with them. They're popcorn entertainment made for the VHS era, and there's nothing wrong with that. But "Critters 3" isn't exactly held up as a high watermark, even by those standards.

"Critters 3" holds a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is pretty rare. It has a reputation, and that reputation is lousy. Nobody in their right mind would rank "Critters 3" as the best entry in the franchise by any means, but that 0% seems a bit harsh. In any event, as the story goes, the experience of having his first movie be a critical flop evidently stuck with DiCaprio. Interviews from the actor regarding his experience on that movie are hard to come by; one of the only apparent instances of him speaking about it has been circulated by Far Out Magazine (though the site doesn't provide a source for the interview, and we couldn't track down the origins of this quote, so take it with a grain of salt):

"[Critters 3 is] possibly one of the worst films of all time. I guess it was a good example to look back and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Just six years later, DiCaprio would rise to superstardom in "Titanic," which literally became the biggest movie of all time up to that point. From there, he took off like a rocket and the actor was careful about selecting his movies. There aren't a lot of stinkers in his filmography. Even so, calling "Critters 3" one of the worst movies of all time does feel a bit harsh (assuming that quote is legitimate).

DiCaprio is an actor with a lot to be proud of in his storied career. As an Oscar-winner for his work in "The Revenant" and a six-time Academy Award nominee, it's understandable that he wouldn't want to find himself on the wrong end of something like "Critters 3" again. Safe to say, he's well beyond that now. But as a lover of creature features who recently digested this entire franchise, I can say with confidence that this is absolutely not one of the worst movies ever made.

For my money, 2019's "Critters Attack!" is the worst this series has to offer. I'm not going to sit here and say "Critters 3" is a masterpiece one needs to seek out, but it very much delivers similar thrills as the first two movies in a new setting. The creature effects hold up, and there are some great kills. There's fun to be had for the right viewer. Plus, it paves the way for the delightfully bonkers "Critters 4," which I do recommend. (Nobody should be mad at a movie with the tagline "You are what they eat.")

Naturally, no one is going to suggest this is one of DiCaprio's best movies, but it is interesting seeing him flex his chops in a low-budget affair when he was just a kid. There are little flashes of the movie star we would all come to know. If nothing else, it's a fascinating time capsule that shouldn't be disregarded quite so quickly. Can I see why DiCaprio would distance himself from it? Absolutely. But it's part of his history, and entered into with the right mindset, it's a fun watch.

You can grab "The Critters Collection" on Blu-ray from Amazon.