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We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. 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.
