Gremlins (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Gremlins' (directed by Joe Dante, written by Christopher Columbus, & executive produced by none other than the great Steven Spielberg) features cute, small furry creatures called mogwais who become, ahem, quite nasty when wet & tampered-with against the rules it comes with. This is a deliciously cynical horror/comedy film from 1984 which made a killing at the box office & only grew in popularity over the years as a wholesome Christmas classic ... that veers to the dark side. All-American type actor Zach Galligan stars as 20-something yr. old Billy Peltzer, a bank clerk who lives in the small, quaint town of Kingston Falls with his housewife mom, Lynn (Frances Lee McCain) & his eccentric, unsuccessful inventor dad, Rand (Hoyt Axton).
One evening, Billy receives an exotic birthday/Christmas gift from his father, who bought it in an out-of-the-way shop in Chinatown. The gift was sold by the owner's grandson who had no permission to sell it from his grandfather, store owner, Mr. Wing (Keye Luke). The gift? An adorable, fuzzy mogwai creature named Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel). However, there are 3 important rules that accompany the maintenance of such a creature: 1) It must be kept out of the bright light, which can kill it; (2) It must be kept away from water; and (3) It must not be fed after midnight. If the rules are broken, tons of baby mogwais are born and ... they won't be as cuddly as Gizmo. But, of course, the rules are stupidly broken and, and army of cannibalistic gremlin monsters go on the rampage; wreaking havoc on the sleepy town. Billy gets help from his girlfriend, Kate (Phoebe Cates). And saving their community from the gremlins becomes quite the hoot.
It's funny to me that Steven Spielberg executive produced this, because while he put his stamp on many a 1980s film geared towards adults & children alike {Goonies, Back to the Future} ... this one had a distinct anarchic mean streak about it that you wouldn't exactly associate with him. When all hell breaks loose over town - with gremlins killing townsfolk & destroying everything in their wake - there is still an element of fun, at hand. The gremlins have a devilish, but playful attitude which alleviates some of their sinister nature; leading to some humorous scenes. i.e., when Billy's Martha Stewart-like mom minces one gremlin in a blender, & tosses another one in the microwave. There's a great scene where the leader gremlin named Stripe jumps into a YMCA pool; you can imagine what happens next. And there's also a cranky 'ole town biddy played by Polly Holliday who gets her comeuppance when the gremlins tamper with her stair chair lift -- fantastic sequence!
With his boyish charm & innocent face, Zach Galligan makes for a likeable hero. His wholesomeness makes him the perfect adversary for the vile little Gremlins. Kinda surprised that he didn't go on to do bigger & better things. Hoyt Axom, Frances Lee McCain {her kitchen scene is a killer!}, Phoebe Cates, Cory Feldman {as Billy's friend} & the aforementioned Polly Holliday {as a Miss Gulch-type} add to the proceedings. I LOVED the snowy, homey town; reminding me very much of Bedford Falls from It's a Wonderful Life. I laughed at the idiocy of these irresponsible characters who break the 3 mogwai rules in almost no time. And to that, the non-CGI special effects & puppetry work on the creatures is masterful.
John Hora makes everything in the movie look fantastic. And Jerry Goldsmith's music score is wonderfully memorable. So yeah, this is a great little zany crowd-pleaser that brings the laughs & thrills in equal measure. I must say, having seen it as an adult recently, I found it lacking a bit; compared to when I was obsessed with it as a kid. Having said that, Joe Dante provides a good-looking, well-crafted, darkly comic gem for the ages. And its unique blend of heartwarming holiday movie giving way to fast-paced horror flick - all while keeping a lighthearted tone - makes it stand-out as a fun 1980s classic.
One evening, Billy receives an exotic birthday/Christmas gift from his father, who bought it in an out-of-the-way shop in Chinatown. The gift was sold by the owner's grandson who had no permission to sell it from his grandfather, store owner, Mr. Wing (Keye Luke). The gift? An adorable, fuzzy mogwai creature named Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel). However, there are 3 important rules that accompany the maintenance of such a creature: 1) It must be kept out of the bright light, which can kill it; (2) It must be kept away from water; and (3) It must not be fed after midnight. If the rules are broken, tons of baby mogwais are born and ... they won't be as cuddly as Gizmo. But, of course, the rules are stupidly broken and, and army of cannibalistic gremlin monsters go on the rampage; wreaking havoc on the sleepy town. Billy gets help from his girlfriend, Kate (Phoebe Cates). And saving their community from the gremlins becomes quite the hoot.
It's funny to me that Steven Spielberg executive produced this, because while he put his stamp on many a 1980s film geared towards adults & children alike {Goonies, Back to the Future} ... this one had a distinct anarchic mean streak about it that you wouldn't exactly associate with him. When all hell breaks loose over town - with gremlins killing townsfolk & destroying everything in their wake - there is still an element of fun, at hand. The gremlins have a devilish, but playful attitude which alleviates some of their sinister nature; leading to some humorous scenes. i.e., when Billy's Martha Stewart-like mom minces one gremlin in a blender, & tosses another one in the microwave. There's a great scene where the leader gremlin named Stripe jumps into a YMCA pool; you can imagine what happens next. And there's also a cranky 'ole town biddy played by Polly Holliday who gets her comeuppance when the gremlins tamper with her stair chair lift -- fantastic sequence!
With his boyish charm & innocent face, Zach Galligan makes for a likeable hero. His wholesomeness makes him the perfect adversary for the vile little Gremlins. Kinda surprised that he didn't go on to do bigger & better things. Hoyt Axom, Frances Lee McCain {her kitchen scene is a killer!}, Phoebe Cates, Cory Feldman {as Billy's friend} & the aforementioned Polly Holliday {as a Miss Gulch-type} add to the proceedings. I LOVED the snowy, homey town; reminding me very much of Bedford Falls from It's a Wonderful Life. I laughed at the idiocy of these irresponsible characters who break the 3 mogwai rules in almost no time. And to that, the non-CGI special effects & puppetry work on the creatures is masterful.
John Hora makes everything in the movie look fantastic. And Jerry Goldsmith's music score is wonderfully memorable. So yeah, this is a great little zany crowd-pleaser that brings the laughs & thrills in equal measure. I must say, having seen it as an adult recently, I found it lacking a bit; compared to when I was obsessed with it as a kid. Having said that, Joe Dante provides a good-looking, well-crafted, darkly comic gem for the ages. And its unique blend of heartwarming holiday movie giving way to fast-paced horror flick - all while keeping a lighthearted tone - makes it stand-out as a fun 1980s classic.