Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
A boy inadvertently breaks 3 important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.
Loved
Mogwai!
Liked
The creative puppetry.
Disliked
That I'm not sure which age group this was supposed to entertain.
Thoughts
I can see what made it so appealing and memorable.
First and foremost: Mogwai. Chinese for "strange cat", this cuddly creature was super adorable with its giant eyes, cooing, and occasional singing. I'm not a pet person, but now I want one.
The gremlins on the other hand, were pretty cool too. They were bufugly, but their chaotic antics grew on me. This was definitely one of the earliest films I've ever seen that used pop culture references as comedy gags.
Obviously these critters wouldn't have worked without some impressive puppetry and animatronics to sell the illusion and, more importantly, make these characters perform their charm onscreen.
The cast had some of the 1980's biggest hitters, including pre-Goonies Corey Feldman and Judge Reinhold. I was disappointed they did not take advantage of Phoebe Cates' babe-factor, bundling her up in winter coats. Though I guess bikinis would be inappropriate here.
In addition, the film boasted some voice over legends, including Peter Cullen, Frank Walker, and Howie Mandel? Equally interesting was a cameo by animation godfather Chuck Jones and appearance by an unknown Tom Bergeron.
Gremlins was one of those films in which its outdated parts added to the charm. I couldn't help but giggle at human characters acted like idiots, when the first casualty was black, and the racial insensitivity of mystical Chinese characters. Best plot hole was when the mischievous little buggers suddenly equipped themselves with gremlin-sized guns and crossbows out of thin air. Worst plot hole was that the Peltzers were Jewish but celebrate Christmas.
While I personally had fun watching it, in the back of my mind, I wasn't sure which kind of kid this would appeal to. Younger ones might get nightmares from the gremlins, and older ones might be repelled by Mogwai's cuteness. Then the tone went way out of character with the gory kitchen scene, though the mom was pretty badass.
Despite its outdatedness and watching it more than a quarter century after it came out, I still enjoyed this charming 80's flick.
What I would change
Made the kitchen scene less gruesome.
