Gremlins Movie Review

Gremlins (1984)

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Written by: Chris Columbus
Directed by: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Corey Feldman, Judge Reinhold
Rated: PG
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Plot
A young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town.

Verdict
It's part of pop culture. The concept carries the movie farther than the story as this gets sillier and more horrific as it progresses. The origin of these gremlins is fascinating, but the gremlins are quite silly and the logic is wildy inconsistent.
Watch It.

Review
It's such a unique idea. Gremlins are real, but that's not the hook. What first gains your interest is the cute Mogwai, Gizmo. There are just three rules, don't get him wet, don't expose him to sunlight, and don't feed him after midnight. This is household pet turns evil with a twist.

The Gremlins

The rules are, of course, accidentally broken. While Gizmo is nice and well behaved, his spawn aren't. The only conclusion that can be assumed is because it works for the movie's plot. The tone of this never quite approaches horror because the gremlins are utterly ridiculous. While they're meddlesome, they find appropriately sized clothes and just want to hit the bar and movie theater. Per legend they cause mischief along the way, but this gets quite silly.

Phoebe Cates and Zach Galligan play Kate and Billy.

No one believes Billy, and rightfully so. It's up to him and his friend Kate to save the town. He manages to accomplish that feat quite easily as the movie continues to plunge into even sillier depths. The gremlins aren't unleashed until rather far in the movie. If this is ever remade, expect them to appear much earlier. Also, if it were remade the gremlins would likely be CGI. The practical effects are used to great effect. CGI would only make it seem like a knockoff.

The Mogwai, Gizmo

Of course this movie has a few logic shortcomings, but it's to be expected with a movie like this. The questions remain, how does Gizmo survive without water? How is matter conserved? Why is everything so easy.

It's a fun movie. Gizmo and gremlins have become part of pop culture. That's the real reason to watch this. The concept carries this very far. If it wasn't for great creature design and effects I don't think this ever would have become so popular.