Gremlins

Plot

Billy receives a special gift from his Dad at Christmas, a cute animal called a Mogwai. He names it Gizmo, but it comes with certain rules; No Bright lights, No getting it wet, and No food after midnight. After he inadvertently breaks some of the rules, some dangerous beasts called ‘Gremlins’ emerge and wreck havoc on the small peaceful town.

Direction

Some good techniques used, especially given the year it was made (1984) and the smallish budget. There were some solid use of stop motion in one sequence – and some good camera use in others (such as the boiling pool scene).  

Cast/Characters

I might get a bit of a clap back for this, but I did not particularly think any of the ‘human’ characters were written all that well – and some of the performances were a bit on the nose. When ‘Dad’ speaks about Billy and buying for him – we think he is going to be a child – but he’s a grown adult working an adult job – with adult feelings.

Another character’s performance felt flat, almost if the actor was in a monotone the entire performance. For me, the MVP goes to ‘Mum’ – for taking out so many of the Gremlins, and let’s face it – most kids of the 80s wanted their own Gizmo at one point or another.

Screenplay/Setting/Themes

While the backdrop of the film is Christmas, and the main premise is that Gizmo is a Christmas present, it does feel like that it could have been set at any time of year the same action could take place.

As a parent of a ten year old, (and being a child of the 80s myself) I am a bit conflicted here, because I forgot how scary the Gremlins were. They could be a little too frightening for small children.

I liked the fact it took a little while to see the Gremlins for the first time – a similar style to Steven Spielberg’s (who is a producer here) Jaws. One small dislike is that the ‘fight back’ occurred too quickly – while I loved ‘Mum’s fight back – I wish it happened another 20 minutes into the film.

Score/Soundtrack

While not ‘completely’ a Christmas movie, there are several moments with Christmas carrols and some songs playing – but Jerry Goldsmith’s score complements the tone of the film nicely. It has ‘gothic/dramatic’ undertones that work well.

Overall

Still a solid film FORTY years later, despite my own personal ‘cons’ I still highly enjoyed this.

4/5