| Product: |
Gremlins (DVD) |
| Date: |
05/03/08 (53 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Acting, Most effects, score, fun
Disadvantages: Some effects, plot inconcistancies
When I look back at the movies of my childhood, I can't help but think that some of them were really damn stupid. Take Gremlins, which, today, I watched for the first time in well over 5 years. When I finally get to the plot part of this review, I'm sure many people will scratch their heads, pondering exactly how anyone over the age of 10 could find such a movie realistic. Yet, I guess it's to the movie, and director Joe Dante, who's work is usually looked upon with favour by me, credit that it manages to take such a ridiculous premise, one that really deserves to be no more than a schlocky B-Movie, and makes it work to the extent where I actually regard the film as a classic.
Released in 1984, making it a year older than me, Gremlins is an odd movie, because I can't quite make my mind up who it is aimed at. While the general plot premise makes it look no more than a by-the-numbers horror flick(indeed, the movie kicked off an entirely separate genre of films that ripped it off), it also contains the dark-comedy elements that have become something of a trademark for Dante, while at the same time, it seems to target children, not an audience usually found enjoying horror or dark comedy movies.
Indeed, I couldn't tell you what age I was when I first saw the film, it's one of these movies that I seem to have been made with a pre-built memory of. The fact that it aired every Christmas for years meant it was really unavoidable for anyone who grew up around the same time as me, and while, as a slightly more mature viewer, I pick up on some of the humour more, I definitely found the movie immensely enjoyable at a young age.
The movie opens as a slightly eccentric, usually unsuccessful inventor named Randall Peltzer(Hoyt Axton - Smoky) is scourging the Chinatown of an unnamed city trying to find a Christmas present for his son Billy(Zach Galligan - Waxwork), when he stumbles into a small shop run by Mr.Wing(Keye Luke - The Sky Dragon), where a small creature known as a Mogwai catches his attention. Offerring Wing $200 dollars for him, the old man refuses, making mention that "with Mogwai comes great responsibility". The boy's grandson however, makes the deal behind Mr.Wing's back, and soon Peltzer is on the way home with the Mogwai, which he dubs 'Gizmo' in a box, with 3 warnings or instructions about looking after the beast; don't let him anywhere near water, don't let him see bright lights, especially sunlight, and most important of all, never feed him after midnight.
The Peltzer family stays in the picturesque American town of Kingston Falls, where Billy holds down a job at the local bank while following his dream of becoming a comic book artist, and as close as he has to friends are his gorgeous co-employee Kate(Phoebe Caites - Fast Times At Ridgemont High and a kid named Pete(Corey Feldman - The Lost Boys). He struggles to support he and his mum Lynn(Frances Lee McCain - Back to the Future) while his father is away, coping with the stresses of his power-hungry assistant manager Gerald(Judge Reinhold - Beverly Hills Cop) and the town hag Mrs. Deagle(Polly Holliday - The Parent Trap) and trying to work on getting something going with Kate.
He is immediately smitten with Gizmo, and the pair soon form a close bond, only to have it affected when Pete accidentally spills water on Gizmo, causing 5 more mogwai to sprout out of him. However, unlike the friendly Gizmo, these are nasty little buggers, lead by the mohawk-sporting Stripe, who trick Billy into feeding them after midnight, which leads to them turning into cocoons, then emerging is slimy green,black and yellow beasties who go about wreaking havoc in the town. As the monsters destroy the ideallic holiday paradise, it's up to Billy, Kate and Gizmo to try and find a way to dispose of the menace before it's too late and they multiply again.
Now, when looked at with my serious movie-critic hat on, Gremlins sucks. It has plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, such as the fact the Gremlins don't multiply while walking through snow, what global time to mogwai operate upon and how can they possibly live without fluids? However, when I was 8 years old, none of that occurred to me, and the rules by which this movie adheres seemed completely plausible and cast iron, and it's nigh on impossible not to watch a movie like this tinged by nostalgia, and the fact is that the film manages to chalk up enough genuine qualities in my eyes, even now, that in renders these plot flubs as the kind of thing only a spoilsport would look for.
I mean, Gremlins truly is a unique beast, the combination of the uber-family friendly executive producer Steven Spielberg and the comedy-infused-horror maestro Dante. Gizmo is a marketer's dream, cute, adorable, sings...the perfect icon on which to sell a movie to kids. Then you have the Gremlins, nasty little monster whom it becomes hard not to love, especially when they hotwire the stair-ride of Mrs.Deagle to send her careering out of a second story window. Things like this are why the movie works so well, it takes what is essentially a family-friendly fairytale, yet blends it seamlessly with a comedy-horror picture for mature viewers. The Billy/Kate romance is so idyllic, the wide-eyed naive guy and the beautiful girl, yet it's also got that backbone of them knowing each other through a crappy job, and leads to Kate's now immortal revelation of why she hates Christmas, possibly one of the darkest jokes in movie history.
As I say, the film, when looked at from a basic standing, could actually be any one of the countless 'beasties on the loose' horror movies made every week. However, the festive setting isn't the only thing to distinguish it from it's peers, it's also more character driven than any movie of it's sort. I always loved the character of Billy, in that while he has his out-of-the-ordinary dream, the movie handles it in a more realistic fashion, never coming to an uber-happy conclusion on it. Billy's character is, if anything, one of the most grounded in reality characters I've witnessed in a film. He struggles to try and express himself to Kate, despite the fact she is clearly interested in him, and he generally leads a life that isn't the one he wants, something I'm sure any young man can relate to.
While I suppose you could say the Kate character is comically unrealistic, surely a girl of her looks would be well out of Billy's league, to an extent, she's written in an interesting fashion, also avoiding the cliches of a typical 80s movie love interest.
Yet the film doesn't even let up in terms of it's supporting characters, with Mr.Wing stealing the show in both of his fleeting appearances, and Mrs.Deagle more than earning the come-uppance she recieves, not to mention a brilliant show from Dick Miller as Mr.Futterman, Billy's drunk, yet goodhearted neighbour who has been driven to xenophobia by drink, and believes all foreign machinery to be loaded with 'gremlins', to make them break.
Yet, to an extent, how well written the characters are also acts against the movie in places. Judge Reinhold's character looks like he will play at least a semi-important part in proceedings, as with Corey Feldman, only to have them inexplicably dropped before the movie is halfway over, only to reappear again, in Feldman's case, briefly as the Gremlins are running riot.
What brings the characters to life though is a good showing from all the cast members involved. While Galligan didn't exactly go on to great things, I think his portrayal of Billy is spot on, creating an incredibly likable and down-to-Earth hero, matched only by the quintessential 'girl-next-door' performance by the absolutely stunning Caites, who plays almost the polar opposite to her other most famous role.
The support acting is all sound, with good performances being turned in by all, most notably Axton, Miller and Luke, who make sure every scene they take part in leaves an impact with wonderful performances.
What's also a definite highlight is the special effects. Whereas nowadays the Gremlins and Gizmo would have been created through CGI, here we are dealing with puppets and stop motion, and while a few of the scenes have dated, most notably the one in which a stop-motion-army of Gremlins storms down the road, however, in general, the movie's effects are very good, outstanding for 1984.
Just to complete the rout, the movie also boasts a wonderful score from Jerry Goldsmith, who has concocted a wonderful mischievous track to compliment the bombardment of old Christmas songs the soundtrack features. The latter does a wonderful job of setting the ideallyic Christmas feel, which helps harden the impact of the Gremlins tearing it up.
So while it isn't perfect, I can't help but love Gremlins with almost every iota of my being. It can be funny, it can be scary, and on some occasions it's downright stupid, but at the same time it's the kind of film you rarely get these days; a movie that can appeal to kids on one level while striking adults in another. I'd recommend Gremlins to anyone willing to listen, especially around Christmas, where it's the perfect antitode to too many soppy films set around the time that will, chances are, flood the airwaves.
Summary: An alternative Christmas classic, anyone and everyone should love Gremlins.
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