Gremlins  Reviews & Ratings - IMDb
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
The Gremlins are here!
from United Kingdom
16 February 2014
Don't ever get it wet,keep it away from bright light and no matter how much it begs never feed it after midnight. With these instructions, young Billy Peltzer takes possession of his cuddly new pet. Billy will get a whole lot more than he bargained for.
This film starred: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates & Hoyt Axton.
In my opinion Gremlins is a good family comedy, it was released in 1984 and is always on the television around Christmas time now. The storyline sounds like a stupid low budget B-Movie however when you watch it you will go on a roller-coaster ride of frights and laughter. I highly recommend Gremlins to fans of family comedies as it a entertaining film too watch with your family.
***/***** Good film.
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
The great film i have been waiting for.
28 December 2013
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Gremlins is one of the best family films I have seen in a long time. It is an entertaining, witty and mischievous comedy. It is very different to most films.
The plot:
A teenage boy receives a pet Mogwai as a Christmas present form his father and breaks the 3 main rules which are never put it under bright lights (especially sunlight), never put it near water and never ever feed it after midnight. When these are broken they turn into the mischievous gremlins.
Even though nobody famous stars or directs this excellent film its still worth a watch.
Overall it is a bizarrely great film.
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
A Crazed Holiday Creature Feature That's Good for More Than Just Scares
from Bradenton, FL
28 December 2012
With its inane mix of genres, attitudes and inspirations, there's really no good reason for this movie to work as well as it does. Like the ubiquitous creatures at the heart of the plot, Gremlins delights in mayhem. The proud owner of a restless spirit and a tendency to rattle the gearbox at the slightest hint of a lull, the film can be splendidly unpredictable, charmingly sweet and morbidly profane, sometimes all within the same scene. It's vividly violent, often shockingly so, but still touts a wild sense of humor and an unexpected knack for sentimentality. I was pleasantly surprised at the lengths it was willing to go to, considering no member of the cast indispensable, and that left me hooked right up until the closing showdown. It's not the perfect picture - there are holes in the plot large enough to roll a bulldozer through - but as a sharp, silly change of pace in the holiday season, one could do far worse.
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Anarchic, vicious, mean-spirited and hilarious Christmas fun!
17 January 2012
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
If you are fed up of saccharine sweet Christmas films then this is the perfect antidote! It all starts well enough when Billy's father buys him a cute little pet for Christmas. This isn't an ordinary pet however; it is a Mogwai and there are three rules for looking after them; keep them out of bright light, don't get them wet and above all don't feed them after midnight! The rules aren't explained but we learn them soon enough; light harms them, getting them wet causes them to multiply and feeding them after midnight causes them to turn into vicious gremlins! Billy names his Mogwai Gizmo and all goes well until it gets wet and makes five more; the new ones aren't gentle like Gizmo however; they have a mean streak and are devious; devious enough to trick Billy into feeding them after midnight which causes all hell to break out in the town of Kingston Falls. The gremlins are determined to wreak havoc and after one gets to the town pool there are thousands to contend with! Out in the town they entertain themselves attacking Father Christmas, turbo-charging a horrid old woman's stair-lift, going to a bar and finally going to the cinema to watch Snow White!
This film is great anarchic fun; while the gremlins are clearly meant to be the 'bad guys' the viewer will cheer them on as they do one malevolent thing after another; all the while cackling manically. The Gremlins certainly upstage the human cast; Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates are good enough as Billy and his girl friend Kate but they aren't what the film will be remembered for. There are a lot of laughs to lighten the tone but it will still be scary for younger viewers; especially in the final scene where Billy must confront the meanest of the gremlins who is wielding a chainsaw... not to mention an earlier scene when a gremlin gets microwaved! The special effects may look a bit dated now but I'd take them over the excessively slick CGI a film would get today; also worthy of note is the delightful score by Jerry Goldsmith; it really fits the anarchic nature of the film. I'd certainly recommend this film but don't show it to younger children unless you are sure they can handle it.
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Gremlins
from Canada
9 March 2011
Gremlins is a interesting little film about small little monsters terrorizing a small town. The movie starts with a man who buys a little mogwai pet named Gizmo from an older gentleman in Chinatown for his son Billy (Zach Galligan). There are three rules when it comes to Gizmo. You can't feed it after midnight, it can't be exposed to bright light/sunlight, and most importantly do not let it get wet. If Gizmo gets wet, many little "gremlins" will pop out of it's back. Of course Billy doesn't follow the rules at all. All hell breaks loose in the town right on Christmas Eve of all nights. Billy and his girlfriend Kate (Pheobe Cates) must stop the little creatures before they destroy everything and everyone.
The movie is well done with it's effects. The little gremlins looks and seem like real live monsters. And Gizmo is the cutest thing on film I've ever seen. The scenes where the Gremlins are watching Snow White in the movie theatre is pure comedic gold! They even sing along to "hi ho hi ho, it's off to work we go". But, that's near the end of the film. There are many slow parts throughout. The police don't believe Billy when he tells them monsters are attacking the town. And it gets annoying watching him break all of the rules that must be followed with a pet mogwai.
Zach Galligan and Pheobe Cates are two of my all time favourite "80's" younger actors. They both play the lead characters. I think that at times Gremlins takes itself way to serious and that's a difference from this one and the sequel. It's a movie about little monsters terrorizing a town. The second one pokes fun at the plot. I haven't seen 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch' in years, but I remember preferring that one to this.
Still it's a must see movie for all.
7/10
from Ireland
24 October 2005
Who could fault this frequently funny, crazily original and utterly daft horror movie. From the hilarious opening in Chinatown to the amazingly sad ending. This movie has it all.
I can imagine this being even better if Spielberg had chosen to direct (although Dante's visual style is almost as good as Raimi's in Evil Dead 2) instead of co- produce. But no matter which way you look at it, there's no escaping the warm heart wrapped so delicate in this finely made silly fantasy. The little cute Mogwai (his name is 'Gizmo) is as lovable as E.T. (You can even see an E.T. doll on the shelf when the really evil Gremlin is hiding in the department store.
The greatest thing about the film is the tender love story between the main characters. And if the story she tells about her dad doesn't make a chin wobble, you need your heart checked.
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Joe Dante RULES!
4 August 2005
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Joe Dante is one of my favorite modern-day schlock filmmakers. When you think about it, that's what he makes. 'Gremlins' is the jewel in his crown, a wickedly funny horror/comedy that still charms me every Christmas.
Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is a nice young man with a loving family. His inventor father (Hoyt Axton) gets him a little creature called Gizmo (voice of Howie Mandel) that looks like a cross between a teddy bear and Yoda for Christmas. There are three rules to keep in mind when taking care of Gizmo: 1. Keep him away from bright lights, they hurt him. 2. Don't get him wet, he'll multiply. And most importantly, never, ever feed him after midnight. As you can imagine, all three rules are broken, Gizmo spawns a bunch of nasty ugly Gremlins, and all hell breaks loose.
The movie is very funny in it's mean-spirited way. My favorite scene is where the Gremlins, after wreaking havoc, go to a movie theater and watch 'Snow White'. They love it, and they start singing along to "Heigh-Ho" (to Billy's amazement). The payoff shot is Gremlin heads bobbing in tune to the song. That always gets a laugh out of me. The gremlin effects are good, and little Gizmo is like a less-annoying Furby. The script by Chris Columbus is dark and menacing without being an R-rated outing (although apparently the original script is even worse), and I wonder how Columbus ended up making 'Home Alone' and 'Mrs. Doubtfire'. No matter; 'Gremlins' is a high-energy B movie that spawned a hilarious sequel. It's one of my favorite movies.
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Daft, but enjoyable.
1 January 2004
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
When it comes to the weird and bizarre, only two directors spring to mind. Tim Burton and Joe Dante. Dante is more underrated than Burton which is a shame. His unique brand of horror laced with traces of dark humour is the perfect formula for a film like Gremlins. Has it really been 20 years since it was made? Is there anyone out there who hasn't seen it?
This interesting Christmas tale begins when Rand Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) is in Chinatown looking for a Christmas present for his son, Billy. He comes across a junk shop, where he encounters a furry creature called a Mogwai. But the owner of the shop is reluctant to sell him, as taking care of a Mogwai entails great responsibility.
Rand still acquires the Mogwai (or Gizmo as he names him) from the shop owners grandson. Before he hands Gizmo over, he tells Rand there are three rules he must follow to take care of Gizmo properly:
1. Keep him away from bright light. Especially sunlight, or it will kill Gizmo.
2. Keep him away from water. Don't get him wet.
3. The most important rule of all. The rule you can never forget. Never, ever feed him after midnight.
We switch then to Kingston Falls, one of those sleepy Disney/Capraesque towns. Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) is a mild mannered bank clerk who's got the hots for his co-worker Kate Berringer (Phoebe Cates). This is an interesting little town, full of quirky characters, some played by actors Joe Dante loves to have in his films. Mr Futterman (Dick Miller) is a bit of an oddball who believes Gremlins are real, and then there is Mrs Deagle, an old bat who has seriously got it in for Billy's family.
When Billy finally receives Gizmo, he is overjoyed but puzzled by the vague rules he has to follow. Of course, the audience just knows they're going to be broken. And the second rule is broken courtesy of Billy's friend Pete (Corey Feldman before his career took a nosedive). After accidentally splashing Gizmo with water, five new Mogwai appear. But these Mogwai are different from Gizmo. They are more mischievous and devious (Wait until you see what they do to Billy's dog).
They're led by one called Stripe, which Billy dubs because of a Mohawk of hair on his head. They later trick Billy into feeding them after midnight, and when he does, they go into cocoons. A teacher friend of Billy's who studies one of the Mogwai explains they will be going through lots of changes. He doesn't know the half of it!
When they hatch, they have turned into little monsters. Green, scaly, razor sharp teeth and claws. They are now Gremlins. They proceed to multiply into an army, and begin the process of tearing Kingston Falls to shreds. This is all under the leadership of Stripe. It is now up to Billy and Kate to stop the Gremlins before they destroy their town.
Although it has a very silly premise, there is something compelling about Gremlins. Joe Dante has enormous fun with the way he gleefully trashes and satirises the small-town Middle-American image Frank Capra and Norman Rockwell created.
The Gremlins are the real stars of the film, and despite being produced by Steven Spielberg, Dante has incredible latitude and freedom. It is certainly clear he is on the Gremlins side, and there are many memorable scenes.
Billy's mother (Frances Lee McCain) defending her kitchen is a definite highlight. The different methods she has of killing the Gremlins are quite sadistic (in particular the microwave). What happens to the Futtermans is both funny and scary. Mrs Deagle's encounter with the Gremlins is shockingly original. You might say they come to her in the middle of the night and teach her the true meaning of Christmas!
Probably the most memorable scene is when they storm the local cinema and catch a screening of Snow White. I wonder what a group of malicious monsters could find of interest in that film? The ending inevitably has the showdown between Billy and Stripe, which becomes a gripping fight for survival in a department store.
Gremlins is not only hilarious, but occasionally frightening. The content is of a shockingly dark tone at times. For all those parents out there, you may not want your children to watch this unless you're with them. Having a Gremlin trying to strangle Billy's mother with Christmas lights is a good indication why.
The scene where Kate tells Billy about her father is unusual. Somehow, it comes across as padding. I'm not sure what it has to contribute to the film really. But overall, Gremlins is extremely entertaining. It's quite refreshing to see a dark Christmas tale. The FX are still superb even after 20 years. It is also packed to the rafters with Dante's trademark in-jokes and film references (The Howling, Invasion of the Body Snatchers) which only adds to the film's charm.
One thing I especially liked is the way we don't actually see the Gremlins at first. We only hear them. It builds up anticipation to when we finally do see them. You are not disappointed.
The ending is quite sad, when Billy has to say goodbye to Gizmo. It's not quite as soppy as you might think. Gremlins 2 was also a good film, although it was a great deal more satirical than the first. The original had more style and subtlety. The theme music by the late Jerry Goldsmith is very memorable too. It was one of the best theme tunes he ever composed. Small Soldiers was also along the same lines, and was another of Dante's good ones. But it still doesn't match up to the great film that is Gremlins.
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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
a classic
from south carolina
20 August 2003
I have probably seen this movie more than any other in the history of me watching movies. I was a small child when I first this and it scared me to death. Now I get cracked up at it. I will always love this movie.Next year is it's 20th anniversary and I think they should re-release it in theaters. I finally learned the lesson to this movie the last time I watched it. There can always be a bad side to the good. This movie is a favorite of mine and if you have never seen this film....where have ya been living? Under a rock? Come on get out more.If ya have seen it, enjoy it again. Heck, buy the thing. Gizmo is so cute and the Gremlins are so nasty, but in the funniest of ways.You have best of both worlds.
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Horror gone B-Movie funny...
from UK
17 July 2003
...You watch it and find yourself sucked into an otherwise story by numbers movie (hey, the old guy says "no sunlight, water or food after midnight" so you're warned what to expect already).  Main criticism of course is its lack of focus on the hilarious antics of the evil Gremlins (something the sequel did a little better) who destroy a good portion of a town, but aren't seen nearly enough to make you detest them - instead they're little more than pests.
The level of gore is surprising, which is how you can tell that this isn't technically a "kids" movie, so care should be taken with young children (but saying that I'd have been 7 when I saw this and had no problem....but then Nightmare on Elm Street might have desensitised me a bit by that time) but it's essential viewing if only so that you can watch the sequel too.
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