Gremlins - A Movie Review

You don’t want to know what happens when you feed a gremlin after midnight.

Ripping out of Christmas packages, Gremlins premiered in theaters in 1984. Billy’s father gives him an early Christmas gift. What looks to be a harmless creature turns into a monster upon being fed after midnight. The peaceful town is soon destroyed from enjoying their peaceful holiday.

I always enjoy a good Christmas film mixed with horror. Gremlins is a dark and yet comedic film. Since its release, it has become a horror classic among audiences. One of my favorite aspects of the film is the strong characterization. However, there could have been a better mixture of character depth instead of the horror overpowering the story.

Kingston Falls feels like a real town. Gremlins is a character film. We get to know each character throughout the film. I never like it when films only focus on their main characters. Applying focus to supporting characters gives the story depth.

As our main character, we don’t know much about Billy (Zack Galligan). I am happy that writers didn’t make him a young child. Instead, he is in his early twenties. There was an abandoned concept regarding Billy’s love for art. This trait could have expanded his character more.

I am sure most audiences find Gremlins memorable for Phoebe Cates’ (Kate) dark monologue. Galligan and Cates had sweet interactions. Christmas is not Kate’s favorite time of year. Cates delivers an excellent cryptic monologue. As we learn the reason behind her fathom for the holidays, I did not feel a sense of closure to her character.

Actors did a nice job with the evolution of their characters, no matter how small their part was. Expect appearances by Hoyt Axton, Keye Luke, Scott Brady, Corey Feldman, Polly Holliday, Frances Lee McCain and an ensemble of many more familiar faces. And I cannot forget Frank Welker who voiced all the strange noises of the gremlins.

This is my favorite ‘mom’ role of McCain’s. She has been typecast as a mother throughout most 80s films. Here she gets the opportunity to be an action-packed mother who battles against the nasty gremlins. The scene is a highlight.

Upon my most recent watch, the film was heading in a direction regarding the struggles people in their twenties face. That is a relatable subplot. At this age, most are trying to understand their path in careers, where to live, and whether to start a family. The film cuts out an important rivalry between Billy and Gerald Hopkins (Judge Rienhold) in their paths to success. I would have liked to have seen this subplot be developed further.

Too much time was given to the gremlins in their destruction of the town. Don’t get me wrong, they have many moments that will make you laugh. Filmmakers wanted to entertain audiences with their designs and their hokey situations, but it got tiring after some time.

Speaking of the designs, creating Gremlins was not an easy time. No CGI was used. The gremlins were created from expensive lifelike animatronics. At one point, the animatronics for the gremlins malfunctioned. It took hours to mend and the entire cast fell asleep on set!

Joe Dante’s incredible patience brought the film to life. He still doesn’t understand why the film is a success among audiences. His decisions and edits turned the film into the vision that he saw. A film that was horrific and yet comedic at the same time.

The dark humor is not for all audiences. If you are going to watch Gremlins, whatever you do, avoid feeding them after midnight. Otherwise, enjoy the film.