Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Bridging the gap quite nicely between Halloween and Christmas (us Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving I’m afraid) is Gremlins, a nifty horror comedy that will keep adults entertained with its clever satire and kids horrified at the unexpected nastiness.

When a film contains a scene with a cute furry creature singing along to an electric keyboard AND shows Santa Claus being gleefully throttled by snickering reptiles, it could only be the warped brainchild of director Joe Dante and producer Steven Spielberg.

Adorably loveable Muppets, warm family values and a Capra-esque town straight out of It’s A Wonderful Life represent the Speilbergian sense of wonder, but its Dante who cranks up the menace, stirs in the black humour and splatters Spielberg’s snow with buckets of green guts.

Bumming around Chinatown, hopeless inventor Rand Peltzer (an amiable Hoyt Axton) is hoping to do a little business and maybe pick up a Christmas present for his son Billy (Zach Galligan).
He discovers an underground shop and despite being generally unimpressed with the oriental wotsits on offer, he is charmed by a cute little rodent-like creature known as a Mogwai.
Peltzer takes the Mogwai (who he calls Gizmo) but not before he is issued with a stern warning; keep him away from bright lights, never get him wet and never, repeat never, feed him after midnight.

Easy right?

Cut to the idyllic small town of Princeton Falls, a charming snow-covered community alive with the glow of Christmas.
Young Billy loves his mysterious new pet but it’s only a matter of time before the unfortunate chap gets little Gizmo wet.
And what happens? It turns out that Mogwai’s multiply with water and before you can say “what time is it?”, the pesky little critters (of which there are now five!) have sabotaged Billy’s clock, downed a midnight snack and metamorphosed into green-skinned Gremlins overnight.

In short, all hell breaks loose in the town leaving Billy (with the help of Gizmo and his pretty co-worker/potential love interest Kate (Phoebe Cates), to try and put things right.

If Gremlins proves anything, it shows that CGI still has a long way to go before it can outdo puppetry. Credit to Stan Winston and his skilful accomplices who have created astoundingly expressive creatures that are at once amusing, malevolent, mischievous and repellent.
The scene where havoc is wreaked in the local tavern is a brilliant sequence where the technical virtuosity is (rightly) overshadowed by the personalities and actions of the Gremlins. They play cards, breakdance, wield firearms and batter each other senseless. Not since the Muppets have a bunch of puppets been so funny or endearing.

Aside from the puppet work, what impresses most about Gremlins is the jolting shifts in tone; one minute we are warming to the cuteness of Gizmo and chuckling at Axton’s hopeless inventions and the next we are squirming at the messy, violent exploits of the vicious Gremlins.
Standout scenes include an all-out assault on the Peltzer house (where the resourceful Mrs Peltzer tackles the nasties with the aid of her kitchen appliances), the town’s miserly spinster getting her comeuppance courtesy of a out-of-control stair lift and a lone Gremlin jumping into a bubbling swimming pool to increase his number.

As with any Joe Dante picture, there are plenty of in-jokes for movie buffs; Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and It’s A Wonderful Life are both name checked and Dick Miller and Harry Carey Jnr both put in effective appearances (the former assaying a xenophobic racist to perfection).
A local cinema is showing Watch The Skies and A Boy’s Life (working titles for Spielberg’s Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial respectively), Robbie The Robot (from Forbidden Planet) and Spielberg himself (sporting an unforgivable bow tie) both show up at a Science Convention and the Gremlins invade a movie house to watch Snow White And The Seven Dwarves (even Hi-Ho-ing along to the music).

The performances are perfectly pitched, with Galligan and Cates making warm, attractive leads (Cates in particular delivers an unforgettable monologue on why she hates Christmas) and Howie Mandel gives Gizmo an appropriately cutesy voice.
Axton is good as Dad (his inventions are hilariously flawed – the Bathroom Buddy anyone?) and Judge Reinhold is smarmy as Galligan’s boss (though he does disappear disappointingly early in the proceedings).
Also look out for Corey Feldman in an early role as a Christmas tree seller.

Jerry Goldsmith’s score is a marvellous mixture of John Williams-esque sweep and yammering menace (like his music for Dante’s brilliant The ‘Burbs, this is a funny theme tune) and Dante keeps the plot shuttling along at such a cracking pace that he had to put a lot of his ideas into the sequel (Gremlins 2: The New Batch is every bit as good as this).

So to sum up, Gremlins is a smart, funny and hugely entertaining romp with a credible dark streak that is more than a little unsettling.
Adults and older kids will love the brave mixture of endearing cuteness and gory anarchy but this IS a little too strong for the youngsters so make sure they’re safely tucked up in bed.

And just as a precaution…….don’t feed them after midnight.

Because you just NEVER know.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12