Saturday, April 3, 2021

Gremlins

Movie Name:
Gremlins

Year of Release: 1984
Director: Joe Dante
Starring: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Dick Miller, Polly Holliday, Frances Lee McCain, Judge Reinhold, Corey Feldman, Donald Elson, Jonathan Banks, Keye Luke, John Louie, Scott Brady, Glynn Turman
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8 

Synopsis and Review:
Following the cult classic "The Howling", the always fantastic Joe Dante tackled a few episodes of the short lived ZAZ show, "Police Squad!" and a segment of the "Twilight Zone: The Movie", before joining the Steven Spielberg family with "Gremlins". The film follows the story of Billy Peltzer, a young man who lives in Kingston Falls with his family. He works as a bank teller, but has other professional aspirations, whereas his dad is a wannabe inventor, always on the road trying to sell his latest product endeavors. On one of his trips, Billy's father comes across an old Chinese Bazar, where he buys a special Christmas gift, against the Bazar's owner choice and without his knowledge. Billy is delighted to open the present earlier, since it turns out to be an adorable creature which he names Gizmo (the species is apparently a mogwai). His father warns him about the three rules to take care of the creature: never put him in contact with water, never feed him after midnight and do not expose him to sunlight. Due to an accident, Gizmo is exposed to water, which makes more little creatures like him pop up, only unlike him they're not sweet and friendly. They're far more vicious and voracious. That turns out to be the beginning of many problems for Billy, his girlfriend Kate and the rest of the town.
"Gremlins" is rightfully considered one of the most iconic films of the 80s. It manages to have just the right amount of dark humor, levity and horror, which makes it quite unique. The film which starts as an idyllic Frank Capra inspired Christmas tale, quickly goes in a different direction, relishing in the mayhem that is unleashed by the creatures who take over the small town. It's a film that plays with the perceptions of what is deemed cute, while also demonstrating the darkness behind these seemingly adorable creatures. Joe Dante deftly and economically defines the characters and the situation, very much like a well oiled B-movie, dropping the audience right into the scenario, illustrating the progressive dangers surrounding not only Billy, but the whole city, and potentially the whole country. The cartoonish humor, the film references are also wonderfully incorporated, making the film a delight to view and revisit every time. The creature work from the fantastic Chris Walas and his team is impeccable, as is the script from the well known Chris Columbus, who would go on to write "The Goonies", and have a successful directorial career of his own (particularly with "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Harry Potter" chapters 1 and 2). The cinematography from John Hora, and the score from Jerry Goldsmith are equally excellent, and make a wonderful contribution to a film that has rightfully become a classic always worth revisiting.

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