Hey everyone! So today I'm reviewing a movie. Now that Halloween is behind us, everyone starts to think about Christmas, (poor Thanksgiving) so what a better way to celebrate that bridge with a little monster Christmas movie to get you in the mood! This is my review of Gremlins.
Gremlins is a 1984 movie set right around Christmas. An inventor goes to Chinatown to buy a Christmas present for his son. He ends up buying a "pet," a little creature called a Mogwai....but everyone just calls him Gizmo. It turns out Gizmo is more than what his innocent appearance leads us to believe. The person that sold Gizmo warned him of 3 rules to abide by, which I will get into later, and lets just say that when one of those 3 rules got broken, all hell breaks loose. It's up to the inventor's son, Billy, to save his town from this new threat, while bonding with Gizmo.
The 3 rules. Finally, I will reveal what the 3 rules you need in life are! In the movie, Gizmo comes with great responsibility, like any pet, but he has 3 rules that must be abided by at all times, or something terrific will happen. (Ever seen Alien? Maybe that's another story...) Without spoiling too much, what could happen is Gizmo creates little monster offspring...such as the little guy in the pic of this post...Without further adieu, here are the 3 rules that you must follow if you get a Mogwai for Christmas this year.
1. Don't expose the Mogwai to bright lights. It doesn't like that. NEVER expose it to sunlight, that will kill it.
2. Don't let it touch or drink water.
3. Never ever feed it after midnight. This is the most important rule.
If you think you can handle those rules, then good job, enjoy your own little Gizmo!
Guys, if you haven't seen this movie, check it out sometime. It's a classic. You will fall in love with Gizmo. He's just a little cute furry thing. The creature effects for Gizmo is pretty good too. He has the best facial expressions. Billy is a nice kid, he is well mannered and means well for whatever he does. He's a good protagonist. The creature effects of the Gremlins is great too. It's a lot of puppet work and animatronics, you know, practical effects. They didn't really have CGI back then, so it looks real. And they did a great job with it. The Gremlins steal the show, just starting with the practical effects, but even more so with their personality. They are funny and love to pull pranks. They don't really mean that much harm, they are just very reckless and love wreaking havoc. The bar scene and theater scenes are good enough entertainment. They like to eat junk food too. Then we have Randy, the inventor. He's Billy's father, and the running gag throughout the entire movie is that all of his inventions suck or just fail. Him and his inventions are pretty funny, and it goes back to him every now and then to lighten the mood I guess, in case the Gremlins were scaring you. It's a nice balance.
This movie is a character movie first. There is plot, sure, but it's a simple one: Something goes wrong in a small town, a protagonist sets forth to deal with it. This movie is more focused on the characters, you will love Gizmo, laugh and cut up with the Gremlins, and you will laugh at all the invention fails. I don't really have anything negative to say about this movie, and like I said, it's a classic. It probably helps that it was produced by Steven Spielberg, so you can't go very wrong with him. Oh, and the Gremlins theme song is awesome and catchy too. I guess I will have to give Gremlins a solid 5/5 stars.
It's November, you better start thinking about Christmas shopping! So if you want that special gift for your kid, or are looking for a new pet, you might consider buying a Mogwai! Just remember the 3 rules, and you will be fine. Just remember, after you get it, the next time that your TV breaks, or your car won't start, you might have a Gremlin in there!