When searching ‘way back’, one needn’t go too far than back to 1984 when the surprise hit blockbuster Gremlins hit the silver screen. Gremlins could even almost be considered a Christmas movie given the film’s setting and subject matter. Scribed with the pen of Harry Potter film director Christopher Columbus, directed by Small Soldiers director Joe Dante, and produced by the legendary Steven Spielberg, Gremlins was one of those movies that was innovative for its time and had all the makings for an eventual classic.
Gremlins tells the story of a working class dad who decides to venture into Chinatown to find a unique gift for his young adult son, only to find a pet that isn’t quite what it seems.
Everybody likes a good pet, but usually that means a dog or cat or perhaps even an exotic choice such as an iguana or a parrot. Gremlins tells the story of a working class dad who decides to venture into Chinatown to find a unique gift for his young adult son, only to find a pet that isn’t quite what it seems. Randall Peltzer, played by Hoyt Axton, is a modern day 1980’s inventor who is on the search for Christmas gifts when he comes across an old Chinese man and his young kin. In the small store, he finds box which contains a small furry animal of unknown origin, otherwise referred to as a ‘mogwai’. He makes an offer to the old shopper keeper of 200 dollars, only to be turned away as the old man feels the ‘mogwai’ carries too much responsibility. The young boy however feels that the money is too good to turn down, and decides to give the mogwai to Hoyt under the condition of following three strict rules: no light, no food after midnight, and no water. Naturally, in only a matter of short time, all three rules are broken, and all hell breaks loose. This is after ‘Gizmo’ is gifted to Hoyt’s son Billy, to which chaos soon after ensues.
The uniqueness of this golden oldie is in how it’s classified as a genre. Some would call it a comedy, others a horror. The truth is somewhere in between, and though it was put into circulation during the 1980’s, it was a risk that turned into a massive critical success both domestically and eventually worldwide. The film wreaks of 1980’s film technique, and glows with 1980’s nostalgia. The FX are surprisingly good for its time though, and it does not make for an unbearable view in that regard. The plot could not be simpler, and the story could not be easier to follow. The actors were also not exceptionally well known at the time, and so everything else had to work succinctly for this to succeed, and it is indeed safe to say that it did. Zach Galligan makes for a good leading man in his first time out on the big screen, and viewers even get to see a young Cory Feldman before the true peak of his upcoming stardom of that era, along with a young and convincing Pheobe Cates in the supporting role. The ‘gremlins’ were actually portrayed by mostly puppets, which makes for interesting work on the actors part before things like green screens were implemented. It’s clear to see that imagination was a key factor for all involved to sell this in front of the camera, and the results turned out to be rewarding.
This isn’t a movie that is going to heavily provoke thought or even have people asking too many questions. The value of entertainment however is apparent here, and if nothing else it is almost a considerable rite of passage for those who remember the 80’s and for those youth of today who were never able to experience it. Gremlins is currently streaming on HBO Max, so feel free to pass the time.
