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Movies / On DVD / Gremlins
Gremlins

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Gremlins (1984)

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Reviews Counted:40

Fresh:31

Rotten:9

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: Whether you choose to see it as a statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects-heavy popcorn flick, Gremlins is a minor classic.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: Joe Dante's hilariously funny, wickedly scary film is about a loveable, furry little Christmas gift that multiplies into many little Christmas gifts, with savage consequences. Rand Peltzer (Hoyt... Joe Dante's hilariously funny, wickedly scary film is about a loveable, furry little Christmas gift that multiplies into many little Christmas gifts, with savage consequences. Rand Peltzer (Hoyt Axton) is an inventor who hasn't successfully invented anything. But this Christmas he's bringing his family something special--a small, cuddly creature known as a mogwai. The little fella comes with three crucial instructions. He's not to be fed after midnight, he's not to get any direct light and he should never be given so much as a drop of water. If Rand and his son Billy (Zach Galligan) can adhere to these rules they can avoid the otherwise tragic consequences. Unfortunately, the rules are harder to stick to than it seems, and suddenly Billy finds himself with far too many "pets," all with big appetites. It's up to Billy and his girlfriend (Phoebe Cates) to stop the mischievous gremlins before they ruin Christmas for the residents of rural Kingston Falls. GREMLINS features a delightful combination of horror and humor that introduced Gizmo and his wild relatives to an entire generation of young fans. [More]

Starring: Zach Galligan, Hoyt Axton, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold

Starring: Zach Galligan, Hoyt Axton, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Frances Lee McCain, Corey Feldman, Polly Holliday, Dick Miller, Keye Luke

Director: Joe Dante

Director: Joe Dante
Screenwriter: Chris Columbus
Producer: Michael Finnell
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 30, 1997

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Reviews for Gremlins

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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Taking a second look back at Joe Dante's career, I realize he was actually one of the most interesting American directors working.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/14/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Dante gleefully sinks his teeth into the kind of fluffy, sugary, sickly small town fantasy beloved of his pal and sometime producer Spielberg.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

This film is still good piece of cinema.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
07/27/01
Dragan Antulov
Dragan Antulov
rec.arts.movies.reviews

See website for more details.

Full Review Source: Screen It! | comment Comment
10/14/08
Rory L. Aronsky
Rory L. Aronsky
Screen It!

Gremlins is far more interested in showing off its knowledge of movie lore and making random jokes than in providing consistent entertainment.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment 1 Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A tribute the 1950s matinee genre, Gremlins never eases up on the action or its sense of suspense.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
10/09/01
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide

At the level of Serious Film Criticism, it's a meditation on the myths in our movies: Christmas, families, monsters, retail stores, movies, boogeymen. At the level of Pop Moviegoing, it's a sophisticated, witty B movie.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

"It is probably a surefire hit with popcorn and a six-pack of beer on Saturday night."

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment 1 Comment
09/09/02
Blake French
Blake French
Filmcritic.com

Devilishly dark humour and mischief romp.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/18/01
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC

This film was always a favorite of mine as a kid and I'm happy to report that it still comes through today as an adult. A top-notch movie which effectively balances various elements.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
02/20/02
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Dante is perhaps the first filmmaker since Frank Tashlin to base his style on the formal free-for-all of animated cartoons; he is also utterly heartless.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 2 Comments
11/27/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Contains] moments of delicious black humour and satire.

Full Review Source: Sci-Fi Movie Page | comment Comment
01/01/00
James O'Ehley
James O'Ehley
Sci-Fi Movie Page

There's a mischievous playfulness about the spirit of Gremlins, and that's its most endearing quality, but I found it grating on me by the story's end.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment 1 Comment
08/06/02
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

What's confusing yet ultimately illuminating is the way his gremlins function as a free-floating metaphor, suggesting at separate junctures everything from teenagers to blacks to various Freudian suppressions.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/27/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gleefully mischievous and full of dark, magical energy.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
01/12/06
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

The humans are little more than dress-extras for the mechanics.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
11/27/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A movie that lives inside our memories of movies, and tramples all over them with a crazed, subversive joy.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
12/14/03
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

The pitch black comedy works, and it makes you wonder how a generation of parents took their kids to see this -- as children's entertainment -- without question. Ah, salad days.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Caroline Westbrook
Caroline Westbrook
Empire Magazine

An unexpectedly successful skit on Spielberg/Disney movie culture -- that itself became something of a franchise.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/27/07
Channel 4 Film

Yes, Dante gleefully trashes cliches and sentimental Capra-esque notions, but one should not forget this movie was given a "PG" rating and cynically aimed to draw an audience of small children who would no doubt be terrorized by this myth-shattering film.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment 1 Comment
12/04/06
TV Guide's Movie Guide
 
 
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Latest News for Gremlins

April 28, 2009: Joe Dante Talks Gremlins Blu-rays, Sequel Opens in new window
Here's the good news, "Gremlins" fans: director Joe Dante is sure we'll see a third installment of the franchise at some point. Now for the bad news: he's just as certain he... More...

December 25, 2008: Further Reading: Seasonal Slaying - The 12 Horrors of Christmas
Thanks to Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol, the Yuletide season has long been associated with ghost stories -- often with hard-won uplift at the end, like Scrooge being... More...

February 07, 2007: "Goonies 2?" "Gremlins 3?" "Scooby-Doo 3???"
We've been hearing all sorts of rumors about Warner Bros. unleashing a direct-to-video sequel to "The Lost Boys," and that particular project does seem to be moving... More...

December 20, 2006: RT's Top Holiday Thrillers -- Christmas Countdown, Day Three
Welcome to Day Three of RT's Five Days of Christmas Countdown, in which we serve up a different list each day of the best holiday flicks around. Today, we've got the... More...

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