Gremlins 2: The New Batch [Blu-ray]

Gremlins in Gotham
I'm not saying this just because I am a New Yorker, but GREMLINS 2--THE NEW BATCH is slightly better than the original. First, it's a much less mean-spirited film than the first (which I also gave five stars, but for different reasons). Just the fact that a character who was crushed to death in the first film, shows up in the sequel (wearing a small cast) because he really was likeable, shows that Joe Dante and the scriptwriters were going into this film for the fun of it. Second, the casting was flawless. Whoever chose Tony Randall to do the voice of the strangely-William F. Buckley-sounding, intellectual gremlin was responding to nothing short of divine inspiration. Everyone involved in this production had their hearts in the right places and the effect shows. GREMLINS 2--THE NEW BATCH is an astounding piece of comic fantasy and horror that should endure.

Gizmo! Ka-Ka!
Fancy some Gremlin Stew?

Three underrated sequels came out in 1990. Predator 2, RoboCop 2, and Gremlins 2. I remember waiting in the lobby of a cinema in Orlando, Florida before a screening of Back to the Future 3, looking at the cardboard standees for Gremlins 2 and RoboCop 2 side by side. My 9-year-old self was a HUGE fan of the first movies and staring at a standee taller than me, featuring wonderful artwork, for those sequels was big deal for me. I pity kids nowadays who don't have the attention span to soak up little moments like that.

Dante takes everything that was great about Gremlins and cranks it all the way up to a zillion. The original movie was a dark xmas comedy horror with B-movie undertones. The sequel goes so over-the-top it launches itself into the stratosphere and doesn't come back down until the very, very end of the credits. It's just wall-to-wall mayhem with so many in-jokes it'll make your head explode. The movie even attempts to begin as a...

An Old Favorite
This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I think it's a lot better than the first Gremlins actually. The special effects are improved quite a bit at the very least. It also has a much more lighthearted tone than the first film.

What I like about this film is it's like a violent family film. It's pretty unique. Monsters killing tons of people, and then getting melted into goo at the end. Sounds pretty violent. Even looks pretty violent. Still, it has a family film feel to it. The gremlins do a lot of cheesy comic routines, appropriate for every member of the family.

I can't see how the good guys were able to play these role with a straight face, because the gremlins are goofy as heck. I like the gremlins. Gizmo is all right too.

If you have kids around the age of 12, rent this for them and see what they think of it.

Click to Editorial Reviews