This movie still works

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2005)

For me personally, Gremlins is pure youth sentiment. I was only 6 years old when the movie first appeared, but I had a great time watching it then. Of course I wondered what would be left of it now. I'm 20 years older, my taste for movies has developed and I'm used to see a lot of movies (some of them enhanced with the latest technologies and special effects). Would Gremlins still be a good movie or would it all look very dated?
Well, I can assure you that overall this movie is still more than OK. The Gremlins still look cool and slimy and the fact that they create a lot of chaos and mayhem is still fun to watch. Another positive thing about the movie is that it doesn't really seem dated. Of course there are always details that remind you of the fact that this isn't a recent movie, but it never really bothered me. If there is one negative thing that I could mention about "Gremlins" than it must be the fact that this is still called a horror movie. The Gremlins aren't scary at all, never have been in my opinion. Perhaps to some people they looked scary more than 20 years ago, but today we are used to a lot worse, so calling this a horror movie isn't exactly right anymore.
As you probably already know there are three rules that have to be taken into account when dealing with a Mogwai. Never feed it after midnight (otherwise they become monsters), make sure it doesn't get too much light or it will die and never get it wet or it will reproduce. Of course the Mogwai does get some water over him and immediately some furry balls start coming out of his back, which rapidly change into new Mogwai's. The original one is cute and sweet, but his "children" aren't that nice. Especially not Stripe, their leader. Soon they turn into little green monsters and start a lot of mayhem.
Maybe today it all seems a bit silly, but it still is a very fun movie. And no, it isn't a technological miracle, but that doesn't bother me. The fact that I see it more as a parody on other horror movies and that it still stands after all these years is the main reason why I still cherish this movie. I'm sure that the younger generation doesn't like it anymore because it isn't spectacular enough, but for me this movie still works. I give it a 7/10.