Anarchic, vicious, mean-spirited and hilarious Christmas fun!

Rating: 8/10 (17 January 2012)

If you are fed up of saccharine sweet Christmas films then this is the perfect antidote! It all starts well enough when Billy's father buys him a cute little pet for Christmas. This isn't an ordinary pet however; it is a Mogwai and there are three rules for looking after them; keep them out of bright light, don't get them wet and above all don't feed them after midnight! The rules aren't explained but we learn them soon enough; light harms them, getting them wet causes them to multiply and feeding them after midnight causes them to turn into vicious gremlins! Billy names his Mogwai Gizmo and all goes well until it gets wet and makes five more; the new ones aren't gentle like Gizmo however; they have a mean streak and are devious; devious enough to trick Billy into feeding them after midnight which causes all hell to break out in the town of Kingston Falls. The gremlins are determined to wreak havoc and after one gets to the town pool there are thousands to contend with! Out in the town they entertain themselves attacking Father Christmas, turbo-charging a horrid old woman's stair-lift, going to a bar and finally going to the cinema to watch Snow White!
This film is great anarchic fun; while the gremlins are clearly meant to be the 'bad guys' the viewer will cheer them on as they do one malevolent thing after another; all the while cackling manically. The Gremlins certainly upstage the human cast; Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates are good enough as Billy and his girl friend Kate but they aren't what the film will be remembered for. There are a lot of laughs to lighten the tone but it will still be scary for younger viewers; especially in the final scene where Billy must confront the meanest of the gremlins who is wielding a chainsaw... not to mention an earlier scene when a gremlin gets microwaved! The special effects may look a bit dated now but I'd take them over the excessively slick CGI a film would get today; also worthy of note is the delightful score by Jerry Goldsmith; it really fits the anarchic nature of the film. I'd certainly recommend this film but don't show it to younger children unless you are sure they can handle it.