What was originally filmed in the '80's should stay in the '80's.

Rating: 6/10 (6 September 2016)

Please, Hollywood, leave the classics alone...those glorious old black and white films don't need to be remade 7 or 8 times like "A Christmas Carol", and modern classics should be left alone as well. No sequels, prequels or remakes. If the recent "Ghostbusters" remake is any indication, then this will be next (listed as "in development"), and the frenzy will start all over again, with more sequels, stuffed animals, video games and other nonsense all to make greedy Hollywood big wigs richer, not for artistic integrity. I was seeing a lot of movies in the mid 1980's, and the year that this came out, Hollywood really transitioned the blockbuster into a new dimension. What began with "Star Wars" and "Superman" really exploded that year as the newest blockbusters in the theaters were these spectacular special effect dominated crowd pleasers that weren't obsessively overloaded with computer generated distractions from a decent story.
While Zach Galligan is obviously a young man who should be out on his own, he's a family devoted adult whose unsuccessful inventor father (a very funny Hoyt Axton) wants to get him the best present possible. Visiting New York's Chinatown isn't the best idea with what he brings home, because instead of buying a priceless antique at bargain prices, he comes home with Gizmo, an adorable Mogwai who shouldn't get wet, see bright light or be fed after midnight. The nasty little balls of fur which pop out of them will bring more than just figgy pudding to the small town where they love.
This is a Christmas movie that can still be enjoyed anytime during the year, and is filled with the type of film magic that younger filmmakers of today seem determined to surpass...and destroy. There's a Miss Gulch like character, an old battleaxe played by Polly Holliday, who would certainly be murdered had the gremlins not got her first. There's Galligan's boss (Edward Andrews in his last film) who kisses up to her, and Galligan's devoted girlfriend (Phoebe Cates) who stands by him. There's also a fantastic musical score you won't soon forget. But most of all, there is sweet little Gizmo, so loving and smart, and the wretched offspring that pop out from the strangest places. Axton's delightful inventor/father is quite likable, sort of a modern day version of Dick Van Dyke's eccentric inventor/father in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang". The biggest surprise of all? A sequel that was actually better than the original! So when/if "Gremlins 3" does come out, don't count me as part of its box office intake, because it will be a pale imitation of the first two, only minus the creativity.