Monster Movie of the Week: Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH

Director: Joe Dante

Genre: Comedy/Horror

Country: USA

THE MOVIE

The original Gremlins was an uneasy mix of comedy, horror and holiday movie and was notable for its dark and violent moments. The sequel is more of a wacky comedy that mixes the occasional piece of sharp satire with an anarchic cartoon sensibility. It lacks much of the darkness and violence and the Capra-esque location of the original but makes up for it with its inventiveness and sheer lunacy.

This is a movie that manages to make fun of just about everything, including itself. I mean, you have to love a movie that features scene in which a pair of gremlins discover a cabinet filled with vials with labels like “ACID: Do Not Throw In Face” (being a Gremlin, he immediately throws the other’s face.) Unlike most sequels, which revere the originals, Gremlins 2 goes out of its way to mock the original movie with fun spins on Kate's dark Christmas monologue and even the illogical rules of Mogwai care ("It's always after midnight somewhere.")

Gremlins 2 continues several years after the original in which Gizmo’s elderly owner at the little Chinatown shop is in danger of being razed by millionaire and mega-developer Daniel Clamp (based on a pre-crazy Donald Trump). Gizmo escapes and is brought to a weird genetics lab in the ridiculously modern and automated Clamp Tower, coincidentally, where Billy and Kate also work, having moved to NYC to make it big. Needless to say Gizmo gets wet and wacky hijinks ensue. The Gremlins break into the genetics laboratory and all hell breaks loose. The movie has a lot of fun with all these weird mutant gremlins.

Unfortunately Gremlins 2 was not a big hit and the prospects of another entry in the series are remote. One reason speculated for the low box office of the sequel was that about seven years had passed between the two movies and “Gremlinmania” had died down. I was a kid when the first movie came out and let me tell you, kids went nuts for that movie. Those same kids were probably less interested as teens.

I should also say that I am forever regretful that I did not see this movie in the theater as it has an infamous sequence that simulates a projection breakdown and the theater's subsequent take over by gremlins, one of many funny references to the earlier movie. For a few wonderful minutes you would have believed that the projector actually was broken. This effect was recreated for both VHS and cable versions of the movie, but the cinema version is the one that would have had the audience going for the longest.

THE MONSTERS/EFFECTS

The effects are a lot better than the first movie but the main improvement is the diversity of the gremlin designs. They don’t all look like clones of one another as they did in the original. Even the Mogwai are very distinct from one another and they start out with distinct personalities and looks. My favorite is the really adorable Daffy Mogwai. These looks even carry over to the gremlin designs, so you have about a dozen distinct "hero" gremlins that stand out from the masses.

The movie also exploits the Genetic Lab subplot and has the gremlins mutate into different forms such as the Spider Gremlin, Bat Gremlin, Veggie Gremlin, Electro-Gremlin, Brain Gremlin, and many more, even including a Tranny Gremlin, which shares a memorable moment with Robert Picardo.

SEQUELS

None planned. Although, something tells me Gremlins is ripe for a reboot.

HOME VIDEO AVAILABILITY

Widely available on DVD, yet, sadly, unavailable on Bluray.

TRIVIA

The original special effects man for this movie was Chris Walas who declined to work on the sequel so that he could direct The Fly II. Make up guru Rick Baker was lured on to the project with the promise that he could make the gremlins more diverse.

The toy company NECA recently showcased a Gremlins 2-themed wave of action figures coming summer of 2011.

TRAILER



Patrick Garone
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