Everyone wants a pet. Some like dogs, others like the easy job of watching over a cat, and others – like a certain friend of mine – prefers reptiles! [like snakes, and lizards, and stuff] But then you get Billy Peltzer: a young man who works at a bank and lives at home. He has a dog, and was living a completely normal life..until Christmas.What Billy receives is something called a Mogwai. That’s right, everyone; today we are talking about not one, but two films that I used to watch so much, I was convinced I was going to own a Mogwai for myself! Except I didn’t; and that still bugs me to this day.. I mean, I even did my first Friday Fun Fact on the first movie! That should show my dedication! [check it out here!]
Everybody, and I mean everybody, has at least heard of the movie Gremlins: it’s a cute story about a cuddly looking Mogwai named Gizmo who has a specific set of rules attached to him: [1] no bright lights, [2] don’t get him wet, and [3] never feed him after midnight, no matter how much he begs! These rules were set in place for the reasons: bright light physically hurts him, and sunlight can kill him. If he gets wet, he pops out more versions of himself! But most importantly, if fed after midnight, a Mogwai will spin into a cocoon and undergo metamorphosis; turning him into an evil, trouble-making gremlin, causing all sorts of trouble!
The story is a fairly simple one to follow, with it’s somewhat typical monster movie plot. An ordinary guy watches as his unusual but cute pet spawns a horde of evil Gremlins. When he tries to warn the authorities, they don’t believe him until the creatures show up and go on a rampage throughout the town. [sound familiar?] Like in most monster movies, people make a plan to destroy them, which works, mostly; but then that one left which needs to be defeated to consider the evil “finished”. I mean EVERY monster movie convention in the book is used, including all the famous shocks like something jumping out in the foreground and something jumping out in the background, but what makes Gremlins special is the “monsters” have their own personalities. They don’t eat people or kill them in order to survive.. They just want to have fun and cause chaos! [Gremlins Just Wanna Have Fun, anyone?]
And then there’s the sequel, titled Gremlins 2: The New Batch, which takes place only a few years after the events in Gremlins. In this sequel, Billy has moved to New York where he now works for a man by the name of Daniel Clamp. a certain someone gets hit with water, and ends up creating a new Gremlin species! Thankfully, unlike the first film, Gizmo finally learns to fight back after the first movie. [if you remember, Gizmo spent most of his time hiding] While the surviving humans fight the gremlins back, the Gremlins and their leader, The Brain Gremlin, are planning to escape when nightfall comes.
Unlike the first Gremlins film, which had a horror undertone to it, this film doesn’t feel scary at all: going full out comedy. Because of this, it’s often looked at as not only the lesser of the two Gremlins flicks but also, not a good movie in general. I just don’t understand why though, I grew up loving this movie! It successfully continues the underlying theme of the original [unlike a lot of sequels which seem to forget their points entirely] and the Gremlins all have their own personalities, which helps us distinguish which ones feel evil, and which ones are evil. The New Batch follows the Gremlins while they’re loose in a totally automated high-rise office building, which is already suffering from its own malfunctions. Naturally, this serves as the perfect “playground” for them. So be sure to check out Gremlins and even Gremlins 2, but chances are – especially if you’re a movie fan – you already have! If you haven’t, then get on that as soon as possible! They’re cheesy, they’re funny, and Mogwai are some of the cutest creatures on the planet.. as long as you follow the rules!
[DID I MENTION SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE APPEARS IN GREMLINS 2?!] So there you have it: not one, but two films that I used to watch so much, I probably broke the family TV.. Also, if you have an idea for the next weirdo’ween review please let me know which movie[s] you want to see next! If you found yourself to enjoy this particular review – and want to see more – then take a minute and follow me over on my Facebook page [it’s at over 120+ likes almost at 130!] By clicking that “like” button, you’ll see every post from warrenisweird the very moment it’s been posted online; as well as links to articles and pictures/videos that will not be featured here on the blog. Every “like” helps me a ton, giving me the ability to write more posts for you to read, so be sure to tell the horror enthusiast in your life to do the same, and share The Facebook Page with your family and friends! Join me tomorrow when I talk about weirdo’ween #09! STAY TUNED!
[…I still want a Mogwai. Just saying!]
THANKS FOR READING.
warrenisweird 
