Gremlins (UK)

The film Gremlins was one of my favourite childhood movies. Even though I was only nine years old at the time of its release, and therefore unable to sneak into the cinema (I looked old for my age but not THAT old!), I had to wait an eternity for the VHS release. I filled in the time buying as many Gremlins related items as possible, including the little figures. Safe to say I was a bit of a Gremlins nut.

The film takes place at Christmas time in the small town of Kingston Falls, home of the Peltzer family. The father, Rand Peltzer (Hoyt Axton), is looking for something special to give his son Billy (Zach Gallagan) for Christmas. While rummaging around in an old Chinese curio shop, Rand discovers a strange little furry animal called a Mogwai. After a bit of haggling Rand gets his hands on the creature and presents it to his son as a gift on Christmas Eve, but not before warning him of the three rules: Never get him wet, never expose him to bright light, and most importantly, never feed him after midnight. Billy is delighted with the Mogwai, whom he names Gizmo, and is amazed at how intelligent he is. Unfortunately an accident leads to Gizmo getting wet, causing him to multiply! The new Mogwai are different, mischievous little devils that love to cause havoc. They trick Billy into feeding them after midnight and as a result they undergo a startling metamorphosis; they are no longer Mogwai, now they are Gremlins!

This is yet another bare bones disc from the Warner back catalogue. The film is quite old now, so I guess it’s understandable that they didn’t put a lot of effort in. It is disappointing though, as this was a very popular film in its day.

The quality of the 1.85:1 anamorphic print is acceptable throughout, although there is a lot of grain in the picture. There is also a fair amount of dirt on the print, which can be distracting at times. It’s certainly better than VHS though, and not as bad as some of Warner’s other back catalogue discs (Blade Runner for example).

Sound comes in Dolby Digital 5.1 format, and is good. The little Gremlins can be heard scurrying around all over the shop, and the dialogue is clear throughout. The soundtrack is also great, with lots of happy Christmas songs and some good incidental music.

There are no extras, which is a real pity. I’d have loved some featurettes, trailers, deleted scenes, perhaps even a commentary track. The menu is restricted to a few options, but at least they’re set against a nice Gremlins backdrop.

This is another average disc, but the film is a little gem (far better than it’s sequel). You can pick this disc up for very little (mine was £10) and if like me you grew up when this film was big, it’ll be worth every penny. I bought my copy just before Christmas, and it really does drive home the holiday feeling. Overall, a very enjoyable movie.