WhileGremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, an animated prequel series to Joe Dante’s beloved 1984 filmGremlins, is slated for a release on HBO Max sometime this year (there does not appear to be a specific launch date yet), fans are giddy in excitement to learn more about the origins of Gizmo and his creepy gang of water spawned hungry offspring.Should the series prove a successfor the network, it is possible a whole new squad of cute and fuzzy critters could chow down after midnight in a third live-action installment in the bonkersGremlinsfranchise.
The original film is one of many 1980s ‘lightening in a bottle’ titles that have since garnered multiple generations of fandom over the years. Upon closer examination, the concept ofGremlinsgets weirder and weirder. If you really pay attention to the film, there is a darkness underneath all the fun that examines our relationship with technology and maybe even extraterrestrials.
How did such a weird film get a major studio green light, and why does it work so well? Let’s explore the strange ingredients ofGremlinsand its even more bizarre sequel to fully comprehend the magic of the Mogwai and why Gizmo may actually be rooted in a very disturbing reality about human beings and our place in the cosmos.
Why We Haven’t Seen a Part 3 Yet
Any self-respecting pop culture fan knows the rules. Do not expose the Mogwai to light, especially sunlight, which can kill it; never get it wet; and above all, never ever feed it after midnight. Actually, please do all of those things because the world hasn’t had aGremlinsmovie since 1990, and we really, really need one. If you are a true fan,you probably put it on every year around the holidaysand may even follow it up withGremlins 2: The New Batch, soaking in one of the most bizarre, self-referential big studio movies ever made.
One of the reasons we probably never saw a third film happen for so many years was based on the sheer absurdity of pondering, where could we possibly go from there? The second film was so crazy; it almost exists in spite of itself. Initial reviews of the film weren’t great.Siskel & Ebert agreed it was far less charmingthan the original and lacked the tonal balance that made the first film work so well.
Related:8 Secondary Movie Villains Who Were More Terrifying Than the Main
Gremlinsis a measured genre blender where fantasy, comedy, and horror/sci-fi play well with a signature Amblin vibe, courtesy of Steven Spielberg. It features characters you genuinely care about, thanks to a great script and excellent performances from the cast, including Frances Lee McCain, Hoyt Axton, Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, and many more. The movie’s score by Jerry Goldsmith is also brilliant, masterfully dancing around the zany tone of the film and keeping the audience compelled inside this crazy world where the 4th wall is continuously broken. In the second film, you’re arguably pulled out of the narrative one too many times to care about what happens next. Perhaps the movie was too clever for its own good, but time has been kind toNew Batch.
Practical Effects All the Way
At first glance,The Key & Peele"Gremlins 2Brainstorm" sketchfeels like an inside joke that a handful of people might understand. Still, after going online, the video was so popular it seemed to be shared in every corner of the globe, proving thatGremlins’fandom may be bigger than anyone realized. The sketch highlighted the sheer absurdity ofGremlins 2, and in so many ways, it becomes a complement to just how original and creative the movie actually is.
Related:Best Moments from the Gremlins Film Series, Ranked
Even when the film shamelessly breaks through the fourth wall,an amazing team of puppeteers and special effects wizardsswoop in to ensure what you’re seeing onscreen is functioning on the highest possible benchmark standards that Hollywood practical effects artists could deliver. This also brings to focus a regretful chapter in the film industry where practical effects artists were being pushed off the stage by slippery CG salesman, convincing studios of this exciting new technique that could make anything you’re able to imagine happen on screen for less time and money. In fact, there were multiple decades whereGremlinsfans were dreading the third movie with a complete CGI makeover, which is the worst possible thing that could happen to the franchise.
Gremlins: Cosmic Horror
In the original film, Mr. Futterman (played by genre favorite Dick Miller) explained the origin of the Gremlin. It is a technological failure. It was what frustrated World War II soldiers, and operators referred to as bugs in their vehicles and other machines. Perhaps Gremlins have a genuine place in paranormal research regarding stories about mysterious shutdowns of missile silos after being buzzed by UFOs. After all, it was post-activating a nuclear bomb in 1945 that UFOs began being reported all across the planet. PerhapsGremlinsrepresent a kind of humility needed to confront a paranormal reality.
An updated theme to play off for the Gremlins resurfacing in the 2020s may be in the form of our modern over-reliance on technology. Perhaps the Gremlin is a byproduct of going too far down a technological path of no return; demons are summoned to the earthly realm by blindly abandoning nature and merging with machines. As we pursue a technological singularity without a care for the consequences it brings upon future generations, born into a kind of techno-bondage, maybe we should take a moment to reflect.
While this may be a far deeper contemplation than a silly movie about cute little monsters ever deserved, it also bears mentioning the film’s knock-offs, such asCrittersandGhoulies, arealso derived from realms of pure cosmic terror. All of this really to plead with a major studio;please give usGremlins 3. We need it before it’s too late.
