Search - Gremlins [Special Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Suitable for Teens Movie Release: 1984 DVD Release: 08/20/2002 Format: DVD - Soft-Matted WSE for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered,Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 46 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Comedy, Horror, Horror Comedy, Creature Film See Also: Gremlins, Gremlins, Gremlins/Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Gremlins [Widescreen], Gremlins [25th Anniversary Edition] [Blu-ray], Gremlins [Blu-ray]

"Don't expose him to bright light. Don't ever get him wet. And don't ever, ever feed him after midnight." This sage advice is ignored midway through Gremlins, with devastating results. This comic Joe Dante effort is set in a Norman Rockwell-esque small town at Christmastime. Seeking a unique gift for his son an erstwhile inventor (Hoyt Axton) purchases a cute, fuzzy little "Mogwai" from a Chinatown shopkeeper's (Keye Luke) grandson (John Louie), who dispenses the above-mentioned warning before closing the deal. Meanwhile, young bank clerk Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) must suffer such antagonists as rich-bitch Mrs. Deagle (Polly Holliday) and priggish Gerald (Judge Reinhold) while pursuing his romance with Kate (Phoebe Cates). These and a variety of other plot strands are tied together when the lovable mogwai (named Gizmo) is exposed to bright light and gotten wet. In short order, the town is invaded by nasty, predatory Gremlins, who lay waste to everything in sight as Billy and Kate try to contain the destruction. Like most of Joe Dante's works, Gremlins is chock-full of significant cameo appearances: in this instance, such pop-culture icons as Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph, Chuck Jones, Scott Brady, Harry Carey Jr., Steven Spielberg (the film's executive producer) and even Robby the Robot all show up briefly on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Zach Galligan - Billy
Hoyt Axton - Rand Peltzer
Frances Lee McCain - Lynn Peltzer
Phoebe Cates - Kate
Polly Holliday - Mrs. Deagle

This special edition re-release of Gremlins is a vast improvement over the original disc. To begin with, the image, which is framed at the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, shows clear signs of the new digital transfer. Colors are sharp and vibrant (though maybe a little over saturated at times) with blacks that are solid. Overall the immediate impression of the picture is better than would be expected. The sound, which uses the same 5.1 English track from the original release, is certainly good, but never takes advantage of the entire sound field. It's generally centered up front, but is distortion free and produces clear audio. The main difference between releases is obviously the supplemental features. Whereas the first disc was basically movie only, this one has a number of nice features. At the top of the list would have to be two new commentary tracks. The first is enthusiastic and informational with director Joe Dante and actors Zach Galligan, Howie Mandel, and the less heard Phoebe Cates and Dick Miller. The second is a little more technical, but nevertheless entertaining with Dante again, producer Michael Finnell, and special effects artist Chris Walas. The rest of the extras, while good, are less spectacular. Along with ten minutes of deleted scenes with optional commentary is a six-minute featurette with behind-the-scenes shots and interviews, a photo/storyboard gallery, and cast and crew biographies. Rounding this nice package out are three trailers, two for this film and one for the sequel, Gremlins 2: The New Batch. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide