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Gremlins

Actor(s): Zach Galligan, Hoyt Axton, Frances Lee McCain, Phoebe Cates, Polly Holliday
Director(s): Joe Dante
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Details

MPAA Rating: PG
Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Suitable for Teens
Movie Release: 1984
DVD Release: 04/13/1999
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan
Edition: 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: 2
Genres: Comedy, Horror, Horror Comedy, Creature Film
See Also: Gremlins [Widescreen], Gremlins [Special Edition], Gremlins/Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Gremlins [Widescreen]

Synopsis

"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

Cast

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

Editorial Review

Joe Dante's inventive comic nightmare has retained its enormous popularity since its 1984 release, but Warner's DVD edition of the film does not really make the most of digital technology. Despite an anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound, the audio-visual quality of this disc is surprisingly mediocre. The picture is simply not as clearly defined and faultless as one has come to expect from anamorphic transfers, and the audio track is adequate, but lacking the extra detail that would have made it outstanding. The special features on the DVD are also disappointing, with only some middling production notes and the original theatrical trailer. A commentary from Dante is the most glaring omission, as a retrospective examination of the film could have been very interesting. Although it is an older film that has perhaps dated a little, this is a poor DVD package that hardly improves upon the videocassette edition. ~ Patrick Lee, All Movie Guide