One of the most wickedly entertaining movies of the 80s got the 4K Blu-Ray upgrade treatment. Gremlins landed in 1984, starring Phoebe Cates and Zach Galligan, and came from the esteemed combo of director Joe Dante (The Howling, InnerSpace) and writer Chris Columbus (who would end up directing two Harry Potter movies and Home Alone … and he wrote The Goonies). It told, what in hindsight, was the simplest of stories. In the end, the Steven Spielberg-produced blockbuster, did a lot more than scare and entertain us. It had us asking questions such as, “what would we do?”
Galligan is Billy Peltzer. His father, Randal (legend Hoyt Axton) has decided that this Christmas, he is going to give his hard-working teenage son something truly special and original. He goes to Chinatown and emerges with the most adorable of creatures, a Gremlin named Gizmo. Dad feels that his high school student son is old enough to fully grasp the responsibilities that come with such a gift. For one, do not feed them after midnight and two … never, ever get them wet.
You think either will happen? Of course they do, and the entire town where they live becomes a breeding ground for the versions of those cute little cuddly beings, that are hardly cute or little anymore. Gremlins works so well because it’s a let’s put the genie back in the bottom movie and serves as putting a mirror to society in America back in 1984.
Gremlins is also the rare movie, and one we frankly miss. There is an immeasurable amount of humor in this thing, while it still raises the hair on the back or your neck, has you grasp the armrest on your seat ever tighter and even drop your jaw on occasion.
The magic of the film lies firmly in the pedigree behind the screen. I believe, that is what made the entire thing such a sensation. Having Spielberg executive produce, as he did countless films over the 80s (and beyond), let audiences know that there would be that movie magic that is integral to a Spielberg movie all over Gremlins. For many, including this guy, that was all we needed to buy tickets to see this thing in the theaters. Having Dante direct is a stroke of genius as the subject was right up his alley. Then, there’s screenwriter Columbus, who had long been a fave of Spielberg and one can see why. There seems to be no end to the creative juices he flexes on the pages of his scripts…something that would perfectly transition to film directing.
The 4K upgrade celebrates the 35th anniversary of Gremlins. Besides not believing for one second that it’s been three-and-a-half decades since the film hit theaters, this is the perfect time to revisit a classic and give it a visual and audio upgrade worthy of its brilliance.
When it comes to the transfer to 4K, it is quite incredible, yes, but it’s not as stunningly sheer as compared to some other titles that have recently gotten the same upgrade. But that is on purpose. The film was originally shot with a bit of a hazy “film” over each shot, by cinematographer John Hora. Therefore, the upgrade will never be complete due to the fact that the original looked the way it did. That being said, what upgrade artists did with Gremlins on its way to 4K is sensationally sublime. Certain scenes that were fine, or so we thought, actually pop off the screen with the upgrade. For example, the detail exposed in Mr. Wing’s shop literally comes to life in the 4K upgrade. It’s fascinating because one never knew that items were hard to see in the original! These are just one of the blessings about a 4K upgrade when applied to older movies, such as Gremlins.
Another joy is being able to see, crystal-clear, the finite details of Gizmo comes through, right on down to the details of his fur coat. Also impressive is the scene where Mrs. Peltzer must fight with those Gremlins (oh, the microwave explosion, people!). In the new 4K upgrade, it truly pops, both color-wise and would you believe the action is crisper.
Overall, this is an upgrade more that worth its price. Between the sound improvements (which are slight) meeting home video systems that can blow you away audio-wise, and the visual upgrade, this Gremlins got me good.
The bonus features are the same as previous releases and include:
- Cute. Clever. Mischievous. Intelligent: Making Gremlins
- Gremlins: The Gift of the Mogwai (motion comic)
- Cast Commentary with Director Joe Dante, Zack Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Dick Miller, and Howie Mandel
- Filmmakers’ Commentary with Director Joe Dante, Producer Michael Finnell and Special Effects Artist Chris Walas
- Additional Scenes with Commentary
- Gremlins: Behind the Scenes Featurette
- Photo Gallery
- Theatrical Trailers
- Additional Scenes
- The Last Gremlin (motion comic)
- From Gizmo to Gremlins: Creating the Creatures
- Hangin’ with Hoyt on the set of Gremlins
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: N/A