How well you receive this sequel will most likely depend on just which aspect of Gizmo's initial misadventure you found more appealing the eerie, nasty creepiness or the quirky, subversive sense of humour. It was a flick that semi-took itself seriously and semi-didn't. If you loved it for its value as a mild horror movie, then you'll probably be disappointed with its follow-up, seeing as how it pretty much ditches those scares along the wayside and lets the comedic essence run wild and free to its heart's content. But if that's what made the original 'Gremlins' work for you, then you're in for a sequel more than twice as enjoyable as its predecessor. Luckily for me, I happen to belong to the latter group.
Six years on from the gremlin rampage that laid waste to the residents of Kingston Falls, and we're back with Billy Peltzer and those fluffy, bat-eared fuzzballs that turn into vindictive little demons if they eat something after midnight. This time round, the bulk of the action takes place in a high-rise New York skyscraper, run by media mogul Daniel Clamp (a thinly-veiled pastiche on Donald Trump) an impersonal and overly-automated working environment which it's genuinely fun to see the gremlins have their wicked way with. The screenplay has a sharper, more satirical edge than its forerunner, and makes a good start by openly mocking some of the more ridiculous values that the original 'Gremlins' stood for Billy's co-workers respond with all the appropriate queries that movie left us puzzling over when he tries outlining the three 'Rules' which must be obeyed to prevent a gremlin outbreak (seriously, what would happen if you crossed into a different time zone?). And Billy's reply is satisfying enough "Look, I didn't make the rules, okay?"
Plot-wise there isn't really a great deal happening here the gremlins run amok amongst the building's various facilities, while the humans have to get out safely and prevent them from taking their destruction to further afield. I wouldn't even say their various antics are substantial enough to be considered 'sketches' what this film mainly consists of is a barrage of individual moments, in-jokes and sight gags which last barely a split-second each (blink and you'll miss about a dozen) but which nonetheless keep on coming so thick, fast and consistently that there's always something on screen to keep us entertained. It also makes the movie as a whole extremely rewatchable, as you can almost guarantee that you'll spot several completely new things you missed on previous viewings.
Zach Galligan still makes for a rather bland and indistinctive hero, Billy's only real point of strength over most of the other characters being that he's dealt with these creatures before and knows how to handle them. Phoebe Cates, Jackie Joseph and Dick Miller have all returned on form, but it's the fresh set of supporting characters, in the Clamp Corporation's employees, who really put their all into snatching the spotlight from the gremlins. Haviland Morris and Robert Picardo both play their parts with the appropriate levels of energy and exaggeration, John Glover makes Daniel Clamp into a surprisingly likable character by portraying him with a vivid child-like innocence, while Christopher Lee comes very close to stealing every scene that he's in, only just losing out to one freakishly articulate gremlin who wears specs and is voiced by Tony Randall.
The puppetry used to render our centrepiece creatures, in both their incarnations, is also a marked improvement over the previous instalment all the same, their movements may be less jerky and their designs more polished, but the real delight still comes in the knowledge we have that they're puppets. And, instead of trying to make them into convincing, terrifying beings as the original attempted in some of its scenes, it's comfortable to depict them as what they essentially are depraved, reptilian cousins to the Muppets. They're never scary, and won't have anyone at home screaming as they do the human characters, but they manage to achieve a strong sense of subversive charm in its place that, quite frankly, suits this breed of film much better. Movie monsters were never the same when puppetry became old school and CGI took its place oh sure, when done right they can look amazingly realistic that way, but they're never as likable and fun. In that sense 'Gremlins 2: the New Batch' was one of the last of its kind, but a perfect swansong for the medium incredibly silly, but fast-paced, sharply-scripted and gloriously entertaining enough to more than compensate. It comes recommended, especially for anyone who wishes that the rest of the original 'Gremlins' movie could've been more like that wonderful tavern sequence.
Grade: A-
Six years on from the gremlin rampage that laid waste to the residents of Kingston Falls, and we're back with Billy Peltzer and those fluffy, bat-eared fuzzballs that turn into vindictive little demons if they eat something after midnight. This time round, the bulk of the action takes place in a high-rise New York skyscraper, run by media mogul Daniel Clamp (a thinly-veiled pastiche on Donald Trump) an impersonal and overly-automated working environment which it's genuinely fun to see the gremlins have their wicked way with. The screenplay has a sharper, more satirical edge than its forerunner, and makes a good start by openly mocking some of the more ridiculous values that the original 'Gremlins' stood for Billy's co-workers respond with all the appropriate queries that movie left us puzzling over when he tries outlining the three 'Rules' which must be obeyed to prevent a gremlin outbreak (seriously, what would happen if you crossed into a different time zone?). And Billy's reply is satisfying enough "Look, I didn't make the rules, okay?"
Plot-wise there isn't really a great deal happening here the gremlins run amok amongst the building's various facilities, while the humans have to get out safely and prevent them from taking their destruction to further afield. I wouldn't even say their various antics are substantial enough to be considered 'sketches' what this film mainly consists of is a barrage of individual moments, in-jokes and sight gags which last barely a split-second each (blink and you'll miss about a dozen) but which nonetheless keep on coming so thick, fast and consistently that there's always something on screen to keep us entertained. It also makes the movie as a whole extremely rewatchable, as you can almost guarantee that you'll spot several completely new things you missed on previous viewings.
Zach Galligan still makes for a rather bland and indistinctive hero, Billy's only real point of strength over most of the other characters being that he's dealt with these creatures before and knows how to handle them. Phoebe Cates, Jackie Joseph and Dick Miller have all returned on form, but it's the fresh set of supporting characters, in the Clamp Corporation's employees, who really put their all into snatching the spotlight from the gremlins. Haviland Morris and Robert Picardo both play their parts with the appropriate levels of energy and exaggeration, John Glover makes Daniel Clamp into a surprisingly likable character by portraying him with a vivid child-like innocence, while Christopher Lee comes very close to stealing every scene that he's in, only just losing out to one freakishly articulate gremlin who wears specs and is voiced by Tony Randall.
The puppetry used to render our centrepiece creatures, in both their incarnations, is also a marked improvement over the previous instalment all the same, their movements may be less jerky and their designs more polished, but the real delight still comes in the knowledge we have that they're puppets. And, instead of trying to make them into convincing, terrifying beings as the original attempted in some of its scenes, it's comfortable to depict them as what they essentially are depraved, reptilian cousins to the Muppets. They're never scary, and won't have anyone at home screaming as they do the human characters, but they manage to achieve a strong sense of subversive charm in its place that, quite frankly, suits this breed of film much better. Movie monsters were never the same when puppetry became old school and CGI took its place oh sure, when done right they can look amazingly realistic that way, but they're never as likable and fun. In that sense 'Gremlins 2: the New Batch' was one of the last of its kind, but a perfect swansong for the medium incredibly silly, but fast-paced, sharply-scripted and gloriously entertaining enough to more than compensate. It comes recommended, especially for anyone who wishes that the rest of the original 'Gremlins' movie could've been more like that wonderful tavern sequence.
Grade: A-