User Reviews

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" is the 1990 sequel to the 1984 box office hit "Gremlins" which is one of my all-time favorite movies. The sequel is not as good as the original, but its not bad either. Here the filmakers did something different. They tried to make this one more of a comedy than the original. The first film was funny but also scary. "Gremlins 2" plays more like a Mel Brooks-type movie with some of the jokes that are in it. But its hardly scary. Plus, it got a little tiresome to watch the gremlins do some of the exact same things that they did the first time around like drinking, smoking, etc. Nevertheless, this is for the most part an entertaining movie that I'd wish had done better at the box office. I think if they had made this three years after the original instead of six years, it would have done better. In between the two "Gremlins" flicks there were all those ripoffs ("Critters", "Ghoulies" and their sequels) and by 1990 moviegoers became tired of it all. But the two "Gremlins" movies are much better than the "Critters" and "Ghoulies" movies. A good job by director Joe Dante.

*** (out of four)

I am, and have always been, a fan of the "Gremlins" movies. Especially since they manage to combine comedy and horror in a most satisfying manner, but most importantly because of the Mogwai and the gremlins themselves.

If you enjoyed the 1984 "Gremlins" movie, then you will definitely also like the "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" from 1990.

This is a direct continuation of the first movie in a way, and the writers managed to come up with a story angle that supports the transition between the first and second movie quite well.

In "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" Billy (played by Zach Galligan) and Kate (played by Phoebe Cates) have moved to New York and are working for the Clamp company and work in an advanced skyscraper. When Gizmo finds his way to Billy, and is accidentally exposed to water, New York is in for a repeat of the incident that happened at Kingston Falls.

One might think, at a glance, that I have already seen this in the first movie. And you are right, to a certain extend. Sure, there are similarities to the first movie, but everything in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" is taken one step further. More gremlins, more mutations, more mayhem, more comedy, and so forth.

What I love about "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" is the great ideas for changing the gremlins, as they are exposed to the various formulas and genetic materials from a research company also house in the Clamp Tower. The gremlins designs are just fantastic, and the creativity behind these ideas is just fabulous.

There are also some great performances in this movie. Of course, first and foremost, it was nice to have Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates return to their roles. But it was equally great to have Dick Miller return as well, despite for a small role only (just as in the first movie). Furthermore, there were some memorable performances by Christopher Lee, Robert Prosky, John Glover and Robert Picardo.

The storyline in "Gremlins 2: The New Batch" is also good, and it matches the craziness, intensity and the unique style of the first movie very well, and then adds a new element to that.

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" is a movie that you can watch again and again, just like the first movie. And this is one of those types of movies that everyone is familiar with, even if they haven't actually seen the movie. I think that these two movies are definitely something that everyone should take the time to sit down and watch.

The horror element of the original "Gremlins" is replaced entirely with lame comedy in this disappointing sequel. Zach Gilligan and Phoebe Cates return as Billy Peltzer and Kate Beringer, now living in the Big Apple. It's not long after their reunion with Gizmo (he's so cute it's sickening) that the little guy is accidentally hit with water and the villainous title characters return to wreak havoc. This time their target is a high-tech corporate skyscraper run by a Trump-like suit.

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" tries hard enough, and it's certainly original and creative. But it just never really clicks. The film plays like a bad episode of "The Muppet Show" as the cartoonish gremlins sing musical numbers, destroy property and morph into giant bats and spiders. It repeatedly attempts to poke fun at itself, but those efforts, too, fall flat on their face. Maybe the gremlins just aren't cut out for comedy. Chalk this one up as one of the weakest efforts from highly-talented director Joe Dante.

This film is often looked back on as not only the lesser of the two Gremlins flicks but not a very good movie in general. I just don't understand it -- I love this movie! It successfully continues the underlying theme of the original (unlike a lot of sequels which seem to forget their points entirely): "gremlins" are mythical creatures blamed for mechanical errors (if an appliance is broken, it must have been the work of gremlins). In this movie, the gremlins are loose in a totally automated high-rise office building, already suffering from its own malfunctions, which serves as the perfect playground for them. Charles Haas' script is absolutely hilarious, filled with more movie in-jokes than I can recall seeing in a single movie, and it even pokes fun at the more serious original. In fact, I think many people disliked this film because of its total irreverence compared to the first; it didn't try to be scary for a second and Rick Baker's creature effects turned out goofier than Chris Walas's original creature designs. Just realize...this is a comedy! Definitely worth seeing more than once to catch the barrage of jokes and references...and sit all the way through the credits!

Gremlins 2 is film that far more satirical and goofy then the first one and becase of that it was fun to watch in some scenes but in some all of that just become to much and even if some staff or referances and 4wall breaking was nice to see it was felt like out of place and like they tried to hard to make us laugh and cause of that they werent able to achieve their mission,what i like in first gremlins is that it mixed comedy and horror elements rather well and it had a dose of seriousness in it,but this one had none of that,gremlins 2 is at leved down compared to first but satirical jokes and use of said referances will made up for some lack of quality

Billy Peltzer, Kate Beringer and Gizmo the Mogwai are back - but this time they are in New York. If you've seen the first Gremlins film you know what to expect, and you know the rules to follow. Unfortunately though they aren't followed (of course - or there wouldn't be a film), Gizmo gets wet, produces some Gremlins, and they go on a chaos fuelled rampage through a high-tech corporate skyscraper.

This film often gets ignored as a rubbish sequel but in truth it's not that bad, it just tries a little too hard for me. It was made at a time when sequels where the in-thing, trying to expand a story sometimes for artistic purposes, sometimes to squeeze a few more dollars out of a story. Gremlins 2 falls somewhere between those two reasons - putting a decent concept in a new location but not actually bringing anything massively new - albeit a few laughs poking fun at itself. Expect more horror, and there definitely are a lot more laughs - but this is certainly nothing revolutionary which you won't see coming a mile off once you start watching the film. It doesn't take itself too seriously and often parodies itself in-between parodying some of Hollywood's finest films. Despite any negatives I may be writing, it isn't a hard film to watch and can easily be viewed without having to engage your brain too much. Unfortunately though, this sequel won't be a timeless film like the first outing of Gremlins. Decent without being brilliant - 6 out of 10.

I rate both films exactly the same but for very different reasons, the first film was an enjoyable romp fusing horror and comedy to great effect. When I saw that there was to be this sequel 6 years later I was very pleased indeed. What I hadn't bargained for was the sharpness of the writing and the satirical structure that director Dante laid out for audiences to watch.

Focusing very much on the then modern obsessions like tearing things down to build state of the art monstrous complexes, or the need for a better world; be it the laboratory testings for better life forms, or machines to run our lives; Gremlins 2 plays out as a sort of morality tale that sees the creatures themselves as byproducts of the human condition. In true classic creature feature fashion, Dante manages to garner a level of sympathy for the Gremlins. These vile offspring of the offspring are party animals, they have fun, they like to sing and go nuts, they are in short, quite like a stag party on the Costa Del Sol! Throwing in as many film references as it can, Gremlins 2 may have a satirical slant at it's heart, but sure enough the fun from the first film segues nicely into this picture to make this one of the better, and more smarter sequels on the market.

And those darn Gremlins are nastier and uglier than ever as well! 8/10

A very similar film to its predecessor, naturally.

It doesn't quite hit the same positive beats as the 1984 film did, yet 'Gremlins 2: The New Batch' still makes for solid viewing. The Mogwai again look splendid, as Gizmo remains awesome.

There are a few negatives, Zach Galligan's acting was weaker and Dick Miller was shoehorned in, but they don't damage the film all that much.

After having a bout of nostalgia, I just finished watching a Gremlins 2-pack DVD set tonight.

I have to say, I thought the first one holds up fairly well.

However, the sequel sadly does not. I'm really quite surprised at the high number of positive reviews here.

This film is terrible.

Don't get me wrong, I love Joe Dante and I can see where he was coming from. He knew it was a totally unnecessary sequel, so he wanted to spoof the whole thing and just have a good time.

He really should've stayed home. This is quite possibly the most self-indulgent, stupid, shallow mess of a film I've ever seen.

There's virtually no plot to speak of. The supposed "main" characters run around like morons amongst a barrage of childish Gremlin gags. Most of which, are plain idiotic and verging on embarrassing.

I felt for the actors here, as they really gave it their all.

I know Dante is obsessed with Warner Bros cartoons, but including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in this film was totally unjustified and insipid. Their scene couldn't have been less funny and I can't believe Dante got away with it.

In fact, I can't believe he got away with the whole movie.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is not a great movie and a very big disappointment compared to the original.Gizmo isn't that main,the main characters as the new Gremlins,who are causing trouble around a big building for half of the movie.The original is displayed in a sort of old fashioned neighborhood,this movie is completely different,its an a very futuristic place.Once the Gremlins turn into the monsters the whole plot just gets abandoned and its just gag after gag,at once stage they have to stop the whole movie and Hulk Hogan has to put the movie back on,what where they thinking,you can tell it wasn't written by Chris Columbus.

The Gremlins have returned,Gizmo is found by a building where his old owner Billy is now working,and scientists give him water and multiply him.Then the other Gremlins are experimented on and one is able to talk,once again they are fed after midnight,and take total control of the building.Its up to Billy and Gizmo to save the day.

gremlins 2 is not a horror movie like the original kind of was, but it's funnier, and more entertaining than the original in my opinion. gremlins 2 is full of movie in-jokes, and all kinds of other goofy stuff. i just believe this movie provides more entertainment than the original did. i wish they'd make a 3rd gremlins movie. all in all gremlins 2 is great fun! i give gremlins 2: the new batch *** out of ****

Cleaner image than the first movie. The creature effects go to the next level too. Great use of all the speakers except the bass speaker which was a little soft. This takes everything to the next level. There is more comedy, more crazy gremlins and that's your lot. Much less serious than the first and I prefer it that way.

The sequel to Gremlins is inferior to original that was quite good. Set in a futuristic skyscraper in the Big Apple where the young couple of Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates) now work for the money-grubbing tech-mogul, Daniel Clamp (John Glover) , in his colossal Clamp Tower high-rise . But, before long , things go wrong , as Gizmo (Howie mandel voice) , the orphaned Mogwai, falls prey to the nasty scientist, Doctor Catheter (Christopher Lee) . Once again , Gremlins , and Brain Gremlin (Tony Randall voice) appearing to cause chaos , as they don't execute the rules , neither warnings : ¨don't expose them to bright light, don't ever get wet and don't ever , ever feed after midnight¨. The Gremlins are back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper !. Take Your Batch to See the New Batch !. Look out , a new batch is on the way !. Here they grow again , we warned you !. Remember the rules !. You didn't listen !.

Director Joe Dante presents a less violent but far more campy vision , paying myriad surreal tribute to soudtracks of movies and with great sense of amusement . Naturally, there're lots of mayhem , frolics , antics and jokes , this all happening at the skyscraper and the result is a gang of nasty gremlins who decide to tear up the building and after the city . This watchable enough motion picture was regular but professionally directed by Joe Dante displaying their characteristic surrealist humor and sense of style . The story is nothing more than a fleeble excuse to string together gags , silly sketches , ironical craziness , several cameos and fast-paced set pieces . Dante is surely right to let his visual imagination run riot , in fact in this follow-up there's more comedy , more irony , but perhaps less inventive . Including ¨The Wizard of Oz¨ and other famous film parodies and other musical extravaganzas of the past . Also incorporates a Donald Trump parody , takes on TV news and body-slams modern urban living with funny action , adding a lot of rapid-fire surreal sight gags . Along with ordinary starring : Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates , appearing here and there a number of familiar secondaries : Robert Prosky , Robert Picardo , Christopher Lee, Haviland Morris , Dick Miller , Raymond Cruz , Julia Sweeney , Keye Luke, Kathleen Freeman and various cameos , such as : Paul Bartel , Kenneth Tobey , Howie Mandel , Tony Randall , John Astin, Henry Gibson, Leonard Maltin , Hulk Hogan, Bubba Smith , Isiah Whitlock Jr , Dean Norris , and musician Jerry Goldsmish who composes a lively and enjoyable score similar to Gremlis I .

Lavishly Produced by Steven Spielberg , and professionally directed by Joe Dante, but without originality, because copying situations from previous film . Dante's most hits took place when found himself working alongside Steven Spielberg, John Landis and Australian director George Miller for the anthology movie ¨The Twilight Zone, The Movie¨ (1983) in which Dante directed the third segment . Steven Spielberg then hired him to work as director for ¨Gremlins¨ (1984) which was another box-office success. He directed some episodes for the Sci-Fi series "Amazing Stories" before directing his next Science Fiction feature which was ¨Innerspace¨ (1987) which, whilst critically well reviewed, was another box office failure. After directing five episodes of "Eerie, Indiana", Dante returned to the big-screen with the well-received ¨Matinee¨ (1993), an affectionate period satire set in 1962 against the background of the Cold War. Dante spent the next several years working for television and directed a satire on politics with ¨The Second Civil War¨ (1997) . Dante's next two films, ¨Small Soldiers¨ (1998), and ¨Looney Toons: Back in Action¨ (2004) garnered good reviews but were not commercial hits. Gremlins 2 rating : 6/10.

New York has enough problems without gremlins mucking things up. That was what NYC was looking at when the lovable Gizmo was pretty much kidnapped by some geneticists in downtown New York. By pure coincidence (read: writer's design) Gizmo ended up being housed in the same building Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) worked in. It was only a matter of time before Gizmo would get wet and his evil spawns would eat after midnight (otherwise there'd be no movie).

BTW: what is the cutoff time in which they can eat? I mean, they can't eat after midnight, but at what time can they eat: 1 a.m., 2 a.m., sunup?

"Gremlins 2: The New Batch" was about having fun, they even broke the fourth wall. I admit, it was funnier than its predecessor though it wasn't better. Good, not better.

Fancy some Gremlin Stew? Three underrated sequels came out in 1990. Predator 2, RoboCop 2, and Gremlins 2. I remember waiting in the lobby of a cinema in Orlando, Florida before a screening of Back to the Future 3, looking at the cardboard standees for Gremlins 2 and RoboCop 2 side by side. My 9-year-old self was a HUGE fan of the first movies and staring at a standee taller than me, featuring wonderful artwork, for those sequels was big deal for me. I pity kids nowadays who don't have the attention span to soak up little moments like that.

Dante takes everything that was great about Gremlins and cranks it all the way up to a zillion. The original movie was a dark xmas comedy horror with B-movie undertones. The sequel goes so over-the-top it launches itself into the stratosphere and doesn't come back down until the very, very end of the credits. It's just wall-to-wall mayhem with so many in-jokes it'll make your head explode. The movie even attempts to begin as a Looney Tunes cartoon.

Gizmo, now back with Mr. Wing, escapes the curiosity shop after the old man dies and is found by a scientist working at Splice of Life, a laboratory located in the Clamp Premiere Regency Trade Centre and Retail Concourse (a big skyscraper in Manhattan). Working in the art department of that skyscraper is Billy Peltzer, hero of the first film. Billy eventually locates and rescues Gizmo, but he gets wet before Billy can take him home, spawning a new generation of cute, fluffy, malevolent Mogwai (Mohawk, Lenny, Edward G. Robinson-lookalike George, and the absolutely mad Daffy). They eat after midnight at a Yoghurt stand in the lobby. The following day the Clamp building, and all of the tenants (from the Archery Channel to the movie print itself, leading to an amusing cameo from Hulk Hogan) are besieged by a horde of gremlins intent on mass destruction and good times at any cost.

One can accuse the film of having no story beyond giving the Gremlins a lively backdrop for their wild antics, but when you're having so much fun isn't that what matters most? Goldsmith's score (sadly underrepresented on the 22-year-old Varese Sarabande CD) has a lot more weight second time around, backed-up by a large orchestra and string-based action cues. You'll absolutely love it! Chris Columbus didn't return for this movie, leaving scripting duties to Charlie Haas. He uses the Gremlins and the location to skewer big city culture and satirize business tycoons. John Glover is brilliant as the easily excitable Daniel Clamp, a Donald Trump-like property magnate who has more money and power than he knows what do with.

It's amazing that a third Gremlins movie was never made. Despite it now being 22 years since Gremlins 2 and 28 years since the first movie virtually every kid knows what the Gremlins are and are familiar with Gizmo (who may well be the cutest thing that ever existed). It's still a huge cash cow and a recognizable brand, and why Warner never greenlit Gremlins 3 is puzzling to say the absolute least.

One last thing. Stay with this film until the end of the credits.

This sequel falls into the pitfalls of many, trying too hard to duplicate the success of the first movie. The gremlins were as crazy and funny as ever, but the lead up felt a bit contrived. The ending was a bit odd, with the "electric gremlin", went just a little too far past ridiculous. The acting was comparable, and the stunts/animatronics worked well. Overall fun, but just a bit over the top ridiculous.

Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) and Kate Beringer (Phoebe Cates) return in this sequel, working at a giant media corporation. The Gremlin Gizmo has been captured and given to the corporation's genetics unit and, as a result, it gets accidentally exposed to water again and multiplies, sending a new batch of mischievous, hideous and dangerous little monsters lose on the entire building and its unsuspecting staff.

This movie has more gremlins and them doing mischievous things than the first movie, messing with people and playing mean tricks left and right. The special effects on the monsters were good for the most part (some of the animated sequences does fall flat a little) and the music score was OK. However, the comedic and scary moments turn up flat as much of the acting was pretty goofy, including those of the monsters, and many of the characters acted like clowns, especially the dumb twins and the Media Mogul Daniel Clamp (John Glover).

The plot went all over the place and wasn't kept quite together as that in the first movie and there were really no scary or jumpy moments. I wished the story showed more bewilderment and fear from the people who witnessed the gremlins' havoc; but, they just showed casual concern and intrigue.

Overall, it's not a very good sequel. It doesn't have the character development, unique flavor and suspense as the original movie, instead, it's just a wild crazy-fest of gremlins and overzealous humans trying to deal with all the chaos. Stick with the original film.

Grade D

To this day my friend and I still refer to the gremiln like he is real. When something goes wrong with my computer, it is the gremlin, when my keys are misplaced and then show up in a spot that you swear you checked before, it was the gremlin, when something, anything goes wrong, it has to be the gremlin. I am actually convinced that Spike has taken on a life of his own (kinda the way Freddy did in Wes Craven's New Nightmare) and lives to make my life difficult. Joe Dante's Gremlin's has had that much of an impact on my life. Gremlins was a wonderful film and it was a little more creepy than it was funny. But make no mistake about this one, it is one of the funnier movies that I've seen. It abandons all that was scary and atmospheric in the first and just adds comedy a-plenty. And I would seriously put this humour up against some of the funnier comdies of the 90's.

This time the adventures of Magwai and Spike reach a skyskraper like building owned by a guy that has to be a distant cousin of Donald Trump. And if you think back to Gremlins, remember how much trouble the little guys could get into using simple household products (microwave, chimney etc ) well that is nothing compared to what they can do at an office filled with the latest technology.

There are also many many inside jokes about Hollywood and such that you have to watch it several times to pick up on all of them. What is also great about the film is the two versions ( one for the theater and one for the VCR ) I remember when I saw this in the theater I really thought something was wrong with the projector when it first went all strange. And I like the fact that the makers of this had the guts and the gaul to try something new like that. It kind of reminds me of Something About Mary when at the end the entire cast is singing that song. The movie never stops trying to entertain, and that is what I got from this film too. It will do anything to make you laugh, even throw in a little Hulkamania when he was cool.

Gremlins 2 is one of the funniest films that you will see. And I'm just a little surprised that Joe Dante isn't still active so much in the business anymore. He made some great films and I would gladly see anything that he puts his name on.

If you haven't seen this film for quite some time, then I highly suggest that you do see it soon. I was browsing through Rick Baker's filmography on the IMDb and I came across Gremlins 2. I rented it the same night and I was very glad I did. Not only did it make me laugh, it brought me back to a time when films like this and The Goonies and even E.T. were made. Movies aren't the same anymore and that is not neccessarily a criticism, it is just a comment pointing out that in the early 90's and the 80's movies were just different sometimes. This is one of the funnier ones, and one of the more entertaining. Do you remember a film by Amblin that wasn't?

I think the second movie is better than the first movie. I didn't like the first movie. I like this movie. This movie is a parody of the first movie. The first scene was very good. Why do Gremlis multiply when they get wet, why do they go wild if they eat at night, they say these rules are ridiculous. The questions they asked ( about these rules ) were also very good. Wasn't Clamp Trump? I think they made fun of the first movie and many other movies and parodied it. I laughed a lot more in this movie. It was funny. Talking Gremlins was hilarious. It was very funny with a British accent with a great voice. Hulk Hogan was also good. In addition, there is even a movie critic who gave a low rating to the first movie.