Customer Reviews

Gremlins 2: New Batch [VHS]

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm not saying this just because I am a New Yorker, but GREMLINS 2--THE NEW BATCH is slightly better than the original. First, it's a much less mean-spirited film than the first (which I also gave five stars, but for different reasons). Just the fact that a character who was crushed to death in the first film, shows up in the sequel (wearing a small cast) because he really was likeable, shows that Joe Dante and the scriptwriters were going into this film for the fun of it. Second, the casting was flawless. Whoever chose Tony Randall to do the voice of the strangely-William F. Buckley-sounding, intellectual gremlin was responding to nothing short of divine inspiration. Everyone involved in this production had their hearts in the right places and the effect shows. GREMLINS 2--THE NEW BATCH is an astounding piece of comic fantasy and horror that should endure.

Gremlins 2 has a bigger scope than the first film. It takes place in Manhattan and deals with a lot more than the original did. The main difference is that Gremlins 2 is kind of a spoof of the first. With frequent references to it (even by Leonard Maltin at one point) and only 2 characters (or 3 if you include Gizmo) it's not really continuing the Gremlins story but using it to make fun of early '90s big city culture.

There are a gazillion in-jokes and dozens of cameos all over the place. Including Jerry Goldsmith who's music is even better in this movie than in the first. It is such a cool and catchy little theme. I love it.

The Gremlins seem cuter and funnier in this one. My fave Gremlin is Daffy, he's insane. The other main ones are George (the frowner), Lenny (the dumb one) and Mohawk (the one with the uh...mohawk). And of course there's Gizmo. I wish so much that Mogwai were real because he's so cute and adorable.

Rent this movie or catch it on TV. If you like it wait for Warner to release the DVD. The opportunity for extras and invention is endless.

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

Give us a Blu Ray NOW Warner!

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch,is the sequel to the underrated 1984 classic,Gremlins (well,sort of.) In my perfectly honest opinion,it's much better than the original and as a previous reviewer said,it's the perfect example of how a sequel should be done.

Story: Billy Peltzer (Zach Galligan) from the first Gremlins movie now lives in Manhattan,New York where he works for a super-rich corporation in a Skyscraper.He's an Adult now,lives a good life,and is even married.

When several workers of the corporation try to talk Mr.Wing (Keye Luke) into letting them demolish his shop so they can have room for more businesses,Gizmo (from what I can remember) escapes,but is soon captured by Scientists who work at the corporation.

Billy one day sneaks into the Labratory Gizmo is at and soon starts living with Billy again.However,a maintenace man accidently (and unknowingly) squirts Gizmo with water from a fountain.Gizmo once again spawns more Mogwais,who are MUCH nastier than in the first Gremlins.

They look uglier,are swifter and sneakier,and even use mutagenic chemicals to enhance themselves.Many of them are soon transformed into giant Spiders,flying Gargoyles,Electronic menaces,and one even talks.

Gremlins 2 is unbelieveably better than the original. The acting is once again top-notch.Galligan rocks as Billy, Howie Mandel is still fantastic at voicing Gizmo,the casting is terrific (John Glover is perfect for the role of Daniel Clamp,the corporations boss and founder) and the script is excellent and is quite unpredictable.Dante's direction is even stronger and more solid than the first Gremlins,and gives the film a (truly) hard worked feel to it.

The special effects are also mind blowing,despite that their still not CGI.Gizmo is even cuter and more likeable than in the first Gremlins (he even dresses like Rambo at one point late in the film).The Gremlins are totally brilliant. As I said earlier,they look scarier and nastier than in Gremlins,and the mutated Gremlin effects are absolutely stunning.The Giant Spider Gremlin is a way cool Monster,the Electro-Gremlin rocks big time,and the talking Gremlin is one of the most memorable characters in the History of Hollywood.

As a previous reviewer said,it's not really a sequel to Gremlins.Well,I (personally) tend to call Gremlins 2 a semi-sequel.It picks up where Gremlins left off,but "rips off" Gremlins.The way the Gremlins take over the Skyscraper is VERY similar to the classic theater scene from Gremlins and one Gremlin,Lenny,dresses like a deranged Dentist at one point and wields a nasty dental drill (Lenny is sort of like Stripe from Gremlins,who wielded a chainsaw and was very deranged). I also LOVE the Gremlin with the Spiky Mohawk (who becomes the super cool Spider) and the Electro-Gremlin,just awesome. And tell me you wouldn't want to have Gizmo for a Pet.How could you possibly hate him? He's such a brilliant and original character!

Overall,Gremlins 2: The New Batch is an unbelieveably better sequel that it's predicessor,with a stronger (and better) story even more original than Gremlins,incredible special effects,loveable and memorable characters, countless in-jokes,a wicked finale,and is HIGHLY entertaining and NEVER EVER gets boring.This is even more underrated than Gremlins,which is saying a LOT.

Buy it right now.You DO NOT know what you are missing.

Can't wait for Gremlins 3!

Director: Joe Dante.
Cast: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, John Glover, Robert Prosky, Robert Picardo, Christopher Lee, Dick Miller, Jackie Joseph.
Rated PG-13 for cartoonish monster violence and language.
Running Time: 107 minutes.

Perhaps one of the most perfect blends of horror and comedy, this sequel to the 1984 cult hit is arguably even better than original. Those crazy flesh-eating marsupials branch out from just tormenting small towns and promote themselves to the big-time--New York City. Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates return to take on the fiendish ghouls as they invade and terrorize the futuristic New York City high-rise that Billy Peltzer (Galligan) works.

Joe Dante, director of the original "Gremlins", as well as other horror-comedy romps such as "Piranha" and "The Howling", does a stupendous job using the gremlins as not only horrific threats to the main characters, but exploits them for social satire and surprise in-jokes. Superb supporting cast, including Dick Miller once again as the estranged hillbilly who believes that the gremlins are truly the World War II staples that the name infers. An incredibly hilarious, yet terrifying mixture that is underrated, unappreciated, and unbelievably enjoyable. Simply a campy work of art. Note: The gremlin's rendition of "New York, New York" is stupendous.

This was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I think it's a lot better than the first Gremlins actually. The special effects are improved quite a bit at the very least. It also has a much more lighthearted tone than the first film.

What I like about this film is it's like a violent family film. It's pretty unique. Monsters killing tons of people, and then getting melted into goo at the end. Sounds pretty violent. Even looks pretty violent. Still, it has a family film feel to it. The gremlins do a lot of cheesy comic routines, appropriate for every member of the family.

I can't see how the good guys were able to play these role with a straight face, because the gremlins are goofy as heck. I like the gremlins. Gizmo is all right too.

If you have kids around the age of 12, rent this for them and see what they think of it.

Gremlins 2 should definately be considered a superior sequel. Everything about this movie is top notch and for B-flicks that usually is not the case. Even the critics who despised the first Gremlins gave this movie good reviews. So much creativity was put into this film that it surprises me Spielburg didn't return to the project(Joe Dante did return). Everything from character development, stage settings, the music, and overall story were well thought out and you can tell that the actors enjoyed playing their parts and had a good time on the set. Gremlins 2 by no means takes itself too seriously. The first portion of the movie gives you the impression that it will be rushed though it doesn't end up that way. Four of the characters including Gizmo return from the first Gremlins and the gremlins themselves are designed a bit differently though it is definately for the better. Regarding my comment on the creativity of this movie, you must see it for yourself. This gremlins sequel (superior sequel, mind you) gets the DVD treatment it deserves like Terminator 2 did in terms of bonus features (okay, Terminator 2 had alot more but you get my point). Each feature is worth viewing and there are also some easter eggs a.k.a hidden features. At first I hoped for a Gremlins 3 but I don't see how it would rank up with this one. Even if you happened to not care much for the first Gremlins, you still should give Gremlins 2 a look. I honestly know someone who didn't care too much for Gremlins but told me they really enjoyed the sequel.

GREMLINS 2 is a solid sequel that has its reptilian tongue planted firmly in its scaly cheek. The setting has moved from a small town, Kingston Falls, to the ultimate high tech fantasy building in Manhattan. There the young lovers from the original Gremlins, Billy (Zach Gilligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates), find employment as well as their old pal Gizmo the Mogwai being tortured in a science lab. As we learned in the first film when Gizmo gets wet he multiplies and his "offspring" are mischievious to say the least. This new batch is soon fortified with special potions from the lab giving them diverse powers including flight, web spinning, great intelligence and apparently the ability to produce musical spectaculars. Pop culture references abound, some of which are all ready a bit dated. Some of the sight gags that may have worked well in the theater do not really translate to the small screen. Despite these minor flaws this is an entertaining film which is suitable for tweens and their families.

I really liked the old Gremlins a lot but this is even better. Gizmo is once again a lovable hero. This time the Gremlins are more computer enhanced and look better. One idea that I thought was cool for this movie was a bunch of different Gremlins. There's the vegetable gremlin, the bat gremlin, the spider gremlin and a bunch of other wacky ones. Another thing that I liked about this movie was that their "evil doings" were more lighthearted than in the first. In the first one, their deeds were violent and lifethreatening but at the same time funny. In this one they're all goofy and cartoonish. I really think that these movies are the best!!

"Gremlins 2 - The New Batch" is a much funnier, wilder, and surprisingly even a better movie than the original "Gremlins." Zach Galligan and Phoebe Cates are back in this hilarious sequel, and so is Gizmo. Gizmo's old caretaker dies and Gizmo is picked up by some scientists who want to do experiments on him. Billy (Zach Galligan) rescues Gizmo and tells him to stay put until he can take him home. However, Gizmo doesn't stay put and (yep, you guessed it) he gets wet and produces even more of the ecstatic Gremlins than ever before. This time, the Gremlins terrorize a building that belongs to the new business, Clamp. It's up to Gizmo and the people of New York City to find a way, if there is one, to stop the wildly insane Gremlins from taking over the whole city.

"Gremlins 2 - The New Batch" is 100 times funnier than the first movie, and you'll know what I mean when you see some of the parts such as one of the Gremlins trying to be a dentist and some Gremlins duking it out with the Duke himself, John Wayne, with some guns in a western movie. The special effects are also a lot better. And the Gremlins are now taking new forms such as electricity, one Gremlin becomes smart and can talk distinguishly, and there's even one that can fly, and one that is in the form of a huge and terrifying spider. These Gremlins are wilder and more uncontrollable by the minute!

Pretty much, "Gremlins 2 - The New Batch" is a funnier and more upbeat movie than the original, and that makes for an even more entertaining movie. There's not many sequels to great movies that can even stand up to the original, and especially not many that are better than the original, but "Gremlins 2 - The New Batch" is a huge exception. I recommend this movie to anybody who liked "Gremlins" and to anybody who likes comedy movies at all. This is a must have!

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is one of those rare sequels that's a lot more fun than the original. A virtual live action Looney Tune with more movie references than you can count and some great digs at 80s-90s corporate culture ("Have a powerful day!" urge the PA systems), it's a constant delight. Among the many targets are Yuppies, Batman, Eva Marie Saint, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, movie critics, projectionists, colorization ("Today on the Clamp Cable Network - Casablanca, now in color with new improved happy ending!"), Kander and Ebb musical numbers, Rambo, King Kong and Marathon Man's dentistry scene, re-enacted by a cross-eyed Gremlin version of Ed Wynn, ensuring that if you don't like one joke, another one you will like will probably be along soon. Tony Randell is the standout in the cast as the `Brain' Gremlin, although John Glover's childishly enthusiastic, deliriously misguided and irrepressibly irresponsible Donald Trump-Ted Turneresque mogul nearly steals the show. Even Christopher Lee demonstrates the sense of humor that's so tragically lacking from the man in real life. You also get to see Jerry Goldsmith demonstrating why he never took up acting ("Did she say she saw a rat?"). Stupid fun was never so smart.

The extras are good - a huge batch of deleted scenes, gag reel, brief featurette revealing Gizmo's increasing egomania, trailer and the alternate video remote sequence from the video release as an Easter Egg (the DVD is the original cinema version).