There is a behind-the-scenes feature (SD, 6:21) that lacks a lot in terms of video quality and heavily shows its age, but makes up for it by taking a look at the genuinely fun and almost naive atmosphere on the set. A selection of deleted scenes (SD, 10:36) are presented both with and without commentary, and offer a few detours in the plot, as well as a bit more from Judge Reinhold's character. A surprisingly fun, but brief, photo gallery is included, as well as trailers (SD, 4:42) for both Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch.
Conclusion
Of the two Gremlins movies, the first is the hardest to judge when separated by the years (both its and mine). It has the most potential, but it squanders some of that by taking itself just a touch too seriously. It also can't decide what genre it wants to be, and so wanders around a bit in style. Add to that its desire to be more than a kids movie, all the while pulling its punches both in horror and comedy. Bad movie fans will likely get the most out of it at this point, even though I'm sure the creators were aiming higher than that. The look of the film has aged pretty well (lackluster video transfer aside), but the tone and story might be more suited to those who find it particularly nostalgic.






Article comments