Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Gremlins 2 is packed with laughs, special effects, and hundreds of movie references. Look closely to a lot of the background actions and one liners that come up in the movie. There are several references to famous movies that you might not catch the first time. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Marathon Man, 42nd Street, Batman, and many others. The entire movie is one big laugh. A great movie to watch and take nothing serious.

Fmovies: This here is Joe Dante's best film. It's a delightful and absolutely charming dark comedy. I begged my mom to take me to see this back in 1990 and thankfully I can say I saw this on the big screen.

Years later when I watch it, I can catch all of the little references and nods to other great films of the past. The Warner Brothers Looney Tune cartoons have obviously made an impact on the directorial style of Joe Dante. What's great is the combination of this type of humor blended with these devious little monsters wrecking havoc in the Clamp Building. Speaking of Clamp, John Glover was excellent as Daniel Clamp (a parody of Donald Trump). He's absolutely hilarious!

There are many terrific special effects and sequences in the film. It's hard to tell you which scene is my favorite because I adore every moment of the film. I will say one of the scenes that sticks out for me is when the Bat Gremlin flies out into New York City by day. I just love those excellent shots of him flying through the sky. Of course, the Brain Gremlin and the 'New York, New York' number is fantastic as well. "Is eeeverybody heere?" And who could forget when the Gremlins got their revenge for Leonard Maltin's lambasting of the first Gremlins movie?

All this is accompanied by a fantastic Jerry Goldsmith score (which happens to be one of my favorites of his as well). The collaboration between Goldsmith and Dante isn't unlike that of Hitchcock and Herrmann or Spielberg and Williams.

The film abounds with dark jollity and watching it you can tell that the filmmakers had a fun time making the picture. To include the audience as part of the goings on, is a real treat.

Out of all the thousands of films I have seen, none have been or ever will be more entertaining than Gremlins 2.

I LOVE it.

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 ****

Gremlins 2: The New Batch fmovies. 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.

Years after the original outbreak, Gizmo and the gremlins return... and invade the Clamp building (a parody of Trump Tower). Luckily, Billy and Kate are on hand to stop them again, and Dick Miller is ready to fight them to the death. Now in many assorted varieties (thanks to a genetics lab), the threat is bigger... but the laughs are harder.

It's not unusual for horror sequels to become more and more humorous as they go. "Child's Play" slowly became a complete joke as the series went on. The same with "Leprechaun". With "Gremlins", it didn't take long at all -- Joe Dante not only mocks his first film but completely parodies it and turns it inside out. We are treated to an endless barrage of non sequitors, in-jokes, and homages to more than a few dozen movies. Most of the references are obscure (such as Dick Miller killing a gremlin in the same manner as his character Walter Paisley from "A Bucket of Blood"), but that's what makes the film viewable again and again.

Those who loved the first may dislike the second, but those who disliked the first may like the second. That Dante is able to switch gears so smoothly is incredible. With the main characters remaining constant, it should bring appeal from one to the other. How often does a sequel keep the core cast and the director? And dudes, this was during Phoebe Cates' adorably cute phase. Not the sexy seductress of "Fast Times", but a dollface you can't say no to.

I watched this one right after "Howling III" as I was beginning to sober up from drinking Passport Scotch. I switched to Clan MacGregor Scotch, but my belly was full so I didn't drink nearly fast enough. But I think that's quite alright, as "Gremlins II" is a timeless classic that should be enjoyed with a clear mind. (But if you want to drink, drink... it won't make the film any worse.) Did I mention Christopher Lee is in here? He is. Why does he have a pod from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"? Who knows! But his role as a scientist (not a mad one) is perfect for him, and a nice change from his Hammer horror roles as Dracula (though we still get a nice blood drinking reference). It might be one of the appearances by Lee I enjoy the most.

If you mixed the original "Gremlins" with "Muppets Take Manhattan" (or maybe "The Great Muppet Caper"), it would be almost like this. Well, maybe not. I don't know. But if you get the chance to see "Gremlins II", see it. You've probably already seen it, though, so why am I telling you to see it? You already know. For that one person who reads this that hasn't seen it, you should. Both horror and non-horror fans will love it. Perfect date movie? Perhaps!

When this came out, it was an amazing movie because these Gremlin creatures looked so lifelike. They still look pretty real. What I like best about this film is that it took the hard edge off the first one and made it more of a comedy. To me, this sequel was more entertaining than the first film and one I would watch a lot more times.

There are so many jokes and wild scenes in here it would many viewings to catch them all. For movie buffs, it's especially fun with all the references to other films in here.

However, it should be pointed out that there are still plenty of scenes where the gremlins are nasty and attack people, so the film is still horror-like in that respect. It may be played for comedic purposes, but these creatures are anything but friendly. In other words, there is still a bit of a hard edge in here for people who want that.

After three viewings of this film over the years, the only person who wore thin on me was John Glover's character, "Daniel Clamp," an obvious Donald Trump-imitation but grossly overacted by Glover. He winds up just being too silly.

Phoebe Cates and Zach Galligan reprise their roles as the cute, small-town, wholesome (despite not being married, however) couple who live together who, of course, know all about these gremlins.

It was nice to see Jackie Joseph (of the original "Little Shop Of Horrors") again as well as some other well-known characters such as Christopher Lee, Robert Prosky, Dick Miller and Keye Luke.

The film just flies by, which tells you it's entertaining.