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Is your TV on the blink? Do the lights at home keep fusing?
Maybe you need to call in the repairman - or maybe there is
a more sinister explanation... you've got Gremlins. See how
much chaos a cute, furry gift can cause if you don't follow
the rules as Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch
are released in a new DVD double pack...
In
Gremlins, Billy is given an adorable and unique creature
known as a Mogwai as a birthday present by his father. Along
with the gift come three rules: never get him wet, never expose
him to bright light and never feed him after midnight. But
it's not long before accidents happen and one Mogwai becomes
five, and the five become Gremlins and proceed to wreak havoc
on the unsuspecting town of Kingston Falls. Billy and his
girlfriend Kate must rid the town of the Gremlins before they
become unstoppable.
We
were only sent the second movie on DVD for review, so I can't
comment on the picture quality or sound for Gremlins,
and reading the press release there don't seem to be any extras
to speak of. But, this is certainly one of the most memorable
movies to emerge from the '80s. It's funny, scary and nothing
like any movie that was released before.
In
Gremlins 2, Billy and his girlfriend Kate have moved
to New York to work at an ultramodern skyscraper. Gizmo (the
cute Mogwai from the first movie) is being experimented on
by a mad scientist, who operates on the top floor of the same
building. When all hell breaks loose again there is an added
complication. Some of the Gremlins start to drink the various
experimental liquids in the laboratory. What follows is imaginative
mayhem that spoofs old movies, modern television, and the
conveniences of post-modern technology.
The
second movie in the series is a totally different experience.
Thankfully they didn't just redo Gremlins. This time
around the gremlins have more individual personalities - thanks
mainly to the fact that they are all changed due to the chemicals
they drink in the laboratory. There is a spider gremlin, bat
gremlin, super intelligent gremlin and electronic gremlin
- to name just a handful.
Also
the producers constantly take the Mickey out of the previous
movie. They ridicule just about every element, including the
three rules, as well as Kate's Santa story.
There
are some great actors in this film, including John Glover
(who is better known these days for playing Lionel Luthor
in Smallville) Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager's
Doctor) and the great Christopher Lee.
The
extras include outtakes (6 mins of deleted footage of mistakes);
Behind the Screamer (6 mins behind the scenes featurette
which see the cast and crew complaining about the Gremlins
outrageous behaviour during filming; Additional Scenes (22
minutes of deleted material - with optional audio commentary);
and a feature length commentary with the director, actor Zach
Galligan and other members of the crew.
To
be honest, all of the extras are worth watching. The audio
commentary is interesting and the outtakes are really funny.
The deleted scenes are also worthy of mention, because there
were at least three scenes that I really felt should have
been left in the finished movie. The first one is a nice homage
to Christopher Lee's past as Dracula, the second is a funny
mannequin scene, and the third is a scene from the middle
of the film where the projector breaks. It shows the mum and
daughter in the cinema before they rush out to complain about
the nude film. This, more than any scene, should have been
left in, as it makes that whole sequence flow a lot better.
I was a little disappointed that they didn't include the video
segment (that replaced the projector breakdown when the film
was released on video) as an extra. Having said that, there
is an Easter Egg on the disc, which I forgot to look for,
so it may have been that segment.
Anyone
who bought the first Gremlins movie may be a little
ticked off. The second movie has never been released on DVD,
so if you want to own it you'll have to spend £25 buying
the two movies in this pack. And, before you think that's
okay and can sell your old Gremlins disc on eBay for
£10... you can pick Gremlins up for £5.
While
£25 is a little steep for any two disc collection these
days, you are getting two quality movies and some interesting
extras. If this had been released at £19.99 then I wouldn't
hesitate recommending you buy it. But, because of the price,
this drops from a must own collection to one that you should
think long and hard before purchasing. Or better still, wait
for a year or two until it's available for £10. You've
waited this long, what's another year going to hurt?
Nick
Smithson
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£14.99
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£17.99
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£15.98
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£23.98
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£16.99
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All prices correct at time of going to press.
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