Why on Earth would you remake Gremlins? I don’t care about the fact that I’ve just skipped the traditional opening and jumped straight into the interrogation phase, I’m that mad. As a kid, Gremlins was an iconic classic, and I was always reminded by my parents of this fact. I had a Gizmo plush, a VHS copy of the film, and even a nickname my father gave me that was related to the film. Personal connection to the film firmly intact, I feel as if I must defend it against Hollywood’s greedy mitts. Sure, BT had that advert not too long ago that brought back the Gremlins in a professional IT setting; but that’s just an advert, not a full film. People expect plot and excitement, and especially dialogue, from a film; all, except excitement, were absent for the ad.
So now it has come to this, me once more trying to talk Hollywood off the ledge. Well fine. You want me to convince you why Hollywood shouldn’t be making another Gremlins and why you shouldn’t be excited about this? Done. Though, Hollywood being as stubborn as they are, they’re probably going to ignore the pleas of reason and go ahead anyway. If they really want something, they’ll go for it, which explains why they’re still trying to sell the world on the idea that Ashton Kutcher is an Actor. So with that in mind, I will also be suggesting some hints and tips as to how Hollywood could possibly make a good movie out of a bad situation.
Without further delay, dim the lights, hide your water, and check your clocks…it’s time to let everyone’s favorite Mogwai out once more.
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5 Comments
This list is so good I wanna feed it after midnight! You make the argument against remaking gremlins so common-sense. I hope the studio’s take heed. I think the Gremlins anthology film is a great idea. I’m completely against a remake but wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel.
I really dig the Three Rules Anthology idea. Make it so, Mr. Reyes, make it so.
{Yeah, I know you’re neither Picard nor a big time Hollywood exec. But you should be, damn it!}
When they announce the gremlins reboot project was on, I was (and still am) sceptical. Seeing gremlins back on the Big Screen up for another invasion is exiting, but when I’m looking at the others reboots done (predators, the thing, total recall), I’m thinking it’s not such a good idea.
When they announce the gremlins reboot project was on, I was (and still am) sceptical. Seeing gremlins back on the Big Screen up for another invasion is exiting, but when I’m looking at the others reboots done (predators, the thing, total recall), I’m thinking it’s not such a good idea.
About this article, well of course the original actor can’t be good for the job now, and of course Jerry Goldsmith can’t come back to life to make a music for the film (R I P). Too bad Joe Dante isn’t involve, I’m a big fan of his films in general, but also, what would have happened ? Stuck with a producer telling him the way he should make this movie or he’ll cut off the supplies ? The flaming war between Dante and Hollywood producers isn’t a secret for anybody, and even if he would have loved to work on gremlins again (and I would have loved to see this too !), I don’t think he would have been happy about working with a dictator on his shoulder, and the film would be as bad as if he wasn’t here. But Terry Gilliam is a fun idea :D
But let’s focus on the main characters : the gremlins and gizmo. CGI vs puppets, modern warfare. CGI can bring a lot to the characters, the way they move, the way they interract, and 3d industry is well developped to get some impressive results (just look at this pic : http://features.cgsociety.org/newgallerycrits/g48/16448/16448_1300724150_large.jpg ). But it can also get the best of it, and Jar Jar Binks is the best example of the worst CGI can get to ruin a show. Erase puppets would be a bad ideas. Jurassic Park works well because most of the dinosaurs are animatronics, with CGI used only when characters are making elaborates moves (running, jumping, slaughtering a guy :P ). So I’m not against some CGI scene, but an entire movie without a puppet is not going to work.
Redesigning the creatures now depends on what they’re going to do : more cartoony ? or scarier ? The first gremlins model did find the right design to get both of them. The second design was more cartoony. But in any case, they must keep what makes a gremlin a gremlin : long spiky ears, evil eyes, 3 fingers, reptiles looking like skin. Now it’s a reboot of the first movie, but would it not be a good idea to get a different story with different characters on it, so the first movie stays the only original, and the reboot is just another way to use the creatures, without anything to do with Dante’s masterpiece ? Just like Dante did for the second film (exit scary gremlins in a little town like a 50′s horror film, and welcome funny gremlins in a High Tech Building in a satirical critic on modern society).
Exposing the origin of the mogwai and the 3 rules would be a terrible idea ! Just watch Prometheus trying to give Alien an origin. It’s breaking a myth, destroying an exciting secret (our childhood secret !) and finally always making us disappointed because that’s not what we expected at all. We don’t need to know how or where. What could be interesting is to use some ideas from the second that weren’t use back then : the intelligent potion (making an evil chief trying to make an army to reach the sea and invade the world) or the genetic sunblock (so they got no problem with light again, but I don’t think it’s a good idea because it’s erasing one thing that’s making the gremlins what they are). But I’m assuming it’s all up to Warner anyway. So I’ll just wait and see.
Anyway nice article, even if you’re complaining about the inevitable. Joe Dante said it will happen anyway. He didn’t know when, but he knows better how hollywood works, the best like the worst ! We’ll see about that in a couple of years now.
And sorry for long comment :P
I share in your apprehensiveness of a reboot. I also had the plush doll, the tape, the storybooks, the storybook soundtrack (45 records) from Hardee’s/Star Burger, etc. Count me in as someone who does NOT want to see CGI Gremlins. However, Hollywood has been hellbent lately on taking all of our childhood favorites and putting a new spin on them.
I always thought this would be a perfect “scary” remake if it HAD to happen. Take the comedy out and go for the much darker side the original scripts abandoned decades ago. The script for the original was very dark, and watered down for comedy and ratings. Did you know that the original 5 mischievousness Mogwai actually ATE the dog instead of stringing him up in the Christmas lights and ended up killing Billy’s mother after they changed? There were some terrifying concepts that were dropped. I think a remake would work if it was taken to places the original wasn’t able to go.
I share in your apprehensiveness of a reboot. I also had the plush doll, the tape, the storybooks, the storybook soundtrack, the toys from Hardee’s/Star Burger, etc. Count me in as someone who does NOT want to see CGI Gremlins. However, Hollywood has been hellbent lately on taking all of our childhood favorites and putting a new spin on them.
I always thought this would be a perfect “scary” remake if it HAD to happen. Take the comedy out and go for the much darker side the original scripts abandoned decades ago. The script for the original was very dark, and watered down for comedy and ratings. Did you know that the original 5 mischievousness Mogwai actually ATE the dog instead of stringing him up in the Christmas lights and ended up killing Billy’s mother after they changed? There were some terrifying concepts that were dropped. I think a remake would work if it was taken to places the original wasn’t able to go.