Gremlins Reboot: 10 Reasons We'd Rather Stare At Bright Lights

3. You Know They're Just Going To Use CGI

Real Film MakingProblem: The photo above is the crew it took to film a scene with the actual Gizmo animatronic, as well as (presumably) the vibrating box of mogwai clones in the scene at hand. Is it labor intensive? Yes, very much so. The puppets used for this film were limited range and took time and crafting to build out of the materials used from the designs approved. Was it worth it? Go back a page, click on that image again, and tell me if you still need to question that. Of course it was worth it! While CGI is really awesome, it's really a crutch to filmmaking. At its best, it enhances what's already there and helps paint a more complete picture of what the filmmaker's vision is. At worst, it leads to lazy, excessive filmmaking that is unimaginative and soul destroying. (Jar. Jar. Binks.) If They HAVE To...: ...do the only thing The Thing's prequel/remake did (partially) right: use CGI to enhance the puppeteering work you already have on staff. Trust me, a fully mobile CGI Gizmo could be a good thing! So could a fleet of Gremlins on Power Wheels, launching firecrackers at Billy and Kate! But do we need it? No. The last sequence of Gremlins proved that when you let the danger stay close to your heroes, it inspires better options for terror. Compare that CGI nightmare I just described to the scene with Stripe and the chainsaw, and again tell me which one sounds cooler.
Contributor
Contributor

Mike Reyes may or may not be a Time Lord, but he's definitely the Doctor Who editor here at What Culture. In addition to his work at What Culture, Mr. Reyes writes for Cocktails and Movies, as well as his own personal blogs Mr. Controversy and The Bookish Kind. On top of that, he's also got a couple Short Stories and Novels in various states of completion, like any good writer worth their salt. He resides in New Jersey, and compiles his work from all publications on his Facebook page.