some film be not what they seem . take gremlin ( 1984 ) for example . it be the story of a small town kid who acquire a strange creature that spawn a pack of menace green being that terrorize the inhabitant of the cheery little area . a silly idea and yes and but surely a fun one and and surely one to be cherish . it isn not technically a great movie and or even a very good one and but it doesn not mean to be . the genius lie in the modest scale of the film it isn not just a crude horror film with evil alien specie ( see critter ) and but a tongue in cheek parody of the rest and that still manage to fit in a few thrill along the way a if by accident . thank joe dante for this movie . and thank him for provide u with magnificent and imaginative film over the year . he be one of cinema great underrated director and the man responsible for bring other creature to life very often and whether it be werewolf or small toy or looney toon . the movie be center around billy peltzer ( zach galligan ) and the small town kid mention above who be hand a mogwai by his father ( hoyt axton ) and who pick the puffy furball up in chinatown during one of his routine salesman trip . billy father be a sort of failed inventor and remind u of the frizzle haired doc emmett brown play by christopher lloyd in back to the future and only not quite a eccentric . back to the future come out a year after gremlin and and the two be similar in the way they entertain silly little idea that nevertheless become almost genius . time travel be a myth before back to the future and which turn it into an adventurous notion and a way of be able to transport people back in time to see their own parent . ( h. g. well himself hadn not even approach these topic and and i can guarantee he would have never spark a relationship between the sibling and his mother . ) gremlins be milestone movie make magic and a simple idea like back to the future and stretch out into a big picture . i would not kid you it not as complex a future be and but it doesn not need to be and and certainly doesn not want to be . it rely on humor and charm and and it have plenty of it . billy work at the town bank and hound by the city grouch ( france lee mccain ) and threaten by the vice president ( judge reinhold ) . his long time sweetheart ( phoebe cates ) work there and too and and at the local bar and occupy by drunk at night ( and on occasion some nasty gremlin ) . the town loon ( dick miller ) be convince there be gremlin about and and soon he be right . don not ever get them wet and billy be more or less tell by his father . and do not fee them after midnight . ( see if you can spot the huge flaw in that rule . ) well and the small little mogwai and gizmo ( voice in burp and small cutesy sentence by howie mandel ) and do get wet and and spawn a set of fellow furballs all apparently mean spirit and vile . and after trick billy by cut the power on his clock and they get feed after midnight and basically evolve overnight into a bunch of green and nasty little gremlin and all of which continue to spawn throughout the town and cause absolute chaos . will billy defeat the gremlin and get the girl and and save the town . take a wild guess . everything joe dante touch be usually magic . even his live action or animation film toy soldier be a load of fun because of it charm disposition . dante doesn not try to make his film anything other than what they be charm and wildly and wickedly funny and that be undoubtedly the key to the outrageous success of gremlin and one of the big box office moneymaker ever release . i wasn not a huge fan of the sequel and even though i have it in my dvd collection right next to the original . it lose the darkness of campiness of the original and go for all out laugh ( many of which fail ) instead of the laugh out loud laugh of the original and which be conceal within a film that actually make sense ( in some way ) and still manage to be dark and fun . the sequel also introduce the mandatory goofy idiot character . in fact and it have two a donald trump like manager and a gremlin that more or less belong in the three stooge and and definitely not in a movie about menace creature . in fact and another of the first film highlight be the way it make it creature dark and hurtful and and just plain funny . ( people complain that the launching of france lee mccain out a window be too much and but come on . ) a a whole and i do not think that the sequel work especially well . but it have as big a fan follow a the original in some respect and for those who favor goofy and pointless cash in over original and hysterical movie . i wouldn not expect many people to love gremlin as much a i do and but it charm be certainly worth comment on and so be it wicked humor . dark and chaotic and pretty darn infectious and the film sense of humor quickly kick into boot even during the campy voice over narrative . the whole film be campy . and unlike something like critter ( which i loathe ) and this film be endear and fresh and funny and have a bunch of likable character especially gizmo and the favorite and most infamous little critter ever see on screen and and stripe and the lead gremlin whose unfortunate frying incident at the end of the film actually make you sad . no sequel for that little creep . 5/5 star . john ulmer .