Gremlins (1984)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:31
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Whether you choose to see it as a statement on consumer culture or simply a special effects-heavy popcorn flick, Gremlins is a minor classic.
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: Joe Dante's hilariously funny, wickedly scary film is about a loveable, furry little Christmas gift that multiplies into many little Christmas gifts, with savage consequences. Rand Peltzer (Hoyt... [More]
Starring: Zach Galligan, Hoyt Axton, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold
Director: Joe Dante
Reviews for Gremlins
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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An unexpectedly successful skit on Spielberg/Disney movie culture -- that itself became something of a franchise. Full Review |
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Dante gleefully sinks his teeth into the kind of fluffy, sugary, sickly small town fantasy beloved of his pal and sometime producer Spielberg. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Great fun.
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4/4 |
A movie that lives inside our memories of movies, and tramples all over them with a crazed, subversive joy. Full Review |
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3/5 |
Devilishly dark humour and mischief romp. Full Review |
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4/5 |
The pitch black comedy works, and it makes you wonder how a generation of parents took their kids to see this -- as children's entertainment -- without question. Ah, salad days. Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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9/10 |
See website for more details. Full Review |
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The humans are little more than dress-extras for the mechanics. Full Review |
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What's confusing yet ultimately illuminating is the way his gremlins function as a free-floating metaphor, suggesting at separate junctures everything from teenagers to blacks to various Freudian suppressions. Full Review |
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Dante is perhaps the first filmmaker since Frank Tashlin to base his style on the formal free-for-all of animated cartoons; he is also utterly heartless. Full Review |
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1/4 |
Yes, Dante gleefully trashes cliches and sentimental Capra-esque notions, but one should not forget this movie was given a "PG" rating and cynically aimed to draw an audience of small children who would no doubt be terrorized by this myth-shattering film. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Taking a second look back at Joe Dante's career, I realize he was actually one of the most interesting American directors working. Full Review |
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B+ |
Gleefully mischievous and full of dark, magical energy. Full Review |
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3/5 |
No review available.
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2/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
No review available.
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3/5 |
No review available.
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4/5 |
Lot's of fun from start to stop, though Cate's creepy Santa story is a downer.
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CommentLatest News for Gremlins
April 28, 2009:
Joe Dante Talks Gremlins Blu-rays, Sequel 
Here's the good news, "Gremlins" fans: director Joe Dante is sure we'll see a third installment of the franchise at some point. Now for the bad news: he's just as certain he... More...
December 25, 2008:
Further Reading: Seasonal Slaying - The 12 Horrors of Christmas
Thanks to Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol, the Yuletide season has long been associated with ghost stories -- often with hard-won uplift at the end, like Scrooge being... More...
February 07, 2007:
"Goonies 2?" "Gremlins 3?" "Scooby-Doo 3???"
We've been hearing all sorts of rumors about Warner Bros. unleashing a direct-to-video sequel to "The Lost Boys," and that particular project does seem to be moving... More...
December 20, 2006:
RT's Top Holiday Thrillers -- Christmas Countdown, Day Three
Welcome to Day Three of RT's Five Days of Christmas Countdown, in which we serve up a different list each day of the best holiday flicks around. Today, we've got the... More...
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