Gremlin

Gremlin, a story about a rather dangerous box, was surprisingly entertaining. I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting, although since it was listed with a comparable movie of "Gremlins", I was at least expecting a few more giggles. There were a few giggles to be had, but Gremlin doesn't try to be anything other than a horror- movie you rubberneck at. And that is to its credit. The exact premise is one that I don't actually think I've come across before. It's amazing how sometimes just a small tweak can add a new dimension to something. 

Adam Hampton proved strong in the male lead role, and I found myself rooting for him even when though he wasn't really a particularly likable character. His wife, Julie Thatcher, was played by Kristy K. Boone. Boone's performance had moments when it was fairly strong, but wavered frequently. I think if Katie Burgess, who played the daughter, did a good job, but wasn't able to bring out her full potential. The rest of the supporting cast, apart from the brother and the main detective, were unmemorable. Catcher Stair, who played the young boy, Charlie Thatcher, gave the weakest performance of the lot. It felt like the child had no real desire to be in the movie, and his character was almost a cardboard cutout as a result.

Gremlin had a surprisingly high production quality with some solid cinematography for their budget. Unfortunately, it was hampered by some regrettably bad special effects at some points.  Thankfully, the special effects were relatively few, and most of the on-screen magic was a CGI 'Gremlin' that wasn't horrible. I've seen, much, much worse. It looked interesting, and watching it go after the various actors was a good bit more entertaining that you would think. 

The main problem I had with it was that some of the decisions that family members make are just flat-out stupid. And not only stupid, but stupid stuck on a loop. I found myself yelling at the screen at least twice when watching it. (Upside, I was involved enough in what I was watching that I actually did yell at the screen?)

Overall, Gremlin was a pleasant surprise to watch. I've got the attention span of a flea, and I found myself wanting to see how things ended. It wasn't a great movie, by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't bad. I don't regret watching it, and might even tune in for a re-watch at some point!

Disclaimer: I received a screener of this film from October Coast Publicity for review consideration. This did not influence my review in any way.

A good concept, not an original one but with a real potential to be both fun and scary, and a creepy-looking DVD cover were what drew me into seeing 'Gremlin' in the first place. Also do have a high appreciation for horror/sci-fi, and thee are a fair share of good to great, even classic, examples.

'Gremlin' is not to be confused with the 1984 film (a great one) of the same name, either as a film or in assuming it is connected to that film. They have nothing in common other than the title. Seeing 'Gremlin', it has its good points, that stop it from being a complete shambles, but a lot of bad ones that stop it from living up to its concept. There are certainly far worse films in the genre and overall and it didn't leave me angry or cringing, just that it is very underwhelming that doesn't do a good job with its objectives of being fun or scary.

There are good points. The creature effects are surprisingly competent and the monster does evoke some genuine creepiness. 'Gremlin' has moments of excitement, creepiness and suspense, like with the Anna and the monster confrontation.

It's effectively lit and shot too sometimes. The soundtrack has eeriness when it isn't being intrusive or obvious.

Sadly, too many things bring it down. The acting ranges from barely adequate to embarrassing, worst of all being Kristy K. Boone whose performance was all over the place. The characters are uninteresting and annoying, with naively silly and sometimes illogical decision making and behaviours, a primary example being with the police.

Excitement, thrills, creepiness and suspense are too far and between. The scares are generally not enough and suffer from predictability and lack of tension. The lack of atmosphere makes the pacing suffer, giving 'Gremlin' a dull feel frequently. The story is far too minimal, another thing that affects the pacing with the padding and over-stretching, bland and often ridiculous.

Rest of the visual effects are pretty bad and the editing is sloppy, also too many instances of the camera work being unfocused and the sound/soundtrack killing the atmosphere with over-obviousness. The direction is not a hack job as such, but there is very little distinguished about it.

Overall, 'Gremlin' wasn't irredeemable but it underwhelms. 3/10 Bethany Cox

The survival instincts of the characters of this creature feature were worse than a zerg rush. It seems that literally the family fighting the creature threw every member at it trying to beat it. Because they are not murderers. The family doesnt even hardly fight the thing its like the characters gave up at the beginning.

The creature is about the size of a chihuahua. Its hard to be intimidated by it. Lets imagine this put a chihuahua on chopstick stilts and give it butt knives anyone who was not caught of guard should be able to kick or swat it away in which the the teen daughter shows this is possible and the 9ish son tosses it. So this in the end is like the wilderness magazine that tried to pass off the 15 minks as a life or death struggle.

So they really need to focus on better creatures or make the creatures behave in ways that make them more threatening

If you enjoyed The Gate (1987) you will enjoy this.

The acting is low caliber, but it doesn't detract from the movie. I've seen worse acting in recent Hollywood blockbusters.

Definitely worth a watch.

This is an ok horror movie. a story that isn't full of surprises or anything so you see where it is going but the acting isn't as bad as in most of these such flicks and there's some really good jump scares.