Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Stream on HBO Max
Runtime: 1 Hour and 47 Minutes
Rated PG-13
"Yes, I'd say it's a full scale panic. Are you having a run on the banks there yet? Well, it's rather brutal here. We're advising our clients to put everything they've got into canned food and shotguns."
You were warned to follow the rules. Don’t expose him to bright light. Don’t get him wet. And whatever you do, NEVER feed him after midnight! But obviously, someone didn’t listen. Gizmo, Billy, Kate, Mr. Fudderman, and a mischievous horde of gremlins are back! This time, they’re taking a bite out of the Big Apple, where the city that never sleeps is about to get a rude awakening!
Themes:
Rules, malfunctions, technology, New York, little touches, television, chasing your dreams, genetic research, gremlins, mayhem, destruction, civilization, family, heroes, being pushed to your limit, humor, and love.
Language:
`D*mn - 1 Hell - 2 Religious Exclamation - 7
Stuff to be aware of: (Some of this is considered spoiler territory, but I try to keep things ambiguous)
Alcohol and Drugs - One character smokes in just about every scene she is in.
During a few scenes, characters smoke and drink.
A woman on a cooking show drinks sherry.
A gremlin smokes a cigar.
Gross - Watching gremlins eat can be a fun experience.
When the gremlins get wet, small boils grow on their back and gremlins come out. It’s great 90s practical effects.
At the end of the movie, the gremlins melt, exposing skeletons in a gross display of what movies were like before CGI.
LGBTQ - None
Scary - This one is about the same level of scariness as the original; however, the spider-gremlin is a bit on the creepy side.
There is a giant spider in a tank that is briefly seen.
There are some jump scares; gremlins jump out of places and attack people.
Multiple people get bitten by gremlins, and there is a little blood but nothing graphic.
Sexual - Billy and Kate live together, but are not married. Conversations about getting married take place.
A woman tries to get a man to cheat on his girlfriend by taking him to dinner. She tries to rub her foot in his crotch under the table. She tries to kiss him on the lips before he leaves, but she misses and hits his cheek.
The flasher gremlin returns with his trench coat.
There is a movie playing in the background of a scene with naked women; however, no private body areas are actually seen. It’s an old black and white movie.
There is a scene in which a man is seen in his boxers as he puts on his pants.
A woman says she didn’t “get to first base” with a male character.
Violence/Gore - The violence and gore level is about the same as the original. I’ll note more intense scenes here.
A mogwai comically bites a man’s nose.
A gremlin holds up a torn electric wire to torture Gizmo.
A gremlin places a mouse trap in a woman’s sandwich. You hear a snap and a woman screaming, but do not see the outcome of the accident.
A gremlin gets sucked into a paper shredder and gross slime and nasty goo get sprayed everywhere.
A gremlin scratches a man’s forehead, causing him to bleed.
A man is killed by lightening, its not very graphic just bright.
A gremlin is seen on fire and burning up. This is shown up close, but it’s practical effects, so not too graphic.
Religion - None
Other - A character mentions suicide in a flippant way.
Overall:
Seeing It With Your Family
In some ways, the sequel is a bit less scary than the original. The comedy is dialed up considerably, making the gremlins seem more comical than frightening. There is, however, one creepy exception! One of the gremlins transforms into a giant spider, and the result is downright terrifying! Thankfully, he doesn’t have much screen time, but he is easily scarier than any of the other gremlins.
Compared to the sexual jokes, language, and adult themes found in many movies today, Gremlins 2 feels relatively tame. While there are still some moments that might frighten younger viewers, if your child made it through the first movie without much trouble, they can likely handle this one as well.
What I Thought
As a kid, I had Gremlins 2: The New Batch on VHS and watched it more than the original. In fact, I actually liked it more than the first movie. Why? More humor, Gizmo dressing up as Rambo, and Gremlins gaining strange powers or transforming into bizarre creatures depending on what they got into in the Splice O' Life Lab. What wasn't there for a kid to love? As an adult, however, I see the original as a Gremlins movie and the sequel as the meta-movie that it is. I still love it just as much as the original, but I've come to appreciate how incredibly different these two movies are.
One thing I particularly love about Gremlins 2 is how it pokes fun at the rules established in the original movie and even makes fun of the original itself. It's almost as if director Joe Dante set out to make a meta-satire that deliberately mocks the first film, sequel tropes, and corporate studio culture. Which, apparently, is exactly what he did!
What's funny is that it works perfectly! The absurdity and self-aware humor fit right in with the dark, mischievous spirit of Gremlins. Somehow, Dante managed to create a sequel that is completely different from the original while still capturing the same heart and spirit that made the first movie so enjoyable. It's rare for a sequel, especially one that wasn't originally planned as part of a larger story, to live up to its predecessor. Yet Gremlins 2 manages to be just as good as the original, only for entirely different reasons. Rather than simply trying to recreate what worked the first time, it embraces the opportunity to do something completely different. And that's exactly why I think Gremlins 2 is not only a worthy sequel but also a fantastic addition to the Gremlins canon.