Gremlins 2: The New Batch Blu-ray Review

You can't keep a gremlin down – well, unless you have a bright light or a microwave or a power tool. Hell, even a flaming bottle of white out'll do it. Come to think of it, you can keep a gremlin down, but that doesn't make the sequel to Gremlins any less fun.

But let's be honest – Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a pretty strange sequel to Gremlins. It's like if Scream were a direct sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street. Not to say that Gremlins 2 is a bad film, not by a long shot. Rather, it was a risky endeavor, and as the box office numbers show ($153 million for Gremlins vs. $41 million for Gremlins 2), the world wasn't ready for a sequel as blatantly meta as Gremlins 2.

If you recall, and I really hope you do, the first Gremlins was actually a pretty scary little slice of horror-comedy, especially if you were a kid. In between the Capraesque Christmas visuals, the quirky characters and odd sense of humor, there were quite a few scares. Stripe was a terrifying nemesis, and that scene in the school was particularly creepy. And that final shot of Stripe melting away – that image will never leave my brain.

A great many critics (including Leonard Maltin), however, thought the film was mean-spirited and cruel, and the horror didn't sit well with the comedy. While they are completely wrong, it seems that sentiment struck a chord with director Joe Dante. Enter Gremlins 2: The New Batch, a film that spins the potential franchise on its heels, focusing more on comedy and quirk than actual horror.

While, on some levels, this is disappointing for those who loved the classy blend of freakish horror and bizarre comedy from the first outing, it does make for an interesting, and often very funny, sequel. The New Batch is set a few years after the first film. Gizmo manages to meet up with Billy Peltzer once more, and like the last time, he hatches a new batch of evil Mogwai (What's wrong with Gizmo? Why does he create so many evil Mogwai?). Peltzer now works in a giant automated skyscraper, and naturally, the gremlins have a field day tearing the place apart.

The film both pokes fun at the future of automation, suggesting it will be our undoing (boy was this message ahead of its time), while offering more than a few meta jokes, mostly at the expense of the first film, and horror cinema as a whole. In some ways, considering the meta humor and over-the-top quirky characters, the film almost plays like a Community prototype, toying with genre conventions while poking fun at itself for relying on so many genre cues.

The effects are also top notch. The spider-gremlin is a particular highlight. The characters actually manage to grow a bit from the first film, especially Gizmo, who humorously takes control of the gremlin situation toward the final act. And the supporting cast is just terrific, especially John Glover as the Trump-esque egomaniacal billionaire ruling the wayward skyscraper, and Dick Miller, returning as Mr. Futterman. Even the cameos, including a quick interlude with Hulk Hogan and a brief self-referential bit from Leonard Maltin, are downright wonderful.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is an underrated sequel that's gotten better, and funnier, with age. While it's not nearly as scary as the first outing, it still has it where it counts. Now, if only Warner would consider a sequel to Gremlins instead of a remake. The world is ready for more classic Gremlin mayhem.

The sequel comes to Blu-ray presented in 1080p/AVC, mixed in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The original Gremlins Blu-ray leaves much to be desired. Draped in hazy visuals, there's very little depth or allure to that presentation. The sequel, thankfully, looks considerably better. Image depth and details are far more striking. Color is bolder and more enticing. And the encode yields less noise than before. While Gremlins 2 still looks a touch soft at times, likely intentionally so, the transfer here is eons better than the first film.


Audio is also an improvement over the original film. Surrounds, while a bit dated compared to newer mixes, are much more engaging and aggressive here. Dialogue is a bit sharper and cleaner, too. And bass is surprisingly meaty, punctuating the film's more action-orientated beats. Jerry Goldsmith's rockin' score is also well balanced and wonderfully spread among the five-channel sound field. A few high-end crackles in the dialogue did pop up every now and then, though, but they didn't distract from this otherwise exciting, enjoyable lossless track.

Extras have been ported over from the DVD. Sadly, nothing new has been added – not even the DVD Gremlins fan film (the first video above) or its complementary making of video (the second video above) that director Joe Dante wanted to include for this release.

The disc does offer some decent extras, though. There's a pretty great commentary track with Joe Dante, writer Charlie Haas, producer Michael Finnell and actor Zach Galligan. There's also a vintage featurette, a gag reel, roughly 20 minutes of deleted scenes, an alternate home video sequence, and a trailer. Pretty great stuff overall, worth revisiting even if you watched it once or twice on DVD.

Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a great meta horror-comedy. It focuses less on scares, but makes up for it with great effects, a hilarious story, and awesome supporting characters. If you were soured by the film when it was first released, give it a spin now that it's come to Blu-ray. And if you're a fan, buy this Blu-ray before I sic a gremlin on you.

(For more Gremlin videos like the ones above, be sure to check out our review of Gremlins on Blu-ray!)


"What we want is, I think, what everyone wants, and what you and your viewers have: civilization.." Follow R.L. Shaffer on Twitter and Facebook for quotes, rants, reviews, news and the occasional photo of his cat.

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