"Finally seeing Gremlins on the big screen was a real treat"

Gremlins has been my favourite film of all time since the late 80's, I tend to watch it every year, and so when the opportunity arose to watch the 4K restoration of the beloved Creature Feature in 4DX for its 35th Anniversary, I jumped at the chance.

We all know the story, Billy (Zach Galligan) is "bought" a Mogwai; named Gizmo (voiced beautifully by Howie Mandel) for Christmas by his inventor father Rand (Hoyt Axton) from a hidden store in a foggy region of China with three important rules to follow; Don't get him wet, keep him away from bright lights, especially sunshine otherwise it'll kill him and the most important rule, a rule not to be forgotten; don't feed him after midnight.

Unfortunately for Billy and the middle American town of Kingston Falls, Billy's friend Pete (Corey Feldman), whilst attempting to craddle Gizmo accidentally spills some water on the adorable animal, spawning five new Mogwai, led by Stripe (Frank Welker), and the games begin; conspiring with eachother, the five new Mogwai trick Billy into feeding them after midnight, and their true form is unleashed on the unsuspecting town.

Finally seeing Gremlins on the big screen was a real treat, especially in 4K, with the superior vision and sound, as well as the rollercoaster like experience of 4DX.

The film still holds up and the charm is there from when it was originally released in '84; part of what makes Gremlins stand the test of time is the tangible puppetry; these creatures are really there and haven't been tinkered with like other beloved films, the other thing is that this film knows exactly what it is, described as a parody of horror tropes and creature features, Gremlins is a wonderful film from start to finish.

The chemistry between Galligan's Billy and Phoebe Cates' Kate is believable and sweet to watch, you believe them as a couple and it makes you remember just how good an Actress Phoebe Cates is, it's a shame she retired to have a family, she's incredible and sorely missed, however it is understandable.

Gremlins is beautifully written by Chris Columbus and Directed to perfection by Joe Dante, Gremlins has a timeless quality and is an amazing film, lovingly brought to the screen in all its 4K restoration glory, Gremlins holds up and whilst I know all of the beats to the film and its one jump scare, Gremlins is awesome and I'm so glad it wasn't made recently because the creatures would likely be CGI, which automatically dates it, although with the recent success of The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance, perhaps they'll use puppetry for the long talked about continuation, and whilst we wait for a part 3, there is a cartoon series coming soon.