Gremlins (1984 film)

"Gremlins" is the sort of film whose best traits also work hard against it. Its cartoonish violence was criticized on release, but its bigger issue is its willingness to just stop and follow characters as they do whatever, which is fine worldbuilding but results in our main characters being offscreen for minutes at a time with little to show for the added runtime (Joe Dante claims the rough cut was 160 minutes, and I believe it). That worldbuilding pays off when the gremlins tear it down, and almost all is forgiven when the film bares its devilish side. Dumb and fun.

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