Uncork’d Entertainment’s done it again by distributing a CGI creature feature that can rival any movie playing on SyFy late at night. What’s great about that is there’s a tremendous market for movies like Gremlin and it paves the way for Uncork’d to unleash other independent monster movies in the future. I’m here for that, but let me focus on one movie at a time. Gremlin, even with its faults that I’ll get to later, reads like the real life story of The Dibbuk Box meets Cloverfield. Viewers get all sorts of horror subgenres crammed into one movie, and it actually makes sense. Is it the most intelligent plot? Not really, but it gives you a gory creature feature, a supernatural mystery, and a cop drama in one movie.
Gremlin kicks things off right from the start, which features an older couple being preyed upon by the monster. It establishes the drama, the pace, and the legend right away. The monster is imprisoned in a mystical box and it can only leave to feed on human flesh. However, when it notches a certain amount of victims, it’ll be released from its confines to eat all of humanity. The only way to keep it stationary, to keep the curse going, is to pass the box to someone you love. In doing so, the curse will be reset as it re-bonds to another human soul and has to start its killing spree over again.
Adam Hampton (The Jurassic Games), Kirsty K. Boone, Catcher Stair, Mike Page, Katie Burgess, Mike Waugh, Caleb Milby, Kyle Pennington, Connie Franklin, Rachael Messer and Vicki Wilcox star in the film from writer, director and producer Ryan Bellgardt (Army of Frankensteins). It was co-written and co-produced by Josh McKamie and Andy Swanson with Chris Hoyt. Bellgard, Swanson and McKamie also served as visual effects supervisor, editor and cinematographer, respectively. While I’m on the topic of acting and production, let me take a moment to address the performances and CGI. First, I have to say there are some lackluster performances in Gremlin, but I think that’s due to certain characters not having anything exciting to say/do. However, there’s also a tremendous amount of talent here, especially with lead actor Adam Hampton and Kirsty K. Boone. Kirsty absolutely blew me away with her tearful scene in the basement. And the computer generated image of the gremlin… Ah, you know what, it’s really hit or miss throughout the feature, but the last 10 minutes of CGI were incredible. Again, on par with anything SyFy or The Asylum has going on.
The give and take continues into every aspect of this film. Passing on the cursed box to a loved one is an incredibly emotional tug at the viewers heart and is an effective plot progressor and character builder. There’s never been a more dark and disturbing catch in a monster movie. That fact alone, I think, will be enough to draw people to Gremlin. On the flip side, there’s a lot of nonsensical action going on. Whenever a loved one falls victim to the creature, they just keep burying them in the basement like nothing ever happened. It’s unrealistic and, I’m sorry, an example of lazy writing. You can’t have a killer hook, an above average cast, a CGI monster and then drop the ball with illogical and often boring decision making skills. Especially when you have an above average creature to boot! A little more action on screen and more believable reactions from the characters could have propelled Gremlin to a higher level.
Luckily, Gremlin is more than a 50/50 toss-up. When it’s on, it’s on. When it’s not on, it’s still kind of good. That fact, coupled with the fantastic 10 minute climax, makes me inclined to give it a more positive rating. If Pinhead from Hellraiser had a pet, it would be Gremlin! Monster movie fans are going to dig it! Final Score: 6.75 out of 10.
