Culture Dump: The Superior Sequel - Gremlins 2: The New Batch

The Film

Audiences had to wait six years for Director Joe Dante to follow up 1984’s Christmas critter classic Gremlins and what they got wasn’t exactly what they were expecting. This manic metropolitan movie ditched the traditional sequel formula in favor of a buck-trending, anti-movie that relished in sticking two slimy green fingers up at not just movie fans and pop culture trends - but the people that make those movies and trends too. Spielbergian family frightener, this was not. Dante and co left the quaintness of part one in Kingston Falls - this was New York and 1990’s Gremlins 2: The New Batch was a different beast entirely, bolder and better than its predecessor. 

The Proof

Where to start? The bigger, crazier and more chaotic philosophy of sequels is sent into overdrive with Dante and writer Charles S. Haas throwing anything and everything at the wall to see what sticks. However it’s likely the film’s ‘self aware’ qualities are what first signified that this was something perhaps a little too ahead of its time for the audience that received it. Meta references may be ten-a-penny in 2018 but 28 years ago they were hardly common place. The Gremlins’ mid-movie multiplex takeover - complete with Hulk Hogan cameo (or a John Wayne re-edit if you’re watching at home) - is an early warning sign but by the time Dante gets to shutting down Kate’s (Phoebe Cates) stock sob story before the film’s shocking climax, the writing’s on the wall. This is far from business as usual. 

The Last Word

Let’s be honest, Gremlins 2: The New Batch is hardly going to get the mainstream recognition it deserves - ‘schlocky, monster movie sequel’ doesn’t exactly scream critical acclaim. Yet stick the movie on 28 years later and it’s hard not to get sucked right in. Lots of great movies were released in 1990 so the fact that we’re still talking about this film at all is in itself a triumph. This could be down to a lot of things: a nostalgia factor, for sure but the film’s dry humour, eye-popping practical effects and complete smirking disregard for everything that lured fans in in the first place makes it less of a straight follow-up and more of a mutated relative. The ambition of Dante and his crew was high, perhaps higher than it even needed to be for a film like this (Key and Peele’s brilliant Gremlins 2 sketch sums this up perfectly) but it’s because of this that the film has endured and proven itself as a truly superior sequel.

Can you think of any other superior sequels? Let me know in the comments section below!