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gizmo3d.jpg

Who Wants Gremlins 3D?

By Miscellaneous | | January 25, 2010 |

By Miscellaneous | | January 25, 2010 |


Here are some facts:

  • Every film franchise that hasn’t yet had a Part 3 will eventually be rumored to be getting one.
  • Every one of these rumored threequels will “reportedly” be “said” to be getting the 3D treatment, which is the only reason the studio wants to make said threequel.
  • Joe Dante has made a 3D film you’ve never seen called The Hole, which has been named the best 3D film of 2009 by a jury at the Venice Film Festival.
  • Joe Dante loves movie theater gimmicks, as evidenced with his William Castle homage Matinee.
  • Joe Dante is one of the most underrated filmmakers of our generation, and he deserves more work.

Now here is something an unreliable website probably made up based on all those facts:

  • “I have very good information from a top source that tells me another GREMLINS movie is coming to the silver screens and it will be in stereoscopic 3D!”

Yes, that would be a great, appropriate next step for Dante’s career. And I’m all for it. But he hasn’t heard anything about it as of yet. So don’t get your hopes up. Warner Bros. would be stupid to do a Gremlins 3, in 3D or not, without Dante at the helm, and I’m sure they know that.

Has someone at the studio said the words, “we should do another Gremlins in 3D”? I’d bet a billion bucks on it. But that isn’t news. I’m sure some exec has also said, “we should do another Caddyshack in 3D,” and another has said, “we should remake The Goonies with the idea of turning it into a new franchise.”

That’s what studio execs do, they sit around saying stupid shit like that, because what else are they going to do, brainstorm an original idea?

Let’s see if any other bloggers are into the idea of a Gremlins 3D:

  • Krystal Clark at ScreenCrave:
    It would be great to get the old gang back together including executive producer Steven Spielberg and writer Chris Columbus. They were like the dream team of horror comedy.
  • Matt Holmes at Obsessed with Film:
    Hey, you know usually I’m the doom and gloom guy. No remakes/no sequels at least 95% of the time but I’m actually fully in favour of Gremlins getting the 3-D experience. Though it must strictly be puppetry over CGI - that is a crucial. It also mustn’t be a remake - just simply the third movie in the franchise. It also needs to play with new ground but at the same time in-keeping with the hilarious comedy and outrageously fun horror tone from the original.

    By hiring someone like Edgar Wright to write and direct - Warner Bros. would be almost there.

  • John Gholson at Cinematical:
    I’d love to see a new Gremlins film, and I don’t need the prospect of 3-D to get happy about it. If some Mogwai break the rules, turn themselves into Gremlins, and terrorize people, I am so there.
  • Mark at I Watch Stuff:
    Sure, if you look at this as another studio attempt to cash in on a known franchise’s name recognition and nostalgia factor with an ill-conceived, unnecessary sequel, it’s depressing. But if you look at it as a chance for you to add one more complete set of Gremlins movie trading cards to your collection, what a joy!

  • Wookie Johnson at Screen Junkies:
    Dante has said in the past that he doubts he’ll be welcomed back for another Gremlins film after the cartoonish direction he took with Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Does that mean we’ll see a grittier Gremlins? Instead of water, will they reproduce when splashed with the blood of the innocent? Will Gizmo now be voiced by Christian Bale?? Actually, I kind of like that. Someone get Robert Rodriguez on this!

  • James White at Empire:
    And leaving aside our thoughts on whether we really want any more Gremlin outings (if Joe Dante himself couldn’t make the sequel consistently entertaining, we’re not sure anyone else should bother), the idea of the scaly troublemakers causing havoc in 3D does have a warped appeal.
  • Paul Tassi at JoBlo.com:
    Did I like the old GREMLINS movies? Sure. Do I want to see more of them clawing at my face in 3D? Eh.

    Asking for original properties in Hollywood these days is like shaking your fist at the sun, telling it to stop being so damn bright all the time, so I won’t complain too much more about another old franchise being zombiefied. Just put some effort in, make a real go of it and maybe I’ll give you $12.

  • Devindra Hardawar at /Film:
    The big controversy with this project — which has also popped up several times in the past — lies with the implementation of puppetry versus CG. It’s futile to hope for a completely CG-free experience, especially since the studio is aiming for 3-D. Instead, I’m hoping for a more seamless combination of puppetry and CG — perhaps similar to what we saw in Where the Wild Things Are on a much smaller scale.

  • Merrill Barr at The Film Stage:
    First of all, one key player that NEEDS to be on this project in order for it to succeed is Steven Spielberg, who exec. produced the original films. I completely side with Dante as well on the CG argument. Normally, I would say go for it, but, part of the Mogwai’s charm (before they mutate that is) is that they look like stuffed animals. You would never be able to replicate that with CG. I would also much rather see a remake or reboot rather then a sequel. Restart the franchise with a new Billy and new Gizmo. That is probably the best option at this point.
  • Meredith Woerner at io9:
    Are we happy about the rumored return of the Gremlins? Yes and no. We truly enjoy Dante’s work and would love to see more films from him as soon as possible. But — and this is a big but — we have zero desire to see a CG or mo-cap Gremlins. Part of the charm was that they are puppets. And bringing them back in this day and age, you can almost count on each creature being made on a computer. So we’re for the return of Gremlins, if and only if it’s entirely puppet-made.
  • Ross Miller at ScreenRant:
    I only remember parts of the original two Gremlin movies since the last time I saw them my age was still in the single-digit figures. However, I don’t know if I’d want to see another installment - didn’t they say all that needed to be said with the first two?
  • Vince Mancini at FilmDrunk:
    Avatar is ruining everything. Didn’t I tell you Avatar was going to ruin everything? No one ever listens to me. *kicks empty can* […] I can only hope that Gremlins in 3D is as an immersive experience as Avatar was, and that the Avatards leave the theater depressed that they have to go back to living in a gray world without malevolent party lizards.
  • Ethan Anderton at First Showing:
    Usually I’m up for giving remakes a chance to see what their all about, but this has disaster written all over it for several reasons. First: flmmaking today doesn’t allow for a Gremlins film to have the same charm and impact it once had in the 80’s. The horror/comedy is all but extinct with very few actually getting it right recently (Shaun of the Dead, and even bits of Jennifer’s Body come to mind as the most successful). It was the 80’s when other such horror comedies as An American Werewolf in London, Beetlejuice, The ‘Burbs, and even Killer Clowns from Outer Space shared a happy, and homegrown combination of spooks and laughs. Now is not the time.

    Second, technological advancements in special effects combined with a desire for 3-D almost guarantee that the crafty use of puppetry, that made the original Gremlins such tangible and thus creepier little monsters, will be thrown out the window. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t think I can handle seeing a Gremlins movie without slimy little puppets, and especially without a super cute fuzzy animatronic Gizmo. Making a Gremlins movie without the trademark puppetry is as disastrous as feeding the Mogwai after midnight.