Gremlins 2: The New Batch Blu- ray. A wackier, camp- splitting sequel, sure, but a better AV presentation all around.. Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, April 2.

No one was prepared for Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Skirting every rule, subverting every convention of franchise profiteering and, in many ways, flying in the face of good sequel- making sense, director Joe Dante's second round of Mogwai misadventures split moviegoers, critics and, more to the point, the powers that be at Warner Brothers, some of whom suddenly regretted luring Dante back with the promise of complete script- to- screen control of the project. What followed was a flurry of mixed reviews, legions of bemused moviegoers, and the death rattle of Dante's feature film career. Warner wouldn't come calling again until 2.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and little else, even films made for Universal and Dreamworks, amounted to much.) There wouldn't be a Gremlins 3 either, from Dante or anyone else for that matter, as the studio effectively put the once- wildly popular series- in- the- making out to pasture. But The New Batch isn't a bad film. Not by any means. Ahead of its time perhaps, out of left field most definitely, but not the misfire its disappointing box office totals and polar audience reactions might suggest.

Viciously skewering sequels of all stripes, taking shots at the studio merchandising machine, and even making a string of jokes at the expense of Gremlins itself, Dante's zany follow- up is a madcap, absurdist satire, and still stands as one of the more unconventional, unexpected sequels in Hollywood's storied history. When last we left dear, dutiful Gizmo (voiced by Howie Mandel), the strange, furry creature was back in the care of Chinatown store owner Mr. Wing (Keye Luke) and, once again, safely hidden from the world. Sadly, tragedy soon leaves Gizmo homeless.. Christopher Lee) working at a state of the art Manhattan skyscraper owned by quirky billionaire Donald Clamp (John Glover), CEO of Clamp Enterprises.

As luck would have it, though, Gizmo's old friends Billy (Zach Galligan) and Kate (Phoebe Cates) also work in Mr. Clamp's building, and free Gizmo before Dr. Catheter has a chance to do any permanent damage. Not that it all goes as planned. Before you can say water, food and the stroke of midnight, Gizmo inadvertently spawns another brood of hellions that transform into a vile army of Gremlins, commandeer the Clamp Enterprises tower, and begin using Dr.

Catheter's lab to conduct experiments of their own. Led by an intelligent Gremlin dubbed Brain (Tony Randall), the creatures undergo all sorts of mutations and quickly become an even greater force to be reckoned with.

Now, as Brain prepares to inject his brethren with a super- sunblock serum, it's up to Billy, Kate and Gizmo to stop the Gremlins and save New York City. In some ways, The New Batch is a picture- perfect sequel to Gremlins. Crazier creatures, more chaos, bigger stakes; Dante certainly knew what everyone wanted. In other ways, though, it betrays everything that made the first film the sinewy, mean- spirited smalltown holiday romp it was. Campier, cheesier and battier than the original, Gremlins 2 indulges in self- referential humor and gangly visual gags with an almost reckless abandon. Yet there's method to Dante's madness; or, at the very least, a laser- focused distaste for sequels and movie studios that would so willingly sacrifice artistic integrity on the altar of box office millions. And while the resulting film nearly barrels head first into slapdash parody, it never derails. Watch Adam Online there.

Dante keeps his wits about him, and the wit flowing freely, and even takes the time to tell a proper story. Still, The New Batch plays like one giant flip of Dante's bony middle finger. I told you I didn't want to do a Gremlins sequel! I told you the first film was it. But you wouldn't listen, would you?

All you could see were the returns. The dollar signs. Well fine then.. I'll give you a sequel you won't soon forget..

Never mind the hit- or- miss comedy, the free- fall farce, or the seemingly endless minefield of late- 8. Dante's gutsy, almost frightening mad- hattering blesses (and, for some, curses) The New Batch with the nutty, scattershot charm of a deranged Looney Tunes cartoon. Gremlins sprout everything from spider legs to bat wings to vegetation, a cross- dressing gremme fatale has her way with poor Robert Picardo, and Gizmo even finds time to tie a red band around his head, slap together a flaming arrow or two, and make a transformation of his own, from lovable, huggable teddy bear to a pint- sized John Rambo. Along the way, the Gremlins raid the projection booth and interrupt the film (don't worry, the Hulkster sets things right), Billy's neighbor Mr. Futterman realizes he wasn't going insane after all, and beastie after beastie gets bashed, slapped, shot, stabbed, crushed, and electrocuted to increasingly harebrained effect. The sequel doesn't surge so much as it skips from goofy episode to goofier episode, with little of the darkness or horror Dante nurtured in the original film. Gremlins 2 is a comedy first and a satire second, with horror coming in at a distant fifth.

It's funny, sure. But even twenty- two years later, it isn't in the same league as the original. That said, the right hook it delivers is worth the cost of admission alone, to say nothing of the ballsy shots Dante takes at sequels, American consumerism and corporate inanity. And who could level a complaint against Gizmo? Even at its worst, The New Batch blazes anew whenever the lionhearted Mogwai lets loose his adorable little battle cries.

Much as I adore the original Gremlins, its dim and dreary VC- 1 encoded Blu- ray presentation wasn't the revelation I was hoping it would be. I'm happy to report the same can't be said of the sequel's 1. AVC MPEG- 4 transfer, which took me by surprise and surpassed my meager expectations. Colors are loud and lively, with vicious reds, rowdy greens, electrifying blues and sinister, pitch- black shadows. Contrast is strong and consistent throughout, skintones are usually dead on (save a few exceptions), and delineation is satisfying, even though cinematographer John Hora tends to frequent far darker realms than Dante. Detail steals the show, though, with frighteningly fine- tuned textures, a crisp field of tasteful grain, and clean edge definition (without any ringing to speak of).

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Just look at Brain's scales and spikes, Mohawk's spindly spider legs, Gizmo's fur, the veggie Gremlin's roots and leafy skin, even the intricacies of Billy's drawings. It all looks great, despite the fact that heavy shadows sometimes press in and obscure delicate details.

There's a bit of crush, of course, albeit nothing that really detracts from Dante's vision or the integrity of Hora's original photography. It helps that artifacting, banding, aliasing and other anomalies are nowhere to be found; only the film's more complex visual effects show significant age, and there's little any presentation could do about that. All things considered, I was elated upon seeing the fruits of Warner's labor. Warner's DTS- HD Master Audio 5. Dialogue - - human, Mogwai or Gremlin; panicked, sing- songy, or garbled and guttural - - is clear, engaging and nicely prioritized in the mix, and there isn't a line, hum or growl that misses its mark. LFE output is firm and forceful, embracing the erupting chaos, exploding beakers, gunshots, spider chases, and Gremlin attacks with spunk and surety.