Gremlins: Recall

Gremlins: Recall is a fun short made by fans who, like me, are fed up with waiting for Warner Brothers to give us an official third movie (it's been the best part of 30 years since The New Batch).

A company called Wing has created mogwais that can be fed after midnight, soaked, and exposed to bright light, without the proverbial hitting the fan, finally making them the ideal family pet. However, some of the cuddly creatures have proven to be less than perfect; it is up to Owen (Randy Irwin) to collect the recalls and make sure nothing bad happens. Unfortunately, late night diner waitress Claire (Katherine Rodriguez) doesn't realise this and gives the mogwais in Owen's truck a little something to eat...

The creatures themselves might not be quite as animated as those in Joe Dante's movies (I suspect that hiring Chris Walas or Rick Baker's crew wasn't an option), but it doesn't matter that much: it's fun just to see the cute mogwais and mischievous gremlins back on screen again, even if it is just for a few minutes. The acting here isn't at all bad and Ryan Patrick's direction is competent enough: it makes one wish that the film was a bit longer, with a more conclusive ending (and a few more melting gremlins: that part was great!).