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Review of Gremlins 2: The New Batch (Jerry Goldsmith)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you've always appreciated the first Gremlins
score but seek that foundation of style and themes with more robust
orchestral structures, a devious sense of suspense, and a matured
application of synthetic effects.
Avoid it... if you are deterred by Jerry Goldsmith's detours into the realm of pure silliness, for the personality of the sound effects and rhythmic mayhem in this sequel score, along with tons of source adaptations, is among the quirkiest of his career.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Gremlins 2: The New Batch: (Jerry Goldsmith) It's
been said before, but the lesson from the 1980's still remains; if you
go to America and discover cute little creatures called Mogwais, you
never do two things: feed them after midnight or get them wet. If you
commit the first error, the cute little fuzzball grows into a big
vicious "gremlin" that will act similarly to the monsters in the
Alien series. If you commit the second error, you compound the
problem by causing them to multiply like Star Trek's tribbles.
Either way, expose them to sunshine and your problem is more or less
solved. The original 1984 film Gremlins was a great black comedy
success, and in the era of sequel exploitation, director Joe Dante took
the opportunity to extend himself even further into the slapstick comedy
genre with the somewhat belated 1990 sequel, Gremlins 2: The New
Batch. Instead of taking over the small town of Kingston Falls, the
little beasts cause their mayhem in New York City this time. The first
film's two stars are back to witness the funny carnage, and a large
corporation's skyscraper inspired by the blowhard Donald Trump, in this
case the "Clamp Corporation," is the location invaded by those nasty
gremlins. Once that little bit of story is set up for you, there really
isn't much else to talk about in the plotline, because as in these
Home Alone and Dennis the Menace kinds of films, the
premise exists only to allow the series of gags to commence. The
downfall of the Gremlins sequel was that those gags weren't
really all that different from those already seen, though most would
argue that the second film probably had more deserving victims,
including the otherwise unstoppable Christopher Lee. While making a
reasonable return for the investment, Gremlins 2: The New Batch
wasn't the box office success of its predecessor, but at least the
franchise allowed a short cameo acting role for composer Jerry
Goldsmith, a regular Joe Dante collaborator. After a decade of several
classic scores, Goldsmith was just stepping into the job of slapstick
comedy writer, with the first Gremlins and The 'Burbs
leading a trend that would see Goldsmith venture far into that and the
light drama realms during the first half of the 1990's.
Being no stranger to sequel scores, Goldsmith tackled Gremlins 2 as he did his other sequels, with an entirely different approach than he had with the first film. When Goldsmith wrote the original entry in the franchise, he was nearing the height of his experimentation with synthesizers in an orchestral setting, and the electronically-dominated Gremlins score remains one of the composer's more abrasive, less organic blends. By 1990, however, his techniques at combining those two elements had matured fully, arguably yielding a far more interesting result. In terms of its recording quality, the sequel is thus infinitely superior in its fullness and comparability to later digital-era scores. Those listeners partial towards composer's quirky and memorable main theme for Gremlins who lamented the lack of a fully orchestral performance of that idea are treated to a shift in focus for Gremlins 2. Still employing an excess of synthetic instrumental samples and outright sound effects, the successor features a more robust orchestral presence that is often called upon to balance Goldsmith's Rambo style with Fred Steiner's selection of Warner Brothers cartoon music adapted specifically for this picture. The title and Gizmo themes don't prevail in the sequel as often you might expect, but Goldsmith does provide a collection of complimentary themes along the same stylistic lines and references pieces from the first score when necessary. The highly entertaining "Gremlins Credits" suite was certain to be concert bait, and it has come to often represent both scores in symphonic performances in the years since. Of all of Goldsmith's arguably ridiculous scores (ranging from The 'Burbs to I.Q., with half a dozen in between), it could easily be argued that Gremlins 2 is the wackiest of them all. The malicious nature of the gremlins, along with their funny antics, allows Goldsmith to write comedy in both the major and minor key and at break-neck speeds that are difficult to maintain in most other slapstick films. A certain amount of smirking malevolence, such as in the organ-performed "Gizmo Escapes" (introducing the primary new theme for the sequel, its sneaky progressions repeated again in "Cute") is awfully devious, and Goldsmith wastes no opportunity to use the orchestra to glorify someone's untimely death with an appropriate fanfare. Structurally, Gremlins 2 doesn't differ much from Mom and Dad Save the World and equivalents, though the 1980's drum pads, the quirky sound effects, and the dark intent in most of the cues easily distinguishes Gremlins 2. The sound effects will annoy some listeners, with a cue like "Leaky Faucet" and all of its bells, train whistles, car horns, and other effects sometimes interrupting the music. Likewise, the "Pot Luck" cue lets rip with an ambitious brass motif over broadly swooshing sound effects (similar to those heard in Total Recall the same year), as well as the basketball beat from Hoosiers and Extreme Prejudice. In "Keep It Quiet," a fair amount of First Blood Part II is resurrected (there is, after all, some Rambo worshipping in the film), and in "New Trends," Goldsmith previews the noble optimism of First Knight to finally present the Clamp Corporation fanfare, one of the score's unheralded highlights, in a positive light. On the whole, the score's only major detraction on album for a long time was a severely muted sound quality and short duration due to frustratingly restrictive union rules at the era. Given the crystal clear quality of Goldsmith's concurrent efforts that had been remastered, it was easy to say that Gremlins 2 was a score in dire need of similar treatment, and Varèse Sarabande finally obliged fans in 2015 with not only a fantastic-sounding expanded product, but one that nearly doubled the quantity of material offered. This "Deluxe" product reveals several more original, entertaining cues of mayhem and mystery, though most notable on that product is just how much adapted source material was actually recorded for the film. Even if these silly pop-culture and Warner Brothers references are not your cup of tea, there is plenty added, devious Goldsmith material to warrant your interest. To hear the end credits' irresistible presentation of themes from both scores in superior sound will alone merit your money. Because of the 1990 CD's sound issues, a problem that severely hindered a score that relies so heavily on funky effects, the original Varèse album, despite containing Goldsmith's own preferred arrangement, remains at a three-star rating, but the 2015 successor returns the score to the four stars it deserves. The music may not have the unique compositional quality of The 'Burbs, but it is very entertaining and easily rivals its predecessor.
TRACK LISTINGS:
1990 Varèse Album:
Total Time: 39:25
2015 Varèse Album: Total Time: 76:42
* Previously unreleased ** Contains previously unreleased material
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert of the 1990 album includes no extra information about the score or film.
That of the 2015 album contains extensive notation about both.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Gremlins 2: The New Batch are Copyright © 1990, 2015, Varèse Sarabande, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 3/15/97 and last updated 10/18/15. |
