Gremlins 2: The New Batch – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Gremlins 2: The New Batch

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie1990

35%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A self-aware 1990 sequel where puppet gremlins trash a skyscraper—clever for its time, but mostly a nostalgia trip now.

6.4/10

73%

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Gremlins 2: The New Batch

movie

PG-13, 1990

35%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

A self-aware 1990 sequel where puppet gremlins trash a skyscraper—clever for its time, but mostly a nostalgia trip now.

6.4

73%

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be honest: Gremlins 2 is a weird artifact. It's a self-aware comedy-horror sequel that was clever in 1990 but plays as deeply strange to modern kids. The meta-humor, corporate satire, and cultural references are lost on anyone under 30.

The practical effects are cool if you're into film history, but the pacing is slow by today's standards, and the humor often falls flat. It's not scary enough to be a good horror movie and not funny enough (anymore) to be a great comedy.

If your teen is into film studies or 90s nostalgia, maybe. But for most families? This is a 'Mom and Dad want to rewatch something from their childhood' situation, not a 'let's find something great for the kids' pick. The 59% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes tells the story—it hasn't aged particularly well.

Age Fit

Common Sense Media's 13+ rating is right. The creature violence and scares are too much for younger kids, but most teens will find it too dated and silly to care about. This is really for nostalgic parents who want to revisit a quirky 90s sequel.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

This is a gleefully chaotic comedy-horror where gremlins wreak havoc in a high-tech building. While it's more self-aware parody than the darker original, it still features extensive property destruction, slapstick violence, and gremlins behaving badly. The tone is cartoonish rather than mean-spirited, but it doesn't model kindness or cooperation—it's pure anarchic mayhem. Not emotionally nurturing content.

Imaginative

Joe Dante went full meta-comedy here, creating a self-aware sequel that lampoons corporate culture, media, and even breaks the fourth wall. The gremlins get creative transformations (electric gremlin, spider gremlin, brainy gremlin), and the high-tech skyscraper setting allows for inventive set pieces. It's satirical and playful with genre conventions. However, it's more about enjoying clever chaos than inspiring kids to build or create anything themselves.

Safe

Common Sense Media rates this 13+, and that tracks. While campier than the original, it still has creature violence, scary imagery, some mild innuendo, and gremlins dying in various comic-but-graphic ways (melting, exploding). The PG-13 rating would likely be PG-13 today. Not nightmare fuel for most tweens, but definitely has surprise scares and gross-out moments that would be inappropriate for younger kids stumbling onto it.

Enriching

It's a smart satire of late-80s corporate culture, media manipulation, and consumerism—if you're old enough to catch those references. The meta-humor and genre parody show craft and wit. But for modern kids? Most of the cultural commentary flies over their heads, and the entertainment value is primarily in watching puppets cause destruction. Limited cognitive growth or meaningful takeaways beyond 'this is a weird, funny movie from the 90s.'

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Joe Dante's meta-comedy and fourth-wall breaks show real filmmaking wit and genre savvy
The practical effects and gremlin puppetry are genuinely impressive craftsmanship
Satirizes corporate culture and media in ways that adults can appreciate
Campy, cartoonish tone makes it less genuinely scary than the darker original

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What to Watch For

Creature violence, gremlins dying in graphic (if comedic) ways—melting, exploding, electrocution
Some mild sexual innuendo and dated gender dynamics that feel cringey now
Scary imagery and jump scares that can genuinely frighten younger kids
Cultural references from 1990 that will completely whoosh over modern kids' heads

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think the movie makes fun of itself and breaks the fourth wall?"
"What do you think the gremlins represent—just chaos, or something about how we treat technology?"
"How are the special effects different from what you're used to in modern movies?"

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