Gremlins Change

Some people are so scared of change, they don't even want to change change. (If you don't get the pun, we're talking about money, guys.)

We're here to talk about something else that is green like money: Gremlins. They're not nearly as dangerous as money. Have you ever heard someone say gremlins are the root of all evil? Didn't think so.

The gremlins are scary because they signify things are changing. Gremlins is a movie about fear, and its characters fear many things. They fear foreignness. They fear change. And they fear getting eaten alive by something that starts out cute, then enters a grotesque cocoon and comes out a monster.

Hmm. That's one time a fear of change is perfectly valid.

Questions About Change

1. Is this film an allegory for a fear of change? What might the gremlins stand for that is changing in society at the time?
2. Other than physical appearance, how are the gremlins different before and after their mutation?
3. What are the three rules that make a mogwai change? Does Billy ever knowingly break these rules?
4. Does Gizmo change during the course of the movie?

Chew on This

Some people, like Mr. Futterman, believe that their society needs to watch out and actively be against change. Billy doesn't believe this. His carelessness brings about change faster.

Change is seen as definitively bad in this movie, because the gremlins changing brings nothing good to Kingston Falls.