I first saw this film when I was 5 and I am ashamed to say that it scared me. It's just a tad too violent and scary for younger children but it's great family entertainment and there are dozens of in-jokes for film-buffs to spot. <br /><br />Not only is Gremlins a very original and inventive film the animatronic effects are ahead of it's time and way cool. Anyone who is not totally overcome by Gizmo's cuteness and his cool little song must have a heart of stone. The gremlins themselves are nothing but big grins with arms and legs. Their idea of having fun is smashing everything. Who can't agree with and identify with that. <br /><br />I have never seen any of the cut scenes and I hope that in a future DVD special edition they will be included along with the sub-plot about Mrs. Deagle building a Nuclear Power plant in Kingston Falls.<br /><br />This was one of Joe Dante's first movies and you can tell that everything he grew up with and movies he studied as a child are on-screen in Gremlins. A perfect movie made by the right director.