It’s been almost thirty five years since we saw any semblance of “Gremlins” entertainment rear its scaley head. Now in the midst of reviving old IP’s HBO and Warner take a shot on reviving Joe Dante’s classic film series. “Secrets of the Mogwai” is thankfully built very much in the vein of the classic 1984 film, and less like “The New Batch.” It’s a dark fantasy (with charming animation obviously influenced by LAIKA Studios) with a lot of harrowing action and terror, but also revels in the inherent awe and wonder of Gizmo and the concept of the Gremlins, twisted as they may be.
Set in 1920s Shanghai the series tells the story of how 10-year-old Sam Wing (future shop owner Mr. Wing) met the young Mogwai called Gizmo. Along with a teenage street thief named Elle, Sam and Gizmo take a perilous journey through the Chinese countryside, encountering, and sometimes battling, colorful monsters and spirits from Chinese folklore. On their quest to return Gizmo to his family and uncover a legendary treasure, they are pursued by a power-hungry industrialist named Greene and his growing army of evil Gremlins.
Here, the writers take what little we knew about Gizmo and his species, and opens up a massive, sprawling mythology that takes us deep in to everything from its biology, its origins, and so many more secrets. “Secrets of the Mogwai” takes a darker turn toward the prequel, where it could very well have chosen to water down the whole concept of the Mogwai. I was actually surprised how violent the series gets, despite mostly aiming toward a younger audience. There are appearances from other monsters of Chinese folklore, and the Gremlins are back in full form and by no means watered down. When they wreak havoc, people die. There are even some severed limbs and exploding monsters thrown in for good measure.
Focusing on Mr. Wing’s back story is a wise choice, as it retroactively humanizes the character from the 1984 movie. He’s no longer just a shop keeper selling a caged up creature, but someone who has a massive history attached to the creature we eventually fall in love with. Isaac Wang gives a very spirited and enthusiastic performance as young Sam Wing, an adventurous young child lacking in self confidence who stumbles upon Gizmo. Wang leads a massively impressive cast of mostly Asian actors with supporting turns by BD Wong, Sandra Oh, Bowen Yang, Ming-Na Wen, James Hong, and George Takei, respectively. The highlight, though, is co-star Gabrielle Nevaeh who plays the anti-hero and cohort to Sam, Elle.
While I wish we could have gotten Howie Mandel back to reprise the role of Gizmo, AJ Lacascio does a pretty solid job of portraying the furry hero. He lends some interesting dimensions to the character, as well as enhancing his personality and emotional range in certain moments. I also quite loved Matthew Rhys as the first season’s horrific villain Greene, a British industrialist with a talent for dark magic who is hell bent on retrieving Gizmo for his own nefarious purposes. There are some lingering questions though. It’s explained that Billy named Gizmo when he adopted him, however we learn in the series that he was named Gizmo the whole time.
Are we supposed to just ignore the 1984 story detail when the series leans so heavily on the movie? Will they ever explain this glaring plot hole? “Secrets of the Mogwai” is, all things considered, a breezy ten episode (twenty two minutes a piece) season filled with quick pacing, some great action, brand new monsters, as well as the classic scaley green demons we all know and love, that return in the flesh and thirstier for more carnage than ever.
Premieres Tuesday, May 23rd, on the Max Streaming Service. The first two episodes premiere Tuesday, May 23rd. Following the premiere week, two new episodes will stream every Thursday.