Tremors: Films (1990— )

Tremors: Films (1990 - 2018)

01. Tremors (1990)

Dir. Ron Underwood

Sometimes no matter how low the budget or silly the concept everything in a film gels and the final product is more than the sum of its parts. The first Tremors film is a perfect example of that.

It takes place in a small town in Nevada called Perfection. The town doesn't quite live up to its name when something big and hungry turns up unexpectedly and starts devouring the citizens.

Among the townspeople are two happy-go-lucky "handy men", namely Val McKee and Earl Bassett (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, respectively), who together help keep the film rolling at all times.

Extra praise for Michael Gross as the gun-happy Burt. You'd maybe not want Burt on your friends list, but in a crisis I'd have him on speed dial.

02. Tremors 2:
Aftershocks (1996)

Dir. S. S. Wilson

The first direct-to-video sequel for the franchise has no Bacon in it (i.e. Kevin), but the characters of Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) and Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) both return for seconds.

Earl's experience with the Graboids has left him with some issues — even thinking about the subterranean menaces makes him edgy — so he's not best pleased when some out-of-towners (from a different arse-hole of nowhere) have a Graboid problem and want his 'expert' help.

Earl's paired with a guy named Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin), a younger man who's not the sharpest tool in the box. Grady isn't as memorable as Val was but, crucially, nor is he an underwhelming replacement either.

The drama is a little flat until Burt rolls into the action with his mobile armoury. From that point on it's almost as much fun as the first film - almost, but not quite. No matter, because being a sequel means an attempt is made to upstage the previous Precambrian threat with a new, more dangerous one in the form of what the man with a plan calls "a whole new ball game" to keep the team occupied. That ball game is mostly made of rubber/latex, etc, with just a little ropey CGI.

03. Tremors 3:

Back to Perfection (2001)

Dir. Brent Maddock

It's been over a decade since the last human was torn apart by a giant worm in Perfection Valley, so understandably everyone is feeling pretty safe in the Graboid capital of the world. Everyone, that is, except minor military celebrity Burt Gummer, who's on high alert every minute of every day. It's a good thing someone is, because the giant worm shit hasn't finished hitting the fan just yet.

Some new faces take a large role, while some old faces return in smaller roles. There's a slight swing toward a more comedic side of things, but otherwise the formula is largely the same as before, which, for me, is a good thing.

Alongside battling creatures, tactician Burt has to contend with a different kind of monster, the kind you can't just shoot: Federal bureaucracy.

NOTE: the short-lived Tremors TV Series (2003) is set chronologically after events in Tremors 3. I'll link to thoughts on it HERE when it posts.

04. Tremors 4:
The Legend Begins (2004)

Dir. S. S. Wilson

There was always an underlying Western genre feeling to the Tremors series. The fourth film takes that feeling further still by going back to the year 1889 for a Nevada-set "Wild West" prequel story that's as familiar as it is different. There's a dusty frontier town, a small community, a Chang's Market and a man named Gummer.

At heart, it's a story of self-worth, of becoming the man you'd hope to be in the face of danger, with a backdrop of comedic and ironic contrasts that rely on knowledge of previous films. It uses established Western genre traits in a similar manner, including its own grim gunfighter and, perhaps most notably, a typical siege scenario.

It's not a perfect film, but the return to more rubber and less CGI was a very welcome one.

05. Tremors 5:
Bloodlines (2015)

Dir. Don Michael Paul

Previously the worms had been seen only in the Northern Hemisphere; Bloodlines changes that, shifting locale to the Southern Hemisphere.

Burt, the foremost authority on the Graboid life-cycle and on how best to kill each one, has kind of sold out, pedalling himself on a weak homemade survivalist show. Extreme biker and videographer Travis (Jamie Kennedy) turns up and assumes the role of unwanted sidekick. Together the two men go 'BIG-game' hunting in South Africa.

I didn't think I'd ever seen Jamie Kennedy before, but a scan of IMDB proved me wrong. Of his 100+ credits I've seen three, all of which I either turned off before the end or outright hated.

Such a small sample is not enough to form a lasting opinion with, but his presence in Bloodlines didn't win me over, either. He wasn't awful, but he brought nothing interesting to the role.

The draw for me was Burt, but the decision to have him speak often in cliché one-liners was overdone, making him sometimes seem like a doppelganger that lacked the true Burt's charm.

Furthermore, the semi-push into a more aggressive 'creature feature' and occasional night-time horror movie vibe made me feel that with part five the series had lost its way. It'd been forcibly changed into something that it never was before, and had it been that thing from the beginning it might never have made it this far. But even if it had, I wouldn't have made the journey with it.

06. Tremors 6:

A Cold Day in Hell (2018)

Dir. Don Michael Paul

Done with South Africa, the setting moves to the snowy Canadian arctic. While digging for core samples in the ice, scientists encounter the giant menaces. Meanwhile, back in Perfection, current manager of Chang's market, Burt Gummer, is having major problems with the IRS.

For reasons that I won't go into, the team must capture a live specimen, which means a bait and trap scenario. But story aside, the direction is annoying and the framing frequently sucks. It's fun seeing Burt, even when he's a shadow of his former self, but yet again Jamie Kennedy is mostly wasteful - he's not even a very good foil.

Of the new cast, Valerie McKee (Jamie-Lee Money), the daughter of characters from the first Tremors film, is the most memorable.

The references to previous films is a nice addition, but, alas, A Cold Day in Hell is probably only worth seeking out if you're a big fan of the series.