The movie Tremors became popular even though it was a bit silly and cheesy at times. I have seen the movie several times and really enjoy it. Tremors 2: Aftershocks was a straight to video release and while it wasn’t as good as the first movie, it was still entertaining. In 2001, a second straight to video sequel, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, was released.

Eleven years after the graboids were discovered in Perfection, Burt returned home after going to Argentina to deal with a graboid that had turned into shriekers. Burt was still taking precautions against future graboid attacks even though there hadn’t been any around in eleven years. Everyone else in town just sort of ignored him, so they were all surprised when graboids turned up again. Jack, who had recently arrived in town to start up a tour for tourists connected to graboids, jumped into helping Burt deal with the new problem. Jody used the graboids as part of her business at the general store by selling all sorts of graboid related items, including comic books. Dealing with the new graboid threat was made complicated by the fact that the government stepped in to protect them under the endangered species act. The graboids turned into shriekers and then evolved once again into a new threat.

Tremors 3: Back in Perfection picked up eleven years after the events of the first movie. I have no idea how much time had passed since the second movie. Really the only thing from the second movie that carried into this movie was the way the graboids would change into shriekers after a certain amount of time. Burt was prepared to deal with graboids and even the shriekers, but he was once again unprepared when the creatures changed yet again. Perfection was much like it had been in the first movie, though there were a few changes. Some new people were town and some of the ones no longer there were briefly mentioned. The town had become a bit of a tourist attraction because of the graboids, something that Jody and Jack were trying to cash in on. It was interesting to see Perfection and some of the residents again.

Perfection was still a small town, but it had become a bit of a tourist attraction because of the graboids and some were trying to take advantage of that. Jody was trying to make a living from the general store she inherited from her uncle Walter. He had been a character in the first movie and he actually came up with the name for the creatures. A big part of her business was selling merchandise that was somehow connected to the graboids or shriekers even though there hadn’t been graboids there for eleven years and there had never been shriekers there. The comic books, which were briefly shown on display in the store, were brought up several times. Enough of the covers were shown to see that they were published by Dark Horse Comics. I’m not sure if there were any comics made that were connected to the movies or not.

Certain things that happened in Tremors 3: Back in Perfection, like when some characters were stranded overnight by a graboid, were like what happened in the first movies. This movie really wasn’t that original overall and was mostly predictable. Really the only things that were new for this movie were how the shriekers changed yet again into something different and how the government got involved trying to protect graboids as endangered species. There wasn’t any mystery to what was going on like there had been in the first movie and I didn’t feel there was any suspense either. The characters did discover a little more about the graboids, which was interesting. Burt, Jack, Jody, and a few others had to deal with the different versions of the creatures throughout the movie. That did add a little bit of action. One thing that happened was rather gross, but it wasn’t overly gory. There was very little violence in the movie, which was why it was rated PG.


Tremors was a bit silly, but it was very entertaining. I did like Tremors 2: Aftershocks overall though it wasn’t as good as the first movie. I felt that Tremors 3: Back to Perfection slid further into silliness and absurdity, though it somehow managed to work for the plot for the most part. The movie was much sillier and there were more cheesy moments. The special effects screamed low budget because they weren’t that great. The original movie didn’t have a huge budget, but it seemed like the effects worked and looked better for it. The music, especially what seemed to be Burt’s theme, was really bad and it annoyed me every time it was used.

Burt was the only character to be in all three movies. He still had tons of guns - some even bigger than what he had before - and had his home more fortified than a prison. The man takes paranoid to a new level, but it works perfectly for the character. Since everyone in town thought he was paranoid, they didn’t pay much attention to him. That came back to haunt them when the graboids returned. Michael Gross was good in the part, though he went a bit over the top at times. That did seem to work for the character. Miguel, Nancy, and Mindy had been in the first movie as well. The same girl who played Mindy in that one was back as well, now as a young woman. It was nice to see them again. Melvin, the annoying teenager, turned up in a few short scenes and he was still annoying.

Jody and Jack were the two new additions to the cast. Jack moved to Perfection just to start a tour business connected to the graboids. He had no connection to anyone in Perfection. He was kind of a care free guy who wasn’t as serious. Shawn Christian was fine in the part. Jody had a small connection to the first movie since she inherited the store from Walter. She was using the graboids to try to make her business successful. She was very hard working. Susan Chuang was fine in the part. A few tourists as well as two government agents turned up in a couple of scenes without much to do. Characters that had been in either of the first two movies but not in this one were briefly mentioned.

Main Cast

Shawn Christian - Jack
Susan Chuang - Jody
Tony Genaro - Miguel
Michael Gross - Burt
Robert Jayne - Melvin Plug
Ariana Richards - Mindy
Charlotte Stewart - Nancy

Brent Maddock - Director

DVD Information

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection was released along with the other three Tremors movies in a DVD set. I think the movie was originally released on its own DVD, but I’m not sure. The only extra was called Spotlight on Location and featured some of the cast and crew talking about making the movie. It was stressed a few times by one of the producers how low the budget for this movie was, something I had figured out for myself while watching. I first saw the movie on television and it was followed by a short lived series that aired on the Sci-Fi channel.

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection was silly and had bad effects and music, but it was still entertaining. People who liked the first two Tremors movies may also like this one.

This review is part of elvisdo’s 2008 Funny Pages Write-Off because of the comic books connected to the graboids that Jody was selling.

Tremors ~ Tremors 2: Aftershocks ~ Tremors 3: Back to Perfection ~ Tremors 4: The Legend Begins ~

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD