Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I can remember when Tremors first came out. I enjoyed the quirky characters and movie plot. Between suspenseful shouts of “Oh, no! What’s going to happen next?” ... I found myself laughing at unexpected bursts of humor. After the success of Tremors came three more movies in the Tremors series. All four films are a fun blend of campy monster-movie mayhem and humor. These movies are great entertainment.


A Brief Intro to the Tremors World

Perfection, Nevada (population 14) is inhabited by a group of misfits and those who seek to avoid “civilization”. Into this isolated society comes enormous worm-like monsters that attack from beneath the ground. Speculation runs wild on where these creatures suddenly came from. And, more important, how to survive the monster attacks. The first movie focuses on how to conquer this invasion. In the succeeding movies, the worm-like creatures (now called “graboids”) evolve into more dangerous life forms. These monsters are smart, tenacious and hungry. And they really don’t care who they eat.

The Cast:

Note: For some reason, Epinions will not let me post this review using a character’s last name. The character involved has the first name Burt. I have tried to write the last name with an asterisk in it and a hyphen, but Epinions will not accept it. So the last name is not in this review.

Valentine McKee (Kevin Bacon) – a fly-by-the-seat of his pants good-ol-boy
Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) – more disciplined than Val; Earl always has a plan
Rhonda LeBeck (Finn Carter) – grad student seismologist
Burt (Michael Gross) – survivalist supreme; a master of firearms
Heather (Reba McEntire) – survivalist wife of Burt
Melvin Plug (Robert Jayne as Bobby Jacoby) – annoying teenager
Nancy Sterngood (Charlotte Stewart) – local potter/artisan
Miguel (Tony Genaro) – local man
Mindy Sterngood (Ariana Richards) – Nancy’s daughter
Walter Chang (Victor Wong) – store owner
Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin) – get-rich-quick schemer (Film 2)
Kate Reilly (Helen Shaver) – geologist (Film 2)
Dessert Jack Sawyer (Shawn Christian) – adventure seeker (Film 3)
Jodi Chang (Susan Chuang) – granddaughter of Walter Chang (Film 3)
Hiram (Michael Gross) – great-grandfather of Burt (Film 4)
Christine Lord (Sara Botsford) – hotel owner (Film 4)
Black Hand Kelly (Billy Drago) – gunslinger (Film 4)
Pyong Lien Chang (Lo Ming) – store owner (Film 4)
Lu Wan Chang (Lydia Look) – Pyong’s wife (Film 4)
Fu Yien Chang (Sam Ly) – Pyong’s son (Film 4)


Spoilers

If you don’t want any spoilers, you may just want to read my review of the first Tremors movie. While I won’t go into great detail of the movies (so I don’t spoil them for you), I can’t help but mention things in the sequels that will give away plot details.


The DVD Set in General

There are two DVDs in the package. I’m not thrilled with how these DVDs are arranged. The DVDs are not easily assessable. A plastic insert attached to the cardboard folder holds both DVDs: one DVD overlaps the other and both DVDs snap into place. Since the top DVD overlaps the one beneath it, the second DVD is not easy to remove without taking out the DVD that is covering it.

The DVDs are not in a plastic keepcase. Instead, they are in cardboard packaging that resembles a folder. The folder opens to reveal the DVDs on the right side. On the left is an index of what each disc contains. Color photographs of the cast from the various movies decorate the inside of the folder. The folder slides into a cardboard sleeve, and the sleeve has a raised image of a graboid on it.


Disc One

On Side A is the movie Tremors and the extras. Side B contains the second movie, Tremors 2: Aftershocks. The disc opens with a menu for viewing either film; however, there is a note to turn the disk over to view the second .

Tremors – 1990 (1 hour 36 minutes)

The Plot: Earl and Val are a couple of good-ol-boys just trying to make ends meet by doing odd jobs. Soon their world is turned into a race for survival when monsters from under the ground threaten their lives and the lives of everyone in Perfection, Nevada. As the citizens soon learn, these hungry predators won’t stop hunting ... and since they’ve eaten just about everything in the valley, humans are becoming their next tasty treat. Earl and Val, joined by seismology student Rhonda, combine their talents to try to out-think the creatures. They have fire-power with survialists Burt and Heather ’s arsenal, but the “graboids” are growing smarter by the minute.

The Extras on this DVD include Scene Selection and Languages (English, Spanish, French and subtitles in English and Spanish).

The Bonus Materials include: The Making of Tremors, Outtakes, Featurette, Theatrical Trailers, Production Photographs and the trailer for the second movie, Tremors Aftershocks. There are also profiles of Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire.

The Making of Tremors includes scene and language selection. (The spoken language is English with subtitles in English, Spanish and French). This 55-minute feature opens with director, Ron Underwood, discussing the birth of the Tremors idea. Brent Maddock and Steve Wilson, writers/producers, also review the evolution of the plot. Tom Woodruff, Jr. And Alec Gillis (from Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc.) talk about the making of the creatures. Dennis and Robert Skotak (4-Ward Productions, Inc.) discuss the miniatures used in filming. The feature includes clips from the Tremors film during discussion of the production process. The original ending (yes, they changed the ending of the film after feedback from an audience preview) is also shown along with bonus footage of how the monster was constructed.

Outtakes are fun to view. These are not humorous outtakes or gag-reels. This outtake feature includes several scenes that were not included in the final version of the film, including the original opening scene of Tremors. I particularly like the original opening scene (which I didn’t know existed) and the outtake of Earl talking with Rhonda about Val (it reveals a bit about Val’s past I didn’t know).

The Featurette begins with an overview of the movie plot. Some of the actors and movie crew discuss the premise of the movie, with clips of the film. This comes across as a variation of a movie trailer at about three minutes long.

The Production Photographs are interesting. There are 120 still photos in a slide-show arrangement that capture the actors, behind-the-scene crew, filming, and monster-making techniques. There is no way to sort through the photos to see a particular image, though. You have to watch the slide show as it is arranged. Also, there is no music or narrative.

The actor profiles are not what I would call profiles. Each actor/actress narrates a brief bit about the movie and their character (very brief). There is no in-depth look at each actor’s past acting roles or even information about the actor. I was disappointed that only three profiles are included. Reba McEntire’s profile is included, and even though she is a famous country singer (and now has a television show), this is her first film role. What about Fred Ward? He’s one of the main characters and has a long film and television history!


Tremors 2: Aftershocks – 1996 (1 hour 40 minutes)

The Plot: This movie takes place several years after the first movie. This time the graboids have appeared in a Mexican oil field, interfering with oil production. An adventurer named Grady convinces down-on-his-luck Earl to go to Mexico to kill the creatures, earning a bounty on each one they eliminate. There Earl meets Kate, who is the geologist for the oil company. A straight-forward graboid expedition takes a turn for the worse when the graboids are in greater numbers than expected. Earl needs reinforcements and calls in Burt . Now those monsters have serious trouble ... Burt and Earl are a team to be reckoned with. However, Burt and Earl are in for a nasty surprise when the graboids metamorphosize into heat-seeking very hungry monsters called “shriekers”.

I have watched this movie on television many times and do not recall the opening scene to this film ... so I’m wondering if it is a new addition to this DVD. Either that or the television stations I watched have been editing the movie (which wouldn’t surprise me).

While Val is mentioned in the film, Kevin Bacon does not make an appearance playing the character. This disappointed me since I enjoyed Val and Earl together (their characters play well off of each other). However this movie introduces several new faces. Grady is an adventurer who figures he can make “easy money” by becoming Earl’s partner in catching the graboids. Grady is a likeable goofball. Burt makes a welcome return appearance as a paranoid survivalist. His wife Heather is not in the movie, and her absence is explained. Burt is as weapon-savvy as always and eager to go hunting.

Where the first film featured Val and Rhonda as a budding couple, this film has Earl meeting Kate. I enjoy Kate’s character, feisty and knowing her mind, yet she comes across as vulnerable. The two of them make an unlikely yet engaging pair. Their romance is a minor subplot ... after all, this is a monster movie. Toward the end of the film, their relationship reveals a funny twist.

I enjoy this second movie of the series. The characters work well together, and the plot is filled with surprising turns. It’s a good installment to the series.

The Extras on this DVD include Scene Selection and Languages (English, Spanish, French and subtitles in English and Spanish). There is also a trailer to view.


Disc Two

On Side A is the movie Tremors 3: Back to Perfection and some extras. Side B contains the last movie in the series, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (which is actually a prequel to the first three movies). It also has a special “making of” feature as well as director commentary. Note that while Tremors 3 has a movie trailer, Tremors 4 does not. The disc opens with a menu for viewing either film; however, there is a note to turn the disk over to view the fourth movie.


Tremors 3: Back to Perfection – 2001 (1 hour 45 minutes)

The Plot: Eleven years has passed since the first film. This movie opens with Burt showing reporters the shriekers and how he intends to battle them. Upon Burt’s return to Perfection, he is greeted with unwelcome changes. A new guy in town (Dessert Jack Sawyer) has set up a tourist business, taking visitors out on graboid safaris ... only it’s a put-on by Jack who is intent on making some quick cash. Melvin, from the first movie, returns as a real estate buyer who is purchasing land to build ranchettes. The movie quickly goes from the mundane to serious when the graboids, who metamorphosize into shriekers, change yet again into flying heat-seeking monsters. One of the characters colorfully names this new monster an “assblaster”, since it propels itself via internal fumes (to put it politely). Once again the citizens of Perfection are in danger, and it’s up to Burt to save the day.

Neither Earl or Val are in this film. Burt carries the action as survivalist and graboid/shrieker hunter. He is the expert, and the body and soul of this movie. Most of the original cast of the first film are reunited for this third installment in the series. This time Jodi, a relative of the original store owner, is operating the general store. The movie immediately sets a romantic relationship between Dessert Jack and Jodi ... and it’s a lame pairing. Their chemistry doesn’t work for me. It’s a forced element in the film.

In my opinion, this is the weakest of the four Tremors movies. The characters seem cardboard, almost parodies of themselves. There are two interesting things in this movie: Burt ’s ongoing battles against the monsters, and how the monsters continue to evolve into different creatures. There is a great scene where Burt goes one-on-one with a graboid in a completely unexpected way. Without Michael Gross as Burt, this movie would be a disaster.

After saying the movie is almost a disaster, I will admit that it has humorous moments as do the other Tremors films. There is also a fun ending bit with Burt and one of the graboids. Still, this movie just doesn’t work well for me.

Extras on this DVD include “Spotlight on Location,” a behind-the-scenes exploration of the third film. S.S. Wilson and Nancy Roberts, producers, and director Brent Maddock discuss the Tremors franchise. There is a lot of film footage about the making of the film. Special effects artists discuss the creation of the monsters as well as the CGI techniques used. The actors are also interviewed about their thoughts about the third movie. The feature is about 15 minutes long.


Tremors 4: The Legend Begins – 2004 (1 hour 41 minutes)

The Plot: This movie takes place in 1889 in the town called Rejection (before the town is named Perfection). A silver mine is the town’s livelihood. Monsters appear (graboids now called “dirt dragons”) that scare the miners away. Hiram , a gentleman and great-grandfather of Burt, comes to town to see why his mine has closed. His future is tied to the mine, and he has to get it operational again. When confronted with the reality of the monsters, Hiram hires a gunfighter to battle the creatures. This has unexpected results, which force the town’s citizens to band together to fight for their lives. Hiram, who loathes firearms, finds himself the leader of the battle.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first heard about this movie ... but I like it! The wild west setting is fun and very different from the other Tremors movies. This movie answers some questions about the graboids as well as offers insight into Burt ’s family roots. Michael Gross returns to play Hiram who meets a feisty hotel owner (Christine). As with the other Tremor’s movies, a romantic subplot develops. Lots of humor weaves throughout the movie, and if you’ve seen the other three Tremors films, you’ll catch sly references to those films.

The actors are wonderful. I enjoyed them all in this movie. It's fun to watch Michael Gross as Hiram (since he also played Burt in the first three movies). Billy Drago does a fantastic job playing gunslinger Black Hand Kelly. He beautifully captures the essence of the character. I also enjoy the give and take between all the characters ... especially the Chang family and the relationship between Hiram and the boy, Fu Yien Chang. The romance between bristly hotel owner Christine and prim, proper Hiram is also fun to watch as it evolves.

Steve Wilson, director, narrates the commentary. He has a soft voice, a clam way of presenting information. He provides a lot of details about the making of the movie, the locations, sets, reasons behind certain events. I always enjoy listening to movie-making details.

Extras on this DVD include a feature titled “You’re On the Set of Tremors 4: The Legend Begins”. As with the other features, the director, producer and actors discuss the movie and the Tremors mythology. Michael Gross equates Tremors 4 with the first movie, saying both movies deal with community. This feature is about 12 minutes long.


Special Effects

Even though these are campy and fun monster movies, the special effects are well done. I don’t want to give away how the monsters were created (I’ll let you watch the bonus features for those details) ... but I have to say that I believe these monsters are real while watching these movies. They are that well done. There are a few jump-out-of-the-seat moments when the monsters suddenly lunge or attack. Kudos to the special effects teams that created the monsters in all four films.


Purchasing

The Tremors Attack Pack of four movies cost me $20.89 on Amazon.com. This is a bargain considering that Amazon sells the first two movies for $12.99 each and the third and fourth movie for $14.23 each (all four movies retail for $14.99).


Summary

I enjoy the Tremors movies. It’s fun to watch a movie marathon of these monster flicks. I’ll often start by watching the fourth movie first since it is a prequel to the other three movies. The one thing that would make this an ideal set would be if it also included the one and only season of the television series “Tremors,” which filmed 13 episodes before being canceled. Michael Gross returned in the television series as Burt, supreme survivalist. If we are ever overcome by monsters, he’s a man I want on my side.

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy the day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Please read my other reviews:

Ridick Trilogy (3 DVD movies featuring Vin Diesel)

Quatermass & the Pit / Quatermass 2 (2 DVD sci-fi movies)

The Mummy: The Legacy Collection (5 mummy movies on DVD)

Topper & Topper Returns (DVD ghost movies featuring Cary Grant)

The Private Navy of Sgt. O’Farrell (DVD movie featuring Bob Hope)

Grand Theft Auto(DVD movie featuring Ron Howard)

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Copyright 2006 Dawn L. Stewart

Recommended: Yes

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