Tremors
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Movie Reviews of Tremors
Movie Review: B-Movie Cinema at its best!
Summary: 5 Stars
I would be hard pressed to make the case that "Tremors" is a "good" movie in the traditional sense; the plot is hokey, the acting is OK, but not great, and the special effects are, again, just OK. Yet somehow, this is a film that is greater than the sum of its parts. I can't help but watch it whenever it comes on TV (which is frequently) and in spite of having seen it at least two dozen times, I picked up the DVD the other day. Ultimately, "Tremors" is able to succeed because it acknowledges its B-Movie status and revels in it; it doesn't try to be great cinema, it just tries to be fun, and succeeds admirably.
The storyline follows the lives of the few inhabitants of a small desert town as they struggle to survive the onslaught of underground monsters (think slugs with teeth on steroids). As one might guess, the cast is eccentric to the point of hilarity: there's a cantankerous shop keeper, a hippy artist and her daughter, a 13 year old boy who apparently lives in the middle of the desert with no family or job, and two men who apparently do nothing but sit around all day, one a loser, the other staunchly loyal with an earthy intelligence. Then there are the main characters Val and Earl, (played admirably by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward), two locals whose ambition is outweighed only by inertia. In addition, there is the local college student to provide expertise and a love interest, and my personal favorites, a survivalist couple played by Michael Gross and Reba McEntire. Gross' change from the grown-up flower child on "Family Ties" to a right wing gun nut is a source of constant amusement, whether it was deliberate or not.
There's no point in rehashing the plot here as it contains the basic elements of any classic horror movie: a small isolated town, overwhelming odds and a struggle to survive. What sets "Tremors" apart though is that it doesn't take itself at all seriously; it isn't scary by any stretch, and while there is some tension as to who will survive and how, the outcome is never in doubt. Instead, every performance is over the top, every B-Movie stereotype is embraced and turned on its head. The end result is a move that's more funny than entertaining, but that is completely enjoyable.
Finally, the "Tremors" DVD, unlike many low budget releases, actually has some pretty good extras, including a few deleted scenes, a making of video and the original trailers. In addition the sound is excellent, much better than I would have expected in fact, and the picture is crisp and clear.
If you're looking for a film with great acting or top notch special effects or serious dramatic issues, or all of the above, "Tremors" definitely isn't you're choice. However, if you're looking for a movie that offers some laughs and a few cheap thrills as it entertains you from start to finish, this is a DVD that you'll want to take a look it.
Jake Mohlman
Movie Review: "Get off the Ground!"
Summary: 5 Stars
Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) are two men trying to make a living in a sleepy, dusty little town, and eventually move themselves on to bigger and better things. However, a few suspicious deaths, and a rockslide blocking the only road out of town put a kink in their plans. Together, a female geologist (Finn Carter) recording seismic activity in the area, and the two unlikely heroes set out to determine the cause of the strange seismic readings and the local deaths. They get much more than they bargained for when they determine that a previously unheard of creature (a "graboid") is the cause of both. This eyeless creature travels through the ground tracking small vibrations in order to get to its prey. The townspeople must band together to try and get out of the valley before the small town's population dwindles down to zero.The "monster" in this movie is something somewhat believable, as well as something that hasn't been done before. There are thousands of estimated species on this planet that we do not yet know about, and have yet to be discovered. Who's to say whether one of them is or is not a large underground-dwelling, vibration-sensing snake? It's slightly more believable, and thus slightly more scary than, Dracula, Frankenstein, or aliens. Regardless, it's an idea that hadn't been done before at the time, and hasn't been done since (not counting the less-than-stellar sequels to this film), and that's always a good thing no matter what genre of film.
This was one of the movies that got me into horror films. It definitely proves that "horror" need not be gory, high budget, or flashy to be great. In addition, a little comic relief can be a good thing! Furthermore, "B" horror films need not always equate with "bad" horror films. This movie is an incredible blend of a refreshing new idea, a great cast of characters, and an excellent, well thought out script. Tremors is action, adventure, thrills, suspense, and comedy all rolled into one. The dialogue is immensely entertaining, and the cast all put in great performances. Though this film is almost 15 years old and I've watched it several times, it never seems to get old. I have discovered that this DVD is not very easy to find anywhere, especially not at a decent price, so grab it up while you can! This is a very fun movie that I highly recommend!
Movie Review: Tremors (1989)
Summary: 5 Stars
Director: Ron UnderwoodCast: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire.
Running Time: 95 minutes.
Rated PG-13 for violence, language, and mild amounts of gooey monster gore.
A classic monster movie in line with the 1950's onslaught of similar films, "Tremors" is a devastatingly enjoyable film that will mark high on most viewer's richter scales. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star as a quirky duo of garbage collectors for the small town of Perfection, Nevada. Just as they are ready to leave town for good, start up a new business, and sail into the sunset as new men, their quiet little desert town is not all that it seems. Seismologist Finn Carter discovers strange rumblings in the ground and suspects that their area is to be inflicted with a massive earthquake, but there is no past evidence of quake occurences.
The town of Perfection is soon put into a terrible frenzy as they are traumatized and gobbled up by flesh-eating, snake-like monsters that actually live underground. They have no eyes, but can sense movements and sound--forcing all of the remaining citizens to read higher ground in order to survive. Michael Gross (yes, that Michael Gross from "Family Ties") and Reba McEtnire (yes, the famous country star) organize a military onslaught to protect and hold their neighborhood. "Tremors" develops into a devilishly hilarious and campy monster movie with lovable characters, thrills and chills, and superb special effects. Bacon is very good in the one of the lead roles, depicting his reckless character with charm and determination.
The screenplay created by S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock does not miss a beat, increasing in intensity and humor as the film goes on. The firearm standoff between Gross/McEntire and the huge soil-slithering creatures is a a fun, ten-minute epic scene that is truly dazzling. Rivals "Aliens" as the best monster movie of the latter part of the 1980's, "Tremors" might just be the most fun a horror cinematic experience can be. Unheralded and somewhat forgotten; should be considered one of the best of its kind.
Movie Review: What a hoot!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a hoot! A great cast that plays this crazy story perfectly straight. They get us to buy into every bit of the story no matter how wrong every "scientific" premise of the story is. Each of the characters is colorful and we root for them in the way they individually deal with the crisis of these "new" creatures attacking their valley home.
Valentine McKee (Kevin Bacon) and Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) are the closest thing to heroes and normal among the males in the movie. They become the leaders and the ones the plot leans on. The most colorful characters are Burt and Heather Gummer (Michael Gross and Reba McEntire) as the survivalist couple with enough food storage and weaponry to stand for five years against an invading army. The Michael Gross character is the one who is in all four movies and a few episodes of the TV series based on the movies. Although, a few others lasted through one or more of the sequels (think of Tony Genaro's Miguel). However, this is the best of the series.
Victor Wong, whom we greatly miss, is terrific as the local shop owner, Walter Chang. In every role I have seen him play, I enjoy his presence and think he makes the movie better.
I guess the whole "Dune" series made the idea of large worms that could move through dirt as easily as a fish through water more believable. And the monsters in this movie are quite good. Because they are underground we believe that all the moving dirt, floors, walls, and machines to be the results of those things being down there and threatening not only the characters, but us! We don't want to get eaten by them any more than they people inhabiting the movie.
And while things get worse and worse for the cast, we still enjoy their inventiveness in trying to get out. That worms are as intelligent as these seem to be does require another leap of faith. But we are willing to make it for this story.
Lots of fun!
Movie Review: Great horror/comedy flick
Summary: 5 Stars
Tremors is a throw back to the times of the science fiction movies of the 1950's, similar to Them, only with giant underground worms instead of giant ants. This movie could have fallen apart if it had tried to take itself too seriously, but fortunately for us, it doesn't, so it's just a plain old fun hoot to watch. I enjoyed it immensely.Let me say first that I loved the cast. I've never seen Kevin Bacon look so kicked back in any other role, and that was the only way to really play his character. He did a fantastic job of bringing a laid back attitude to his character of Val, and showing signs of daring and ingenuity when the role of hero is forced upon him and his sidekick, Earl(played by Fred Ward). Fred Ward does an outstanding job as Val's long time friend and partner. Their on screen chemistry as friends looked so real that you could imagine these two actors had known each other their entire lives. It would be hard to think of a single cast member who didn't do an excellent job so I won't mention them all, but do want to say that Michael Gross and Reba McEntire were hilarious as two survivalists who were living in the area because they had wanted to get away from everything.
The movie was excellent from beginning to end, but really kicks into high gear after the worms are discovered, and they begin rampaging the town. Watching the citizens of the town banding together, trying to think of a way to save themselves from being eaten, and escape to the mountains where the worms wouldn't be able to follow them was a real pleasure.
There were so many pitfalls this movie could have fallen into, but I believe the director did a great job of avoiding them. So, if you're in the mood for some entertainment, where you're not required to think too much, and where you can watch a cast who looked like they were having a really fun time making a movie, then I suggest you go out and rent or buy this one.