It is a little hard to believe that is has been 25-years since the first Tremors film came out. That movie was a lot of fun, and when I saw it in a theater (for the first time), it was a little like seeing it for the first time. The movie was a lot of fun, scary, a little creepy, and very entertaining. It is a good example of PG-13 horror done right. In the years since its release we have had a few sequels and a television series. Now we have Kevin Bacon dropping hints that he would like to return to the franchise, and a new sequel with the one stalwart of the series, original supporting cast member Michael Gross.
The fifth film in the series bears the subtitle Bloodlines. It is not a word that invokes much faith, look to other horror movies that used it like Hellraiser: Bloodlines and Wrong Turn 5: Bloodlines. Neither one of those movies were all that good and indicative of a series that was probably past its sell by date (not that it ever slowed the Hellraiser movies down any). In the case of Tremors, it is a play on a couple of threads in the movie, not that they are all that interesting at all. Simply put, Tremors 5 is not all that good of a movie. I actually found it a bit of a chore to sit through.
The first time I heard about the sequel was last year when I met Michael Gross at a convention. He was very excited about the project and showed us some behind the scenes photos from the set. It looked like fun and I had some hope for it. Although, I have to admit to being a little sad that the graboids and other critters were CGI creations, the animatronics in the first film were great.
As Bloodlines begins, we are introduced, or reintroduced, to Burt Gummer, the gun nut from the original film (and intervening sequels). He makes survivalist videos and sells barbecue sauce or some such nonsense. Early on while he is being recorded for his reality series, a guy on a motorcycle comes riding in and we find he is actually trying to meet Gummer, and takes over as the cameraman. The biker is none other than Travis Welker (Jamie Kennedy). In pretty short order, Welker has a paid deal in place for Gummer to head to South Africa to take on an infestation of Graboids.
Of course, they get there and things go bad. The guy who hired them has a desire to capture the critters, not eradicate, Gummer's guns are stuck in customs, and we discover these African Graboids and Ass Blasters (yup) have developed a little differently and have some new tricks up their sleeves, or at least in their mouths.
The movie failed to hold my interest. I found it rather dry and boring. What once was an effective comedy is now a parody of itself, looking like it would rather make fun of right wing gun guys like the one Gross portrays than develop anything of entertainment value.
While I did not care for the film, the presentation is technically sound. The film, shot digitally, has great clarity and the computer effects are not all that bad. Audio is up to the task of enveloping the viewer in the film. As for the extras, a couple of thankfully cut deleted scenes, a few minutes of outtakes, and a behind the scenes promo.
Overall, I would say this one is only for the diehard. There is not much to really sink your teeth into here. I would say that a revisit of the original would be a much more worthy endeavor.
Not Recommended.
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