Tremors
Reviews
John Chard
This valley is just one long smörgåsbord. Finally deciding to break free of their small town existence, handymen Val and Earl find that it's easier said than done. The reason? Giant underground worms are attacking the place and they are now needed more than ever. The 50s ream of sci-fi schlockers and creaky creature features are, depending on your persuasion, either genius fun or tacky nuisances. Since I belong to the first group, Tremors is possibly one of the finest homages to a most wonderful time in cinema. What is often ignored is that those 50s film's deal with the paranoia of the time, with nuclear testing and a wondering appertaining to Roswell like alien visits being very prominent in honest Joe's thoughts. So it be that Tremors is ideally set out in the desert, a place from where all manner of terrifying things have come forward to announce a threat to the American way of life. We are in the small town of Perfection, a place that may be small on residents, but very much large on character. We have dim wits, annoying kid, cutesy single mom types, Mr and Mrs Rambo and courtesy of Finn Carter's seismologist Rhonda LeBeck, a romantic and charmingly fun filled thread. Containing dashes of gore and reams of cheeky suspense, Tremors proudly wears its "B" movie heart on its sleeve. While in Fred Ward (Earl) and Kevin Bacon (Val) the genre possibly has its greatest pairing. As male buddy buddy combos go, these pair take the cake. Funny and full of devilish derring do, Tremors deserves to be watched for this partnership if nothing else - yes they are that good! The creatures are well designed and prove to be a scary and enjoyable foe, whilst the Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California location is perfectly utilised by cinematographer Alexander Gruszynski. Directed by Ron Underwood on his feature film debut, Tremors also sees Reba McEntire, Michael Gross and Victor Wong also along for this fun packed ride. 8/10
Wuchak
_**Underground monstrosities in the desert prey on the folks of a remote town**_ Two handymen working in a Southwest town (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward) team-up with a seismologist (Finn Carter) and the townspeople (e.g. Michael Gross & Reba McEntire) to take on huge creatures that live underground and like to eat people. “Tremors” (1990) is a desert creature feature similar to “Gargoyles” (1972), but with a less grave tone; there’s a somewhat light air, but it’s not a comedy. The cast is spirited and likable while the creatures are inventive and interesting. Unfortunately, they’re also unbelievable since the hard desert ground would have to have the texture of thick mud for these behemoths to so easily travel through. If you can overlook this, however, it’s a fun monster flick with magnificent desert cinematography. Yet it’s nothing more than that and so plays tediously on repeat viewings. “Gargoyles” is all-around superior because it’s more cryptic, grave and streamlined. Finn Carter is a highlight in a girl-next-door kind of way, particularly her brief de-panted scene (lol). Meanwhile Gross is reminiscent of Dennis Weaver while McEntire is a natural as the gun-toting hick woman. The film performed modestly at the box office, but eventually became a cult hit, followed by several sequels. It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Olancha & Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California. GRADE: B-
Repo Jack
"Tremors" joins "Gremlins" as one of a handful of family friendly creature features. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward have great chemistry as two bickering handymen in Perfection Nevada, population 14 when an invasion of subterranean "graboids' (I know, I know ... that sounds ridiculous, but in the context of the movie it clicks). Spawning an abundance of bad sequels, "Tremors" solid cast, story and excellent practical effects stands the test of time.
Repo Jack
"Tremors" joins "Gremlins" as one of a handful of family friendly creature features. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward have great chemistry as two bickering handymen in Perfection Nevada, population 14 when an invasion of subterranean "graboids' (I know, I know ... that sounds ridiculous, but in the context of the movie it clicks). Spawning an abundance of bad sequels, "Tremors" solid cast, story and excellent practical effects stands the test of time.
Tejas Nair
Tremors is a surprisingly appealing movie and I am not attributing it to the creatures in the film. It starts off giving a westerns vibe and then quickly turns into a survival horror movie with the added novelty of an unknown creature. Being a fan of 'creature features' and having watched most popular films in the genre, Tremors took me aback as it continued to impress me with its casting, plot, and the sheer horror of characters being hunted by a strange-looking mystery. There's just a positive, fun vibe to the film and that works wonders here. Gets all my points for being extremely funny too. **Grade A-**.
JPV852
Fun and entertaining horror-comedy that's light-hearted and features a great cast. For whatever reason never got around to seeing this one but can see why it's endured all these years (and spawned several sequels). For its time, good special effects. **3.75/5**
CinemaSerf
Kevin Bacon is clearly having some good fun in this daft family sci-fi story. He and his pal "Earl" (Fred Bass) make a living doing odd (and unsavoury) jobs around their small community until they discover that something - subterranean - is lurking and it's hungry. What ensues now are a series of entertaining escapades as the two, with newly arrived seismologist "Rhonda" (Finn Carter) and the townsfolk try to stay one step ahead of their voracious pursuers. It's a bit of a slow burn at the start, but once we get down to the nitty gritty, Ron Underwood keeps the action flowing well with a lively script and some personable efforts from all concerned. It's enjoyable, this film, with some engaging performances - especially the "Gummer" pairing of Michael Gross and Reba McEntire who have enough weaponry to start and win WWIII - and it doesn't rely overly on complicated visual effects. On that front it is more reminiscent of a Hammer film! Everyone looks like they enjoyed making this, and that's contagious, so sit back and watch it bring a smile to your face.
The Movie Mob
**Tremors forges a new path with a new monster that entertains while the body count rises.** Tremors is a fun creature movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and creates a clever, gross, fun new monster franchise that lasted several decades. While the plot of Tremors is the typical small band of survivors trying to survive the hungry monsters, Tremors innovates with a creature unlike anything that had come before - the Graboid. Subterranean beasts that stalk their prey from underground and spring from the earth to swallow their unfortunate meals whole. Kevin Bacon leads the survivors and nails the cheesy vibe of the film without overplaying the part. Sure, Tremors isn’t an Oscar-worthy film, but its creative creatures are groundbreaking 😜 and force characters to find clever ways to overcome and survive while keeping their feet off the ground. Tremors is a quality creature flick with an entertaining new monster and a lovable cast of misfits.
CaseyReese
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Movie Recommendation
Tremors 2: Aftershocks1996-04-09Earl Bassett's celebrity after defeating the Graboid attack against the town of Perfection has proved short-lived, until he's recruited by a Mexican oil company whose workers have found more than they bargained for under the soil.More...
Tremors 3: Back to Perfection2001-10-02Survivalist Burt Gummer returns home to Perfection, to find that the little town has been shaken up again by morphing, man-eating Graboids.More...
Tremors 5: Bloodlines2015-10-06When Gummer is hired to capture a deadly creature terrorizing South Africa, he and his new sidekick, Travis Welker, engage in another battle of survival against the fiercely aggressive Graboids.More...
Ginger Snaps2001-03-13The story of two outcast sisters, Ginger and Brigitte, in the mindless suburban town of Bailey Downs. On the night of Ginger's first period, she is savagely attacked by a wild creature. Ginger's wounds miraculously heal but something is not quite right. Now Brigitte must save her sister and save herself.More...
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins2004-01-02In 1889, seventeen men die under mysterious circumstances, and spooked by recent events, the miners who populate the town leave in droves until there's nothing left but a shell of a community.More...
Troll Hunter2010-10-29A group of students investigates a series of mysterious bear killings, but learns that there are much more dangerous things going on. They start to follow a mysterious hunter, learning that he is actually a troll hunter.More...
The Descent2005-07-08After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, cave-dwelling creatures. With rising tension and dwindling trust, the women must fight to survive against both the predators and each other.More...
Boys and Girls2000-06-16Ryan and Jennifer are opposites who definitely do not attract. At least that's what they always believed. When they met as twelve-year-olds, they disliked one another. When they met again as teenagers, they loathed each other. But when they meet in college, the uptight Ryan and the free-spirited Jennifer find that their differences bind them together and a rare friendship develops.More...
Arachnophobia1990-07-20A large spider from the jungles of South America is accidentally transported in a crate with a dead body to America where it mates with a local spider. Soon after, the residents of a small California town disappear as the result of spider bites from the deadly spider offspring. It's up to a couple of doctors with the help of an insect exterminator to annihilate these eight legged freaks.More...
Gremlins1984-06-08After receiving an exotic small animal as a Christmas gift, a young man inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet, which unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous creatures on a small town.More...
Little Shop of Horrors1986-12-19Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's; a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for it’s supper.More...
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Critters1986-04-11Carnivorous aliens arrive unannounced at a Kansas family farm; two intergalactic bounty hunters soon follow, determined to blow them off the planet.More...
Pacific Rim2013-07-11Using massive piloted robots to combat the alien threat, earth's survivors take the fight to the invading alien force lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless enemy, the forces of mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes who now stand as earth's final hope against the mounting apocalypse.More...
Pitch Black2000-02-18When their ship crash-lands on a remote planet, the marooned passengers soon learn that escaped convict Riddick isn't the only thing they have to fear. Deadly creatures lurk in the shadows, waiting to attack in the dark, and the planet is rapidly plunging into the utter blackness of a total eclipse. With the body count rising, the doomed survivors are forced to turn to Riddick with his eerie eyes to guide them through the darkness to safety. With time running out, there's only one rule: Stay in the light.More...
Jurassic Park1993-06-11A wealthy entrepreneur secretly creates a theme park featuring living dinosaurs drawn from prehistoric DNA. Before opening day, he invites a team of experts and his two eager grandchildren to experience the park and help calm anxious investors. However, the park is anything but amusing as the security systems go off-line and the dinosaurs escape.More...
Escape from L.A.1996-08-09Into the 9.6-quaked Los Angeles of 2013 comes Snake Plissken. His job: wade through L.A.'s ruined landmarks to retrieve a doomsday device.More...
Stir of Echoes1999-09-10After being hypnotized by his sister-in-law, Tom Witzky begins seeing haunting visions of a girl's ghost and a mystery begins to unfold around her.More...
Trick 'r Treat2007-12-09Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: an everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank, and a bitter old recluse receives an uninvited guest.More...
Junior1994-11-22A research scientist becomes the world's first pregnant man in order to test a drug he and a colleague have designed for expectant women. To carry out the trial, he has an embryo implant, believing that he will only carry the baby for three months – hardly expecting to face the prospect of giving birth.More...
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