Directed by S.S. Wilson
Starring Michael Gross, Sara Botsford, Brent Roam, Ming Lo, Lydia Look, Sam Ly, August Schellenberg and Billy Drago
Yes, folks. It's a prequel. And everybody loves those.
This was the first I'd seen this movie. Once again, by the time this one came about in January of 2004, I was just burned out on Tremors. I hadn't watched the series and I wasn't interested in a prequel, particularly after being disappointed by two of the godawful things in the Star Wars franchise. Then I read the plot description on the burgeoning message board scene and gleamed that it took place in the Old West. Seriously? It just seemed like a far cry from the series that I was used to by this point, and kind of desperate attempt to continue making movies. But then I saw Michael Bay's various remakes and reduxes of popular childhood franchises, and it made me realize that this flick couldn't possibly be worse. So here we are. 100 minutes later, I can report that it's about as successful as any movie in the series has been up until this point, and up to par with where the series had gone in the early 2000s mini-boom.
Welcome to 1889 and the mining town of Rejection, Nevada. The prologue gives us the opening attack of the Graboids (we're back to just the giant worms in this film - no Shriekers or Ass-Blasters to be had) in said mine that kills some 17 people in an offscreen rampage for the ages. This is followed by the prologue of Star Wars-esque panning shot that brings us to the nearby town. We've got the return of several of the well-known landmarks that we're used to, like Chang's Market, the water tower, etc., complete with a cast of crazies inhabiting them. The market is run by a family of Chinese immigrants, and we've also got tough-as-nails hotel owner Christine Lord (Sara Bostford), miner/wannabe rancher Juan Pedilla (Brent Roam), handyman-of-sorts Tecopa (August Schellenberg)...you get the gist. Anyway, the mine has been shut down and everyone is moving away from Rejection, prompting the arrival of one Burt Gummer's great-grandfather Hiram Gummer.
Played by Gross, this character really surprised the hell out of me, in that he's the complete opposite of everything we're used to. Prissy, cultured, not prepared...he doesn't even use firearms or do any form of menial labor. He's kind of like how I picture Leonardo DiCaprio in real life. And, truth be told, folks...I REALLY didn't like this switch at first. Gross did his best with Hiram, but it just wasn't clicking with me. Now, the character DOES get more engaging later on, but this dude is going to test your patience early on with him.
The script moves along at a brisk pace here as Hiram demands to be taken up to the mine to see his investment. Up here, all of the secondary characters that aren't worth mentioning get picked off by the early larvae stage of the giant Graboids, leaving only Hiram and Juan to return to Rejection. See those last two sentences? That's like 30 minutes of Tremors 4 condensed. This is followed up with Hiram hiring a gunfighter played by Billy Drago (a.k.a. Captain Awesome - see his turn in the X-Files episode "Theef" for further proof) to take out the worms. This is where the movie starts to turn the corner, as Drago is always great. He's particularly great here as he sells his strengths to the townsfolk before humorously trying to teach Hiram how to shoot before he gets Walter Chang'd and is almost never mentioned again.
Now, I WILL give credit to the fine folks at Stampede Entertainment here in a really important regard - the effects. Maybe I just missed it, but it didn't seem to be like there was any CGI here. The Graboids are animated almost exclusively with puppetry and camera tricks, and that's just the way I like it. I didn't get taken out of the movie here like I did a few times with the last on, and that's a big plus.
Fortunately, there are another couple big things this movie has going for it. Firstly, the characters are pretty likable. This was another complaint I had about Tremors 3, and it got rectified here. All of the townspeople are given nuances that make them pop, and it's a much-appreciated move. Secondly, the final showdown is some pretty damn cool stuff. This is where Hiram Gummer has his babyface turn, coming back to Rejection after having a change of heart with a whole slew of guns and ammo that we're used to. Lots of explosions and fire to be had here as Hiram and the townspeople square off with the big suckers, and it works. It's even got a Wayne's World-style Mega Happy Ending that didn't feel out of place.
For many years, this was the final Tremors-related thing released by Stampede. As a final sendoff, it actually isn't half-bad, giving maybe the final clues as to how these damn monsters spread and re-populate was the final question that a lot of us had about how something that had been on Earth for as long as it has been around could stay hidden for so long. More than anything, though, while it has its faults, it's still got the moral of this story down to a tee. The series has always been about how human ingenuity and fortitude can win out over pretty much anything. Do what you can with what you have, just like Burt Gummer likes to say. If you like that stuff, odds are you'll like this movie and everything that came before.
*** out of ****. Admittedly, this movie starts slow, but stick it out. It has a payoff that works.
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