At some point I want to do a full retrospective on this franchise, but that wont be for a while. This one just came out, so rather than watch a legitimate movie or what is almost certain to be an unbearable presidential debate, I’m watching this movie. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed pretty much every Tremors movie to this point. Obviously, the first one is the best because it has a great cast, good practical effects, and zero expectations, but they’ve all been moderately enjoyable. The third was a letdown, but once they hit that bottom, its hard to go lower. Anyway, this is what i am watching tonight, so get with the program, yo.
Alright, so lets get to it… These movies are silly. They were shockingly entertaining at first, then the “shock” kinda vanished after the 2nd film. But ya know, they are still kinda fun. But realistically, these movies are bad. This isn’t going to be a long review, but I’ll give it the college try.
In this one we have Michael Gross playing Burt Gummer, a character he has played in literally every film in this franchise. You have to respect the man; he was in the first 2 legitimate theatrical releases, then stuck around for the TV show (not good), the third and fourth movies (not good and not really fun), and the 5th, 6th, and 7th (all not great but fun because they realized they were a joke and got in on it). The man is in his 70s, so you gotta respect his commitment.
In this one, they bring in Jon Heder, Napoleon Dynamite himself. I guess if Michael Gross is the “franchise player”, Jon Heder is the latest in the rotating door of characters Universal studios hopes will take the mantel. No sugar-coating this one… John Heder definitely gets the joke, but he doesn’t really have any of the comically libertarian timing of Burt Gummer himself.
The rest of the cast is really just a bunch of archetypes. You got the blandly evil billionaire who dropped the giant worm creatures on an island for funzies, the older scientist that is just so dedicated to protecting everything, and then a couple of variations on the “bad ass fighter women”. Nobody really develops any aspects to their characters outside of literally just spouting their character traits.
I dont even think i should bring up the writing here. It’s pretty bland. The script is basically the same thing since Tremors 1, they just alternate the settings. Honestly, these things must cost almost nothing to make; I’m pretty sure Universal repurposed some Jurassic World footage for this one.
I dont have a lot more to say here. This movie is fine; dont watch it expecting to see anything revolutionary, but its a fine way to blow an evening. Give it a shot if your are bored, but dont blame me if it isn’t your cup of tea.
Ain't That Bad - Movie Blog 