Tremors 3 - Die neue Brut

The third movie in the Tremors series of films is adequate entertainment for the fans. Michael Gross returns as Burt, who in turn returns to Perfection to find it a tourist haven of Graboid fans. Into the mix is a nefarious real estate deal that threatens the very existence of the townsfolk. But of course, the Graboids and their mutated offspring don't care about such things.

If not expecting too much then this serves up some good straight to video fun. The formula remains the same, with Burt the paranoid saviour of Perfection getting some good lines, while the return of characters from the first film is a splendid bonus for the fans. There's some snarky asides to the perils/cheats of tourist traps, and the real estate rape of the land angle is driven home without over kill. Safe if undemanding creature feature fare. 6/10

Tremors 2 found itself coming up rather short in the character development phase, and setting the action in a deserted rural area of South America (or was it Central America? the film doesn't exactly make you care either way) didn't help. So the production team for Tremors 3 took things back to the small, quirky town of Perfection, Nevada, in the hopes of getting back the interaction that made the original such a classic.

In all honesty, this was a smart move, although it is not a hundred percent successful. The size of the cast appears to be somewhat reduced in this effort, possibly because of the absence of the two men that made the original so hilarious, namely Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward. Michael Gross does a very good job of assuming the lead, but in terms of serious acting (yes, this is partly necessary even for a film like this one), he is seriously outclassed by those two. However, it is absolutely wonderful to see the remains of the original cast again after such a lengthy absence. Melvin is a particular delight to see again, and his involvement will leave those of us with memories of deserted hellholes in the middle of nowhere chuckling.

The new genus of the monsters is also quite hilarious, all the more so because it is based on the behaviour of real insects. Unfortunately, the CGI for the Graboids is a lot less convincing than the practical effects that were used in the original film. That's not entirely surprising, but still disappointing. But like I've said in my comments about the previous two films, the human factor is the most important one here, and Tremors 3 gets that element right unlike its most immediate predecessor.

All in all, I'd give Tremors 3 a nine out of ten for concept and execution, but a minus two for the acting. So that works out to be about a seven... whether or not you think that's fair, I couldn't care less, which is the sort of attitude that makes films such as this one great.

The first Tremors was brilliant, and to me one of the sharpest and funniest monster movies out there. The second film while not as efficiently paced or directed was surprisingly entertaining with a smart script, good jumps and above average acting. This second sequel is fun enough, and it does do very well with what it set out to do.

While I did enjoy the movie, I did have some things that disappointed me here. The plot is not the best, instead it is rather predictable and feels too much like a retread. The pacing like in the second film isn't as efficient, while the direction is sometimes a little stodgy and there was the occasional moment where it felt slightly overplayed. And maybe I'm nitpicking, but part of me misses cool and charismatic Earl, though that's not a criticism as such as his absence is explained.

What I liked about Tremors 3:Back to Perfection was its beautiful scenery and cinematography, and once again the script is smartly written. The Graboids are well designed, and the attacks and jumps are believable, as are the quite authentic sound effects. The acting mostly is good enough, Michael Gross returns as Burt and he is especially a lot of fun, both sympathetic and hilarious. And I agree Ariana Richards still maintains her cuteness.

Overall, entertaining and fun sequel. 6/10 Bethany Cox

In the third installment of the Tremors series, survivalist Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) returns to the desert town of Perfection, Nevada, to find that the subterranean terrors are back and wreaking havoc once more. This time the beasts evolve a stage further: from the 'Shrieker' (seen in Tremors 2), they transform into flying creatures, nicknamed 'Ass-blasters', because of the unusual manner in which they propel themselves into the air.

Tremors 3 is another fun dose of B-movie monster mayhem, albeit one slightly marred by the notable absence of the main stars of the first movie (Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward) and the inclusion of some rather ropey CGI effects.

Bacon and Ward may be missing, but several of the supporting characters from the first Tremors film make a welcome comeback: Mindy Sterngood (Ariana Richards, who is all grown up now and looking rather foxy!), Nancy Sterngood (Charlotte Stewart), Miguel (Tony Genaro), Melvin Plug (Robert Jayne) and, of course, good old Burt, loaded to the nines with firepower.

The script won't win any awards, but fans of the Tremors series don't expect Shakespeare—they want 'Graboid' action, and 'Graboid' action is what they get! There is some excitement involving an albino 'Graboid' (nicknamed El Blanco), but most of the story revolves around the appearance of the 'Ass-blasters'. An exciting showdown in a junkyard between the 'blasters and three of the Perfection residents is the highlight of the film.

This episode definitely has enough laughs, monster action and gloopy effects to keep fans of the series happy. I just wish that they had stuck with the traditional 'Graboid's, rather than using those dreadful computer generated monstrosities.

I really wasn't expecting much from a third in the series even tho Tremors 2 added so much more imagination. So I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be so much fun.

It begins with a rather cool opening scene in which Burt Gummer (still in Mexico) takes out zillions of Shriekers with a massive machine-gun tank thing. After returning home to Perfection Burt must deal with new graboids, new shriekers and another metamorphosis...The shriekers turn into Ass-Blasters, flying creatures with rocket propelled farts. As the town (and the returning, surviving cast from the first film) is besieged by all forms of these animals, Burt and his pals must figure out increasing desperate ways to destroy them.

There's loads of energy and self-referential humor and the locations have a more dark/sophisticated look to them than in the previous 2 films. A light-hearted tone is still in check tho. There's even one teriffic scene in which Burt is swallowed by a Graboid and taken halfway across the desert. I paniced, I honestly thot we'd lost him. Turns out he's okay in the end.

Fred Ward is definitely missed tho his abscence is explained (Earl and Grady went to make a Graboid amusement park) but Michael Gross is simply irreplaceable as the eccentric and paranoid Burt Gummer. And Ariana Richards is so much more cuter now that she's grown up.

Tremors 3 is the best presented Tremors movie on DVD. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture looks great and the Dolby 5.1 is reasonably lively with lots of bass during the tunnelling scenes. A fair amount of extras come along too.