Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell

Well, you know what you are getting yourself into when you sit down to watch this kind of movie. Especially since the "Tremors" franchise doesn't seem to lay down to die. The recent movies haven't been outstanding and "Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell" is no different.

This is an enjoyable enough movie for what it is, which is mediocre entertainment.

Michael Gross revisits the role of Burt Gummer, and he alone well and the worms of course are the sole instrument from the original movie that keeps this franchise afloat. And believe you me, they are boiling soup on a very weak broth by now.

The special effects and the creature effects are good, though and they definitely make the movie more watchable. As for the story, well let's just say that this movie offers nothing that haven't already been seen in the franchise, except for it being set in a colder climate.

If you enjoy the "Tremors" movie, then you will enjoy this movie. But if you are new to the franchise, I would strongly recommend that you start with the first movie. Yeah, the one with Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon.

If nothing else, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell is a vast improvement over Tremors 5 in every single way. Unlike the previous entry, this sequel feels more tonally similar to the first four Tremors films. The humor is more tongue-in-cheek (and yes, way more juvenile), the special effects are improved, and the whole affair is about as entertaining as one could reasonably expect from a direct-to-DVD sequel that's the sixth in a series.

Michael Gross continues to appear to be having a great time playing Burt Gummer, who is just as over-the-top and nutty as ever. Most actors simply would be phoning it in at this point, but Gross makes the best of the so-so script and meager budget to elevate the material to something actually worth watching. Jamie Kennedy, returning as Gummer's son, is thankfully given way better dialogue than he had in Tremors 5, and delivers one of the most enjoyable performances of his career. The supporting cast is fine, although leaves much of a lasting impression. The real stars of the movie, of course, are the graboids. They still look don't quite as cool as they did in the original Tremors, though given that the first one was a theatrical release while the sequels have all been direct-to-DVD, that's hardly a big surprise. While the monsters would benefit from having more money put behind them, they at least aren't Syfy original movie quality. Like Tremors 5, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell is gorier than the other sequels, and there's a fair amount of blood to go along with the monster attacks. It would be great to one day get an R-rated Tremors film, but this one works well enough as a PG-13. If I had to guess, a Tremors 7 isn't more than a few years away. As long as Gross comes back and the filmmakers can come up with a fresh take, I'll gladly check it out. 6/10

There are two types of people in this world; namely the ones agreeing with the statement that "Tremors" is the most entertaining monster-movie ever accomplished, and the ones who are just plain wrong for disagreeing! Say what you want about all the sequels, but the 1990-original is a bona-fide classic. How deeply you worship the original also determines how much you can tolerate the long list of sequels, or at least that is what yours truly firmly believes. In case you consider the original film to be a fun but largely insignificant flick, you will not care at all for any or the sequels, or probably not even know they are at number 6 already. If, however, you love the original and know all the dialogues between Val and Earl by heart, you'll also be appreciative of the sequels.

"A Cold Day in Hell" isn't a particularly good film. None of the sequels are, in fact, but they surely always deliver in the entertainment departure, and this sixth film in the series isn't an exception. What I respect is that every new entry in the series tries to add one or two new and innovative aspects to "Tremors"-universe, but also inserts at least one throwback-aspect to the original. The additions to "A Cold Day in Hell" are the Arctic setting, and the plot-twist of good old Burt Gummer needs a transfusion with blood from a living Graboid. The throwback is that one of the supportive characters, Valerie, supposedly is the daughter of Valentine McKee and Rhonda LeBeck of the original adventure. I noticed a 7th instalment - entitled "Shrieker Island" - is out already as well, which I'll surely watch sooner or later.

I like the fact that after 6 films they at least attempted to do something a little different. Honestly, it doesn't change the dynamics or what I enjoy about them. I think Jaime Kennedy & Michael Gross actually have a good chemistry. While it's not on the Fred Ward/Kevin Bacon level, there's a good rapport between them that manages to be highly entertaining.

One of the only things I felt maybe lacking over some of the other films was the production value. While it doesn't look horrible it does look cheaper. The creatures don't look quite as fleshed out and at times a bit too CGI, but not so bad it ruins things. Also, a few of the supporting characters, mainly the quote-unquote bad guys were pretty wooden and really didn't add much to the overall story. They do, however, lead to a few comical moments of dialogue.

You more or less know what you're getting with these movies at this movie. If you've never seen any of them, I would go back and start with the first one and work your way through. That's still the pinnacle of the series, followed closely by the second. They're goofy, schlocky fun. Something that's always made me gravitate to the films is they seem to know what they are. It's one of those things where it looks like they probably had fun making them and it shows on screen. Part 6 is no exception to that rule. So, if you're a fan of the other films in the franchise. This is worth a worth.

The Tremors series started so well but began to go downhill after the first two or three movies. The good news about Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell is it's not appreciably worse than the movie before it, Tremors 5.

It's also not any better.

As in the previous movie, Tremors is focused primarily on Burt Gummer, with most of the rest of the cast made up of generic background players. The movie is very poorly written, with dull banter and cliched situations.

While the first half of the film is fairly tedious, things pick up as the human drama gives way to monster fighting. There's nothing new or original, but the movie follows the Tremors playbook with a modicum of success.

I suspect this is how it will be from here on in; just a series of watchable TV movies that get just enough viewers to justify making the next one. If you're a fan of the series with some time to kill, go ahead and check this out. Just don't expect much.