Tremors 4: The Legend Begins

The Tremors series seemed to run out of ideas on the second installment, so the idea that we are sitting around discussing a fourth is quite absurd, to say the least. Nonetheless, the fourth in the series may well be the best aside from the original, which is one of the most surprising things I've ever seen myself type. Perhaps the big secret here is that the series has never taken itself too seriously, which is certainly a plus in comparison to other series, where the sequels never seem to realise how bereft of ideas they are.

Tremors 4 takes a completely different tack to its three predecessors and sets itself a couple of hundred years in the past. Before the town of Perfection became Perfection, it was known as Rejection (ha ha). Burt Gummer's great-granddaddy, Hiram, was a wimp who held guns in much the same manner that many of us hold dead fish. Contrary to the impressions of the other films, Rejection was a silver town with a mine owned by the aforementioned Hiram. It seems that when the miners stop work due to fear of being eaten, it eats into profits, and Hiram comes out to see what is scaring away the workers.

As with the last three films, the cast is strictly low-rent, with Michael Gross and Billy Drago forming the most recognisable portion of the cast. Indeed, Gross seems to be so comfortable in the role of the Gummers that he barely seems able to portray anything else. Or rather, he doesn't seem to just portray the character. For all intents and purposes, he is the character. Which is certainly a great change from his days in Family Ties as the head of one of those saccharine families that only seem to exist on daytime or early afternoon television. It is just as well they placed the burden of the acting upon the shoulders of a veteran like Gross, as the rest of the cast seems lost.

Tremors 4 also seems to return to the style of the original when it comes to revealing the worms. Instead of having them constantly attacking the populace through CGI simulation, much of their interaction with the human cast returns to the practical effects and trick photography of the original. The one shot in the film I noticed that was obviously CGI only helps to demonstrate that simple off-screen levers or cables still have a lot of usefulness left in them. The one problem I have with the films to date is that none of the DVD-Videos have been offered with a featurette that explains how these practical effect shots were achieved.

Tremors 4 also marks the first time we get to see anything of the oft-referenced Carson City. The city doesn't appear at all special, but that's fine. Just inserting a view of the place is enough. Among Tremors 4's weaknesses, on the other hand, are attempts to build up suspense with danger to Hiram Gummer. As if the existence of Burt didn't already make the resolution of such scenes clear. Another problem is the constant debates about the next step in the residents' plans against the worms. The recitations of homilies start to get rather stilted after a while. There is also a bit too much repetition of the noisemaking technique. To the credit of the writers, they do manage to insert a few of the guerrilla-style battle moves that made the first and third episodes so amusing. Thankfully, the idea that Hiram Gummer could fight these creatures and Burt not have any idea what they were is sort of half-explained towards the end.

In all, I gave Tremors 4 an eight out of ten. It isn't nearly as good as the original, but it is a massive improvement upon the other two. Here's to hoping that they manage to keep as many good ideas in a fifth or sixth, although I personally would pay good money to see a film set a hundred years from now with Perfection as a thriving city that is hit by the worms. Yes, that was a hint.

If you're looking for entertainment..no more, no less - this little gem delivers! By far the best sequel (arguable order of merit for the series would be 1,4, 2 and 3) this is Michael Gross's film in totality. He has made the franchise his own and comes full circle playing his own Great Grandfather. It is a measured and emotional performance. As mine-owner Hiram Gummer he comes to Rejection" (as the backwoods township was known) to find out what has been killing the miners. What he discovers is completely outside his somewhat wimpy comfort-zone.

Very much a return to the original in terms of characters...and even special effects which rely thankfully here, far less on laughable CGI. What might be seen as scaled-down excitement is more than compensated for with absolutely knock-out performances - Drago and Gross especially.

All four films have an easy-on-the-eye laid back feel, principally because the production teams has remained intact throughout. Four excellent movies without sex, gratuitous violence and a solitary screen cussing in fifteen years. Not that Gross looks any older now than he did in 1989/1990.

Very faithful to the earlier films and fully explanatory of how it all came about. Mention should also be made of Jay Ferguson's great musical score - the best of the four films.

Best scripted, photographed and acted straight-to-video film I have yet seen and certainly was deserving of a theatrical release.

Man, I love the Tremors-franchise like Winnie the Pooh loves his honey! After four films and a TV-series (which regretfully didn't got aired in my country), I still think these giant underground worms are the total definition of coolness! And therefore, I really feel like this entry is made for me and homogeneous souls exclusively. If you think the original Tremors was one of the most entertaining monster comedies ever made, and you even got hooked on the sequels…you'll certainly have a great time while watching this fourth installment. If you thought Tremors was only so-so and the sequels atrocious…well then, you'll absolutely loath number 4 as well. Which is fine by me too but don't go bashing it then, neither.

I think the Tremors-series depends on one major advantage… Every chapter in the series is put together by more or less the same film crew. Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson are the creative thinkers behind the idea ever since the first film. And each and every single time, they try to uphold the originality aspects and add some ingenious twists to the nature of these lovely monsters. The first three episodes, for example, describe the Graboid's entire reproduction cycle. Tremors 4 actually is a prequel and takes us back to the Wild West, Nevada 1889. Michael Gross, the trigger-happy hero from all the previous entries stars as his own ancestor who's the owner of a Silver mine. Hiram Gummer has the exact opposite character of his great grandson at first, but you can slowly see his personality forming itself. The idea and structure of Tremors 4 is pretty risky, but I think it works and true fans will have a great time searching for the numerous references towards later adventures. Enjoy!!

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is a prequel to the other Tremors films and the TV series.

I find the experience of watching this film to be a pleasant one. It has humour and mild threat, with some tense scenes. I certainly think this is a better entry to the franchise that Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, and far superior than the latest, Tremors 5: Bloodlines.

The Graboids are back to basics with almost no CGI, and they are convincing creations.

It features real characters who are portrayed well by the cast, and sheds an interesting light on the origins of Burt Gummer through the exploits of Hiram Gummer, both played by Tremors veteran Michael Gross.

This is a good watch; the story is well told, the monsters are fun to watch, the characters are likable, there's some effective moments of tension and traditional Tremors humour. Good film.

My Take: The best of the straight-to-video TREMORS sequels.

Next to the original, this third sequel is one of the best. It's wonderfully packed with laughs, outrageous B-monster movie horror and a western flavor. The results are great. Michael Gross returns for this sequel, playing Burt's great-grandfather Hiram Gummer, who goes to the town of Rejection to investigate the death of miners in his priceless gold mine. But when he discovers that it has been enslaved by hungry graboids, he must lead the town to fight the beasts and save Rejection.

The film is a "prequel" to the original, and it's very faithful to the original "Tremors". Showing how it happened and who are the characters. The creature effects have improved from the previous sequel and Jay Ferguson's music is interesting, appropriate to the film's western atmosphere. And, oh yeah! I forgot about Billy Drago. He stars here, giving the weird performance he once applied in Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables" and in the films by Cannon Films co. which he mostly starred in.

I really enjoyed this sequel, my line up for the series:

1. "Tremors" 2. "Tremors 4: The Legend Begins" 3. "Tremors 2: Aftershocks" 4. "Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

TV movie rating: *** out of 5.