Tremors 5: Bloodlines…
Ok, I need to start my review of Tremors 5 with an admission. I am huge fan of the Tremor series. One of the most fun monster series EVER! Another addition to this franchise would have to be pretty bad for me to hate it. Thankfully, this 5th installment was pure joy! There was so much win in this movie I was actually in a better mood after watching it.
Things to know about the movie. If you haven’t seen the four previous installments. You don’t have to see them to enjoy this movie, there’s a Graboid history in the film that will catch you right up. However, if at all possible, I highly recommend watching the first four films first because they’re fun. If you love “creature features” it’s one of the best series ever. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but it never feels ridiculous.
Here’s what I expected going into this movie. Tremors 5 was going to have cheesy dialog, a cheesy Syfy Channel level of CGI and story line. (Special Note: I love Syfi movies the comment wasn’t meant as insult in any way). Expecting all that, I knew I was probably going to love it anyways. What I got was special effects that were seriously on the level of Jurassic Park. I got a fun story, witty dialog, great acting. Honestly, I haven’t been this impressed with a “B Horror Movie” in years. I mean it was a quality production on every level that I saw.
The story. Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) is back again and this time is off to Africa because there’s been an Ass Blaster’s attack there. However, he’s going with a new cameraman/agent, Travis Welker played by brilliantly by Jamie Kennedy. Yes I said brilliantly. The acting by these two is so perfectly played. The lines they have to deliver are at times hilarious, at other times serious but always oddly believable. Seriously, if you can say, “The Ass Blasters are protecting their Graboid bloodline.” and make that interesting and funny without being cheesy and silly, you’re an actor of superior level.
Oh and one special shout-out to Pearl Thusi. Though she’s listed last in the credits, she’s a major character, a love interest and made the movie better. She is a strong female character. She is absolutely believable in her role as a bad ass woman and smart woman, she had that Laura Croft kinda bad assery. Her character was smart and sexy. There was just this natural realness about her character that made her simply fun and interesting to watch. Very well done.
Tremors 5 manages to keep it fresh by not relying on the same old scenes we’ve seen before. It also pays homage to great films like Jurassic Park and Predator. The movie was simply fun without stepping too far into the ridiculous. It does these masterfully. The acting and the special effects make up for any possible holes in the story. There may have been holes in the story but to be honest I was having too fun to notice them if they were there.
As I sat down to write this I began comparing it to the original movie and I had to remind myself that it’s not the original, the original is a classic, it was fun and it was suspenseful. This didn’t have the suspense that the original had but this movie wasn’t about that. The original had a way of making a bunch of people trapped on rock piles and roof tops almost nail-biting in it’s level of suspense and not boring. But, Tremors 5 wasn’t about people being trapped on rocks. It didn’t rely on that way of building suspense. There was the standing on rocks moments of course but it wasn’t long and drawn out. Action was always taken instead of sitting or standing around for long periods of times. And I applaud that.
The only thing I really would have liked to see was an explanation of how the Graboids made it to Africa? Maybe there was a theory presented I missed in my gleeful joy and excitement of watching the movie? But, it didn’t matter, we know that members of the Graboid family can fly, so it’s possible they flew there? Maybe it was the exotic animal black market? At the end of the day it didn’t matter much there was enough going on to keep us moving forward.
I have to admit the part that got me the most excited was during the credits when they stop for a minute. (Spoiler Alert) The thought of the Burt and Travis movies tracking other monsters. Brilliant! Whoever’s in charge of these things, make it so. This is the most exciting news in the creature feature genre I’ve heard since, well… Since Tremors 5: Bloodlines was announced. Oh, and make sure to bring Pearl Thusi along. Film can always use more strong women.
Cast of Characters:
Michael Gross as Burt Gummer
Jamie Kennedy as Travis B. Welker
Natalie Becker as Lucia
Lawrence Joffe as Basson
Ernest Ndhlovu as Ndebele Chieftan
Emmanuel Castis as Dr. Michael Swan
Zak Hendrikz as Riley
Pearl Thusi as Nyala