| TREMORS 3 : BACK TO PERFECTION |
| DIRECTED BY BRENT MADDOCK. STARRING MICHAEL GROSS, SHAWN CHRISTIAN, SUSAN CHUANG, and ARIANA RICHARDS. |
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| Tremors was a highly entertaining homage to the monster movies of the fifties, and Tremors 2 was also a fun ride that expanded on the first film, so I rented this hoping that it wouldn't be a waste of $5.50. |
| Tremors 3 begins with everyones favorite member of the N.R.A. Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) hunting everyones favorite underground beasts. The Graboids have unfortunately metamorphosed into shriekers, but Burt quickly fixes them up with a .50 calibre anti-aircraft gun. After impressing the local media with his handling of the messy situation, he heads home to Perfection. |
| Things in Perfection have changed since the first film. Chang's store is now run by his entreprenuerial daughter Jodi. Another entreprenuer by the name of Jack Sawyer has also moved in, and conducts fake Graboid safaris for tourists. Melvin is now a shifty real estate agent interested in cutting the town up and selling to the highest bidder. Other original castmembers such as Miguel, and an all grown up Ariana Richards (who's acting ability hasn't improved much since her childhood Jurassic Park days) also reprise their roles. |
| Everyone thinks Burt is paranoid because he has erected a Graboid proof barrier around his compound, but sure enough the giant worms re-appear in Perfection. With no Kevin Bacon or Fred Ward around, it's up to Burt to save the day. There's a bigger problem this time around though.... the graboids turn into the shriekers seen in part two, and then change into flying creatures called assblasters ( I'm not kidding!). From here on it's the usual fun mix of thrills, humour, and surprises we've come to expect from the franchise. |
| On the creatively starved shelves of the new release section of my local video store, this was a breath of fresh air. It was the kind of movie you only get when the cast and crew are really enjoying themselves. Unlike George Lucas, Brent Maddock really went out of his way to give fans of this franchise everything that they've come to expect from a Tremors movie. As usual, it was very character driven, only used CGI sparingly, and kept things simple. Living in an area currently being destroyed by overdevelopment, I also enjoyed the sub-plot that showed the greedy real estate agent Melvin to be a greater threat than the creatures. |
| The film also lampooned environmentalists in a pretty funny way. Bureaucrats arrive in Perfection soon after the Graboids appear and declare the creatures to be an endangered species, and forbid Burt to blow them up. All in all, this was a fun piece of escapism. I thought that Fred Wards abscence would harm the movie, but Michael Gross stepped up to the plate and stole the show as Burt Gummer. It's always a rare and refreshing thing to see a working class guy like Burt doing positive things in a film nowadays, rather than just being an object of ridicule (Joe Dirt anyone?) in a big budget bleeding heart liberal movie. Well worth a rent. |
| Entertainment : 3 out of 4 |
| Watchability : 3 out of 4 |
| Overall : 3 out of 4 |
| Reviewed by Blake. |