Film Review: TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL (2018)

It seems that Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) and son Travis (Jamie Kennedy) have found themselves once again in Graboid country in TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL (2018).  Burt finds himself having tax problems (mainly because he hasn’t paid them) and decides he must go back into the wild and battle the Graboids one more time.  Global warming is in effect and the devastating consequences is that the artic ice caps are melting allowing for the appearance of Graboids in Canada’s Nunavut Territory where a couple scientist have been killed.

This is the perfect opportunity for Burt to get back into action one last time to battle Graboids as he soon learns that he is dying from Graboid poison (from an encounter in a previous film) and the only antidote is from a living Graboid.  The race is one for Burt and Travis to not only rid Canada of their Graboid problem but to also find a way to save Burt’s life by catching a Graboid alive.

Although a ludicrous premise (and what really in this franchise isn’t), making Burt more vulnerable places more weight on the supporting characters especially Travis who as Burt’s son comes into his own as an adequate supporting character.

Written by John Whelpley and directed by Don Michael Paul (both of whom worked on the previous film in the same capacity) this is a great companion film to the previous films as it helps craft a new era of the franchise separate from the previous films yet still a part of them.

This film also brings in Global Warming and government conspiracy and other elements that make it more topical than previous entries in the series.  I like the idea of taking Burt and Travis to other countries to fight the Graboid menace (especially since the town of Perfection has been overused in previous films) and it shows that there are still some interesting and interesting stories to tell even six films (and a television series) into the franchise.

Film Review: TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES (2015)

Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) travels to South Africa where the Graboids have returned and deadlier than ever in TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES (2015).  It seems that the Graboids have migrated from North America and found their way to a new continent and a new breading ground.  This film opens with Burt marketing his new videos promoting his latest survival techniques.  When his old videographer leaves for a more production union job in Hollywood, in steps Travis B. Welker (Jamie Kennedy) a fan of Burt’s who wants to help change his image for a progressive future.

When the Graboids surface in South Africa, Burt is called upon to once again bring his expertise to the battle and his new cameraman Travis comes along for the ride to make sure they get good footage.

This film has the Graboids (in all their many different forms) becoming more dangerous and more aggressive than in previous films which is exciting for the series as a whole as it expands the universe but keeps it linked to all the previous films (and television series).  If this franchise has one thing going for it, it’s the continuity of characters which is why fans continue to follow Burt Gummer no matter what he gets himself stuck in.  Travis Welker makes for an odd, but interesting choice for a sidekick this go around.  Travis isn’t quite as interesting as previous sidekicks but when it comes to a Tremors film, it’s the Graboids that are the most interesting thing in the first place.

The film is entertaining in seeing Burt out of his element and in a new country, but the film does suffer from being too much like the original films.  Even though there are some changes and new elements added these additions do little to remind you that you’ve seen everything done before.   This being said, if you’re a Tremors fan then half the fun is seeing Burt and company getting into a new mess.

Film Review: LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER (2012)

Actress Yancy Butler returns to battle giant man-eating crocodiles in Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012).  Having survived the ordeal of her previous encounter at the infamous lake, Reba (Butler) is now settled with Sheriff Giove (Elisabeth Rohm) with the protection of her town by barricading the growing population of crocodiles from the rest of the world with an electric fence.  Reba would rather just kill them all but it seems that they are now an endangered species and protected from being hunted.  This does not stop big game hunter Jim Bickerman (Robert England) or his group of men who plan to break into the barricaded area in order to steal the valuable eggs of the crocodiles.  When Bickerman’s men accidentally leave the gate to the quarantined area open an school bus of lost and unsuspecting teenagers find their way to the beach where they are the meal of the day for a swarm of crocodiles starving for food. 

It’s great to see Butler back as Reba as she has grown into the roll with her no nonsense attitude towards her job of both protecting the endangered crocodiles and wanting to kill them all.  She has a lot of fun in the roll and every time she’s on the screen she cracks and sizzles.  Rohm is the more subdued of the two and isn’t given as much room to have any fun but she does play the typical mother whose daughter is one of the bus load of teenagers trapped behind enemy lines.  It is England who truly outshines them all as Bickerman a relative of Betty White’s Delores Bickerman from the original 1999 film (so a nice nod there).  He is given free rein to have as much fun as he can in a film that saddled with mediocre CGI crocodile VFX.

The film is written by David Reed (who also wrote Part 3) and directed by Don Michael Paul.  This is a film that knows it’s the fourth film in an ever going franchise of diminishing results (and for those of you counting there is a Lake Placid Vs. Anaconda film on the horizon for this year).  This is not meant to be a good film but I give it points for bringing in some impressive stars and letting them have fun with the mediocre material because if they’re having fun we’re all having fun (and if you make it into a drinking game it’s even more fun).