Tremors

Tremors (1990)

Director: Ron Underwood

Writers: S.S. Wilson (story, screenplay), Brent Maddock (story, screenplay), Ron Underwood (story)

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Robert Jayne, Tony Genaro

Synopsis: 

People in the small, isolated town of Perfection, Nevada, must defend themselves against unknown subterranean creatures bent on killing them. Local handymen Val (Bacon) and Earl (Ward), along with grad student Rhonda (Carter), determine that the creatures can only move through sand, and they decide the safest place for the remaining populace is the granite mountains several miles away. Unfortunately, the creatures can stop cars and trucks, so the town must figure out how to cross the expansive desert floor without becoming the creature's next meal. Glorious B-Movie schlock ensues. 

First Impression:

I missed this one in theaters. Though, to be fair, I don't think Tremors even made it to my local theater. Nevertheless, I managed to catch the film on VHS a few years later on chance Sunday afternoon movie rental with my friends. I wasn't exactly thrilled with the choice at first because, based on the cover of the tape, Tremors looked monumentally stupid. As a result, I wasn't expecting much from it and was pleasantly surprised by the film. I found it quite funny, particularly the antics of Val and Earl, and the action and violence were over-the-top but in a fun B-Movie kind of way. It's been probably 25 or 30 years since I've seen this (I just picked it up on Blu-Ray), and I'm really excited to see how it holds up.

Story/Direction: 

"Run for it? Running's not a plan! Running's what you do, once a plan fails!"

So, the story here isn't exactly high-concept or anything. It's basically a standard "creature feature," harkening back to the old B horror movies of the 50s, except it's a little more tongue in cheek and a LOT more self-aware. Basically, the nuts and bolts are that Val and Earl discover that something is hunting people in the isolated Nevada community. They discover that the killings are being made by previously undiscovered subterranean worm-like creatures, and for the rest of the film, they try to survive and escape the area alive. Stop me if any of that sounds familiar. Even though the film doesn't tread any new ground, its approach was (for the time) somewhat unique. 

While most of those old films approach their subject matter with sincerity, Tremors approaches the plot almost like a satire of those earlier movies. Most of the characters in the film don't react the way a normal human would under such circumstances, which would be panic and fear. Instead, the characters in Tremors seem almost amused by the whole thing, cracking jokes and devising a way to make money off of the whole ordeal. While this approach is fairly common in modern movies, it was a fresh approach in 1990, and it works. One of the reasons why I think it works is because the filmmakers don't try a redirect or present something different in the early going. From the first scene until the last, director Ron Underwood lets the audience known that this film isn't to be taken seriously and to just sit back and enjoy the nonsense. 

Acting/Characters:

Let's be honest. You don't watch a movie like Tremors expecting award-worthy performances. That being said, I like the acting here for the most part. The two main protagonists, Bacon and Ward, are charming and have great chemistry, and they're the right choices to lead the film. They don't have an opportunity to display a lot of range, but they're likable characters that are easy to root for.

For me, the highlight performances of the film were Michaels Gross and Reba McEntire as survivalist couple Bert and Heather Gummer. This is mostly because, in 1990, Gross was best known for his role as the dad from Family Ties, and this was such a departure from anything we've seen him in that it was surprising...in a good way. Ditto for McEntire, who was mostly known as a country/western singer and was one of her first film roles. You can tell, though, that both of them are having a blast in the roles.

The rest of the cast ranges from meh to okay, but you're not watching a film like this for the acting. 

Visual/Special Effects:

The visual effects in Tremors are a mixed bag. While the creatures look okay, certainly better than your standard B-Movie for the time, they're still pretty static and not terribly believable. Other practical effects, such as the remains of the creature's victims, didn't look well-planned out and instead, it appeared as though the filmmakers just schlepped some red-colored goop around and called it a day. There's also some fairly noticeable green screen work that hasn't aged well, but that's something common when viewing an older movie like this in hi-def. Overall, the effects aren't all that great.

Score/Soundtrack:

Ernest Troost is responsible for the film's music, and honestly, I'm having trouble remembering it. I know it HAD a musical score, and I know it was kinda twangy and had a southwestern vibe to it, as befits the film's setting, but for the life of me, I can't remember any of it. 

Action:

There's not a lot of action here and what little there is looks like it was made up on the spot. Most of the action revolves around running or escaping the creatures in some way. However, there are a few shootout scenes, including one in the Gummner's basement in which they discharge enough firearms that even the most stoic of NRA supporters probably felt a little tickle in their happy place. So, yeah, not a ton of action. It's not really that kind of movie. 

Final Verdict:

I think I was right 31 years ago. This movie is monumentally stupid...but in a good way. It's just an enjoyable B-Movie where you can watch a bunch of ridiculous shit and turn your brain off for a few hours. Check it out.