Rating of
3.5/4
A Great Blend of Sci-Fi + Comedy
ZJW - wrote on 05/07/09
Tremors is a great action flick with the perfect balance of action, science fiction and comedy. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star as two ‘handy-men’ in the small town of Perfection, Nevada. They eventually decide it’s about time they leave and get on with their lives but they’ve waited one day too long…
Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward have great chemistry together as Valentine and Earl. The cast as a whole is excellent and every character has a unique personality. Perhaps the most interesting is that of Burt Gummer who smells a conspiracy around every corner. He also has quite an arsenal of weapons in his fortress of a home. If it wasn’t for the excellent dialogue and cast chemistry this film wouldn’t have worked. Speaking of dialogue – there are some great quotable moments from this film, especially from Burt.
This film knows well enough not to take itself seriously. It is a monster film but is really more of a comedy film at heart. It has a nice tongue-in-cheek approach to the genre that works perfectly. The ‘Graboids’ make for very interesting creatures and this movie chooses to leave their origins unexplained. The characters each take their turn speculating where they’ve come from – outer space, government conspiracy – but it is never actually revealed. This is likely for the best as an attempt at figuring this out would have only bogged the film down.
The action and special effects of this film are also great. In terms of special effects there isn’t anything to special other than everything works perfectly. The film uses every old trick in the book but it never takes away from the film at all. The action sequences mostly feature our characters as they attempt to stay off the ground but they never become tiring. It is impressive how nothing ever gets old and how well the film maintains a high excitement level.
Tremors is a perfect film for those who enjoy a nice balance of sci-fi and horror, unless you are opposed to either genre all together. A great cast with a solid story and great dialogue make for a good time. The film’s focus is squarely on the residents of Perfection, Nevada and their struggle to escape from this underground terror. The pacing of the film is also excellent, as the intensity level of the film never wavers. Definitely worth checking out for fans of tongue-in-cheek science fiction.
