tomtom13
"Flesh-Eating Worms in Nevada."
New Releases, Oscar-Winners and Obscure Movies!
Join | Log In
Rating:
Wild and campy fun is to be had with TREMORS, a monster film from 1990. TREMORS combines the elements of character dynamics that made JAWS so successful and features on-edge sequences of monster-on-human chases and attacks which rival ARACHNOPHOBIA (1990) directed by Steven Spielberg's producing partner Frank Marshall and CRITTER's (1986). Plus Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward are great onscreen buddies, and Reba as the deputy sheriff makes a great debut (quick question: how is it that most of today's most successful and famous directors and actors/actresses got their starts in horror movies?).
+3
In a small New Mexico end-of-the-road town, Valentine (Bacon) and Earl (Ward) are two buddies whose penchant for choosing odd jobs with low pay bothers them very much. What bothers them now seems small to what will come to them and to the town too. Workers and townsfolk begin to simultaneously disappear for some random reason and their disappearances all share one common characteristic: they vanish into the ground! Soon enough, Valentine and Earl figure out who or what is taking out these unfortunate people: man-eating worms! Valentine, Earl, and the informed townsfolk are with limited resources, but with what they already have they can eradicate this underground threat...permanently!
As with all species, there are the small ones and then there are the big ones. You can imagine TREMORS's setup of first using the small worms in the first portion of the film, and then later the big worms for the film's gooey climax. And man, does this film climax with a number of inventive and smart evade-and-strike sequences.
JAWS is the Godfather of monster movies, and the two words that can sum up why that is so are these: killer shark. Plus it put Steven Spielberg on the map as a major filmmaker with major commercial appeal. Director Ron Underwood's TREMORS (using his own story) put Ron Underwood on the map, but his success as a director lasted through the early 90s. In the 2000's, he turned toward TV directing and hasn't looked back. While director Ron Underwood's work on TREMORS is not up to par with Steven Spielberg's on JAWS, Underwood did utilize great EVIL DEAD-esque camerawork and smart interplay between the characters.
Speaking of the characters, Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward were absolutely great together as Valentine and Earl. Their relationship felt bona fide. And none of the supporting characters were no less believable, as they stayed committed to their roles with their time onscreen.
TREMORS is a solid monster movie filled with wild and campy fun from the 1990's, more specifically of 1990. With the successful combination of the character dynamics that made JAWS so successful and on-edge sequences of monster-on-human chases and attacks that rival the monster films' ARACHNOPHOBIA and CRITTERS allows TREMORS to be what it is. Be ready for more Critiques and Opinions on Every Movie I Can Get My Hands On!
What did you think of this review?
Helpful
9
Thought-Provoking
12
Fun to Read
12
Well-Organized
9
Post a Comment
devora
December 06, 2010
This sounds like something I would dig. Thanks for sharing, Garrett!
GaRan7
December 09, 2010
Good to hear you would dig it. Your very welcome devora!
show text editor
QUEENBFLIX
December 05, 2010
Only 3 thumbs? Man, this is a 5 thumb movie in my book--I just love it. It's smart and it treats the viewers like thewy're smart too. It pays tribute to the great monster movies of the past while creating a totally new monster with 2 aspects. And you gotta love all the great acting and the chemistry between Bacon and Ward is fantastic--this flick made Bacon one of my favorite actors--I was already a big fan of Ward's.
GaRan7
December 09, 2010
You're absolutely right on the all points you've made! I look forward to checking out your reviews, because I feel that they are solid.
QUEENBFLIX
December 14, 2010
Thanks. I'm looking forward to your stuff as well!
show text editor
1
More Tremors reviews
I should rent this movie because it has been so long. Good movie to watch!
Comment
Compliment
There is not a whole lot I can add to the very nice reviews already posted to this sight; difficult to come up with anything that has not already been said. Never-the-less, since this movie is at the top of my list of films that are simply fun to watch, I feel a need to add my two cents. I am one of those people who love movies, but have an absolute loathing for T.V. in general. I watch, not counting DVDs and VHS Tapes of movies, about one hour of Television per week. Other … more
Comment
Compliments (3)
review by ssjakira1.
August 04, 2006
Pros: Haha, I love Kevin Bacon and non-CGI effects Cons: If you dont take it seriously, there arent any (I am sad one character died) The Bottom Line: I always end up doing reviews of random stuff I never plan to review
Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot. Like so many movies before, I end up catching things late at night that I always enjoy. Tremors, though not known for, well, anything … more
Comment
Compliment
TREMORS, though not a great movie, has all the elements of a great movie. It's got a good cast (Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire), decent plot (small desert town attacked by flesh-eating worms), lots of action and suspense, very realistic special effects, and plenty of humor mixed in. The movie makes no qualms that its a rehash of the old sci-fi flicks of the 1950's and 1960's that starred giant insects. However, TREMORS makes it all seem so new. The only drawback is that the … more
Comment
Compliment
About the reviewer
Garrett Rankin (GaRan7)
Ranked #142
Ranked #142
Have a good time while keepin your smarts intact.
Consider the Source
Use Trust Points to see how much you can rely on this review.
You
GaRan7
Your ratings:
Recent reviews by GaRan7
About this movie
Director:
Ron Underwood
Genre:
Horror
DVD Release Date:
April 29, 1998
Runtime:
96 minutes
Studio:
Universal Studios
First to Review
- About Lunch
- Press
- FAQs
- Contact Us
- Terms of Service
- Privacy Policy
- Sitemap
- Report Abuse
© 2013 Lunch.com, LLC All Rights Reserved
Lunch.com - Relevant reviews by real people.