Saturday, March 11, 2017

Review: Tremors II

(these reviews are reprinted from the Dr. Squid zine, originally published in the late 1990s through the early 2000s)

Y'all remember Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Reba McIntire and Michael Gross battlin' those graboid worms in Tremors? Wasn't that a cool flick? Well, if you liked that one, you'll like this direct-to-video sequel. While Kevin and Reba don't return, the film opens with Fred Ward's Earl Bassett, now trying to run an ostrich ranch out in the desert, being asked to help fight a new outbreak of graboids near oilfields in Mexico. As the story goes, Ward and Bacon's characters shared short-lived fame after their initial graboid adventure, appearing on magazine covers, talk shows and inspiring a video game. Ward got the short end of the hype stick and what money he did make he's now blown a couple of ostriches who are more than a bit coy about breeding. With not much to lose and more fame and fortune to gain, Earl heads of to Mexico with a gung-ho, young hanger-on named Grady and meets up with a pretty blonde scientist (Helen Shaver) at the company's office. Using a bunch of explosives supplied courtesy of the Mexican military, Ward & friend go on a spree, blowing up gobs of graboids out in the fields. Ward soon calls up his old militant buddy Burt Gummer (Micheal Gross), who's holed up in his bunker watching war movies...alone. Seems that Reba left him between films. Anyhow, he heads down, arrivng in a huge military truck stocked with tons o' explosives. On an evening wormhunt, Earl & Grady get in a bit of fender-bender, ending up stuck on a rock with a huge graboid just on the other side. This big worm isn't very aggressive, in fact it just lays there, pulsating and screeching. The pair has to wait it out while a company man comes out to the rescue. After a huge noise, the two check out the graboid only to find its entire side burst open. They risk heading out across land back towards the base, coming upon their "rescue" truck along the way. The bashed up vehicle holds only a few bloody remnants of it's former driver. When they get back to the base, they are soon assaulted by the latest mutation of the graboids - ostrich-like walkers with big ol' mouths and oddball retractable antenae. They're fast, they're mean and their pursuit takes up the rest of the movie.

All of the quick pace, inventive storyline, action and sly humor of the first feature are here, along with lots of cool and gorey effects. The plot really kept me guessing as the remaining players tried to stay one step ahead of the gaggle of running graboids. There's a bit of techno-babble about the origins of these giant worms, but just enough to provide some interesting flavor to the story. The first Tremors was an entertaining b-movie and so is Tremors II. Check it out!

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