This Arrow Video release is now available in a 4K Ultra HD edition, an Arrow Video “Exclusive Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD package, or on a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray.
Back in 1990, Universal Pictures released the 50s monster movie homage Tremors, which wowed audiences with its deft mix of humor, action and horror. I sat in a nearly empty theater with my sister and her future husband on opening weekend, watching the film and having a fantastic time in the process. In fact, I returned to the theater to see it a second time with my dad a few weeks later. He also had a blast with it. The movie didn’t find its audience and flopped at the box office, but slowly began building a following as the years passed. So much so that the studio, seeing its clear growth in popularity on video, attempted to develop a sequel.
The film toiled in development for a couple of years before Universal’s TV and made-for-video department latched onto the project and eventually saw it to fruition. Tremors 2: Aftershocks isn’t as strong as its predecessor, but it is a fun movie that adds some new elements. Despite not featuring co-star Kevin Bacon, it is far better than almost any other direct-to-video sequel… so much so that the movie has also developed a following (not to mention spawned a franchise that continues to this day). After Arrow Video’s phenomenal release of the original Tremors on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray ray, they have now turned their attention to this follow-up. As usual, they’ve done an excellent job. The image quality is top notch, the extras are very informative and the release is highly recommended to fans of the series.
After surviving the giant worm-like “Graboid” monster attacks from the original film, Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) has failed to capitalize on his ensuring fame. Instead, he still resides in a small remote town, struggling to run a failing ostrich farm afloat. One day, he is visited by an executive from a Mexican oil refinery in Chiapas. Their workers are being killed off by another group of “Graboids” and they’re willing to pay handsomely and provide any resource if he can eliminate the beasts. He eventually agrees after taxi driver and fan Grady Hoover (Chris Gartin) convinces him that this could be a second chance to turn his life around. The pair arrive on site and team with geologist Kate Reilly (Helen Shaver) to clear the area. Unfortunately, they are soon overwhelmed and request the assistance of old associate Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) to help them face a new “Graboid” threat that are soon nicknamed “Shriekers”.
This effort arrives from Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson, the same writers who penned the original. It is also directed by Wilson (who served as second unit director on the first film), so the tone of the material is quite similar. Ward is in fine form again as lead Bassett, as is Gross who plays the part of weapons enthusiast Gummer. New cast members Gartin and Shaver hold their own as well, and the group have a nice camaraderie that helps the film tremendously.
There are also a few new visual ideas that are effective. The movie has fun with Bassett’s use of umbrellas to help protect him from flying “Graboid” guts and there are a few inventive action scenes involving the pair battling the monsters. For one, there’s a fun new way that Bassett lures the creatures into traps. One bit involving their truck being pulled is clever, as is a section in which the tunneling creature swallows a radio. The music allows the characters to wisecrack and make note of the worm moving beneath the surface before an attack. The new monster adaptation also adds some freshness to the proceedings. There’s actually plenty of fun stuff that occurs and, despite having been made for 1/3 of the budget of the original, the movie doesn’t look as cash-strapped as one might expect.
The funding cuts do result in some shortcomings. There are very few supporting characters (aka victims) in this story and with the focus almost entirely on the four leads, viewers are never really as concerned about their well-being as they were in the original. The film doesn’t look quite as elaborate and some of the early CGI effects do look dated. However, the cast is strong and this is a surprisingly decent follow-up. Many genre critics have called it the best direct-to-video movie of its era and they have a very strong argument.
The movie was shot on film and not video with plenty of care, so the 4K Ultra upgrade does provide a sharper picture that delivers plenty of bang for your buck. Of course, the bonuses are also enlightening, detailing the long story of how the title came into existence. The feature commentary by director/co-writer S.S. Wilson and co-producer Nancy Roberts are wonderful. They go into great detail about the origin of the project and making the movie on a small budget.
The pair note the box office disappointment of the original, but how executives at Universal had taken note of its later success on video. Wilson and Maddock were contacted to write an official studio sequel for a movie in excess of $14 million dollars. Those who pick up the disc will learn that the first draft of the story found both Barrett, Bacon’s character Val McKee, as well as Gummer and his wife (played by Reba McEntire) traveling to Australia to help with another series of “Graboid” attacks. Much of the plotting was similar to the eventual follow-up, but on a much larger scale with more elaborate action.
When Bacon and McEntire passed on returning (McEntire was touring and Bacon understandably didn’t see the benefit of appearing in a follow-up to a movie that had bombed during its original release), it seemed like all was lost, Until Universal’s home video department got involved. The only stipulation was that the new version had to be completed for far less than 1/3 of the initial budget, requiring a rewrite that involved altering characters, changing locales and scaling down the action. After the writers, producers and some other departments took pay cuts, the movie eventually went into production. It’s quite an interesting story to hear the sacrifices made and how the group ultimately came together to complete the project.
The second commentary by Jonathan Melville, who has written a book on the franchise, delivers further tidbits about the production that is fascinating to listen to. He also describes in further detail some of the more elaborate scenes that were axed in this direct-to-video version of the movie. There are great stories from both tracks about the obstacles faced and how everyone got around them.
A lot of mention is also made about star Ward’s reluctance to talk about his role in these movies. It’s revealed on this disc that while the actor was easy to work with, he never enjoyed talking to interviewers about past projects and preferred to focus on the present and future. That’s why there aren’t any retrospective pieces from Ward about this, or any other film he appeared in. Wilson does recall that Ward’s only stipulation was that he be allowed to keep his long hair, as it was necessary for a stage role he was involved in at the time. When he saw dailies, he hated the way his hair looked and couldn’t wait to shave it after this production and the play ceased.
Additionally, the release contains an interview with the special effects designer and how he created the practical effects with limited means, as well as a talk with CG supervisor Phil Tippett detailing this early effort using digital effects. There are also some fun outtakes and an archival making-of featurette with the cast and crew. Additionally, there are trailers and stills. One of the coolest bonuses is the booklet, which goes into detail on earlier versions of the scripts that never got made, as well as the history of Universal’s direct-to-video division. There’s also a great double-sided poster with new and original art, a small poster with “Shrieker” art and impressive “Limited Edition” packaging.
Whether you pick up Arrow Video’s new 4K Ultra HD version or their regular Blu-ray, you can expect a good sequel, a vastly improved picture and some great stories about how this unusual follow-up managed to get made. Tremors 2: Aftershocks will definitely thrill series fans and may even win a few converts from those who expected the worst and avoided all of the sequels. It’s worth a look!