Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996)

Too many fans seem to be blown away

Memorable, crazy movie

Better Late Then Never

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Fred Ward and Michael Gross are the only two stars who returned for this direct-to-video sequel six years after the original. While the loss of Kevin Bacon is definatly felt the film does a nice job of explaining his absence. Ward still is good comic relief but Chris Gartin is rather annoying as Grady. Gross takes a bigger role and gets some good lines in as well, despite the fact it not quite being his series yet. The film still uses a majority of practical effects over CGI even though they are limited but still enjoyable. The new Shrieker creatures are nice as well.

Say the words "Direct to Video", "Direct to DVD and Blu-Ray" or "Direct to Digital" to a smattering of film-fans, and chances are, you'll hear some audible groans. For several decades now, the "Direct-to" market has been booming, with dozens and dozens of releases every year that skip theaters and go straight to store shelves. And why shouldn't this market flourish? The rise of DVD and subsequently Blu-Ray sales shows there's a huge audience potential for features that don't necessarily see a theatrical release, and the new trend in digital distribution makes it even easier for audiences to get instant access to the films they want to see. Well, the problem is that at a certain point, studios saw dollar signs, and the Direct-to market was flooded with cheap imposter titles and even cheaper franchise cash-in's that were thrown together in a slapdash effort to make a quick buck. For every good direct-to-video movie that grows a cult fan-base, there's a million pieces of crud like "Hollow-Man 2" or "Hellraiser 9" or "Cruel Intentions 3." Heck, just the other day I saw "Hard Target 2" sitting on a shelf at the local Wal-Mart...The flooding of the market with sub-par titles by greedy studios has lead to a pretty unfair generalization amongst many a movie-fan and general film-goers that when a film skips theaters, it almost always is of a low quality and doesn't deserve proper recognition or consideration. And this isn't always the case. There's definitely some high-quality releases every year, and "Tremors II: Aftershocks" might just be the quintessential example of a Direct-to-Video sequel done to near perfection. Boasting great production value for its lowered budget, a wickedly charming cast and a great sense of humor, in many ways it's a near-ideal follow-up to the cult classic original!A few years after the events of the original, Earl Basset (Fred Ward) is living alone on an Ostrich ranch, when he is approached by a Mexican oil-worker with an offer: hunt down a new rash of Graboids that are feeding on his men, and he will be handsomely compensated. Together with giddy new sidekick Grady (Christopher Gartin) and former survivalist neighbor Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), Earl travels to Mexico and begins to blow the Graboids to kingdom come. However, soon enough the rules are changed when the trio discover that the worms are changing... and have started to evolve into a deadly new form that cannot be stopped by traditional means...Directed by series co-creator S.S. Wilson from a script he co-wrote with Brent Maddock, the film does a very good job building upon the good-will and the great tone established by the first film. One thing the series has always done is to respect characters and continuity and to maintain a delightful light-hearted tone throughout each film, and that's very much the case here. The film strikes a fine balance of horror and humor and never sacrifices fun for grit or grime. It's also a very good-looking film with a nice sense of scope and composition. Wilson's camera-work is always very fun and fluid and he crafts the film in such a way that you can never feel it's slashed budget on-screen. Despite costing less than half what the original ran, "Tremors II" consistently feels just as big and ambitious a film.The cast is great fun once again, and it's a joy to see some key returning characters mixed in with the fresh blood. Ward is fantastic as always, and it's nice to see where Earl ended up after the ending of the last film. He's got a great gruff charm to him and it's always fun to see him on-screen. Gross- now the sort-of mascot of the franchise- is sheer perfection as the troubled, serious-to-a-fault Burt, and plays the role exquisitely. Newcomers Helen Shaver, Marcelo Tubert and Christopher Gartin round out the cast nicely and all give good performances. Though I did find Gartin's Grady a bit grating from time to time. (And I apologize for that unintended alliteration.) But ever still, he was a good addition.In the end, while it might never quite live up to the iconic status of the first film, "Tremors II" is still quite a bit of fun. It's charming cast, creative script and some solid visual direction help elevate it beyond the confines of its low budget and status as a "Direct to Video" follow-up. It's not perfect by any means... but it's a wonderfully entertaining sequel and a prime example of how to follow-up a cult-classic in a satisfying manner.I give it a very good 8 out of 10.

Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) is down and out, left with just 2 ostriches. Apparently there are more Graboids. This time they are threatening the Petromaya oil refinery in Chiapas Mexico. They are willing to pay $50k a head bounty for the monsters. An admiring fan Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin) convinces him to go. They meet geologist Kate Reilly (Helen Shaver) who helps, but when they're overwhelm, they call on Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) out to help.There are more Graboids. They are evolving. They are bigger and badder than ever. So it's good to have Burt so he could bring bigger and badder explosives. That makes up for the annoying sidekick.They're playing up the geezer love angle. It's fine that they lay the camera on Shaver's butt, but why put it on Fred Ward's butt. Com'on guys! You almost burn my eyes out.It's taking a more campy turn. It's a little more stupider and a little more non-sensible.

Even without Kevin Bacon, I thought the second movie was just as good as the first.Fred Ward, Michael Gross, and the other actors were able to carry on from the first movie, and bring additional elements to the ongoing saga of the horrible Graboids that lurk under the ground.If anything, I thought the second movie was actually better in parts, because the creatures have evolved into something altogether worse than in the first film, and our intrepid heroes have to deal with it.I also liked how Fred had to move on without his sidekick, (or was it the other way around)Kevin Bacon, and now he is the one with a sidekick in Grady Hoover, who idolizes Fred as the "stud" Graboid hunter.And of course what can you say about Michael Gross? Just kills it here too.