Tremors II: Aftershocks

The original Tremors, released six years earlier, is a prime example of how monster movies ought to be and it was immensely popular amongst critics as well regular audiences. A sequel was inevitable and it's actually surprising that it still took 6 years before they had it finished…Normally; filmmakers exploit a successful franchise much quicker than this! I think everyone agrees with the statement that this second entry can't possibly live up to the original but, as far as the quality of sequels go, "Tremors II: Aftershocks" is a fairly pleasant B-movie that you definitely won't regret seeing. It's obviously meant to please the enormous fan-base of the first movie, since it features the exact same type of humor and similar special effects, but at least it tries to add something new to the story of the giant carnivorous worms. Several years have passed since the big fat "Graboid"-hunt in Perfection, Nevada and good old Earl Bassett (the cool and charismatic Fred Ward reprises his role) is asked to come to Mexico because a new plague of worms has already killed (and eaten) the staff of a large petrol field there. Reluctant to risk his life again, Earl eventually decides to come to the rescue, accompanied by his old and trigger-happy friend Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) and a fresh sidekick named Grady. The three learn that Graboids are a superior breed of monsters, since they evolve and rapidly work their way up the food chain. The biggest thing missing in this film is Kevin Bacon…Well, not so much his persona but the duo he formed with Fred Ward in the original! Christopher Gartin tries hard enough to be a good replacement but it's just not the same. No offense to him, though. There still is some delightful B-movie dialogue going on between Fred Ward and Burt Gummer and the monster effects are more than satisfying. Two more straight-to-video sequels followed and they're really not that bad, neither. You just need to be a massive fan of the original. In case you thought 'Tremors' was only so-so, none of the sequels are meant for your eyes.

Tremors, the first film, was top. A quirky, funny and strangely satisfying movie, you just wanted to see it again & again. Of course, Universal realised this, and decided to give us what we wanted - More Tremors.

Unfortunately, it just didn't exude the same qualities of the first film. Tremors II goes down the formulaic action-comedy route, steering clear of the original's quirkiness and subtle humour and replacing it with crass one-liners and in-your-face action scenes. Much of the team involved in the original film are present here, though it does feel slightly lost without Kevin Bacon. The young actor attempting to replace him gives a reasonable performance, but his character in the film is just a bit too streetwise and 'smart', and he doesn't make a convincing on-screen partnership with Fred Ward.

The plot is different to Tremors, but still contains the Tremor-creating 'graboids' that were present in the original. In fact, the special effects of these are one of the film's strong points. The camerawork & directing is passable, as are the performances from all involved. Will you enjoy this film? It depends. If you're looking for a straight-up action movie, then this wouldn't be a bad choice. If, however, you're looking for a good sequel to Tremors, you'll be disappointed. Overall rating: 5.5/10

It's a sequel so almost by definition is inferior. It does keep in the same spirit as the first, but doesn't live up to the original. Overall however it was a fun movie with a few twists and definately worth checking out. I consider the original Tremors a classic, so my expectations were high. If you've seen the first ( I know you had to love it) then check this one out, it's worth seeing.

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.

Tremors 2 is not a bad movie. It simply lacks whatever made the first movie so special. The story is okay but it could of used more work. Having Fred Ward and Michael Gross back helped this movie a lot. I was disappointed to find out this was released direct to video. It has the potential to be a big screen release and could have made more. Overall, Tremors 2: Aftershocks is a okay movie. If you've seen the first movie, you might as well see this one.