Ranking The Tremors Movies
I am a huge fan of the original Tremors. I don't know anyone who doesn't like that film. It's an absolute classic and a must-watch. You wouldn't think a movie about giant, killer worms would be this good, but it is. I'm also fan of the five sequels to Tremors. I think they are all entertaining and at least ok movies. But how do the movies stack up? Which one is the best, and which is the worst? Let's take a look.
#1: Tremors (1990)
Let's be honest: was there any other option? Tremors is pretty much as close to movie perfection as you can get. We have likable, intelligent characters, a really interesting premise, and great pacing and plot escalation. It's a fun movie and better than it has any right to be. Plus it has Kevin Bacon. Without exaggeration, Tremors is one of my favorite movies of all time.
10/10: Fantastic
#2: Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)
I like Tremors 2 because it does something different from the original. It doesn't just rehash the first film, it builds on it. I really like the plot and setup for this movie. We're in a new location, but we also have a different goal. It's not just about the characters surviving these monsters. The film starts off with the characters being hired to go in and kill the graboids, so they arm up and hunt them rather successfully. The problems arise when the graboids evolve into shriekers, which changes up the rules on the characters, who are once again; resourceful, likable, and intelligent. They have to figure out the new set of rules to beat the shriekers, and I found it really fun. The CGI is awful, and the death scenes are lackluster, but Tremors 2 is a fun movie and a solid sequel.
8/10: Really Good
#3: Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
AKA: Cowboys vs. Graboids. I was skeptical about Tremors 4. I wasn't sure that we needed a prequel to Tremors, but I gotta say, it works. Bringing Michael Gross in as Bert Gummer's prissy ancestor, Hiram, was a stroke of genius, and he is the best part of the film. The film also gets back to using practical effects and miniatures after the CGI-fest in the 3rd film. Plus it has a very similar vibe to the first movie: a town banding together to fight off monsters. I know some people don't love this one, and I'll admit, some of the acting isn't great, but I love Tremors 4.
8/10: Really Good
#4: Tremors 3: Back To Perfection (2001)
I'll admit Tremors 3 is flawed. It's the silliest movie in the series. The CGI is awful, it feels cheap, and the deaths are lackluster. Plus the assblasters are pretty silly. That said, this movie has a really fun energy to it, and it feels like the cast is having a blast making it, and it's fun to go along for the ride with them. It's great that a bunch of the original cast is brought back, plus I like the new characters, especially Jack (Shawn Christian). The junkyard face-off is a lot of fun. I liked how the characters have to contend with graboids and assblasters at the same time. And the sequence where Bert gets swallowed by a graboid is great.
7/10: Good
#5: Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)
I was hyped out of my mind for this movie. Not only was it the first Tremors film in over a decade, but Bert Gummer was going to be teaming up with Jamie Kennedy, AKA Randy from Scream. While I definitely overhyped it, it was still a fun movie. Michael Gross and Jamie Kennedy work pretty well together. There's some cool sequences, the best of which involves Bert getting locked in a cage and going nuts. Plus the new creature designs are actually pretty cool and make sense in the context of the film. Since this one takes place in South Africa, it makes sense that they evolved differently. And the CGI looks pretty good. I didn't really care about any of the supporting characters and they don't use enough of the "Get off the ground!" material that the earlier films do, but it's still a decent film
6/10: Ok
#6: Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell (2018)
The newest film in the series is also the worst. It's sill decent, but the first half is not very good, the CGI is poor, and they use the same creature designs from 5, but this one takes place in Canada, so it doesn't make sense. Bring back the original monsters. None of the supporting characters are very interesting either. That said, I did like the second half of the film as it reminded me a lot of the original film. The characters are trapped in a small area, their base camp, and basically have to stay off the ground and figure out how to survive. It gives us some really fun sequences to make up for the first half. Finally, I did like how Bert's illness tied into the incident where he was swallowed by a graboid in the third film. It was a nice callback and didn't feel shoehorned in.
6/10: Ok
Like I said, the sequels are all flawed movies, but they are all a lot of fun. Of course they can't match the brilliance of the original, but that doesn't mean they should be ignored. If you like the first one, I would recommend checking out all of them, and have a good time.
#1: Tremors (1990)
Let's be honest: was there any other option? Tremors is pretty much as close to movie perfection as you can get. We have likable, intelligent characters, a really interesting premise, and great pacing and plot escalation. It's a fun movie and better than it has any right to be. Plus it has Kevin Bacon. Without exaggeration, Tremors is one of my favorite movies of all time.
10/10: Fantastic
#2: Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)
I like Tremors 2 because it does something different from the original. It doesn't just rehash the first film, it builds on it. I really like the plot and setup for this movie. We're in a new location, but we also have a different goal. It's not just about the characters surviving these monsters. The film starts off with the characters being hired to go in and kill the graboids, so they arm up and hunt them rather successfully. The problems arise when the graboids evolve into shriekers, which changes up the rules on the characters, who are once again; resourceful, likable, and intelligent. They have to figure out the new set of rules to beat the shriekers, and I found it really fun. The CGI is awful, and the death scenes are lackluster, but Tremors 2 is a fun movie and a solid sequel.
8/10: Really Good
#3: Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)
AKA: Cowboys vs. Graboids. I was skeptical about Tremors 4. I wasn't sure that we needed a prequel to Tremors, but I gotta say, it works. Bringing Michael Gross in as Bert Gummer's prissy ancestor, Hiram, was a stroke of genius, and he is the best part of the film. The film also gets back to using practical effects and miniatures after the CGI-fest in the 3rd film. Plus it has a very similar vibe to the first movie: a town banding together to fight off monsters. I know some people don't love this one, and I'll admit, some of the acting isn't great, but I love Tremors 4.
8/10: Really Good
#4: Tremors 3: Back To Perfection (2001)
I'll admit Tremors 3 is flawed. It's the silliest movie in the series. The CGI is awful, it feels cheap, and the deaths are lackluster. Plus the assblasters are pretty silly. That said, this movie has a really fun energy to it, and it feels like the cast is having a blast making it, and it's fun to go along for the ride with them. It's great that a bunch of the original cast is brought back, plus I like the new characters, especially Jack (Shawn Christian). The junkyard face-off is a lot of fun. I liked how the characters have to contend with graboids and assblasters at the same time. And the sequence where Bert gets swallowed by a graboid is great.
7/10: Good
#5: Tremors 5: Bloodlines (2015)
I was hyped out of my mind for this movie. Not only was it the first Tremors film in over a decade, but Bert Gummer was going to be teaming up with Jamie Kennedy, AKA Randy from Scream. While I definitely overhyped it, it was still a fun movie. Michael Gross and Jamie Kennedy work pretty well together. There's some cool sequences, the best of which involves Bert getting locked in a cage and going nuts. Plus the new creature designs are actually pretty cool and make sense in the context of the film. Since this one takes place in South Africa, it makes sense that they evolved differently. And the CGI looks pretty good. I didn't really care about any of the supporting characters and they don't use enough of the "Get off the ground!" material that the earlier films do, but it's still a decent film
6/10: Ok
#6: Tremors: A Cold Day In Hell (2018)
The newest film in the series is also the worst. It's sill decent, but the first half is not very good, the CGI is poor, and they use the same creature designs from 5, but this one takes place in Canada, so it doesn't make sense. Bring back the original monsters. None of the supporting characters are very interesting either. That said, I did like the second half of the film as it reminded me a lot of the original film. The characters are trapped in a small area, their base camp, and basically have to stay off the ground and figure out how to survive. It gives us some really fun sequences to make up for the first half. Finally, I did like how Bert's illness tied into the incident where he was swallowed by a graboid in the third film. It was a nice callback and didn't feel shoehorned in.
6/10: Ok
Like I said, the sequels are all flawed movies, but they are all a lot of fun. Of course they can't match the brilliance of the original, but that doesn't mean they should be ignored. If you like the first one, I would recommend checking out all of them, and have a good time.
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