Bullet Points: Tremors: Shrieker Island

The Tremors franchise is far more unkillable than its title characters. It has lasted decades, persisting on sequels, prequels, and geographically silly locations that call the science of graboids into question. No matter, it’s a franchise that has captured the hearts of many, including myself. Would I love to see Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward return to their titular characters? I guess, but they are far less important to the franchise than the man who has single-handedly carried it for decades; Michael Gross.

Synopsis: Graboids are illegally taken to a new island resort by a rich playboy as a dangerous form of trophy hunting, and Burt Gummer steps up to save the day.

• Deadly Prey: A group of hunters hide out in the trees above an open plain as the film opens. They are watching as a young boy runs from something. Suddenly, it exposes itself and the hunters let loose with a bevy of bullets, poisoned arrows, and foul language. It’s not some tiger or any other predator, though. It’s a Graboid, and it’s one big son of a bitch!
• Somebody find Burt: Graboid hunter Burt Gummer must be sick and tired of being brought into all of these situations. He’s been playing Robinson Burt Crusoe on a random island, away from everyone and everything. Jimmy (Jon Heder) is the man to finally find Burt after Jas (Caroline Langrishe) gives up his position, and talks Burt into joining the new fight against the graboids. By the way, remember Jamie Kennedy’s Travis Welker? Well, he’s in prison for some drug stuff and he’s the son of Jas and Burt.

• Bill and his hunters: Bill and his small group of rich hunters stand no chance of surviving the week against the graboids. It’s a good thing that Burt shows up flinging insults, one-liners, and explosives at the monsters. Bill’s people are being hunted by the shriekers when Burt shows up for the save, but they still don’t have any idea of what they’re up against.
• “I don’t have to be careful, I’m prepared”: Burt Gummer may be one of thousands of doomsday preppers that live throughout the country by he is one that has taken his survival skills to task many times. He has faced down death and survived, and his preparation has enabled this survival in each and every instance. So it makes sense that this excellent quote that he gives us is both cool-sounding and educational.

• Going Crazy: Shit hits the fan pretty quickly on the island of graboids. They breed like rabbits and Bill and his team are in for a bloody fight sooner rather than later. He goes crazy, of course. He’s essentially a similar character to Burt’s only he hasn’t faced off against anything this extreme. He’s only seen success when it comes to hunting but he’s never fought against anything like this. It sends him into a Colonel Kurtz-like status where he thinks only of killing the beasts and nothing else. Cheers to Richard Brake for his performance.
• Leave the good lines to Burt: Jon Heder’s Jimmy takes over for Jamie Kennedy as the comic relief/shouldn’t be there role. He survives when he shouldn’t and drops a few one liners when he had no reason to. Burt and co. even call him out on it once when he utters a line that only Burt could say. At least Jimmy has an excellent collection of Hawaiian shirts.

• The Devil’s Punchbowl: Like the main characters in the original film, Burt decides to lead the remaining graboid to an area where its momentum underground will lead it over a cliffside and down to the ground below. I feel like it is one of those odd places where graboids would accidentally die if they were real and also a copout as it’s an easy way to kill off a beast larger than any we’ve seen in the past. It does give us one last chance to see Burt as the hero, though, and it’s a place that he’s become very comfortable.
• “Destiny is a bitch”: You said it, Burt.

The Verdict: I never would have guessed 25 years ago that two franchises that would still be going in 2020 would be Sniper and Tremors. I mean, seriously, who would have? This is the type of sequel that should have been a throwaway but having Michael Gross and Richard Brake so involved made it really fun. I liked it more than the previous two Tremors films that I reviewed, to be honest. Burt has been old for a long time so don’t expect him to show off insane action skills but there is no doubt that he moves extremely well for a man in his 70’s. If you’re a fan of the series then you need to see this one. Is it going to be the final installment? Maybe….but it wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t.