Its hard to believe that we are putting together a review for a 7th Tremors film, 30 years after the release of the cult classic.
While Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon have long departed, the man left to hold the series baton was gun-toting survalist Burt Gummer, played with such verve by Michael Gross.
His previous adventures have taken him back to Perfection, back in time plus he has had to deal with walking and flying versions of the original graboids.
Shrieker Island attempts to take the series in a different direction as a group of game hunters lead by Richard Brake’s Bill unleash graboids on a secluded island and begin their hunt. Of course things start to go pearshaped and there is only one man who can save the day…
With the relatively low budget Shrieker Island does well to hide its limitations, with fleeting glimpses of our monsters and some signature camera tricks for animal attack movies.
While the plot is fairly generic in parts Gross’ performance is full-tilt and he really carries the movie once exposition and cannon fodder characters are cast aside.
The dialogue is quite corny with lines meant to have more impact falling a little flat and although it is tad too long, Shrieker Island is a surprisingly fun ride with a lot of heart.
It also attempts to raise the stakes and puts a lot of characters you feel would be safe in really peril, even good ol’ Burt.
While the 7th Tremors movie may not attract a whole new audience it will certain please graboid fans worldwide; now where’s that TV series they were gonna make?
Tremors: Shrieker Island is available on Blu-ray and DVD 16 November from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
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