Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (Widescreen)

 

 

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The town of Perfection Nevada was the setting for the most bizarre animal attack in history -- graboids, vibration-sensing monster worms that erupt out of the ground to eat people.

And eleven years later, "Tremors 3: Back to Perfection" revisits this dusty small town when the graboids make an unexpected reappearance -- and the government promptly causes even more trouble. Michael Gross (who stole the show in the previous "Tremors" movies) gets to take the lead in the second sequel, which suffers from a bit of dodgy CGI but is still a fun, gore-splattering little horror-comedy.

After a shrieker-obliterating mission to Argentina, BUrt Gummer (Michael Gross) returns home to Perfection, and finds that the tiny town is being hassled by the putrid Melvin, now grown into a slimy real estate agent.

What's more, a thrillseeker named "Desert Jack" Sawyer (Shawn Christian) has started taking tourists out on safaris full of fake "attacks." But when Jack's slimy assistant is publicly gobbled down by a graboid in full view of the tourists, the people of Perfection find themselves facing another graboid invasion. Burt is ready to go out and hunt them down... only to be stopped by government agents who intend to protect the "oldest rarest endangered species of the planet."

To avoid being "eminent domained" out of his home, Burt agrees to help the agents. But he encounters some bizarre problems -- and when the scientists are ripped to shreds by shriekers, Burt and Co. find themselves trapped by a giant albino graboid. But the real danger comes when they manage to escape... and find that the shriekers have metamorphosed into a third stage: butt-blasting winged creatures, which Jodi names "ass-blasters." Will Burt be able to shoot down the ass-blasters... without his guns?

There's something of a feeling of sequelitis in "Tremors 3 - Back to Perfection" -- we've got the basic everybody-runs-and-hides-from-heat-seeking-monsters formula, followed by clever ideas to kill them one by one. Been there, done that, own the Chang T-shirt and the graboid hand puppet.

Fortunately Brent Maddock does do a good job injecting some new twists into the formula: pompous and inept government meddling, Melvin's sneaky money schemes, the Great White Graboid, and the full-circle phase of the graboid life cycle. Since "Tremors 3" also served as a springboard for a short-lived TV show, it actually has some clever additions that spice up the straightforward plot and leave it open for more amusement.

And the plot, while familiar, has plenty of snappy dialogue ("I'm a masterpiece of self-destruction") peppering its action scenes and suspenseful moments. Maddock liberally strews the story with high-speed chases in dusty trucks, splattered orange goop, an annoying sidekick, and the occasional massive explosion. And while the main focus is on the bombardier-beetlesque ass-blasters, the graboids also get some attention as well -- including as Burt being eaten alive by a graboid (and being very messily extracted).

Burt doesn't fire nearly as many guns in this movie, although there's a fun scene involving a WWII antiaircraft turret. And Michael Gross gets to have plenty of fun as an action hero, while showing the wonderfully paranoid Burt starting to figure out how he can use the system for his own ends. Christian makes a nice if slightly weird sidekick ("Stop with the zen zingers!" Jodi orders him), and Susan Chuang follows up as the newest Chang store-owner.

"Tremors 3 - Back to Perfection" retreads some familiar ground, but the superb Michael Gross and some fun additions to your typical "Tremors" story keeps it fresh. Definitely still worth watching.

I guess the first 'Tremors' will always be the best if only for bringing the graboids to our lives for the first time. Well, as a movie it's also the best.
But this 'Tremors 3' is a close second. The comedy works much better than in the second one, and the dialogue scenes felt better too (I think brent madock is a better director than his pal).
The Michael Gross character is also a lot more effective as protagonist than as humorous relief, as was treated in the second one. I really think it was a mistake to bring Fred Ward back in that one, there was nothing new for his character to do and the chemistry with Christopher Gartin was not as good as with Kevin Bacon. I like the new characters in 'Tremors 3'. Shawn Christian is good (and hot) and Susan Chuang is a nice match.
In spite of being produced more recently the CGI looks worse than in the second one, but that didn't trouble me.
This is the first dvd in the series with an anamorphic transfer.

I really wasn't expecting much from a third in the series even tho Tremors 2 added so much more imagination. So I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be so much fun.

It begins with a rather cool opening scene in which Burt Gummer (still in Mexico) takes out zillions of Shriekers with a massive machine-gun tank thing. After returning home to Perfection Burt must deal with new graboids, new shriekers and another metamorphosis...The shriekers turn into Ass-Blasters, flying creatures with rocket propelled farts. As the town (and the returning, surviving cast from the first film) is besieged by all forms of these animals, Burt and his pals must figure out increasing desperate ways to destroy them.

There's loads of energy and self-referential humor and the locations have a more dark/sophisticated look to them than in the previous 2 films. A light-hearted tone is still in check tho. There's even one teriffic scene in which Burt is swallowed by a Graboid and taken halfway across the desert. I paniced, I honestly thot we'd lost him. Turns out he's okay in the end.

Fred Ward is definitely missed tho his abscence is explained (Earl and Grady went to make a Graboid amusement park) but Michael Gross is simply irreplaceable as the eccentric and paranoid Burt Gummer. And Ariana Richards is so much more cuter now that she's grown up.

Tremors 3 is the best presented Tremors movie on DVD. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture looks great and the Dolby 5.1 is reasonably lively with lots of bass during the tunnelling scenes. A fair amount of extras come along too.

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1.0 out of 5 stars totally sucks!!!
I would rather stick hot french fries in my eyes than watch this horrible movie. The first 2 were really good but I am letting my dog use the third movie as a chew toy!!!

Published on Mar 23 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Oh yeah, this movie...
In the words of newgrounds.com...

"Makes poop look good."

Published on Feb 10 2004 by TrezKu13

1.0 out of 5 stars so bad
This movie is probably the worst movie I have ever seen. The special effects are terrible. When one of the monsters is walking through a conveinent mart, its computer generated... Read more

Published on Jan 28 2004

3.0 out of 5 stars Bit of a disappointment really
Perhaps considering that these low-budget, made for TV movies are just about nutty locals from a small town in the wilderness blasting away hordes of mutant worms, my expectations... Read more

Published on Jan 24 2004 by G Gilbert

2.0 out of 5 stars a disappointment really
I was disappointed in this one. Gross comes back as Burt and Fred Ward like Kevin Bacon in the first one doesnt come back but some other ones from the first one come back as... Read more

Published on Oct 21 2003 by Michael Bolts

5.0 out of 5 stars Graboids, Shreakers, and Blasters, oh my!!
The third in this series keeps up the "excitement" with the latest evolving of these creatures. Bert Gummer saves the day - again but he has to outsmart El Blanco who is... Read more

Published on Aug 12 2003 by S. R. Karnecki

5.0 out of 5 stars A cult movie
When I try to describe why I like the Tremors triology to my friends, the only thing I can say is "Cult Film". Read more

Published on July 21 2003 by Doc Holliday

4.0 out of 5 stars What will they think of next?
The TREMORS series just refuses to go down without a fight. The original TREMORS was a classic film with many suspenseful moments. Read more

Published on July 17 2003 by MysticGohanXL

2.0 out of 5 stars Dumbest of the Series
I don't know when they will quit making Tremor movies, from what i understand #4 is on it's way, they get dumber everytime. Read more

Published on May 9 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars strangely comforting
If you liked the first or second Tremor, this one is especially fun. Otherwise I couldn't tell ya. If you like dumb, entertaining sci-fi go for it. Read more

Published on Jan 15 2003 by doppelganger

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