TREMORS: A COLD DAY IN HELL Review – This Sequel Delivers Hot Graboid Action
Steve Barton
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Starring Michael Gross, Jamie Kennedy, Jamie-Lee Money, Tanya van Graan
Directed by Don Michael Paul
Distributed by Universal
Anomaly. Noun. Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
That’s the best way to describe the Tremors flicks. After around the third film most franchises descend into “wash, rinse, repeat” mediocrity; yet, here we are, six films in, and the Graboids, Ass Blasters, and most importantly, Burt Gummer (Gross) are still going not only strong, but seemingly invincible.
Once again the action is taken out of the town of Perfection, but this time it heads toward a whole new landscape… one of snow and ice instead of just sand and rock. You see, with the environment changing, so are the habits of long-frozen Graboids. These wormy wonders are not content with just staying all locked into their formerly frozen places. With nowhere else to turn, a science team decides that it is high time for an authority on these friggin’ things to step in… the big guns… the big Gummers: Burt and his son, Travis (Kennedy).
Upon their arrival on the frigid scene, we’re greeted with a truly colorful and likable ensemble of characters who, along with the Graboids, turn the horror, the comedy, and the action up to 11. Director Don Michael Paul once again turns in one of the most entertaining flicks in the film’s franchise, this time even eclipsing the good time that was his first entry into the series, Tremors 5: Bloodlines. It’s obvious that the team of Paul, Gross, and Kennedy is far more cocksure of the direction that their work and characters need to take, and it shows. For a little direct-to-video sequel, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell delivers tons of monster action that almost never suffers from its smaller budget. There’s a lot to like here, and longtime fans of the series are sure to eat this one up. You just cannot help but have a good time as the monster party tone is infectious.
In terms of special features we get the serviceable basics here: The Making of Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell featurette, an Anatomy of a Scene feature that takes a look at one moment in the film that is truly a first for the franchise, and a brief inside look at Perfection’s hotspot – Chang’s Market. Nothing earth-shattering here, but certainly nothing bad either.
As long as the trio of Gross, Kennedy, and Paul are up for it, I’m certainly down for more monster-fueled mayhem; and I’m pretty sure other Tremors fans will be, too. Here’s to looking toward wherever road this series travels. Something tells me its best moments are still ahead of it, and that, too, is without question an anomaly.
Special Features:
- The Making of Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell
- Anatomy of a Scene
- Inside Chang’s Market
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Film
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Special Features
Summary
This sixth entry into the long-running franchise feels as fresh as the first day a Graboid sucked down its prey back in 1990. That’s quite the accomplishment! Its balls belong in the Balls Hall of Fame.
Categorized:Reviews
