Tremors 5: Bloodlines

 

Well, yes: I like the 'Tremors'-franchise. Always have. 

Are all the films equally good? No. But even the worst ones aren't terrible and it's cool to see a franchise lasting this long without too many concessions. But now for the biggest question: is the fifth installment good enough to give a watch?

Yes. Just don't expect it to be on par with the first two. Those are untouchable. Let's be brutally honest.

In this one, Burt Gummer (who has been our lead since number 3), is making a videoseries about survival. He is soon brought into contact with a new cameraman and a South African representative who wants him to come hunt Graboids, or more specifically Ass Blasters in a game reserve in South Africa. Because Burt can use the money, he accepts. From then on, it's pretty much what you would expect. Burt hunts Ass Blasters and one very pissed off Graboid and things don't go according to plan. 

Yes, it's pretty much more of the same, and herein lies possibly this film's biggest flaw, in that they don't really do anything new. Granted, it's not easy with the rules established to suddenly find new ground, but it is all very, very familiar. 

That being said, this isn't an awful film by a long stretch, it's actually rather enjoyable, even though it does borrow heavily from previous iterations and even from 'Jurassic Park' (you'll notice which scene as soon as you see it, it's almost shot for shot the same). The characters are fine, and Michael Gross is still likable. There's one South African idiot who constantly wears industrial sunglasses who is a complete douche, but at least he dies in an amusing way. 

What they also did right, at least in my opinion, is remodelling the Ass Blasters. They look a lot more threatening and better than in the 3rd film, even though they are now all CG. But still, that was a nice touch. The new/different breed of Graboid also looks pretty cool, but because it is all CG, it moves too fluently and too weightless. It almost porpoises through the ground at times, which is a bit much. I also don't understand why their tongues can suddenly detach and move on their own accord as if they were some sort of snake, but I guess they had to try something new. It doesn't always land well, though. 

See, for a fan of the franchise, this is a nice addition to the series. It is enjoyable, if not perfect by a long way, but you will enjoy revisiting some of the same tropes and ideas. Several characters are fun to watch, even if the Burt parentage-angle is shoehorned in, and not in a subtle way. That being said, if you don't have a soft spot for this franchise, you will likely find this dull and weird. 

I can safely say that this is a major step up from number 3, but it does fall in behind the fun 4 and way after the first two, that are still untouchable. Give it a chance if you are familiar with this property. If not, you're not missing much.