In the final film of the Tremors franchise, for now at least, we find our hero Burt Gummer headed to Africa to take down some more of those subterranean monsters that have been the bane of his life, not to mention a few Ass-Blasters as well.

In a surprising twist, the fifth film of this series is actually not all that bad boasting better production values, a better script and story and some fairly decent acting from the cast including the returning Michael Gross. You would think that Gross would get a little tired of reprising the role of paranoid gun-nut Burt Gummer, yet the character does hold a certain kind of charm and it is fun to see just how far he has evolved over the course of the films. It is not in any visible kind of way either, instead being a little more subtle such as beliefs and attitude and the way he treats people. He is a changed man and the only way to really notice is to watch all the films, excluding number four of course.

What was really nice to see was that it was not a simple rehash of all that had come before. The Graboids do their thing of course, there is no avoiding that and no way for it to be any more original than what we had seen in any of the sequels. They do what they do and that is the long and short of it. Here, what the filmmakers do is give the creatures a little history, what with being in Africa and all, the belly of creation. There is also a little evolution to be seen in the Graboids as well as the Ass-Blasters which are slightly different to those that had been seen previously, not to mention the fact that they lay eggs and such. So while a little of the film is similar, much of it gives us something new and that is a bit of a rarity for any sequel, especially one as venerable as this franchise is, now twenty-plus years on.

The special effects are better than any seen in the sequels thus far and while the Ass-Blasters still have a ridiculously stupid name, they are actually a little terrifying. The film has actual suspense and horror present and little of the comedy that was present in previous installments. This is the film that Tremors fans have been waiting for ever since the first one was released all those years ago. Little things could have been improved of course, cutting down on the one-liners for one thing, but overall, Tremors 5: Bloodlines was an enjoyable excursion back into familiar territory.

3.5 out of 5

2015 Edition

First Entry – Trapped in the… – Valley of the Dragons (1961)
Second Entry – Can You Feel the… – Tremors (1990)
Third Entry – Beauty and Danger Collide in… – Viking Women and the Sea Serpent (1957)
Fourth Entry – Dance the Night Away in the… – Village of the Giants (1965)
Fifth Entry – It Was a Time… – When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)
Sixth Entry – Do Not Fall Into the Grasp of… – The Giant Claw (1957)
Seventh Entry – Who Knew They Could Give Birth? – Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)
Eighth Entry – So Many to Choose From – The Loves of Hercules (1960)
Ninth Entry – Should Have Stayed Down Below – Up From the Depths (1979)
Tenth Entry – Snakes On a Boat! – Anaconda (1997)
Eleventh Entry – Think Twice Before You Cheat – Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
Twelfth Entry – Back to the Trough – Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)
Thirteenth Entry – Past and Present Collide in… – Mega Shark Versus Mecha Shark (2014)
Fourteenth Entry – Mating Season – Anacondas: Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
Fifteenth Entry – A Land Before Time – One Million Years B.C. (1966)
Sixteenth Entry – Battle of the She-Titans – Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader (2012)
Seventeenth Entry – Look Out for The Hoff! – Anaconda 3: The Offspring (2008)
Eighteenth Entry – Impossible Dangers on… – The Lost Continent (1968)
Nineteenth Entry – You Will Wish the Legend Was Over – Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004)

Last Year’s Creatures…

Giant Monster Gamera (1965)
The Monolith Monsters (1957)
Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)
Tarantula (1955)
Gamera vs. Gyaos (1967)
Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957)
Gamera vs. Viras (1968)
The Cyclops (1957)
Gamera vs. Guiron (1969)
Monsters (2010)
Gamera vs. Jiger (1970)
The Killer Shrews (1959)
Gamera vs. Zigra (1971)
The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Space Monster Gamera (1980)
King Dinosaur (1955)
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)
The Black Scorpion (1957)
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion (1996)
Them! (1954)
Gamera 3: The Revenge of Iris (1999)
The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
Gamera the Brave (2006)
Frankenstein Conquers the World (1966)