It was once thought the massive sandworms known as Graboids were strictly a desert phenomenon. Well, hold on to your seats because the hellish creatures are back, but in a place you would least expect to find them wreaking havoc, the Canadian tundra! That is right, the beloved monster franchise Tremors is back with a sixth overall installment, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, due out on Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and On Demand Tuesday, May 1, 2018 thanks to Universal 1440 Entertainment.
Coming three years following the series resurrection in 2015 with Tremors 5: Bloodlines, A Cold Day in Hell is the product of Tremors veteran Writer John Whelpley (MacGyver series, Tremors 3: Back to Perfection 2001) and Don Michael Paul (Half Past Dead 2002, Kindergarten Cop 2 2016) returning to the director’s chair for the second consecutive film in the franchise. Additionally, Michael Gross (Family Ties series, Tremors series) the only actor to appear in each of the Tremors films, including the original television series, returns as the fearless Graboid-hunting Burt Gummer.
Alongside the Tremors mainstay includes a colorful cast of Jamie Kennedy (Scream series, Son of the Mask 2005) reprising his role from Bloodlines, Travis Welker, Gummer’s long lost son, as well as Tanya van Graan (Death Race 2 2010, Zulu 2013) as Dr. Rita Sims, Jamie-Lee Money (Troy: Fall of a City series, 3 Way Junction 2017) as Valerie McKee, Stephanie Schildknecht (One Last Look 2012, Accident 2017) as Aussie, and Greg Kriek (Momentum 2015, Samson 2018) as Dutch.
Now, some may be wondering, how far can a franchise such as Tremors stretch before it breaks? A valid question, but fortunately a change in scenery and storyline benefits Tremors, and moving to a cold weather climate, opposed to a typical dessert, adds to the intrigue. It all begins when Gummer, and his ‘wingman’ Welker, are called off to a research facility deep in an arctic tundra because apparently there has been a Graboid attack. Gummer, who knows more about the beasts than anyone around, is shocked to hear the news, thus immediately casts off to secure the area.
Once arriving, the odd pair of Gummer and son learn the rumors are true, and there are not only Graboids in the arctic, but Ass-Blasters too! Making matters worse, Gummer falls ill due to Graboid parasite attacking his system, leaving the audience to wonder, is this the final current call for their beloved hero? With limited time on their hands, Welker must take the lead and unite the group fighting to survive the Graboid attack before it is too late.
A fun new story, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell is more fresh than stale and keeps you engaged the whole way through. Mixing a bit of fright with plenty of humor, matched a steady pace of action, there is no down time, and that is exactly how Tremors fans like it. Part of the reason Tremors has received so much love from fans through the years is its ability not to take itself too seriously. Too often film franchises drag on with slow, boring sequels that never live up to the original. Now, no one is saying anything will beat the 1990 original film that started it all, but each Tremors sequel to follow has its own endearing quality and the same can be said for A Cold Day in Hell.
This go around, the change in location works well. Additionally, the explanation for the Graboids ability to survive in such a cold weather climate is believable since temperatures are rising globally. After all, isn’t climate change a hot topic in the news? That said, the cast is also equally brilliant with the bright and enthusiastic character of Valerie McKee leading the way. Interestingly tieing in that she is the daughter of Valentine McKee, played by Kevin Bacon in the original flick, it does leave open the possibility for a future full-length feature Tremors film reintroducing his character. Speaking of which, the teamwork attitude of the original Tremors bleeds through into A Cold Day in Hell, with each character taking on their role to fight off the Graboids with poise. It also helps that each respective character has their own personality, delivering witty and funny one-liners with ease.
Overall, Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell is a ton of fun. The creature action is balanced with comedy while Gross’ Gummer is as flawless as ever. Which is also why it is disappointing he is not a part of the forthcoming new SyFy Tremors series – which is bringing back both Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward to reprise their roles from the original film. Come on SyFy, how could you not have worked out some sort of deal to get iconic Burt Gummer on board?
Regardless, fortunately for fans, Gummer lives on in the film series and hopefully he will return for another Tremors film in the coming years. Wait a minute, another one? Why not? Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell keeps the fire burning and many fans want to see more of Michael Gross and Jamie Kennedy joining forces to rid the world of Graboids. That is why CrypticRock gives this film 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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