Tremors

A near flawless piece of work, Tremors follows the residents of a small Nevada town as they’re forced to defend themselves against deadly subterranean creatures. Filmmaker Ron Underwood, working from S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock’s screenplay, does an absolutely phenomenal job of immediately capturing the viewer’s interest and attention, as Tremors opens with an engrossing stretch that effectively establishes the two heroes (Kevin Bacon’s Val and Fred Ward’s Earl) and their irresistible chemistry together, with the movie, beyond that point, introducing the almost shockingly compelling and captivating assortment of off-kilter denizens of the aforementioned Nevada town (including Michael Gross’ survivalist Burt, Finn Carter’s geologist Rhonda, and Victor Wong’s store owner Walter). There’s little doubt, as well, that Tremors benefits substantially from an ongoing emphasis on suspenseful, spellbinding interludes, and it goes without saying that the film’s climactic stretch is as engrossing and exciting as one might’ve hoped – which, when coupled with the picture’s myriad of overtly positive attributes, cements its place as a seriously effective (and seemingly timeless) little B-movie.

**** out of ****