Fourth and hopefully final Tremors movie is a prequel set in the Old West. Michael Gross returns, playing the great-grandfather of the character he played in the previous three movies. The joke is that gung-ho survivalist Burt Gummer's ancestor was a dandy. It's amusing for a moment but when you realize that's the only bullet the movie has in its gun, you lose interest. This is a very cheap and bland movie. Not at all in the league of the original Tremors or even the last two sequels. It reeks of being a desperate attempt to wring more out of the franchise than was necessary. I can't hate them for trying. Anyway, it's not very good and I'm sure only die-hard fans will find value in it. I didn't laugh once and there are long stretches with no action, so it's pretty dull.

I call myself a Tremors fan and have enjoyed all four movies. The first is the best of course, but the three films that succeeded it are flawed but equally worthy. This entry is the weakest in some ways, but it was still fun and enjoyable.I do agree this one is the slowest entry. Not just in the pacing, which is rather lethargic even for Tremors, but also the action which had its jumpy and tense moments but sadly seemed rather subdued and lacklustre. I wasn't hugely keen on the story here either, I loved the idea, but while there are some entertaining parts the slow pacing and lacklustre action made some parts drag a bit, while the direction wasn't as efficient as it could have been. Also I wasn't as impressed with the design of the Graboids this time around, they were great in the previous three but here they seemed too small and somewhat cartoonish.However, the cinematography is skillful and the scenery is beautiful. The sound effects are great, and when the action isn't lacklustre it does shock you and make you jump. The script has its fair share of funny moments too, and the acting particularly from Michael Gross is decent. Overall, it is a decent prequel, but it was a little messy at times this time around and lacked something. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The relationship Tremors 4: The Legend Begins and I have has long been a strange one, stranger than the original Tremors film going from a modestly successful, contemporary B-movie into a series that spanned three decades, a TV show, and an online video game. Tremors 4: The Legend Begins was never the sequel I craved to watch as a young child, totally invested in the universe of Perfection, Nevada and the biology of the Graboid. I always craved the first two films and watched the third film on special occasions, yet I was never drawn to the idea of a prequel to the franchise set all the way back in the 1880's. One faithful day when I was about nine, I settled into watch the film and shut it off after about forty minutes; the action wasn't there, the suspense was missing, the faithful characters I grew attached to over the course of the years weren't even a twinkle in the eyes of the characters, and, bottom line, the atmosphere felt all wrong. I put the film away and decided I'd never watch it again.About six years later, I tried once again, made it to the end credits, and generally liked what I had seen; it was a film I found pleasant enough, somewhat entertaining, but again, never really wanted to see again nor craved every year like the previous three films. Watching it for the third time, making it to the end credits of the second time, I'm caught between my downright hatred from my first "viewing" and the acceptance of my second to reach a point of indifference. Tremors 4 is a mediocre addition to a franchise that otherwise boldly worked with the elements of suspense and constructing biology of obscure, constantly developing creatures and an assembly of quirky but, for the most part, instantly lovable characters.Tremors 4 lacks that smoothness that made the first three films so investing, and doesn't really know how to assemble or make use of its time period without it seeming like a costume party. The film follows the town of Perfection, Nevada in 1889, when it is known as Rejection, Nevada. The town is a largely desolate, unremarkable town that is financially elevated by the silver mine, which soon becomes a dangerous location when numerous miners are reported dead or killed on the job in a mysterious fashion. To investigate, the mine's owner Hiram Gummer (Michael Gross), great-grandfather of the Tremors' franchise's Burt Gummer, a cold and mannered businessman concerned about his bottom dollar above all, arrives in Rejection.Hiram immediately gets acquainted to the townsfolk, to whom he is incredibly standoffish, before getting a look at the "dirt dragons" themselves. Before transforming into the typical subterranean beast we know them as, the worms are smaller, more land-oriented creatures, about the length of a skateboard, with spikes along their sides and a smaller head that resembles their Graboid successor. Hiram, Juan (Brent Roam), a mineworker, and Pyong Lien Chang (Ming Lo), current owner and operator of Chang's General Store, realize they're ill-equipped to combat the violent beasts, they enlist in the help of a skilled sharpshooter. The sharpshooter presents himself to Rejection as "Black Hand Kelly" (Billy Drago), an ominous figure cloaked in black and blessed with a quick trigger finger.Tremors 3: Back to Perfection was the point in the franchise when one could really see that the budgets for the films had become increasingly minimized and the fate of the series headed in the direction of Sci- Fi Network TV movies. Tremors 4 further reduces the budget to a real pitiful muddle of poorly conceived CGI and limited human interaction with the creatures. The combat and suspense elements included in the preceding films are notably missing from this one, sacrificed in favor of listless conversation between the characters that doesn't eloquently build character nor create any additional interest in the situation.Finally, there's the overall lack of spirit from the original three films. Those were movies that built off of one another, adding characters related to one another, providing epilogues to those who weren't in future installments, and linked together like an elaborate food chain. Tremors 4, aside from the connection to Burt Gummer and Walter Chang's market, largely feels divorced from the series all together, and although S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, and Nancy Roberts are all still a part of this film, a lot of the zest and the attributes that made the preceding films so watchable and easily lovable feels so subtracted that this might as well be a prequel made by total strangers of the series.Starring: Michael Gross, Brent Roam, Billy Drago, Sarah Botsford, and Ming Lo. Directed by: S.S. Wilson.

A little better than 'Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)', but definitely inferior to 'Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996)'. Even if none of these straight to video sequels reach the greatness of the original, it's still quite an enjoyable franchise that manages to storm up something refreshing for the viewer as the creators knew what they wanted. Helping out a lot was that most of the guys behind the idea (Ron Underwood, Brett Maddock and S.S. Wilson) were aboard, albeit writing, directing or producing. They were always involved in some way and they're love for it showed in their works. Also let's not forget that Michael Gross is the only one from the original cast to appear in all four as his energetically memorable gung-ho Burt Gummer. Well that wasn't entirely the case and this last instalment (to date) paints that out.The fourth tremor film sees us transported back to what is a prequel. Set 1889 Nevada, in the small working town Rejection (yes before it was called Perfection). During one day nineteen miners are picked off in silver mine by some unseen creature (graboid) and this causes most the town to pack and leave. The owner of the mine Hiram Gummer (Burt's descended) arrives to an almost ghost town to hopefully rid the problem and re-open the mine.Michael Gross's character is largely different to what was use to seeing. It surprises. But the change of character/personality to what he becomes and what we love about him is done very well because of Gross' sincere acting. Billy Drago is simply wonderful and a joy to behold in his short role as the gun for hire. The rest of the cast do a very capable job, but we know whose show it is any way. Yes Gross, but the graboids too. With a mixture of well-constructed CGI and terrific animatronics' puppets that do come off. With the crew favouring the use of the latter more often and for such a low-budget production is amiably crafted.The plot structure (by S.S Wilson, Brett Maddock and Nancy Roberts) is dryly old-fashion monster fun on the western frontier that actually cares for its characters, pops in some consistent light humour and can rally pockets of suspense. Director S.S Wilson relax handling has a brisk and spirited flow to it.