Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004 Video) User Reviews

Amusing and funny fourth sequel is set in the Old West

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 19 February 2007]

Nevada 1889,a mining village called Rejection are happening mysterious events in the mine where die seventeen miners.There live a small group people(a habitual of native roles August Schellemberg,Sara Bostford,J.E Freeman, among others Chinese actors).Then comes Hiram Gummer(Burt's ancestor)played by the usual series Michael Gross.In the desolate plateau where are roaming a beasts,he arrives in the stage line and he brings a lot of luggage and a cycle.Later is hired a famous gunfighter called Black Hand Kelly(Billy Drago)to chase the strange creatures with three tongues.Then they confront against the West's most fearsome predator that savagely stalking its prey,the human group.The large wormlike burrow around in the underground looking for the human food.This time,Gummer will use a large rifle and a steam machine for battling the dreadful giant bugs called Graboids in an epic final fighting...And ultimately the town's name is changed by ¨Perfection¨.

It's an OK and entertaining juvenile entry of the series,is remarkable for FX recreating of the carnivorous and ferocious beasts developing a bloodthirsty hunger for men eating.The giant worms delivers the goods with hair-raising chills,screams,grisly horror when they spontaneously appear.The essential characteristics from the series are the following : A remote plateau in a desert location called Perfection, a solitary misfit group fighting against the astonishment monsters called Graboids and of course the Michael Gross presence as Gummer,besides all are produced by Brent Maddock,Nancy Roberts and SS Wilson.The best is the original directed by Ron Underwood(Fred Ward ,Kevin Bacon),it's followed by inferior sequels aimed to video market :¨Aftershock¨ directed by S.S Wilson (also with Fred Ward and Helen Shaver),¨III Back to Perfection¨ directed by Brent Maddock(Charlotte Stewart,Ariana Richards) and Television series with Gladys Jimenez,Victor Browne,Marcia Strassman and as always Michael Gross.

Good fun. Faithful to the series.

[vip_ebriega · 6/10 · 10 February 2007]

My Take: The best of the straight-to-video TREMORS sequels.

Next to the original, this third sequel is one of the best. It's wonderfully packed with laughs, outrageous B-monster movie horror and a western flavor. The results are great. Michael Gross returns for this sequel, playing Burt's great-grandfather Hiram Gummer, who goes to the town of Rejection to investigate the death of miners in his priceless gold mine. But when he discovers that it has been enslaved by hungry graboids, he must lead the town to fight the beasts and save Rejection.

The film is a "prequel" to the original, and it's very faithful to the original "Tremors". Showing how it happened and who are the characters. The creature effects have improved from the previous sequel and Jay Ferguson's music is interesting, appropriate to the film's western atmosphere. And, oh yeah! I forgot about Billy Drago. He stars here, giving the weird performance he once applied in Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables" and in the films by Cannon Films co. which he mostly starred in.

I really enjoyed this sequel, my line up for the series:

1. "Tremors" 2. "Tremors 4: The Legend Begins" 3. "Tremors 2: Aftershocks" 4. "Tremors 3: Back to Perfection

TV movie rating: *** out of 5.

Weaker than the previous movies but still fun

[cherold · 6/10 · 26 July 2004]

This likable forth entry in the series doesn't pack quite the punch of its predecessors but is still entertaining. Taking the basic premise back to the wild west was a clever touch, Michael Gross is quite good playing a character diametrically opposed to the one he played in the other movies and Bill Drago is good (as always) playing a super-cool gunfighter.

Still, the first hour feels a bit sluggish at times, closer in spirit to the amusing but not especially exciting Tremors television series than the movies. Around the middle is a genuinely thrilling sequence and the ending is also reasonably exciting. Not as white-knuckle intense as anything from the other movies but it did cause me to cry out with the occasional "whoah!" I would call this worth watching if you're into the series or just want to see a pretty well done monster movie.

But after four movies the series may be getting tired. My advice: time to turn it into a videogame.

Enjoyable trifle

[jmatrixrenegade · 25 July 2004]

I enjoyed the original and felt the others (including the series, basically) were pleasant time wasters. The latest confuses the chronology a bit, but sequels often do tend not to be totally loyal to such things anyway. Still, its late 19th century setting gives it a bit of color, and is portrayed fairly well for a low budget film. The characters are pleasant with the usual diversified class of ordinary souls represented. There is not a lot of action per se, but enough is present so that it doesn't disappoint.

Sort of like an extended flashback episode of the series, and a fairly enjoyable one at that. For fans, that will be enough. I'd add that Michael Gross handles himself nicely here as the more "weenie" version of his descendant.

Back Up Your Arsenal

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 14 January 2009]

The fourth "Tremors" feature goes back in time, to the year 1889. "The Legend Begins" in the small city of "Perfection", which was then "Rejection, Nevada". As the story begins, seventeen miners are killed by the ghastly "Graboids". Some of the characters in the present-day "Tremors" films have ancestors, both figurative and literal, in the past. Most obvious is the ever-returning Michael Gross (as Hiram Gummer). Unlike his descendant, Mr. Gross is inept with firearms; so, he hires gunslinger Billy Drago (as "Black Hand" Kelly) to shoot 'em up some "Dirt Dragons".

This one takes some getting used to - as it takes place in the distant past. It's like a western with miniature versions of the original film's monster "Graboids". These tamer "Dirt Dragons" are nowhere near as terrorizing as their "Tremors" (1990) counterparts. Consequently, in this film, the characters spend an awful lot of time on the ground, which would not have happened in the original movie. And, it was weird to have the citizens give up the fight so quickly, when Gross temporarily decides to leave town. Why so helpless? Why didn't Brent Roam (as Juan Pedilla) immediately rally the people to fight without Gross? Disappointing.

**** Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) S.S. Wilson ~ Michael Gross, Brent Roam, Billy Drago

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins

[TCurtis9192 · 7/10 · 1 November 2015]

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is a prequel to the other Tremors films and the TV series.

I find the experience of watching this film to be a pleasant one. It has humour and mild threat, with some tense scenes. I certainly think this is a better entry to the franchise that Tremors 3: Back to Perfection, and far superior than the latest, Tremors 5: Bloodlines.

The Graboids are back to basics with almost no CGI, and they are convincing creations.

It features real characters who are portrayed well by the cast, and sheds an interesting light on the origins of Burt Gummer through the exploits of Hiram Gummer, both played by Tremors veteran Michael Gross.

This is a good watch; the story is well told, the monsters are fun to watch, the characters are likable, there's some effective moments of tension and traditional Tremors humour. Good film.

Really, just a bad, bad movie

[joeydd2003 · 1/10 · 24 October 2005]

Well...tremors I, the original started off in 1990 and i found the movie quite enjoyable to watch. however, they proceeded to make tremors II and III. Trust me, those movies started going downhill right after they finished the first one, i mean, ass blasters??? Now, only God himself is capable of answering the question "why in Gods name would they create another one of these dumpster dives of a movie?" Tremors IV cannot be considered a bad movie, in fact it cannot be even considered an epitome of a bad movie, for it lives up to more than that. As i attempted to sit though it, i noticed that my eyes started to bleed, and i hoped profusely that the little girl from the ring would crawl through the TV and kill me. did they really think that dressing the people who had stared in the other movies up as though they we're from the wild west would make the movie (with the exact same occurrences) any better? honestly, i would never suggest buying this movie, i mean, there are cheaper ways to find things that burn well.

Fun and not half bad

[leadpoisonaod · 7/10 · 8 May 2005]

The original Tremors was a classic and a well put together big budget Sci Fi movie. The follow ups have all been more low budget and released only on video, but have actually been OK. I mean, you can't possibly take them seriously, but they're a lot of fun and the characters wind up being pretty memorable. Tremors 4 manages to continue the follow ups while maintaining originality. This alone is an accomplishment, since many sequels end up being repetitive and boorish. Tremors 4 doesn't have this problem.

Instead, Tremors 4 is a prequel set in 1889. Perfection is a new town called Rejection and is populated by miners....until they start getting eaten. Most of the remaining townsfolk leave. The only ones that stay behind are an Indian, the Chang family, a Mexican guy, and an unmarried red headed woman. Sound familiar? The townsfolk send for a man to asses the mine, which turns out to be Burt Gummer's great-great granddad: Hiram Gummer. Hiram is a proper eastern dude who has never touched a gun and is completely unprepared. He doesn't want any business with the "dirt dragons". However, he gets swept up with the situation and decides to stay and fight the worms. He enlists the help of a famous gunslinger and together the motley crew of 8 battle the monsters. A big subplot in the movie involves the revelation of how the Gummer family became obsessed with guns, bombs, and preperation. Although, like all Tremors movies, its inherently a little bit silly and hard to take seriously, the movie is laced with nostalgic humor and for a #4 continuation, it's pretty well done and should satisfy most any fan.

It's getting worse and worse

[moliath · 2/10 · 17 January 2004]

Just a few words.... This movie really sucks. It's like those TV Movies with bad cast and plot. It's amazing how they could make this sequel worse than the III. Don't waste your time watching this crap, even if you like the tremors movies.

Yet another treat for the "Graboid"-fans !

[Coventry · 7/10 · 1 May 2004]

Man, I love the Tremors-franchise like Winnie the Pooh loves his honey! After four films and a TV-series (which regretfully didn't got aired in my country), I still think these giant underground worms are the total definition of coolness! And therefore, I really feel like this entry is made for me and homogeneous souls exclusively. If you think the original Tremors was one of the most entertaining monster comedies ever made, and you even got hooked on the sequels…you'll certainly have a great time while watching this fourth installment. If you thought Tremors was only so-so and the sequels atrocious…well then, you'll absolutely loath number 4 as well. Which is fine by me too but don't go bashing it then, neither.

I think the Tremors-series depends on one major advantage… Every chapter in the series is put together by more or less the same film crew. Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson are the creative thinkers behind the idea ever since the first film. And each and every single time, they try to uphold the originality aspects and add some ingenious twists to the nature of these lovely monsters. The first three episodes, for example, describe the Graboid's entire reproduction cycle. Tremors 4 actually is a prequel and takes us back to the Wild West, Nevada 1889. Michael Gross, the trigger-happy hero from all the previous entries stars as his own ancestor who's the owner of a Silver mine. Hiram Gummer has the exact opposite character of his great grandson at first, but you can slowly see his personality forming itself. The idea and structure of Tremors 4 is pretty risky, but I think it works and true fans will have a great time searching for the numerous references towards later adventures. Enjoy!!

Really bad

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 1/10 · 29 April 2004]

A surprisingly poor sequel this time. Offering us nothing new and no excitement. Set in the 1800's, the town of Perfection, then called Rejection, is becoming a ghost town because the Graboids are gobbling up all the mine workers. The mine owner (Hiram Gummer-Burt's ancestor and complete opposite) comes to town to sort out the problem but proves to be useless. He hires a notorious gunman (the ever-evil Billy Drago) but he proves to be useless too.

What is weird about this film is that it provides NO set-pieces for our characters to do anything or prove themselves. Nothing happens and the film seems to drag on for ages with long periods of no Graboid action whatsoever. Weird considering it's directed by SS Wilson who did the Tremors 2 and 3. It doesn't feel like a Tremors film at all. Where's the fun in watching a bunch of period characters learn what we've long known about the mysterious Graboids?

Michael Gross is great as Hiram in regards to playing the complete opposite of what he is popular for and showing some range as an actor. But he just doesn't do anything. There is no reason to watch this film.

Plus it's not shot on 35mm film but with a TV camera. The 1.78:1 anamorphic picture proves this only further. It really does look like a feature length episode of the Tremors TV show (which I don't think I'll get if it's anything like this, assuming it ever comes to DVD at all) and it's very distracting. The sound is in Dolby 5.1 and is quite good during the tunnelling and gunfire scenes but it's not reference quality stuff by any means.

One of the better entries in the series

[mentalcritic · 8/10 · 11 February 2005]

The Tremors series seemed to run out of ideas on the second installment, so the idea that we are sitting around discussing a fourth is quite absurd, to say the least. Nonetheless, the fourth in the series may well be the best aside from the original, which is one of the most surprising things I've ever seen myself type. Perhaps the big secret here is that the series has never taken itself too seriously, which is certainly a plus in comparison to other series, where the sequels never seem to realise how bereft of ideas they are.

Tremors 4 takes a completely different tack to its three predecessors and sets itself a couple of hundred years in the past. Before the town of Perfection became Perfection, it was known as Rejection (ha ha). Burt Gummer's great-granddaddy, Hiram, was a wimp who held guns in much the same manner that many of us hold dead fish. Contrary to the impressions of the other films, Rejection was a silver town with a mine owned by the aforementioned Hiram. It seems that when the miners stop work due to fear of being eaten, it eats into profits, and Hiram comes out to see what is scaring away the workers.

As with the last three films, the cast is strictly low-rent, with Michael Gross and Billy Drago forming the most recognisable portion of the cast. Indeed, Gross seems to be so comfortable in the role of the Gummers that he barely seems able to portray anything else. Or rather, he doesn't seem to just portray the character. For all intents and purposes, he is the character. Which is certainly a great change from his days in Family Ties as the head of one of those saccharine families that only seem to exist on daytime or early afternoon television. It is just as well they placed the burden of the acting upon the shoulders of a veteran like Gross, as the rest of the cast seems lost.

Tremors 4 also seems to return to the style of the original when it comes to revealing the worms. Instead of having them constantly attacking the populace through CGI simulation, much of their interaction with the human cast returns to the practical effects and trick photography of the original. The one shot in the film I noticed that was obviously CGI only helps to demonstrate that simple off-screen levers or cables still have a lot of usefulness left in them. The one problem I have with the films to date is that none of the DVD-Videos have been offered with a featurette that explains how these practical effect shots were achieved.

Tremors 4 also marks the first time we get to see anything of the oft-referenced Carson City. The city doesn't appear at all special, but that's fine. Just inserting a view of the place is enough. Among Tremors 4's weaknesses, on the other hand, are attempts to build up suspense with danger to Hiram Gummer. As if the existence of Burt didn't already make the resolution of such scenes clear. Another problem is the constant debates about the next step in the residents' plans against the worms. The recitations of homilies start to get rather stilted after a while. There is also a bit too much repetition of the noisemaking technique. To the credit of the writers, they do manage to insert a few of the guerrilla-style battle moves that made the first and third episodes so amusing. Thankfully, the idea that Hiram Gummer could fight these creatures and Burt not have any idea what they were is sort of half-explained towards the end.

In all, I gave Tremors 4 an eight out of ten. It isn't nearly as good as the original, but it is a massive improvement upon the other two. Here's to hoping that they manage to keep as many good ideas in a fifth or sixth, although I personally would pay good money to see a film set a hundred years from now with Perfection as a thriving city that is hit by the worms. Yes, that was a hint.

A lot of silly, harmless fun

[Gafke · 7/10 · 12 March 2006]

I love the Tremors movies. They're fun, they're surprisingly well made and they don't take themselves seriously at all...and neither should the audience.

The year is 18hundred-and-something and the Wild West town of Rejection is one step away from becoming a ghost town. The silver mines have been abandoned due to the mysterious disappearances of several miners. Prissy mine owner Hiram Gummer (Michael Gross) shows up in Rejection, determined to restore his mines to working order. With the help of a noble miner named Juan and a slightly insane gunman named Black Hand Kelly, Hiram sets out rather unwillingly to destroy the Graboids and restore order to Rejection.

This is a movie played mostly for laughs, and the cast does a good job with it. The entire premise is absolutely ridiculous, but everyone looks like they're having a good time. Michael Gross, the only member of the cast to appear in all four Tremors films, plays his role perfectly, making Hiram a multi-faceted character; arrogant jerk one moment, insecure nerd the next. Billy Drago, best known for his sleazy Bad Guy roles, almost steals the film as Black Hand Kelly, a typical, squinty eyed cowboy with a really weird sense of humor. It's nice to see him play a good guy for a change, even if his good guy is a little creepy and ends up as worm food far too soon.

Fans of the first Tremors film will definitely want to catch this prequel. Tremors 4 is the best film in the series after the first film, filled with the same sense of silly fun as the original as well as being an homage to it as well. 7 out of 10 stars for Tremors 4.

Demonic trout film

[Golgothae · 2/10 · 2 August 2004]

Dear dear dear dear dear...me! I had the strength to see it through... But why?!

The first two films where fun and actually somewhat good. But this is so bad we had problems seeing the whole thing. This was some kind of Tremors for kids. I can't believe this movie was made at all..seems like the props where taken from some bad western series of some kind (for kids) and they just did whatever they could with it.

What audience is this movie for? I can only think of 12-14 year olds. If you're older than 14 you'll have serious problems with this movie. It's not only slow, but it's so utterly boring. The characters are overacted (not just a little either) and so stereotyped it's fun for a while..but not long enough to not make you want to fling tomatoes at the screen. You know everything that is going to happen too, cause yes...you've seen it a BILLION times before in any hero series on TV for kids. I picked all the survivors and all the tremor fodder the second the characters got introduced. It's so bad..so wrong..so...crap.

But OK, we did get a laugh now and then. Not just at the silly plot holes, but some scenes where worth a replay or two...or one scene that is, where two baby tremors fling themselves at one of the obvious tremor fodder guys..It's really a great scene which made us replay it over and over and laugh wholeheartedly. Still makes me grin when I think about it. But that only happened one more time sadly..and that's when the "badass" gunman shows up and overacts his part wonderfully...that and one comment "They spring from the ground like some DEMONIC TROUT!" At this point we where almost crying with laughter. But after that..nothing could ever top that..(?)..so it's pretty much downhill from there.

So tops here are demonic trouts and overacting. If anybody ever tells you this is a good movie...he's either a "plant", vegetable or someone very evil. This movie has got to be the worst of the tremors by far. Looking forward to seeing Tremors 3, it's bound to be box office hit compared to this...this...*goosebumps* no..I'll leave it at that.

Fun with the Graboids - Old West Style

[Maven-3 · 6 January 2004]

This film stays in the vein of campy, but brilliant action flick much like Tremors 3. It's humorous, scary, and always exciting.

Building on the success of Michael Gross as Burt Gummer, we have Gross as the ancestor of Burt, Hiram Gummer. Hiram is a wealthy owner of the local mine. He is snotty, cowardly, and can't shoot a gun to save his life. The townspeople really don't care for him and his greedy ways.

He arrives just as the mine is being abandoned. 17 miners have disappeared in the caves and everyone is scared to enter. The local Indian claims it to be spirits haunting the caves. Hiram needs the silver in the mine to remain wealthy and gathers a ragtag group of desperate miners to check it out. A brief attack by "dirt dragons" and Hiram is ready to abandon the town of Rejection and his mine. The few remaining townspeople are desperate for a solution.

If you enjoy the Tremors franchise you will love this new installment. The special effects are awesome, using giant "puppets" instead of cgi adding a real quality to the attacks. The origins of the graboids are somewhat revealed and the town of Perfection is born. There are many references to the first Tremors and fans will appreciate the thought put into the film. I truly enjoyed this Graboid attack. 7/10.

The Tremors Well is Officially Dry!

[Zod-2 · 3/10 · 25 April 2004]

Warning: This review contains minor spoilers.

Well the writers of the first Tremors are officially out of ideas. I'm a big fan of the first movie and the first two sequels are pretty good for straight to video fare. Tremors 4: The Legends Begins, however, is a very dull movie. Where the heck are the Graboids???

Due to the relative lack of Graboids through the first 90 minutes I'm convinced that this entry into the series is suppose to be a "character study". Unfortunately there isn't one interesting character in the movie except for Billy Drago's character who is given too few lines, too little to do and in the end too little screen time. What saved the 2nd and 3rd movies was the presence of Michael Gross as Burt Gummer. Whenever there wasn't any action on the screen you could rest assured that Burt Gummer was going to be interesting to listen too and/or watch. However in this movie Gross plays Hiram Gummer a very poor and boring substitute.

On the plus side when the Graboids (Dirt Dragons in this movie) are on the screen they do look good but that is about as good as it gets.

I was impressed when I saw that Tremors 4 was listed at 101 minutes long. Pretty good for straight to video. But after watching it I'm sure that this movie is a good 15 minutes too long. There are long stretches of dialogue that is boring and doesn't further the plot any. Was there a rush to get this movie made? I think not, more time could have and should have been spent on the script.

I thought I had hit a gold mine when I saw Tremors 4 packaged for sale with....Tremors!!! What luck I thought, pay for #4 get #1 for free. Well after watching Tremors 4 I like to think I paid for the original and got this mess for free, I can't imagine paying a single dime for Tremors 4. For fans of the series it's best to forget that Tremors 4: The Legend Begins even exists.

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins rates a 3 out of 10.

A word of advice, Mr Gummer. Anyone can be taken advantage of. And if you can, do.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 15 August 2014]

The fourth film in the Tremors film franchise, but actually a prequel, is surprisingly a whole bunch of fun. That is on proviso you have any sort of affinity to Westerns. Plot whisks us to the Wild West and finds the residents of Rejection Valley in a battle against the creatures that would become known as Graboids. The link to the future Tremors movies is once again Michael Gross, here playing Hiram Gummer. Gummer is a weasel business man type who is forced to confront his moral compass and set it for future generations of Gummer's.

Cult hero Billy Drago is on hand to up the fun quota as Black Hand Kelly, a hired gunman with a laid back attitude and a draw as quick as the best of them. For period flavours it's well stocked by director S.S. Wilson, for Western fans the clichés are as enjoyable as the costuming and town dressage. Problems here for Graboid fans is that there is a very long wait for things to really kick off into creature feature territory, and then it's evident that the effects work is not top line stuff. This goes some way to explaining the film's mediocre ratings on internet movie sites.

In spite of its straight to video status and modest production budget, "The Legend Begins" does look fantastic on photography terms, the colour lenses spot on for the Wild West setting and the Bronson landscapes and cave systems look terrific, cinematographer Virgil L. Harper deserves a right good pat on the back. cast performances are a mixed bunch, but there is nobody bad here, all members, led by Gross, are fully committed to making the material work. Things invariably get pacey for the big finale, which is in keeping with the series, although all things considered it's not a barnstormer of chaotic creature feature conventions.

Loads to like for Western fans with a bent for some "B" movie schlock, hardcore Tremors fans, though, are sure to be frustrated. 6.5/10

Booooooring... BOOOOOOOOOORING

[Takashi-3 · 4/10 · 24 March 2004]

This, the direct-to-video death rattle of the Tremors series, features sixty inspired seconds (sawblade: you'll know it when you see it) and more tedium and filler than you can shake a stick at. Tremors 4 was obviously shot on a cripplingly low budget. That means they only had enough special effects mojo for three or four minutes of precious worm-on-human violence, tops. The lackluster, cliche-spouting cast and hackneyed writing ensure that the remaining hour and a half of the Tremors 4 experience feels at least fifteen thousand years long. Only hardcore Tremors fans will be able to sit through, much less enjoy this film. If you aren't among them- don't bother.

The best of the Tremors sequels

[The_Void · 7/10 · 22 December 2005]

Strangely, many third sequels turn out to be prequels. Psycho did it, Hellraiser did it, Phantasm did it; and now Tremors has done it too. Often, these fourth films tend to be worse than all three of their predecessors; but believe it or not, Tremors 4 is actually a good film - and miles better than the two that preceded it. For a direct to video release, this film is surprisingly well put together. The dialogue is crummy, and the acting matches it; but in the effects and story departments (the more important elements), the film is very worthy indeed. Tremors 4 follows the risky premise of going back over one hundred years to the time that the Graboids first appeared in Rejection (the settlement that would become Perfection Valley). I've no idea why anyone would think to call their settlement 'Rejection', but then again; this film isn't completely sound where logic is concerned. The trouble starts in the local silver mine, when miners are killed by Graboids and the town's source of income is diminished. It is then that Hiram Gummer; ancestor of Burt turns up and hires a gun to sort things out...

The main reason why the original film worked so well was the way that it mixed the cool western themes with old-school monster horror. The previous two sequels lost that set-up somewhat, but this one gets it right on again. The film does a good job of enforcing its western elements early on, only for the horror to come along and shake things up. The special effects on the monsters are great, and prove that modern films don't need masses of CGI to look realistic. There is a little CGI here and there; but most of the effects are 'real', and it benefits the movie immensely. Michael Gross is pretty much the 'hero' of the series, and he takes the lead role in this one despite it being set over a hundred years earlier than part one. He plays Burt Gummer's ancestor, and, aside from a few silly moments; generally does pretty well with it. The rest of the cast is made up of unknowns and, to be honest, they're all pretty terrible. It doesn't matter at all, however; as nobody goes into Tremors 4 expecting Oscar worthy performances. This may not be one of the greatest modern horror films; but it's better than you would think, and provides a nice end (...) to the Tremors series, as almost everything is wrapped up nicely.

Not the best from the old west

[StevePulaski · 4/10 · 31 July 2010]

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.

Charming prequel

[Coffee_in_the_Clink · 6/10 · 14 September 2023]

"Tremors 4" takes the franchise to the beginning, to 1889, to the settlement known as Rejection and the forefathers of a couple of the characters in the first films. The owner of a silver mine travels to Rejection to find out why his mine is no longer open, after the workers abandoned it following some grisly, unexplained deaths. There is much talk of Sand Dragons, and before long, their existence becomes unquestionable, and in order to save the small settlement, the people look to hire a gunslinger to travel to Rejection and help them get rid of the subterranean beasts.

This is a very charming and enjoyable prequel to the franchise, with the casting of Michael Gross as his character's forefather a fitting and welcome touch. The sense of time and place is well evoked, with the props, costumes and the atmosphere of attempting to stake one's claim out in this small settlement. Billy Drago is excellent.

Entertaining sequel.

[paulclaassen · 5/10 · 3 July 2018]

With director SS Wilson returning, this installment is very entertaining indeed; much better than Part 3, and Part 2. I enjoyed the look and feel of the movie, as well as the music. The effects were great. Less action than the first film with more concentration on characters.

I've seen worse $200+ million epics!

[uds3 · 9/10 · 9 April 2005]

If you're looking for entertainment..no more, no less - this little gem delivers! By far the best sequel (arguable order of merit for the series would be 1,4, 2 and 3) this is Michael Gross's film in totality. He has made the franchise his own and comes full circle playing his own Great Grandfather. It is a measured and emotional performance. As mine-owner Hiram Gummer he comes to Rejection" (as the backwoods township was known) to find out what has been killing the miners. What he discovers is completely outside his somewhat wimpy comfort-zone.

Very much a return to the original in terms of characters...and even special effects which rely thankfully here, far less on laughable CGI. What might be seen as scaled-down excitement is more than compensated for with absolutely knock-out performances - Drago and Gross especially.

All four films have an easy-on-the-eye laid back feel, principally because the production teams has remained intact throughout. Four excellent movies without sex, gratuitous violence and a solitary screen cussing in fifteen years. Not that Gross looks any older now than he did in 1989/1990.

Very faithful to the earlier films and fully explanatory of how it all came about. Mention should also be made of Jay Ferguson's great musical score - the best of the four films.

Best scripted, photographed and acted straight-to-video film I have yet seen and certainly was deserving of a theatrical release.

Upsetting yet fun

[Punk19 · 7/10 · 8 July 2005]

Why couldn't they stay with the basic plan of the other three Tremor movies? This movie is set off in Rejection Nevada in the early to late 1800's. Michael Gross doesn't play Burt Gummer but one of his ancestors Hiram Gummer. I gave this a 7 out of 10 because it followed in the footsteps and pov of Burt and not in the steps of the series.

Why they couldn't make one with an egg hatching and a baby Graboid being raised in a zoo is why this was shocking to me. That would be a great kick off. Although this movie made me like turn a little away from Temors it still makes me happy. It still has some good scenes in it. A canon, a mine disaster even a Graboid vs Hiram adventure.

I'm ready for Tremors 5.

I don't love it but I don't hate it

[troy-daniel-bush · 5/10 · 30 December 2019]

I like watching certain scenes but others are just really meh.

This movie is definitely competent! But it's such a wasted opportunity. I mean, Burt Gummer's ancestor fighting Graboids in the Wild West? Sign me up! Unfortunately it's not as exciting as you'd think. I like how they start him as a wimp and turn him into a brave guy, but there are so many things they could have done better, including this particular aspect. And man there are some boring scenes and some callbacks to the original film that are pretty lame. And there's a few scenes that are completely devoid of logic.

The practical effects are well-done.

Some of the music is OK.

You do want the characters to succeed, despite the majority of them being underdeveloped.

The acting is pretty good, for the most part, especially from Michael Gross, but he gives a 100% in everything he's in!