Like many Tremors fans, I was very excited when I found out about this film. Tremors 5: Bloodlines is better than Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (which was horrible), but worse than the first three Tremors movies (Tremors, Aftershocks, and Back to Perfection).
I so wanted to like this film, but sadly there are few things I liked about it and a lot of things I disliked. The warmth and humor that made the first three films so enjoyable and fun to watch is missing in this installment of the series. Other than Burt (played by Michael Gross) and one old guy, I didn't care for any of the characters (& that includes his son played by Jamie Kennedy), they all lacked personality. Much of the humor is not funny; the repeated urination scenes and constant jabs at Burt's age. There is a scene I especially disliked where Burt goes temporarily insane/crazy while trapped in a lion cage, the scene was not funny, it was not in keeping with Burt's character, and it went on way too long. The whole setup for the film didn't work (I won't spoil it, but it would have been better if the only villains in the film had been the creatures). Moving the film location to Africa didn't do anything to make the film better, the Australian outback would have been better. As a whole, I didn't find the monsters enjoyable or interesting. The CGI used for the Graboids was not good, the old-style Graboids were visually better and what's more they actually had personalities (especially in the first film). Most of the film's monster action involved the A-blasters which I've never liked.
There were only a few things I liked about the film. As always, I liked Burt, he is fun to watch, and it's nice that Burt has a son who wants to follow in his footsteps and work with him (even if I didn't find the son appealing or likable). Although the monsters were uninteresting due to lack of personality, bad CGI, and the emphasis on the A-blasters, the idea of latest evolution of the Graboid as smaller and faster is good.
Could there be another installment in this film franchise? Maybe, but honestly I think the franchise has run its course.
I so wanted to like this film, but sadly there are few things I liked about it and a lot of things I disliked. The warmth and humor that made the first three films so enjoyable and fun to watch is missing in this installment of the series. Other than Burt (played by Michael Gross) and one old guy, I didn't care for any of the characters (& that includes his son played by Jamie Kennedy), they all lacked personality. Much of the humor is not funny; the repeated urination scenes and constant jabs at Burt's age. There is a scene I especially disliked where Burt goes temporarily insane/crazy while trapped in a lion cage, the scene was not funny, it was not in keeping with Burt's character, and it went on way too long. The whole setup for the film didn't work (I won't spoil it, but it would have been better if the only villains in the film had been the creatures). Moving the film location to Africa didn't do anything to make the film better, the Australian outback would have been better. As a whole, I didn't find the monsters enjoyable or interesting. The CGI used for the Graboids was not good, the old-style Graboids were visually better and what's more they actually had personalities (especially in the first film). Most of the film's monster action involved the A-blasters which I've never liked.
There were only a few things I liked about the film. As always, I liked Burt, he is fun to watch, and it's nice that Burt has a son who wants to follow in his footsteps and work with him (even if I didn't find the son appealing or likable). Although the monsters were uninteresting due to lack of personality, bad CGI, and the emphasis on the A-blasters, the idea of latest evolution of the Graboid as smaller and faster is good.
Could there be another installment in this film franchise? Maybe, but honestly I think the franchise has run its course.