Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) (V)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

S.S. Wilson

Writers (WGA):

S.S. Wilson (characters) &
Brent Maddock (characters) ...

Release Date:

2 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

A Revolution Has Begun...

Plot:

A prequel to Tremors (1990), this movie tells us about the founders of Rejection Valley and how they defended it against the dirt dragons AKA graboids.

Plot Keywords:

Graboids | Monster | Prequel | Desert | Bicycle

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Michael Gross	...	Hiram Gummer
Sara Botsford	...	Christine Lord
Billy Drago	...	Black Hand Kelly
Brent Roam	...	Juan Pedilla
August Schellenberg	...	Tecopa
J.E. Freeman	...	Old Fred
Ming Lo	...	Pyong Lien Chang
Lydia Look	...	Lu Wan Chang
Sam Ly	...	Fu Yien Chang
Neil Kopit	...	Victor (as Neal Kopit)
Sean Moran	...	Western Union Clerk
Matthew Seth Wilson	...	Brick Walters
John Dixon	...	Big Horse Johnson
Dan Lemieux	...	Stony Walters
Don Ruffin	...	Soggy

Also Known As:

Tremors 4 (USA) (working title)
Tremors: Original Showdown (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for creature violence and gore.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:All | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 | Germany:16 | UK:12 | Canada:PG (Ontario/Canadian video rating) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Singapore:PG

Company:

Stampede Entertainment

Trivia:

The main theme uses the same first four notes as the theme from Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), only three notes higher.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Hirum is leaving Rejection, there are clear truck or car tracks on the road. The Steam Tractor's wheels are too wide to have made them.

Quotes:

[a Graboid bursts through the ground; to Hiram]
Black Hand Kelly: Let your lead fly, man!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in You're on the Set of 'Tremors 4: The Legend Begins' (2004) (V)

Fun and not half bad

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.