Phil's Horror Watch: TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES (2015) from Universal Pictures-November 29, 2015

TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES Blu-Ray (2015)

TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES
Starring: Michael Gross, Jamie Kennedy, Natalie Becker, Ernest Ndhlovu, Pearl Thusi, Zak Hendrikz, Lawrence Joffe
Written by M.A. Deuce,  C.J. Strebor, William Truesmith, John Whelpley
Cinematography by Michael Swan
Edited by Vanick Moradian
Produced by Ogden Gavanski, Lisa Gooding, Alan Shearer
Directed by Don Michael Paul
Released by Universal Pictures Entertainment

The last thing I would have ever guessed that would be resurrected would be the TREMOR series. Let's face it: it had a good run. While the 2004 prequel TREMORS 4: THE LEGEND BEGINS was so-so, it looked like the Graboids were finally put back into the ground forever. So it was very surprising to learn about the relaunch of this treasured franchise. And it was even more surprising how much I enjoyed the film. So my fellow horror hounds let me tell what I thought about TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES.

The film's official synopsis: The stakes are raised for survivalist Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) in his most dangerous monster hunt yet. When Gummer's hired to capture a deadly Assblaster terrorizing South Africa, he and his new sidekick, Travis Welker (Jamie Kennedy), engage in a battle of survival against the fiercely aggressive Assblasters and Graboids. Discovering the monsters have evolved into even more lethal creatures, their killer mission takes on a whole new level of unseen terror–far more than they bargained for.

Original Promotional Artwork (2015)

Believe it or not, I really liked this movie. For one, it was awesome to see Michael Gross return as the gun enthusiast, ass kicking, no nonsense Burt Gummer. It was the equivalent of visiting an old friend. Then add newcomer Jamie Kennedy's character Travis to the mix, whose liberal, free thinking personality clashes with Burt's conservative views make it interesting and fun to watch. Then we have the next generation of  Assbladters and Graboids that are really a clever combination of all the previous incarnations. And by taking the setting to South Africa, we get to see our lead protagonists somewhat out of their element. However, as one can expect, our survivalist friend Burt can adapt to any terrain and soon he, Travis and some of the locals take the fight to the Graboids and Assblasters.

Director Don Michael Paul has helmed several straight-to-DVD movies like LAKE PLACID: THE FINAL CHAPTER, SNIPER: LEGACY and JARHEAD 2 : FIELD OF FIRE. Here, Paul keeps the movie going at a well-even pace: setting up the story arcs while giving our characters time to catch their breathe before and after each Graboids attack and providing humor to release the tensions. The film isn't going to win any awards and Paul knows this, but he does a tremendous job of entertaining the fans who love this series. 

Overall, TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES keeps the series going with all the fun, action and mayhem that we've grown to love. The film is just fun to watch and that's what I liked about it. While some may cringe about the idea of another installment, I seriously hope you give this movie a chance. I think you will really enjoy it. 3 1/2 out of 5 stars! Worth watching!

TREMORS 5: BLOODLINES is now available on both Blu-Ray and DVD at your local retailer. It's also available at our local Redbox as well as Video On Demand and Digital HD.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!