Tremors 5

[Jim H]

This is now on Netflix for those up for it.

I waffled on where to put this one, but I'm defaulting to bad considering the tone of the series.

This one is DEFINITELY better than the 4th and the series, but I did not find it nearly as fun as the first two.  I have to say I really miss the character interaction, atmosphere and sense of humor the first two have. There are running gags that pay off, good physical humor, a few genuinely creepy/shocking bits, etc.  The first one, almost every character is likable or at least memorable.  Even minor ones I don't even remember the name of, like the Mexican guy, or the annoying teenager.  Part two isn't quite as solid, but it has good effects, expands on some ideas, and closes the storyline for Fred Ward's character. 

That said, Tremors 5 is generally entertaining, and has surprisingly good creature FX work (almost all CG, by the way).  Michael Gross is still entertaining, even if his character is as one-note as ever.  Of course, that's more the writers fault, but once again - in part 2, they try to give a bit of a story to him with his wife having left him, and some resulting feeling around this.  There's something that comes up in this one, but it doesn't even have the minor impact the wife bit did in part 2.

Also, I have to say the man has aged surprisingly well - he was likely 67 during shooting, and I can honestly say he could pass for 10 years younger (maybe more) without issue.  That helps when he's meant to be an action lead.  So, he's good, even if written pretty flat.  Jamie Kennedy varies from outright annoying to pretty OK in some parts.  Side characters, the only one I liked was the Afrikaner pilot. 

The plot...  It's fine.  Though it doesn't amount to much, it actually feels less consequential than any other film in the series.  But the action scenes are solid, and the pacing (barring a section 2/3s through) is pretty good. 

I dunno.  I guess I'm meandering.  I'd give it a 6/10.

[Neville]

Didn't like parts 4 and 5 as much as the rest. 4 had all the prequel and western things going on, but the script wasn't very creative and Billy Drago as the gunslinger ened up being the best part.

Now 5... again there are things here that worked well on paper, like the change of setting and the TV reality stuff, but I would have preferred Michael Gross' character to appear less, the man is really hamming it up more and more with each sequel. I did like the son business, though, and there's the rare islated scene that works, like the first killings.

[Jim H]

Didn't like parts 4 and 5 as much as the rest. 4 had all the prequel and western things going on, but the script wasn't very creative and Billy Drago as the gunslinger ened up being the best part.

Now 5... again there are things here that worked well on paper, like the change of setting and the TV reality stuff, but I would have preferred Michael Gross' character to appear less, the man is really hamming it up more and more with each sequel. I did like the son business, though, and there's the rare islated scene that works, like the first killings.

On hamming it up...  That cage scene.  Damn.

[FatFreddysCat]

I've seen "5" twice now, it was a fun watch but it definitely has got a different vibe than the earlier installments. There's less emphasis on comedy, and more on straight up creature feature action.

I was a little bummed at how little we saw of the "new" Graboids, and when we finally did see'em, they were CGI. Boo.

Michael Gross was a hoot as usual as "Burt" though, he and Jamie Kennedy played off each other very well.

...oh, and the South African scenery was gorgeous. Trevor, if you're reading this post, you've got yourself a beautiful country there, sir...   

[SynapticBoomstick]

My two cents:

Happy to see Burt Gummer again, happy to see the familiar creatures even if only at the beginning. I can understand why a lot of fans were not happy with the design change of the focus creatures as they are a far departure from the original graboids and assblasters, and I was disappointed that there were no shriekers, but my head-canon rationalized both from the in-film world and dialogue:

These organisms evolved in a different environment and on a separate continent from the North American graboids so there are going to be biological differences. Several characters also observe that these creatures appear to be more highly evolved and specialized than their relatives, leading me to theorize that the shrieker/assblaster life cycles in this species merged into a single unique form for more efficient egg production and protection.

Movie science!

[Trevor]

...oh, and the South African scenery was gorgeous. Trevor, if you're reading this post, you've got yourself a beautiful country there, sir...   

Thank you 

[Trevor]

Several characters also observe that these creatures appear to be more highly evolved and specialized than their relatives, leading me to theorize that the shrieker/assblaster life cycles in this species merged into a single unique form for more efficient egg production and protection.

Also that the film was made in South Africa: with the world's major assblaster here in Pretoria, it could be they were scared of competition?