Review: Tremors Limited Edition UHD
Blu-ray & UHD 4K Blu-ray: Tremors (1990)
A lighthearted monster movie that originally didn’t fare well at the box office but has since (quite rightly) found a loyal and appreciative audience due to its subsequent home video releases, Tremors now has a glorious 4K release from Arrow Films and accompanied by a plethora of fantastic extras both digital and physical.
The story is a simple one: Earl Bass (Fred Ward) and his younger protégé Valentine McKee (Kevin Bacon) work as “odd job” men in the sleepy remote town of Perfection, and disillusioned with their lives going nowhere, decide to pack up and find their fortunes elsewhere.
It is while leaving Perfection that they come across some strange happenings, all unexplained until the truth is revealed to them and the town residents…deadly underground creatures (nicknamed “Graboids” by one of the townspeople) are running amok, and the residents are trapped with seemingly nowhere to go and looking at being the next hearty meal for these ravenous and relentless monsters.
Tremors is hugely enjoyable, mostly due to the delightful interplay between Ward and Bacon as Earl and Valentine, who despite the outrageous action happening all around them, play everything completely straight, making the characters all the more human and having you rooting for them.
The practical effects of the Graboids and the resulting damage that they inflict up the townspeople makes a far more realistic impact than the cgi effects that would have been used if this was made just a few years later, and the ingenious ways in which all of these were implemented into the film is shown in some of the fantastic special features.
The 4K UHD disc brings Perfection to life. Retaining the film grain from the original print, it gives detail to the proceedings that I have never seen before, giving the hot dry Nevada landscape a look where you can practically feel the heat, with the close ups on the actors showing the beads of sweat from the heat and their fear of the monsters.
You’ll feel the impact of the Graboids too, as your subwoofer kicks into action in the remixed 5.1 surround audio.
Tremors has the feel of a 1950’s sci-fi monster flick, one which the whole family can sit around and be scared while also having a laugh together, all of you getting behind the likeable characters and cheering them along as they try to outwit their subterranean adversaries.
This limited edition UHD release is perfection in both the name of its movie location as well as its features. Looking and sounding like it was made yesterday and accompanied by a wealth of great special features that will have you appreciating the movie more than ever before, this is yet another fantastic addition to Arrow Films 4K output.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- New 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Ron Underwood and director of photography Alexander Gruszynski
- 60-page perfect-bound book featuring new writing by Kim Newman and Jonathan Melville and selected archive materials
- Large fold-out double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank
- Small fold-out double-sided poster featuring new Graboid X-ray art by Matt Frank
- Six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproduction artcards
- Limited Edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank
DISC 1 – FEATURE & EXTRAS (4K UHD BLU-RAY)
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Restored DTS-HD MA original theatrical 2.0 stereo, 4.0 surround, and remixed 5.1 surround audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- New audio commentary by director Ron Underwood and writers/producers Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson
- New audio commentary by Jonathan Melville, author of Seeking Perfection: The Unofficial Guide to Tremors
- Making Perfection, a brand new documentary by Universal Pictures interviewing key cast and crew from the franchise (including Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross, Ariana Richards, Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock & S.S. Wilson, among many others) and revisiting the original locations
- The Truth About Tremors, a newly filmed interview with co-producer Nancy Roberts on the film’s rocky road to the screen
- Bad Vibrations, a newly filmed interview with director of photography Alexander Gruszynski
- Aftershocks and Other Rumblings, newly filmed on-set stories from associate producer Ellen Collett
- Digging in the Dirt, a new featurette interviewing the crews behind the film’s extensive visual effects
- Music for Graboids, a new featurette on the film’s music with composers Ernest Troost and Robert Folk
- Pardon My French!, a newly assembled compilation of overdubs from the edited-for television version
- The Making of Tremors, an archive documentary from 1995 by Laurent Bouzereau, interviewing the filmmakers and special effects teams
- Creature Featurette, an archive compilation of on-set camcorder footage showing the making of the Graboids
- Electronic press kit featurette and interviews with Kevin Bacon, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire
- Deleted scenes, including the original opening scene
- Theatrical trailers, TV and radio spots for the original film as well as trailers for the entire Tremors franchise
- Comprehensive image galleries, including rare behind-the-scenes stills, storyboards and two different drafts of the screenplay
DISC 2 – INTERVIEWS & SHORT FILMS (BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE)
- Extended hour-long interviews from Making Perfection with Ron Underwood, Brent Maddock, S.S. Wilson, Nancy Roberts and creature designer Alec Gillis
- Outtakes with optional introduction and commentary by S.S. Wilson
- Three early short films by the makers of Tremors, remastered in high definition, including S.S. Wilson’s stop-motion horror/comedy classic Recorded Live (1975)
Tremors is released 14th December 2020 and is available to pre-order now.
Review by Dave from a disc kindly supplied by Arrow Films via Fetch Publicity.