Tremors 2: Aftershocks Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Tremors 2: Aftershocks Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 22, 2023

Perhaps somewhat comically, there wasn't "a whole lotta shaking goin' on" when Tremors was originally released in 1990, at least in terms of rumbles from hordes of people rushing to the box office. That may make it seem positively odd that the film should spark a "franchise", and in that regard, while it's simultaneously a bit surprising that even one sequel got made, I'd argue that the equally unexpected appeal of Tremors 2: Aftershocks probably gave as much impetus to the idea of there even being a franchise as the first film did. The production and release of Tremors 2: Aftershocks is dealt with in some detail in the supplements Arrow has aggregated for this outing, and so won't be repeated ad nauseum here, but it's interesting to note that much as the first Tremors "took off" (and/or under, as the graboid case may be) courtesy of the then nascent home video rental market, Tremors 2: Aftershocks also maybe almost "accidentally" ended up being a more or less direct to video offering. That didn't necessarily mean instant universal acclaim, and kind of like the first film, it took a while for the Tremors 2: Aftershocks "cult" to develop. This film has only been previously available as part of Universal's Tremors: Attack Pack release from several years ago, and as one of the leading curators of "cult" items, Arrow is now offering it as a standalone with their typically great assortment of supplements.

With necessity and/or a miniscule budget being the mother of invention, and as the aforementioned supplements get into, some changes were made along the way as this sequel started to get underway. The most obvious change from the first film, which actually evidently wasn't related to budget, is the absence of Kevin Bacon and Reba McIntire, "replaced" (more or less anyway, though they're playing different characters) by Christopher Gartin and Helen Shaver in this outing. Fred Ward is still on hand as Earl Bassett, a character whose very surname seems to suggest his hangdog qualities. Suffice it to say, the graboids were not eliminated as suggested by the end of Tremors (what a surprise, eh?), and Bassett, Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin) and Dr. Kate Reilly (Helen Shaver) are tasked with eliminating them. They ultimately end up wrangling Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) from the first film to aid in their quest, which is made considerably more difficult due to the fact that the graboids have "evolved" and are not necessarily consigned to underground domains anymore.

Despite what was a limited amount of money and a production ambience that sounds like it was a bit on the chaotic side (at least in the background), Tremors 2: Aftershocks is a lot of fun, and has the same general balance of ooey-gooey graboid destruction and kind of off the wall humor that the first film offered. The supplement featuring special effects wizard Phil Tippett (see below) overtly mentions how (in the words of Tippett himself) "Jurassic Park changed everything" in terms of a digital approach toward VFX, but some may feel that the Spielberg classic informs this film in other ways as well.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tremors 2: Aftershocks is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow provides the same insert booklet for its (standalone) 1080 and 4K UHD releases, which contains the following information on the restoration:

Tremors 2: Aftershocks is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with stereo surround audio and a remastered 4.0 mix. The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution by NBC Universal. The film was restored in 4K and graded in SDR and HDR10 by Heavenly Movie Copr. Dolby Vision grading was completed by Fidelity in Motion.

The stereo mix was supplied by NBC Universal. The 4.0 source stems were digitised from the 2" 24 track masters at NBC Universal and the 4.0 mix was remastered at Deluxe, London. To make the 4.0 mix compatible with modern surround sound setups the single rear surround channel has been split and adjusted to fit the two rear channels of a standard surround setup.

Marty gave pretty high marks to Universal's Blu-ray release of Tremors 2: Aftershocks, but as I've said vis a vis other reviews from the veritable Dark Ages (and/or 2015, as the case may be), what sufficed as a 4.0 then may not receive the same high marks in hindsight, especially when compared to this highly improved new transfer. As those interested can see by doing a little contrasting and comparing, the Universal presentation looks considerably darker and dowdier than this one, with a kind of ugly gritty black grain field that's especially noticeable against the bright sunny skies that predominate the outdoor footage throughout the story. While this version is noticeably brighter, suffusion is excellent and the palette pops really beautifully throughout (if also a little disturbingly once graboid blood and guts start exploding all over the place). Despite being much more tightly resolved, grain is still very much apparent and gives this presentation a commendably organic appearance. There are some very brief, occasional moments of spiking grain and loss of clarity in some opticals which are probably even more noticeable in Arrow's 4K UHD presentation than in this 1080 one.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Tremors 2: Aftershocks features DTS-HD Master Audio 4.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options (see the excerpt from the insert booklet reprinted above for more details). You can't really go wrong with either of these, though the 4.0 mix does add some really fun if intermittent immersion and has a more floorboard rumbling low end. The engagement of the rear channels is really rather interesting in the 4.0 mix, and tends to be used at times almost as quasi-startle effects when, for example, the mix is almost completely forward until a graboid suddenly emerges from the ground and then all four channel hell breaks loose for a moment or two. There are some other interesting "widenings" as in the very opening cue, which offers the solo guitar in the front channels but then slowly weaves the orchestra in in the rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentaries

  Commentary by S.S. Wilson & Nancy Roberts

  
  

  Commentary by Jonathan Melville

• Graboid Go Boom with Peter Chesney (HD; 19:44) is an enjoyable new interview with special effects designer and second unit director Peter Chesney.


• Critical Need to Know Information with Phil Tippett (HD; 7:24) is another really interesting new interview with "visual effects legend" (to quote the description on the disc) Phil Tippett, who discusses the then nascent use of CGI.


• The Making of Tremors 2 (HD*; 8:43) is an archival EPK produced by Universal at the time of the film's original release.


• Outtakes (HD; 7:45) include some fun graboid material.


• Trailers

  Tremors (HD; 1:55)

  
  

  Tremors 2 (HD; 1:53)

• Image Gallery (HD)

*720

Additionally this is yet another very handsomely packaged release from Arrow with quite a bit of non disc swag. The limited edition offers an illustrated perfect bound booklet featuring new writing by Jonathan Melville on the Tremors 2 scripts that never got made (something Melville also addresses, at least allusively, in his interesting commentary track on the disc), and Dave Wain and Matty Budrewicz on the history of Universal's DTS sequel division; a double sided fold out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matt Frank; a reversible sleeve offering the same art choices; and a smaller fold out poster featuring new Shrieker X art by Matt Frank. All of this comes housed in a nicely designed slipbox.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jonathan Melville is pretty unabashed (and, frankly, unashamed) of his love for this sequel, claiming it's one of the all time greats. Some may wish to quibble with that designation, but Tremors 2: Aftershocks is a lot of fun a lot of the time, and Arrow once again offers a release with secure technical merits, appealing on disc supplements, and really handsome packaging offering even more non disc swag. Recommended.