Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Blu-ray Movie Review

Better Brrrrrr Than Grrrrrrr.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 19, 2018

The Tremors franchise has outlived most others. It all began with a funny, gooey little Monster movie that released way back in 1990 and is still going strong with a number of direct-to-video releases to its name. The films, of course, have never lived up to the silly excellence of the original, and they haven't exactly shaken up the formula, either, though they have become more about gun-nut character Burt Gummer with the subterranean "Graboid" monsters relegated to support duty: large, yucky props for Burt to shoot and blow up. While Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell, the sixth film in the series (which also includes a short-lived TV show), shifts environments to the chilly north rather than the arid, dry southwest, it's otherwise pretty much the same same movie as all of the others. Longtime franchise fans will note many scenes lifted straight from previous entires, sometimes directly, sometimes reworked or just acknowledged in passing. Even as it's not a revolutionary entry, it's a fun little escape that delivers a new Tremors experience within the comfortable confines of well-worn formula.

Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) has enjoyed much success with his survival videos, but he’s having tax troubles. He is now running a remodeled Chang’s and is still in possession of enough guns to arm a large army, but dark days may be on the horizon. He receives a call from a fan in the Great White North where there is a suspicion that the dangerous and deadly “Graboids” may have found a new home under the arctic snow. Burt and Travis (Jamie Kennedy) travel away from the arid wasteland of Prosperity to the frigid (though unseasonably warm) arctic to battle the enemy, a battle that could be Burt’s last.

At least the movie is different, environmentally. It opens with a Graboid attack in the snow, showing that the tough, oversized, relentless creatures have no care for the color or the temperature of the terrain, seemingly comfortable in either hot desert climates or frigid snowy locales. These are equal environmental opportunity Graboids, and thank goodness for the opportunity for a little variety. The movie does switch back to a desert locale less than five minutes in, but only long enough to re-introduce Burt and Travis before they head up to the Great White North to investigate a new Graboid infestation in a slightly chillier and more beautiful but, at its snowiest, even less accommodating environment than Prosperity (who knew such place existed?). But, hey, different is different, it’s a welcome change of pace for the series, and it allows Burt to finally wear his wintertime camo suit. Unfortunately, the movie doesn’t take place in deep snow and blinding blizzard conditions. It’s not The Thing, but rather Canda’s extreme north during a heatwave that has melted all the snow, convenient for the budget and the actors' well-being. Oh well. It’s still nice to be away from the desert, regardless.

A Cold Day in Hell offers spunky, spirited fun. Gross devours the material, as one would expect. He spouts off gun puns and quips on fully automatic and with plenty of passion and humor. He handles guns well, controls the environment and every scene, and knows his role in the film and the franchise backwards and forwards. Conversely, the support characters are forgettable. They are warm bodies to fill in the movie’s cold spaces. They are personable enough and serve the story well, but none of them reach the levels of memorable as any of the collected characters from the original. Gross is certainly the glue that holds it together, but otherwise the movie is fairly typical of the series beyond new faces and a new location. Characters struggle to come together and there is some conflict that eventually brushes aside in the madness and mayhem. Some are picked off by the Graboids, and fear and panic flows through the roster with Burt the only one really capable of rallying the troops, though the film plagues him with a problem that jeopardizes the entire mission, adding one more layer of modest interest to a movie that’s more an environmental change of pace than a radical departure from formula.

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell grabs the audience's attention with a healthy 1080p transfer. The movie was digitally shot, of course, the norm for today's lower budget and direct-to-video films, even one with as much clout behind (under?) it as this. Regardless of source, the image is very highly detailed. Facial textures are intimate, revealing beads of sweat, pores, hairs, and other qualities with very impressive ease and complexity. Burt's Cubs cap reveals every stitch, plenty of wear, caked-on dirt, and a few edge frays. Image is sharp all around, with environments -- a few moments in dusty Prosperity, deeply packed snow, dry Canadian terrain, machine shops, offices -- all crystal clear and sharp down to the last minute detail. Colors are excellent. Burt's blue Cubbies ball cap, orange-ish Graboid blood, flags flying above the facility, bright blue skies, and burning flames are all examples of the image's color prowess and potency. Black levels and skin tones are fine. Noise is a mild concern in a few shots. On the whole, this is a really nice image, razor-sharp, intensely colored; direct-to-Blu-ray doesn't get much better.

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Surrounds are plenty active, whether in carrying blustery cold winds and icy cracks in the Arctic beginning sequence or in spitting out various action scenes. An aerial battle between a small plane and an Ass-Blaster in chapter five brings the stage to life with plenty of maneuvering flow from one speaker to the next. Gun battles explode with popping rounds all over the stage, and the general din of man-versus beast battlefield chaos is appropriately intense. Bass is deep and dense. Burt's nightmare in chapter three delivers enjoyably rumbly potency. The track is certainly active, and musical delivery is no different, with plenty of good detail to enjoy as well. Dialogue propels the movie forward, and it presents with all of its core components in good working order.

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell contains a three extras, one of which breaks down into six shorter features. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

• The Making of Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (1080p, 14:06 total runtime): A six-part feature that explores all of the basics: setting, characters and actors, the director, creatures, and the franchise's staying power. Included are Setting the Scene, Cast of Characters, The Head of the Beast, The Frozen Tundra, Graboid Guts, and The Gift That Keeps on Giving.
• Anatomy of a Scene (1080p, 4:01): Making the first water attack in Tremors history.
• Inside Chang's Market (1080p, 2:47): Director Don Michael Paul points out a few Easter eggs in the redesigned location.

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This latest Tremors movie isn't exactly a masterpiece, but it's a fun little jaunt into familiar territory, even if it takes place on different terrain. The series may have jumped the border, but it certainly hasn't yet jumped the shark. There's enough mindless fun to be had here, and Michael Gross is, again, up to the challenge of playing what has become one of the more popular characters in modern movie history. Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell's Blu-ray delivers tip-top video and audio, as well as a few supplements and even a digital copy to watch on the go. Recommended.