WARNING: This Review May Contain Spoilers
I think I’ve said this before, but there’s a lot of times that turning a film into a franchise can really ruin a great concept. Now I don’t know what the sequels are like, however what I will say is that the prequel definitely turned out better than expected…wait, I’m supposed to leave that talk until the end…
Rejection to Perfection
You don’t exactly need to pay too much attention to notice this change. The first focus we are introduced to in the town of Rejection is the water tower – the same water tower in Tremors that shows Perfection. I wondered if Chang referring to the town as ‘our perfect home’ is also a reference to the later name change. Some may say that it could be a coincidence, that these are just two small towns in the same area – but there are also the little things like Chang’s Market…that and the fact that we actually see the name changed at the end.
The only confusing part for me is that the prequel film is set in 1889, and as far as I could tell – it doesn’t span 3 years…but in Tremors the sign shows that Perfection was established on 1902.
Family Ties
It’s a common thing that families will live in a small town for generations, and it seems that the town of Perfection is no different. Firstly, Walter Chang, owner and proprietor of Walter Chang’s Market – originally Chang’s Market – logically a descendant of the Pyong, Lu Wan and Fu Yein Chang. With them, you also have Burt Gummer – the conspiracy theorist and prepper – who is the great grandson of Hiram Gummer in Tremors 4. The more interesting part is that both characters are played by Michael Gross.
Rise of the Graboids
Now, I’m just going to point out that I didn’t come up with this name for the worm-like creatures – blame Walter Chang! Now I’ve seen Tremors a few times and I’m certain at no point do the townsfolk of Perfection reference the events in this prequel. You would think it would have been told for generations as a warning in case the creatures returned.
You would definitely have expected it to be passed down in the Chang family but then again, it seems that they agree to not tell anyone about, as they call them, dirt dragons.
Attack of the Juveniles
It might just be me, but I’m certain that the Graboids in Tremors 4: The Legend Begins are smaller than those that attack Perfection in the first film. If that is the case, that means that they have been surviving underground in Neveda for at least 100 years! OK, maybe that would’ve been the case if they hadn’t killed all 3 at the end of the film.which film?
Curious Moments
This has nothing to do with the fact that Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is a prequel to Tremors but these are little things that stood out to me. For example, Earl and Valentine find Edgar dead in a telephone box ends up being similar to the fact that Juan climbs a telegraph pole in Tremors 4 to get away from the Graboids. Also, Perfection clearly requires there to be an Old Fred but he ends up dead in both films.
In Conclusion
I got a little bit ahead of myself at the beginning and began to conclude before I even started but I was right – the prequel is definitely better than expected. It wasn’t cheesy and as far as I could tell, there was nothing altered that could have changed the future timeline like other prequels have fallen foul of.
