Tremors: Shrieker Island Blu-ray Review

The 1080p picture quality of "Tremors: Shrieker Island" fluctuates between exceptional detail and minor shortcomings. The high definition clarity vividly showcases facial features, from the minutiae of hairs and pores to the grittiness of dirt and grime on Burt's face. Jungle foliage, clothing textures, and other elements maintain sharpness throughout the film. Explosions and Graboid blood exhibit intense and hot colors, which extend to jungle greens and low-light blues and grays. The contrast is notably boosted, resulting in rich hues and robust color saturation. Although there is some noise in low-light conditions and occasional compression artifacts in particularly challenging scenes, the overall image remains hearty, tack sharp, and colorful.

Noise and banding are minimal, preserving the clean nature of the digitally-sourced video. Close-ups heighten fidelity, bringing precise details to the forefront. Resolution consistency is maintained across various scenes, ensuring stable image quality even during visual effects. While black levels are strong, providing depth in night scenes or cave interiors, there is a minor issue with black crush. Contrasts can struggle due to intense teal color grading, which sometimes leads to whites appearing as teals. This aggressive push towards teal tint robs some scenes of their natural energy. However, other scenes present near-oversaturation due to bright primary colors, veering towards warmth and vibrancy.

In summary, "Tremors: Shrieker Island" on Blu Ray delivers a visually engaging experience with significant sharpness and color intensity. Despite minor noise in darker scenes and the occasionally overpowering teal grading, the video presentation excels in clarity, maintaining stable resolution and high fidelity with strong blacks and vivid contrasts.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for "Tremors: Shrieker Island" demonstrates remarkable prowess in audio presentation. The experience begins strongly with robust, high-yield sound effects and deep music that immediately captivate. The subwoofer works diligently to amplify intense music scores and ground-shaking sound effects, such as creature growls and gunfire, which are intricately balanced with piercing shrieks and screams. Island ambiance is richly detailed, offering a full array of jungle sounds including birds, insects, and rustling leaves, all of which harmonize to effectively place the listener within the scene.

The surround channels are consistently active, effectively utilized for music, action sequences, and atmospheric elements, creating an expansive and immersive sound field. Rain and thunder are particularly noteworthy, stretching between channels to not only envelop the viewer but also disguise any fiscal constraints of the production. The approach of Graboids and Shriekers is precisely mixed across stereos or rear channels, presenting a thrilling auditory experience. Additionally, while gunfire may lack some intensity, the soundscape compensates with satisfying explosions and sustained bass rumbles during slow-motion sequences that highlight the audio range.

Dialogue remains exceptionally clear and well-prioritized throughout the film, ensuring that speech is not overshadowed by the complex sound design. Overall, this audio track excels in delivering a rich, dynamic auditory experience, seamlessly blending action-packed sequences with intricate environmental details to fully engage the listener.

The Blu-Ray release of "Tremors: Shrieker Island" provides a well-rounded and engaging set of extras highlighting the franchise's legacy and key moments. "The Monsters of Tremors" dives into the diverse creatures of the series with an in-depth biological analysis and memorable clips. "Tremors Top 30 Moments" showcases fan-favorite scenes across the films, giving both new and long-time fans a nostalgic experience. The standout extra is "The Legend of Burt Gummer," where Michael Gross reflects on his iconic role, supported by interviews with co-stars, such as Kevin Bacon, and filmmakers, offering a rich, celebratory tribute. The package also includes a DVD and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code.

Extras included in this disc:

• The Monsters of Tremors: Exploration of the creatures and their attack patterns.
• Tremors Top 30 Moments: Highlight reel of memorable scenes.
• The Legend of Burt Gummer: Michael Gross recounts his experiences, featuring interviews with co-stars and fans.

Tremors: Shrieker Island marks the seventh installment in the enduring Tremors series, continuing the saga of subterranean predators 30 years after the first film's release. Positioned within the direct-to-video category, this latest iteration sets the stage with Bill Davidson (Richard Brake), a wealthy exotic game hunter, and his elite team on Dark Island to hunt the biggest prize, a graboid. Their interference disrupts local operations managed by Dr. Welker (Caroline Langrishe) and her assistant Jimmy (Jon Heder), prompting Jimmy to enlist the series' iconic graboid hunter, Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), out of retirement to address the ensuing chaos.

While the movie includes these familiar plot elements, it suffers from an evident lack of originality and engaging content. Characters are portrayed as uninspired, and even the once-vibrant Burt Gummer now appears weary and predictable. The film heavily borrows from recognizable franchises like Jurassic Park, Anaconda, Aliens, and Predator—explicitly mimicking Predator's distinctive thermal vision. Despite multiple nods to these classics, Tremors: Shrieker Island fails to disguise its own lack of ingenuity, albeit with a hint of self-aware humor that occasionally brightens the narrative.

In true Tremors fashion, the film emphasizes Burt’s character, surrounding him with an array of eccentric personalities and equipping him with a new arsenal, including a flame thrower. Yet Michael Gross’s portrayal seems more about fulfilling contractual obligations than recapturing former glory. Ultimately, Tremors: Shrieker Island falls short in delivering fresh excitement or revitalizing the premise that once captivated its audience. If this represents the franchise's trajectory—marked by minimal budget, scant ideas, and diminishing returns—it may be prudent to consider retiring the graboids before further diluting an already worn-out concept.

"Tremors: Shrieker Island" delivers a mixed bag of both nostalgia and novelty to fans of the franchise. The Blu-ray release showcases robust video and audio quality, which effectively enhance the viewing experience. The movie features competent direction and engaging special effects that truly bring the Shriekers to life, creating an atmosphere thick with tension and excitement. The plot, set on a remote island, creatively reimagines the stakes, providing a fresh setting that diversifies the otherwise arid, desert-themed series.

In terms of character development, "Shrieker Island" adds much-needed depth through its ensemble cast. The dynamics between characters are better fleshed out than in previous entries, making the frequent action sequences more impactful. However, the narrative struggles to innovate beyond the tried-and-true formula that has defined the series for decades. This adherence to old tropes results in a somewhat predictable storyline that may not hold the interest of viewers expecting groundbreaking changes.

By its end, the movie does seem to close the door on the franchise, at least on the iteration that's been on the table for the past three decades, and that's absolutely a good thing. Whether it continues forward or not is anyone's guess, but if it does it must be with fresh ideas rather than making a movie just to make a little bit of money off of a familiar name. Scrap, rebrand, rework the franchise; do anything but continue releasing low-effort films like this. Universal's Blu-ray does deliver healthy video and audio presentations while tossing in a few supplements at the same time. Skip it.