** 1/2 out of ****<br /><br />Tremors 2: Aftershocks is shockingly well-made for a film that went straight-to-video. As the sequel to the much beloved Tremors, it's easy to say that it's not nearly as good, but it is a respectable continuation that, after a relatively slow starts, mirrors the fun of the original without being a blatant rehash. It is missing Kevin Bacon and some of the character chemistry that worked so well, but it stands as a movie that is easily watchable, and often funny and thrilling.<br /><br />As the film begins, it features a rather low and depressed-looking Earl Bassett (Fred Ward), who, unlike his partner Valentine Mckee, didn't profit from the appearance of the giant worms, now known as graboids. But a young man named Grady Hoover (Christopher Gartin) arrives at his door and tells him of an offer to kill some graboids scurrying around a Mexican oil refinery. Bassett agrees to the terms and teams up with Grady.<br /><br />When they do arrive, they meet up with Kate Reilly (Helen Shaver), a scientist who is studying the graboids in the area and is also assisting the owners of the oil refinery. At first, killing the graboids is relatively easy for Bassett and Grady, but after a little trouble, they enlist the help of gun fanatic Burt Gummer (Michael Gummer). Meanwhile, the worms begin to mutate into creatures that are equally deadly, giving rise to a new menace aboveground.<br /><br />The first thing that is noticeable about Tremors 2 is that it has the look of a theatrical release. Almost Everything about it is fairly well-done and accomplished. I'm sure the movie was given a low budget, but what's important is that it doesn't look like cheap, which makes me wonder why Universal didn't just go ahead and release this one in theaters. It may not have had the possibility of larger box office draw because there's no Kevin Bacon around this time, but audiences consistently watch a movie for its quality, not for the main star, at least not usually.<br /><br />S.S. Wilson handles the directing reins for this movie, and while he doesn't match the incredible job Ron Underwood did, he still does a solid job behind the camera. Not bad, considering he never directed before this (nor did he ever do so afterward). He does capture some of the feel of the original without making the movie feel like a rip-off. As for how he handled the action, I'd have to say it's pretty good. The movie takes a little too long to get to the new mutations, so none of the thrills really begin until then, but the action is exciting when it's there, most particularly in the final half-hour.<br /><br />Speaking of the mutations, it's basically a medium-sized creature with legs and a huge appetite, but lacks when it comes to eyesight and sound. They choose their meals by whatever gives off heat, and of course, that principle applies to humans. This creature design is obviously not an improvement over the graboids, but it's nonetheless nice to see the filmmakers do something new, and the effects are actually good, for the most part. The CGI is sometimes a little cartoonish, but isn't very distracting, especially considering that this film isn't taking itself seriously.<br /><br />Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson's script supplies the humor, one of the aspects this series is popular for. Tremors 2 is funny, thanks to Fred Ward's fine and entertaining performance, as well as Michael Gross's return. It's obvious Maddock and Wilson were hoping that Grady would be the much-loved comic relief, similar to, say, Kevin J. O'Connor from Deep Rising. No dice, unfortunately. The character's too annoying, though Gartin does get off some good lines. His performance isn't the problem, mostly the script, which often relegates him to doing nothing but whining. As for Helen Shaver, she's okay and has some good chemistry with Ward that should have used a little more development.<br /><br />The script does have some other major problems. For one thing, they should never have tried to explain the origin of the graboids. Any explanation would have been laughable, and there's a reason why none was offered in the original film. The screenplay, while sometimes clever, doesn't necessarily have a lot in the way of imagination, and sometimes it almost feels like the movie is just going through the moitions, but thankfully, that's not quite the case in the last 35 or so minutes. When the thrills and humor kick in, they push Tremors 2 above the usual straight-to-video crap up to solid escapism.<br /><br />