top 15 Super Sentai openings

     This is something I wanted to do for a while. I have always thought that the opening music is extremely important for getting somebody in the mood for the show they are about to watch. Super Sentai, in particular, has some pretty awesome and recognizable openings. Not just opening songs, the opening cinematics can be pretty awesome. So I got to thinking, which ones do I like the most?

Even though this is a very opinionated list I had to give myself some guidelines to make it easier on myself.

1) I am only going off of how much of the song is provided in the opening of each respective show

2) How much does the song and opening cinematic hype you up in general/for the upcoming show. (basically how much do I want to watch the show after I watch the opening)

3) Is the song decent on its own

4) One song per show. (some shows have multiple)

5) unless otherwise stated, I will go off of the version of the opening that shows all Rangers

6) I am solely going off of the intro and not now the song was used in the show.

     These rules were mostly put in place because of the stylized difference between early Showa Sentai themes and Heisei era theme songs. I personally believe that style greatly changed over time and creators began to utilize themes better later in the life of Super Sentai. As such, I feel with this, every Sentai has an equal and fair chance. I also decided on top 15 for this list since there are so many good themes that deserve attention to me so I thought I would broaden the list beyond a traditional top 10. Without further ado, let's get to it!

15: Shuriken Sentai Ninninger

     I should mention early that quality of the show does not change how I feel about the opening of that show. I don't really care that much for Ninninger. I would describe the whole show as just okay. Not bad, not good, just okay. The opening for the show is an entirely different story, though.  while the editing and cinematic seem, much like the show, just okay with a few notable fun bits, the song is really good. The fast pace and stylization are really good at building hype.
     In all honestly the song is really good on it's own but, to me that is not enough to carry it. Ninninger will usually have a soft spot and I will think the theme is good for a while, but there is more to it than just the song. This theme can't be my favorite since the hype and magic that came from the opening I only really got once or twice. Before too long the intro didn't have the same effect. Now I can only really see it as a pretty good and fun theme. If this is somebody's favorite I can easily see why. It is one of the best parts of the show, to me.

14: Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive

     The best way I can describe this theme song is a call to action. I feel like I am cheering on the GoGoFive the entire way through the song. The song is certainly good at building hype, but it is not great at it. After watching this theme I greatly enjoyed it and was ready to watch the show, but only just enough. Many themes have this effect on me where I am only kind of hyped and everything was just okay. The theme and song is good but what really drops it down to the bottom of this list and what was the key factor in separating similar themes, was Hype. The GoGoFive opening is generally good but does not hype me up as much as just about every theme ahead of it on the list. I still must praise it, though. despite it not hyping me up, the cinematic was very well done and the whole thing had  a sense of urgency to it. A good theme but didn't quite stick the landing with me, personally.

13: Tensou Sentai Goseiger

     Goseiger is one that, if I was only judging the song, would be much higher on the list. I genuinely like the hopeful tone of the opening theme. When the chorus rings and we hear that "Tensou!" it brings a smile to my face. that being sad I am not a fan of the opening cinematic. Everything is lit up too much, some parts are a bit too mundane for how good the song is and the way it is formatted is just like every sentai before it. There is nothing, to me, that sets apart the cinematic save for the really good song. I am probably overthinking it but I'd rather just listen to the song instead of watch the opening. The song on it's own hypes me up enough for the show, which has earned it a spot on here, but I can't get into an opening when I don't want to watch the opening and only listen to it.

12: Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

     Just about everything the GoGoFive opening does, Dekaranger does it better. Once again this theme feels like a call to action with some good editing. I really like the song and cinematic fine, but there are parts of the song that seem odd to me. Particularly during the count from 1 to 5 some of the word choices seem odd to me. I like the rest of the intro a lot, though. Once again, this is just personal taste and I can see this theme being somebody's favorite as well! I am just a weirdo who gets distracted by out of place things easily.

11: Uchu Sentai Kyuranger

     The main reason this one is below so many to me is that, typically, I'm not a huge fan of slow pop songs. The opening cinematic is well edited and goes along with the song very well, heck it is the main reason it is here. The song, however goes from a booming "woah" to something a lot more mellow then picks up to a very adventurous tone in the chorus. I like the beginning and from the chorus on. I don't hate the mellow parts but it does make me wonder what I am going to expect out of this show. The other thing I can't explain is that the intro feels...shorter than other intros and by a lot more than it actually is. Maybe deep down I see it as mundane? doubtful. Honestly despite the verse I don't care for and the appeared shortness, it is still a very good opening.

10: Engine Sentai Go-onger

     From here I have mostly good things to say about all of the intros. Heck it probably didn't sound like it but I really had to think why I like certain ones more than the others. Go-Onger has a similar problem as Goseiger but nothing is as bad. This song is a kicking tune that really gets me in a fun mood. It stands on it's own very well. The cinematic is good, but again very basic at parts. Doing things by the numbers can be a good thing if you have enough uniqueness in parts to separate you from the flock. Go-Onger's opening song and use of fast editing does set it apart but, unfortunately there are other openings that I just like a bit more. I only mean a bit thought....this was a close one.

9: Samurai Sentai Shinkenger

     I enjoy the song from Shinkenger just as much as I do the opening theme from Go-Onger but I gotta say I like it just a bit better because of the opening cinematic. The song is paced in a way like it is telling a story and the cinematic follows suit. While the intro does do things by the numbers, introducing characters, villains and displaying action scenes, etc, the magic comes in how it does it. Dekaranger did this well too. Putting the right clip in the right spot will help enhance the opening. I can watch the opening of Shinkenger and know it is about a Samurai team, heavy action is involved and there will be a fair amount of drama between them. So why is this so low on the list? I'm not the biggest fan of the samurai ascetic. So despite this intro being objectively good, my personal tastes kick in. Very deserving of praise though

8: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger

     I can already see the comments calling me a heretic or blasphemer for not putting this higher on the list than number 8. Thing is, this list is not objective. This list is my personal favorites as I rank them. The Gorenger theme is still well deserving of praise and is, arguably, the most recognizable of the themes. The Gorenger theme is catchy, fun and very cool. If this was a purely objective list I can almost guarantee this would be higher.
     The thing is, this is not my favorite theme. I like it a lot, but I don't get as hyped as other shows. I do get a lot more enjoyment and Hype out of this than other themes. I do feel similarly to this one as the GoGoFive theme. The cinematic is fun, but is very simple. That simplicity can be argued to be part of its charm, however. Honestly there is no part of this opening I hate, heck it hardly has that much wrong with it. I simply feel that other themes were a bit catchier or built up hype for the show a lot better

7: Gosei Sentai Dairanger

     I will go out and say that I am not that into Dairanger, mostly because the first subtitled version I got was piss poor and made me question the writing. I have another, popular, version to watch but hey that's neither here nor there. Feelings of the show aside This theme is awesome. I immediately raised an eyebrow and moved focused when I heard the shout at the beginning and saw the dragon in the sun. The whole song is super stylized with Chinese influences and it fits the cinematic very well. While the song is not as much of a rock beat as I would prefer, the unique style is very well appreciated. Once again I have to botch this one to personal preference. This is a very well made opening and song. The style chosen is just not my favorite.

6: Choujuu Sentai Liveman

     Most of the song and theme for Liveman is very by the numbers and very basic. There are a few things it does so well that I just have to love it. Firstly, dialogue before the song starts, if done right, add a lot to the opening. The opening dialogue in Liveman does wonders to help set a tone and get me hyped. The song is a super upbeat, ready-for-anything beat. the cinematic is pretty well edited but the insanely strong start and catchy strong really elevates this song as one of my personal favorites.

5: Chōjin Sentai Jetman

     Much like Liveman, most of the theme for Jetman is very by the books. While Jetman doesn't have a super good lead in to the intro, like Liveman, it does have a song that is just as good and arguably better. Also while the style is pretty by the numbers, the action scenes in the intro stick out a lot more to me. It really was a toss up but I find myself appreciating consistency a tad more than one awesome part of a song. Even with that, there are openings I just like only a tad more.

4: Juken Sentai Gekiranger

     This theme is another great example of a properly used opening dialogue. the Buildup it offers is amazing. the whole song in the opening is fun and kicking the whole way. Couple that with a great cinematic and you have a VERY close contender for my favorite. The biggest advantage this song has is how well the song matches the imagery in the cinematic of the opening. I watch this and am always hyped to watch some kung-fu fun. I can't say anything really bad about it other than the eastern pop style is just not my favorite. It is till a rocking tune and the opening is very well done.

3: Ressha Sentai Toqger

     This song is way too awesome. The hype for this show goes from 0-60 as soon as you hear the first "Go for it!". The song mellows out a tad for the remainder but it never is too mellow. The whole song is very upbeat and very well edited. It builds hype fast and keeps it there fast. I will admit that it is easy to see people not liking how mellow it can get and just not getting into the song as much as I do. I have a huge soft spot for this show and opening I can't quite get over. Everything about the show exceeded my expectations and the theme song is no exception. I had to take the opening on its own merits and ask myself which one I like better, though. When I thought about it, I still really like the opening theme but there were 2 in particular that I like more.

2: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger

     Gokaiger as a whole holds a special place in people's hearts for a variety of good reasons. The opening is one thing that is clearly meant to be appreciated and remembered. The whole opening is edited wonderfully. The whole opening feels adventurous in every aspect the whole way through. The song does not rock as hard as others, but it doesn't need to. The opening for this show prepares you for a journey. When you get down to the nitty gritty, that is the best thing an opening of any show can do. I really enjoy this theme, and it is very deserving of a high spot on any list like this one.


1: Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters (1st opening song)

     I LOVE THIS SONG. I do have to stress that I am only talking about the first opening used. "Buster's Ready Go!" is a much better song, to me, than "Morphin! Moving! Bustership!". In both cases, the editing of the cinematic is in top form. Everything is fast paced but synced very well to the songs. In the end it really is the song that moves this to a number 1 spot. The cinematic is very well done and shows some really well placed action and character bits, but it would lose a lot of effectiveness if not matched with the song it was paired with. I really love this song and every time I hear the song or see the intro, I am hyped to watch the show. With a fantastic track that doesn't get old to me, a great cinematic and an overall fun and exciting theme, this opening was the clear pick for my favorite.

Honorable Mention: Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger

     After the first few episodes of the newest Sentai, I really enjoyed the sound design all around for this show. The theme song is no exception. The opening does what few openings have done by teasing story elements and almost telling a story within itself. The song, while not my favorite is very catchy. Under normal circumstances this would have easy made the top 15 or maybe top 10 of my favorites. Unfortunately I could not add it to this list for a few reasons. Primarily, though, it is because the show is still in production and the opening will undoubtedly change at some point to reflect any changes as many other Sentai have. It just didn't seem right to not consider all of the openings in case there is one that is better than the first opening.


     This was all opinion-based. I'm sure everyone has separate opinions than I, but these are just the openings that I see as the best. My personal favorites. It is a statement to how good all of the openings are that I had to make this a top 15, though. I really couldn't narrow it to top 10 and almost even made it a top 20! The openings are a great part of Sentai and one any fan can appreciate.
     Watching all of the openings again was a real blast. This was pretty close to being a two part thing but after the last retrospective and a desire to write about Pacific Rim, I just couldn't dot it. At the end of the day I hope the creators of Super Sentai keep putting out some quality openings for these great shows. I'm the Kaiju Kidd signing off.

Tremors Retrospective part 2: A Needed Step Back Then a Step ... Forward?

     Despite the SyFy channel meddling, the origninal Tremors still remains as one of my favorite movies and to this day. I can't even bring myself to hate the franchise as a whole. Things were very different after the third installment and I believe that the movies that proceeded after it are well worth talking about. I have already shared my views regarding the first 3 movies here, but now I must give the next two installments the same treatment. This will not be a full review. Much like the last one, it will be a mini review, how I particularly feel about each film and how each film impacted the series. Let us continue our journey into this series.

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins - A Beginning and Potential End to the Franchise

     After the third installment of the Tremors franchise was panned by fans and critics and the TV series greatly underperformed, it was time to start over. Creators decided to take a step back and start the series somewhat fresh by expanding the lore and giving a more solid reason why Graboids were in Perfection, Nevada. Tremors: The Legend Begins takes place in the Wild West. On paper this could have gone a lot of ways, most of them bad. The creators were able to pull together a decently finished product, however.
     Once again the story of this film is rather simple. Miners are driven out of the, currently named, Rejection, Nevada. Mysterious deaths have caused the mine to close and as such driven most of the community away, leaving the town in a dying state. The remaining townspeople hold out with the hopes that the mine's owner can help them solve this problem and get the town back on it's feet. The mine owner, played by Michael Gross, appears and they discover the worms that have been eating the miners. From there it is a race to figure out how to defeat the worms before the townsfolk are eaten and the town and mine are lost to these beasts.
     Like the ones before it, the story is simple and this is moved along more by the characters than plot events. Hiram Gummer, Michael Gross's character, is a far cry from the gun-toting survivalist that fans of the series know. Instead Hiram is a wealthy man who only wants to reopen the mine to get his money back. Even though the main motivations are greedy and could easily lead the way for him to be a villain, the movie never takes the obvious stereotypes too far. It is discovered after some interesting character moments, that Hiram Gummer actually has a fairly decent reason for being so gung-ho about the mine and over time comes to respect the townsfolk and the hardships they have. Hiram may by a snobby brat at times, but his character development is real and he always has a good heart.
     This rule does not just hold true for Hiram, of course. Black Hand Kelly, Billy Drago, is a hired gunman brought to Rejection to help assist with the killing of the worms. Kelly is built up as a wild and menacing scoundrel but is actually very honorable and practical. Again, it was easy to make Black Hand Kelly a villain, but he is very neutral in this. Kelly is paid to do a job and does everything in his power to do that job, even teaching Hiram how to properly shoot, to the best of his abilities, once he recognizes the threat. I could go on like this for a lot of characters honestly. At the end of the day, all of the characters are well enough defined and stereotypes are never taken too far.
     The creatures in this movie are only ever seen in two forms. The classic graboids, which in this movie are referred to as dirt dragons, are the primary threat. At first though, we get a view of the infantile state of these worms. Basically imagine a small graboid with an armored carapace to protect it's skin till it mature to a full graboid. Honestly I have no problem with that at all. It continues the trend of having a new evolution in every movie without going too far into the realm of silly and stupid. Everything you see seems believable to some degree.Much like the second movie, Practical effects are in full force with some CGI enhancement for a few scenes. The worms look as good as they did in the first and second movie and the babies are pretty creepy and well designed.
     This movie is very good, and in many respects better than the second movie. This prequel comes closer than any of the sequels, to date, in really capturing the heart of the original movie and why the first movie worked as well as it did. A simple story driven by well defined characters, character interactions that make them seem like a family and very good looking and well utilized creatures. This film was the actual much needed step back the franchise needed before going forward. Tremors: The Legend Begins is a good movie and easily my second favorite Tremors movie, now that I had a chance to look back on it.
     Unfortunately this movie was only released on video and after the third installment and a failed series not many were excited to see another Tremors movie. The film went so unnoticed and performed so poorly in stores that the plug on future projects was effectively pulled. No new Tremors movies were made for over 10 years. This is really sad considering how well the movie actually is. The series worst movie is immediately followed by one of it's best movies. Imagine my overwhelming surprise and caution when the next instalment came out of nowhere.

Tremors 5: Bloodlines - It's all in the family

     I don't know if I am alone in this or not, but I recall no marketing for this movie at all. I discovered this movie at a local Walmart completely by accident. After a long bewilderment of trying to comprehend how this movie could exist, I immediately put it on my Christmas list. After receiving 3, somehow completely unique, versions of the movie, I proceeded to watch it with no real expectations. While the movie is certainly different from every other Tremors movie (so far), It wasn't that bad. The one thought I really left with after watching it is "Well that was a fun movie".
     The story of this movie is a bit more complex than the previous films. Burt Gummer, Michael Gross, has his own survivalist television show. People seem to really like the survival instincts of a man who tangles with Graboids for a living. The show isn't doing bad but things change his new cameraman, Travis Welker, shows up. Travis is played by Jamie Kennedy, which is one thing I did not know how to feel about when I saw the cover. Following the arrival of Travis, a mysterious man named Erich Van Wyk, Daniel Janks, shows up. Erich informs the pair that Ass-blasters have appeared in Africa, despite no party understanding how. Once they arrive, they discover it is not just Ass-blasters but a very large and very different Graboid is there as well, all of them protecting, what is believed to be, the last Graboid nest in Africa. From here it is standard story of fighting the Graboids and Ass-blasters.
     This time around, the story is not driven by the characters most of the time. Instead, it seems many main plot events are circumstantial and happen on their own. For a chunk of the movie it feels Like Burt and Travis are in the backseat of this Graboid Safari. When they are in the Driver's seat, they do a fairly good job. Nothing phenomenal, but Burt Gummer is still how one would expect him and Travis Welker is actually very smart and helpful. Travis was so close to being another Melvin or worse, another Grady Hoover. Travis manages to prove his resourcefulness by proactively investigating the shady people around him and helping Burt on the field as much as he can. Unfortunately the supporting cast does not stick out that much. Everyone is doing there own thing most of the time so I don't know who I should be worried about. While this is really only a problem in the last third of the movie, it still feels really disjointed and you begin to really on worry about Burt and Travis. The film at least knows this and brings it back to them as much as reasonably possible.
     The creatures themselves, like the third movie, are almost entirely CG. Unlike the third movie, The CG is actually pretty good and FINISHED. The creature effects are actually very well executed and used in great effect in dark and rainy areas. Yes, it's a cost saving measure to make CG easier but burying the puppets to hide imperfections was also a cost saving measure in the other movies so I see no problem. Execution is not the problem that I can see people having, but rather the designs may seem a bit too different.
     The idea is that the Graboid like from this region adapted to a different flatter ecosystem with course sand, dirt, clay and small rocks abundant. Since the ground is tougher the Graboids have to have thicker skin. The Graboid in the movie is much bigger than the previous ones we've seen with more spines, thicker skin and an odd musculature. While it sounds like a stretch, I am fine with the Graboid. The design I have a problem with is the Ass-Blaster. Frankly this creature looks a whole lot more threatening and original than the ones in the third movie, but something seemed off. The problem was that it doesn't really look like an Ass-blaster. It looks like a whole new creature not connected to the Graboid line. It's not bad but it is, arguably, overdesigned and too different.
     I said the movie was fun but that does not translate to "good". Technically this is the second worst Tremors movie, but I don't think that is a fair title. The third movie was an extremely low bar this film was fun and easy to watch, despite it's flaws. While the film did feel disjointed at times, most of the time it kept focus on the right characters. While most characters failed to stick out or connect, the ones that did left a very good impressions. It is easy to point out the flaws in this movie but it is still very watchable and pretty good. I recommend any fan of the series give this one at least one watch. If nothing else, it is MUCH better than Tremors 3.

The Future of Tremors

     To be a fan of this series is to come to terms with the fact that, in all likelihood, a movie of the same quality as the original will never come. After the release of the 5th movie it is safe to say that the homely simplicity of the stories is out the window for something different. The direction the series seems to be taking is basically Burt and Travis globe-trotting and stopping Graboids wherever they pop up. Looking at it realistically this was inevitable. There are only so many times you can have a movie in the same town.
     I expect the 6th movie to be of similar quality as the 5th one. If the series can move forward a fun, but flawed, series of monster movies then I will be okay with that. I don't expect to relive the magic of the first movie but after how surprisingly good the 4th one was, anything is possible. I am the Kaiju Kidd and I will continue to enjoy this series with high hopes.

Tremors Retrospective Part 1: Great beginnings...and then the SyFy Channel.

     One of my favorite monster movies to this day is, and will always likely be, Tremors. The series as a whole is a great, fun series to watch. Over the years the franchise has been adding and adding to it, for better and for worse. With the 6th installment coming out later on this year I feel it time to do a retrospective on the series. This won't be a full string of reviews, though I am open to do those later on. Instead, this will be a mini-review talking about very basic details, how I feel about each film and how each film impacted the series as a whole. I won't be looking into the Tremors TV series as that is a mess in and of itself. So here is how the Tremors film series evolved into what it is today.

Tremors - Groundbreaking, and I am Not Just Talking About the Graboids

     The 80's and the 90's were great for monster movies. Remakes and new ideas were everywhere. Companies had to keep up with each other with either new monster movies or remasters/remakes of old ones. After the huge successes of Alien and Jaws in the 70's the "unseen" monster became a staple that many tried to replicate. The 80's brought us more gore and simpler stories, best encompassed by the 80's remake of The Blob in my opinion. In 1990 these tropes culminated in the monster movie, Tremors. The unique decision of making the monsters giant underground worms allowed the filmmakers to utilize the suspense of hiding the monster while the cozy setting of Perfection, Nevada kept things simple. While this film was not as gory as other movie in the years before, it still managed to get the bloody point across with bits of blood, dead bodies and pretty gruesome implication regarding how the worms eat and kill victims.
     One thing I have never told anybody is I honestly thought this movie was related to Godzilla movies when I first saw it. I had just watched Godzilla vs. Biollante again (still one of if not my favorite) when I went to Blockbuster. I saw the box art for Tremors and my young naïve mind honestly thought the thing on the cover was one of Biollante's vines. It is extremely stupid, I know, but I was 8. I watched the movie for the first time and fell in love. I quickly became a Tremors fan and took any excuse to watch that movie on TV.
     What makes this movie so great? quite frankly a lot of things. The simple story and setting allows the characters to be the main thing to drive the story along. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward play some good ol' boys just trying to get by as handymen, Michael Gross (franchise veteran) plays the gun-toting conspiracy theorist Burt Gummer and a other colorful townsfolk make this town of just around a dozen people feel really cozy. After just a short time seeing the townsfolk hang out in Wong's shop, you immediately identify with everybody and begin to see them as an extended family to each other. This familiarity between the characters makes it all the more heartbreaking whenever any character dies.
     Another great thing is that these characters are not stupid and predictable. It sounds like a weird thing to praise but any movie fan will remind you of all the stupid clichés with stupid main characters. The characters in Tremors are active in trying to live, trying to figure out the creatures and trying to figure out how to stop them. We learn about the Graboids at a the same believable pace as the characters in the movie. By the time the movie is over and we get to the next movie, the viewers know everything they need to know about the creatures as if it was common knowledge. This is also a nod to the simple, straightforward writing of the movie, but I still believe the characters are what sell this journey.
     The biggest thing I must praise about this movie is the effects. Whenever I wanna show people how good practical effects can look, I often point to this movie. The design of the Graboids is simple, yet threatening. The fact that the color of the worms is only slightly darker than the ground not only makes sense, but is also a really clever film-making trick. Puppets and animatronics were always buried, at least part of the way, during intense scenes the dirt kicks up and helps to hide any imperfections in the costume as well as adding wear to make it look that much more real. There are two scenes where we do see open parts of the puppet (when the Graboid attacks the horse and when the water tower pipe is broken) but aside from that, things are hidden very well.
     This movie was one of the very few monster movies with a monster that resides in the underground and many, myself included, agree that this is the best subterranean monster movie. A unique design and simple story helped escalate this movie to cult status. Almost every monster fan knows of this movie and has some appreciation for what it is. So much notoriety did not go unnoticed. Filmmakers were in an era of making as many movies as possible and monster movies in general were having another little boom in the late 90's. Thus a sequel was made only 8 years later

Tremors 2: Aftershocks - No Longer Underground, but Underrated Nonetheless

     A sequel to Tremors is as easy or hard as you make it. The easy idea is to just have the worms return to perfection or another town with a new cast, though that more or less guarantees you are making it way to similar to it's predecessor and gives a high risk of failure. The filmmakers, thankfully, chose to do something a tad more ambitious. All things considered the characters in the first film took care of the Graboid problem pretty quick in there lifespan. The sequel asked, what if the Graboids were left to thrive  for an extended time. Apparently, they evolve. The Graboids eventually spawn these much smaller, two legged versions of them called Shriekers.
     Once again the human factor is there in this movie. The characters learn everything about the new Shriekers at a steady believable pace once again. Some of the human characters this time are a tad on the annoying side. The first movie had Melvin, who was draining in how much of an ass he could be at time, but the characters keep him enough in check where he is never that big of a problem. This movie has Grady Hoover. Grady is far from the most annoying thing to come out of this franchise, and honestly isn't even as annoying as Melvin. He contributes quite a lot more than Melvin. The problem is while he contributes, he messes things up and turns many scenes into a groan fest. He really is the weakest character the movie.
    Fortunately the other characters are in top form. Fred Wart and Michael Gross return and this time they feel like an elite strike force instead of an extended family in crisis. They are as prepared as they can be, which again makes the deaths of characters and the unexpected turns that much more devastating. The plot feels like a natural continuation from the first. Graboids are popping up in Mexico and who better than the only people known to have dealt with them to solve the problem. Fred Ward's character, Earl Bassett, goes to get another chance at everything after getting himself stuck in Perfection after a little coercing from Grady. Michael Gross's character, Burt Gummer, goes to break the mundane of his current lifestyle and get back in action. The only other main character is Kate Reilly, played by Helen Shaver, a geologist station at the oil fields subject to Graboid attacks.
     The story is not as simple as it was in it's predecessor, and that is much to the films detriment. There are so many twists and turns with the Graboids and Shriekers. While things are settled and easy to understand by the end, there are many times where it is hard to keep up with where the story is going. It is never drastically bad, but the film is very clearly more all over the place than the original. This is emphasized by the strange tone shifts at time. Since they are prepared, the main characters are able to kill many Graboids this time. A segment of the movie feels a lot like an afternoon hunting trip. Suddenly close to a dozen Graboids appear on their radar and they panic...but aren't chased. The film can't decide when it wants to be light-hearted and when it wants to be like the action scenes in the first one. This is unfortunate because the action scenes in this one can get pretty tense.
     Practical effects are used in full force again, with a bit of CGI support. The creatures look fantastic and unique while still clearly related to the Graboids. It is very easy to see this creature and know it is related to the Graboid in some way, but still distinguish it as it's own thing. While the animatronic puppets look great CGI is used primarily to show the creatures moving. I wish it was Practical effects but The CGI is nowhere near overplayed and still looks decent. While the legs didn't move much on the physical creature puppets, the faces where extremely expressive and detailed. To put it bluntly, They looked very real and very believable.
     The sequel brought Tremors into a much larger spotlight and unknowingly started a trend in the movies of adding a new evolution to the Graboid line. While the film had it's story flaws and some annoying character moments, it is still a good follow-up to the first movie. Tremors had become a monster franchise and after some years of success The franchise moved "forward". The early 2000's were upon us and this franchise ended up where most monster movies of the time went, The Sci-fi Channel.

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection - Yet Far From a Good Film

     Unfortunately this is where we reach the lowest point of this otherwise great monster franchise. After the Syfy Channel got a hold of some rights, a third movie was in the works. On paper the premise of this movie is not bad. Burt Gummer has been a contracted Graboid hunter helping to keep the species in check around the world. As such, he is away from home and things back in Perfection, Nevada are much different than what they used to be. When Graboids pop up once again in the area, it is up to Burt to round up the greenhorns and whip them into shape. With a simple story like that, the movie should have been easy. Let an interesting cast of characters keep the plot moving while the story stay simple. I emphasize the "Should have".
     So many things in this movie feel exploitative. The creators  were exploiting the franchise by dumbing it down, the characters are exploiting tragedy by trying to make Graboids a household name and the common sense of the original returning cast is being made fun of and exploited for stupid jokes. All of this happens well before the movie cranks the stupid cash-in dial to 11 with the very first mention of Ass-blasters. When I reel back a bit and try to give them movie any credit it is that the returning characters are still a pleasure to watch, despite being overshadowed by the natural exploitative nature of the film at times.
     The creatures in this movie are just about completely CG with very few puppets. The puppets still look decent all things considered but are absolutely never on screen long enough to appreciate. The CG is horrible. Many effects are not rendered, and the ones that are rendered look worse than any CG that has appeared in these movies. Despite how bad the effects look, the actual designs of the Ass-blasters are pretty unique. This is about what I think when I hear "flying graboid" or "flying shreiker"
     This movie is not good by any margin. Some of the ideas and premises are worthwhile, but are squandered by either poor execution or pure exploitation. Lines and ideas are ripped directly from the previous two movies to try and relive the experience but, I know I seem like a broken record, are just exploitative. The franchise needed a new direction. This movie almost ruined the Tremors franchise. Three years later an unprecedented 4th installment was released. Expectations were low especially after three years of nothing out of the Tremors franchise.

Kaiju Grab Bag Vol.4 Rebooted, Re-imagined and Really confused

     A few things happened since my last grab bag. comebacks and reboots are happening all over the place and fans of science fiction surely have a lot of emotions about certain things. As always I am open to do a full discussion about any of these topics later on so let's just jump right into it!

Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell

     The first thing I would imagine everyone thinks when they see the title is "They are still making these?". Oddly enough it is true and I can't exactly blame the cynicism. The Tremors franchise has gone in a very odd direction from it's humble, landmark beginnings. I plan on doing a retrospective to explain my stance but as odd as it sounds, the Tremors movies have been getting weirdly better after the 3rd one. Granted, Tremors 3 was a really low bar and being better than it is not much of a feat but the 5th entry in the Tremors franchise was some good dumb fun that I enjoyed a tad more than I thought. Does this mean the 6th one will be good? not necessarily, but I am hopeful that even if the movie is bad it is at least fun. Let's face it, we are never going to get a Tremors movie on the same level as the first one. I do welcome filmmakers to prove me wrong about that, though.




The Reboot reboot

    I was a 90's kid and aside from Power Rangers I usually watched cartoons and other awesome shows like Megas XLR, Code Lyoko and Reboot. Recently it was announced that the show Reboot was getting a Reboot. Watch the Trailer here. Now a lot of people, and I mean a LOT of people hate this saying "It isn't capturing the heart of the original", "Why is it live-action?" and my personal favorite "The CGI looks so much worse!"

...yes because the original Reboot was the pinnacle of CG animation

     I'm not going to sit here and pretend this reboot of Reboot is the best thing ever but I do believe that a lot of the hate is pretty unwarranted. When I saw the trailer I got vibes from a lot of shows; Code Lyoko, Samurai Cyber Squad and VR Troopers to name a few. It feels like this show could just be an homage to all of the tech-based super hero shows of the 90's and early 2000's. I say that it deserves a shot but it is fair to approach with caution. I remain as cautiously optimistic about this as I am about the next Tremors movie, if not more so. The only bad thing I could say about it is that they called it Reboot. If it is an homage it would of worked better with a different title or even under the Cody Lyoko umbrella. All I am saying is, give everything a fair and honest chance. After all, if we didn't give weird and/or obscure things an honest chance, many of us wouldn't be fans of Tokusatsu or Science Fiction would we?

LupinRanger vs. PatRanger: Re-imagining the Sentai formula

     I would imagine there was a lot of skepticism from the fans when it was announced that the next Sentai would have two teams that are at odds with eachother. After the 40th anniversary I think it is fair to say that the creators of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider are taking more risks with their property. Kamen Rider is slowly going back to a more series tone and the tried and true sentai formula is being re-written. Kyuuranger gave us more heroes and a very grounded and sometimes dark story. The newest Sentai, Lupin vs. Pat for simplicities sake, is showing fans that the heart is still there despite massive style changes. In just three episodes I'm seeing things I don't recall seeing in any other Sentai.
    There is, of course, the two teams that are at odds. The PatRangers wanted to defeat all of the Ganglars and the LupinRangers trying to recover the stolen LupinCollection so they could potentially revive those lost by the Ganglar. The being that froze and destroyed their loved ones, and so many others, is shown in the intro, which brings me to the thing that has me most astounded. I don't recall a time where the intro seems to be foreshadowing and laying out the future plot for us. Usually the intro changes as the show changes but this intro shows/teases so much regarding the villains and the heroes. It is certainly different but I can appreciate it since so much is still in the dark and we don't know the role of many of the things shown in the intro so far.
     This new show changes the dynamic for the heroes completely and I believe that the next few seasons are all going to be "testing the waters" so to speak to see how far and away from typical Sentai they can travel while still keeping the heart of the show. KyuuRanger was a successful experiment but this one is a lot more drastic. In many ways it feels like and old 80's serialized anime (insert Lupin III reference here) but in all of the right ways. I am excited to see a Sentai that is different from the norm and even more excited to see where the future of Super Sentai is heading.

Are Reboots a good thing?

    This question plagues fans of just about anything and there is no clear answer to this. To be honest a lot of people have put their 2 cents towards this topic and made very good points. In general I do believe that Rebooting or Re-imagining something is fine, especially if some concept can be expanded upon. The Robocop remake, for instance, focused more on the family of the main character instead of just the pain that murphy was going through. The film wasn't perfect but in addition to the new angle, the heart was there. most remakes don't capture the heart of the original property.
    Occasionally I find a gem in these remakes. The recent Magnificent 7 remake, for instance, was fantastic. The 2012 remake of The Thing, while not the best movie, did keep enough of the heart. Sure it was bad but they respected the source material and really tried, which is more than I can say for a lot a of companies. Despite the occasional gem I don't need to remind anybody that most remakes range from awful to meh. I am open to people trying to remake just about anything but first and foremost, they have to actually TRY.

I also believe that there should be some rules about what can and can't be remade. Some things are timeless classics and just don't need the modern Hollywood treatment.

*see somebody wants to remake Neverending Story*

*gets ready to throw computer*

*Sees Peter Jackson is most likely at the helm*

...I may need to rethink my stance on this.