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(SeaPRwire) –   Every aspect of *Tremors 2: Aftershocks* suggested a direct-to-video release. Kevin Bacon, the original film’s star, chose to portray a monumental space mission (*Apollo 13*) over battling subterranean super-worms. Consequently, studio executives reportedly cut the budget to a mere $4 million and relocated the setting from the Australian outback to a Mexican oilfield. When the project seemed destined for obscurity, screenwriter S.S. Wilson reportedly volunteered to direct the film without compensation. Yet, despite these conspiring circumstances, a second delightfully unhinged B-movie homage emerged.

Filmed in 1994 but released two years later, the troubled sequel did manage to appear on a few big screens, with a limited international release and a domestic premiere at California’s Alfred Hitchcock Theater. However, the vast majority of viewers would have encountered *Tremors 2* in the same manner they did the box office flop *Tremors* — by browsing the shelves of their local video rental store.

Perhaps recognizing the need to capture attention immediately, Wilson swiftly plunges audiences back into the monstrous world. Before a single word is uttered, an unfortunate oil worker is mercilessly hunted and devoured by one of the burrowing creatures that previously terrorized the Nevada desert town of Perfection. This sets the stage for the return of Fred Ward’s grizzled handyman-turned-killing machine.

Earl Bassett finds himself in a very different situation several years later, having squandered all his money on an ostrich farm whose ostriches appear to have taken a vow of celibacy. But he receives a financial lifeline when oil baron Carlos Ortega (Marcelo Tubert) asks him to resume his Graboid-hunting activities, offering $50,000 for each monster killed and twice that amount for each one captured alive.

Earl isn’t alone in this endeavor, however. He’s joined by mechanic Pedro (José Rosario), geologist Kate (Helen Shaver) — a character given significantly more agency than the typical token woman — and her assistant, Julio (Marco Hernandez). And then there’s Grady (Christopher Gartin), Ortega’s taxi driver, who manages to attach himself to the mission through a somewhat irritating combination of excitable persistence and intense fanboying.

Indeed, *Scream* wasn’t the only meta film of 1996. We soon discover that the events of *Tremors* have been capitalized on through extensive merchandising, with everything from comic books to arcade games now featuring the Graboids and their hunters’ faces. Earl, however, hasn’t seen a cent of it, judging by his reaction to Julio’s assumption that the shoot-em-up royalties alone must have made him wealthy.

Earl attempts to reclaim some of this money with the help of his overly enthusiastic sidekick and some explosive-filled remote-controlled cars before acknowledging he might need additional assistance. This cues Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), the gun-toting survivalist who answers the call from a concrete man-cave filled with war memorabilia, wall-mounted stuffed Graboids, and enough firearms to equip an army.

Still wounded by the departure of his ex-wife (Reba McEntire, another no-show due to touring commitments), Burt is even more unhinged this second time around. “You know [Heather] blames our problems on the collapse of the Soviet Union? Said I was too hard to live with. Said I couldn’t handle life without the threat of global war.” Still, he proves invaluable in the fight against a new species of self-replicating, overground mutants dubbed Shriekers.

In fact, Burt repeatedly saves the day, albeit in unconventional ways. Observe how he covers himself in fire extinguisher foam to evade the body heat-detecting creatures in the literally explosive finale. And Gross, previously best known as the dependable dad in *Family Ties*, is clearly having a blast delivering lines like “I am completely out of ammo. That’s never happened to me before.”

Earl also delivers his fair share of witty remarks, most of which are aimed at his new partner-in-crime as their mismatched buddy duo evolves from initial hostility (“Who are you, and why are you so dumb?”) and dismissiveness (“How bout Loony World,” he muses after Grady announces plans to open a Graboid-inspired theme park) to, eventually, mutual respect.

*Tremors 2* handles its human relationships as effectively as the action-packed set pieces and practical effects, which, despite the lack of funds, have aged far better than many of the decade’s CGI-heavy films. The refreshingly age-appropriate Earl and Kate also share a natural chemistry, which makes their journey from mild flirtation to a first date feel well-earned. And there’s an amusing camaraderie between the main survivors, which leaves you wanting more once all the critters are blown into smithereens.

Sadly, Gross was the only actor ever to return to a franchise that subsequently veered off, with diminishing returns, into private islands, the Canadian Arctic, and a 19th-century mining town. While everything that followed arguably merited the Blockbuster bargain bucket, this joyous second chapter deserved the full popcorn experience.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks is available for rent on Prime Video.