Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Director: Brent Maddock

Writers: teleplay by John Whelpley, story by S.S. Wilson & Brent Maddock & Nancy Roberts

Stars: Michael Gross, Shawn Christian, Susan Chuang, Charlotte Stewart, Ariana Richards, Tony Genaro, Barry Livingston, John Pappas, Bobby Jacoby

Well, nobody could have expected the first movie with its giant, burrowing worms to be as good as it was. 

And we certainly didn't have any right to expect that the sequel to that film would be nearly as clever and entertaining. 

With this third installment, the "Tremors" series finally faltered. 

Burt Gummer (Michael Gross) was excellent comic relief, but he's too much of a caricature to command leading man status. 

The tired script doesn't require the characters to think their way out of their dilemma the way the previous two movies did. 

A scene in which Burt survives being swallowed is particularly ridiculous, as is the latest metamorphosis of the graboids.