Here's the fourth, but hopefully not the last, segment in the Tremors series that I love so well. This fourth movie, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is a change of pace, characters and century.

We travel back in time to the days when the silver mine in Rejection was in full operation. The giant worms, aka dirt dragons or graboids, begin attacking the miners. They flee, pack their belongings, and leave the aptly named town.

Soon the only people left in the town are Christine Lord (Sara Botsford), owner of the hotel; Tecopa (August Shellenberg), Christine's Native American friend who helps out with the chores; Pyong Lien Chang (Lo Ming), Lu Wang Chang (Lydia Look), and their young son, Fu Yien (Sam Ly); and Juan Pedilla (Brent Roam), a miner who cannot afford to leave because he has sank all his earnings into ranch land.

As the townsfolk are struggling to maintain hope, they receive a telegram from the owner of the mine, Hiram Gummer (Michael Gross), who says the mine's low output is unacceptable and he will arrive soon. The townsfolk believe their prayers have been answered ... until their savior arrives. They quickly decide that he is not a solution, but merely one more problem ... a huge one.

Gummer's father sank his entire family fortune into that silver mine. All that Gummer owns is what he is wearing. He may be a prissy, cowardly, self-righteous city slicker, but if his only chance of regaining his family fortune is to get rid of those worms, he will find a way. He decides to hire a gunslinger to shoot the dirt dragons. Black Hand Kelly (Billy Drago) responds to his advertisement and takes the job. He might have better success at killing the dirt dragons if he weren't so busy fighting his urge to kill Gummer.

The unlikely trio of Gummer, Kelly and Pedilla set out on a quest to do real western gun battle with the dirt dragons and to save the town.

Tremors 4: The Legend Begins is the kind of movie that evokes extreme reaction from the fans of the series. Every Tremors fan that I have talked with either loved it or hated, with not a single person taking the middle ground between the extremes.

I loved it because it changed and did something different with the worms, while maintaining the integrity and ground rules established by the previous movies. I liked learning the history behind the town and residents.

All the parts are extremely well-played, but for Tremors fans, the spotlight is on Michael Gross, the only person to star in all four movies and the television series.

For Gross, this movie was a total reversal of character from the conspiracy-paranoid, heavily-armed and fortified survivalist, Burt Gummer. It is a showcase for his talent and ability to play any role. He is a real trophy! He overshot being a star and went for the supernova status. He achieved his goal.

There's still a lot of worm action, though most of it does take place away from the town. It is interesting to see the baby worms.

I love The Legend Begins and hope Wilson and Stampede Entertainment are planning to fill in the time gap in history with a fifth movie.