My dear readers, while it has never been my forte, I have often thought that it is certainly worth one’s while to possess a command of general matters, and that being able to hold forth on the outcome of sporting contests or topical political subjects can be quite a handy skill during social gatherings. Nevertheless, I find there is an even greater appeal to developing a familiarity with slightly more obscure material. My uncle Angus Hauntedhouse was one such fellow and he spent much of his life assembling a rather fine library. At its peak, his collection featured some of the rarest volumes on forgotten languages and a healthy assortment of soft toys. Unfortunately, Angus was never too keen on visitors and demonstrated tendencies that some might have called anti-social. As a result, visiting students and intellectuals hoping to get a peek at his archives invariably found themselves at the business end of a poleaxe, often while enduring Angus’ unfounded accusations of conspiring against him with the aforementioned soft toys. I understand those who had made previous appointments were particularly flustered by this greeting. But with a little patience and ingenuity, some interested parties have been able to remove themselves from this awkward scene with almost all of their appendages intact and the academic rewards were considerable.

Earl Bassett (Fred Ward) knows all about being sought out by those seeking specialized knowledge. Years after his initial encounters with the strange subterranean creatures that one particularly poetic Nevadian described as “Graboids,” Earl has experienced unexpected heights of glory. His heroic deeds have been the subject of much celebration, his photographic likeness has been featured in many a publication and some savvy entrepreneur even turned his harrowing experience into an arcade amusement. Unfortunately, this sudden spike in visibility did not lead to the pecuniary windfall one might have expected. Earl now resides in a “mobile” home and has invested the last of his assets in a mating pair of ostriches whose offspring just might give some heft to Earl’s monetary holdings. Unfortunately, Earl has failed to provide a particularly romantic atmosphere and the ostriches have not displayed any amorous interest in one another.

And so, despite having no desire to extend his interaction with Graboids, Earl is forced to consider a lucrative offer from a Mexican oil company that hopes to capitalize on his very specific area of expertise. It seems underground drilling has not mixed well with vibration sensitive murder machines residing beneath the earth’s surface and their activities have attracted the angry attention of many a Graboid. To protect their investment, the company offers Earl the impressive sum of $50,000 for each Graboid that he is able to extinguish. Earl’s preferred method of monster disposal involves fooling them into ingesting explosives. It is an approach that reduces most lifeforms to a sort of soupy mess, leading one to believe that this per-creature bounty is being conducted using the “honor system.” However, even this ingenious technique cannot match the Graboid threat once they begin evolving into an entirely different beast. And so Earl shares his extermination duties with intrepid survivalist Burt Gummer (Michael Gross), geologist Kate 'White' Reilly (Helen Shaver) and Chris Gartin (Grady Hoover), a complete stranger with no hunting experience whatsoever.

Despite being someone who has primarily worked to develop their critical faculties, I sometimes fancy that I have also been blessed with a healthy imagination. And yet I simply cannot imagine someone among the viewing public who could argue that the first Tremors film was any kind of disappointment. I expect a sequel must have seemed inevitable from the start, and for audience members who are seeking mutating horrors that explode with some frequency, Tremors II: Aftershocks certainly delivers. But while the various charms of flying entrails and Fred Ward are very much on display, there is undoubtedly a greater theme contained within -- that the most important thing about acts of bravery and heroism is taking complete financial advantage. While acclaim on its own can be reassuring and legendary deeds certainly make for a more interesting obituary, it might add up to little more than a trailer full of framed newspaper articles and a decrepit portfolio.

It is all well and good to save a photogenic little girl from dire circumstances or dispatch a horde of peculiar predators. But until one has secured proper entertainment representation, a hero’s duties are far from over. While the second Tremors film is certainly a good bit of fun, this more urgent message lurks, much like the film’s prehistoric antagonists, just beneath the surface.

Tremors II: Aftershocks runs 100 minutes and is rated PG-13 for sci-fi creature violence and gore.