Rating of
2/4
Has Its Moments
Franz Patrick - wrote on 11/03/08
I decided to see this film for two reasons: Michael Vartan (due to the fact that “Alias” is one of my favorite TV shows and he made the show that much better) and the giant crocodile that eats people. I wanted to experience suspense and see gore–I got exactly what I wanted. This is a typical horror creature film in such a way that the first thirty minutes has nothing going on except show some fantastic views of the setting. Despite of it being cliché, the formula works for me because it leaves room to establish the characters that we’re supposed to care about prior to the crocodile’s feast. In that respect, even though it hits and misses, I thought the film did a mediocre job. Things quickly picked up when the Radha Mitchell and her group of tourists were attacked by the giant crocodile. They were trapped in a little island where, as each minute passes by, the tide gets higher and higher. They know they have to get out of there but the predicament lies in the crocodile patrolling the waters. I thought all the actors did a pretty good job freaking out and the execution of some ideas (such as the rope scene) hones in on the idea of what people are willing to do in order to save themselves. As for the final battle between a character and the scary giant crocodile, it was thrilling but it was very funny at the same time because it was so ridiculous. It’s almost as if the filmmakers just went for it and reflected the B-movies of the 1980’s. The risks paid off because they tell the audience that the filmmakers weren’t taking the picture too seriously and the audiences shouldn’t either. Overall, I was interested while watching this movie but I thought it could have been a lot better if Sam Worthington was in it a lot more. He provided complexity and a little bit of heart, which the film sort of lacked.
