A genre-busting film, avoiding all possible clichés perfectly. Okay it’s a crocodile movie but who cares when it’s this much fun? The feeling of isolation, desperation, everything has gone wrong and you have to fend for yourself. It’s terrifying. In the first half hour every head shot is a close up with water in the background, the classic “something is about to leap out and eat me” pose. Australian director Greg Mclean has set out to do something different with the animal horror flick and has nailed it.
The credits roll against a beautiful Northern Territories backdrop, and when the Weinstein brothers’ names pop up as executive producers, its clear they liked Mclean’s first effort Wolf Creek, and jumped onboard. As tense as its predecessor, this is not Anaconda. Don’t worry, some fairly horrible characters are set up to be eaten, but it’s the way these guys are dispatched that is unique. You don’t even see the first two. It’s that quick. Echoing Jaws in its sheer power, the initial attack from the croc is so subtle yet maintains full impact. Less jump in your seat ala Crocodile Dundee (you know the scene I mean!). More like “Woah! Did you see that?!” The beast is swift and brutal. Mclean allows us to see not too much but just enough. There is no overkill here.
Aussie actress Radha Mitchell (Pitch Black, Melinda and Melinda, Silent Hill) plays the riverboat tour guide that responds to a distress signal whilst carrying a bunch of tourists. Michael Vartan (Monster In Law) is a stranded American, who proves to be fairly resourceful later on. That cannot be said for his fellow passengers, some of them less likeable than others. The real star however is the crocodile. A high standard of CGI adds to the realism, as do the accurate depictions of croc movements and killing techniques. The animal is huge, very threatening and intimidating, and I found that I was not constantly trying to work out what was real and what was fake, rather just enjoying the spectacle.
This is not a homage to 80s schlock horror Alligator, nor is it B-movie fare like Lake Placid. Mclean has stuck to his roots and written, produced and directed another credible horror in his home country, with plenty of scares and scenes to make you clasp your hand over your mouth in shock. He seems to be making the right moves, as well as using gore where necessary, and music to great effective, often distracting the viewer from what is to come next.