Lake Placid

When a diver is cut in half by something under the water of a quiet lake in Maine, Sheriff Keough calls in the Rangers, Jack Wells and a New York palaeontologist, Kelly Scott to investigate a tooth found. Wealthy crocodile hunter Hector Cyr swoops in to insist that the creature is a crocodile. A claim that looks increasingly likely when the body count begins to rise.

You really need to be in the mood for a film like this or else you will likely hate it. If you love Tremors then you might be the sort of person that lake Placid is aimed at. The film's strength is that it is a big silly B-movie and it knows it. The film lets us know very early on that it is not 100% serious and this then frees us up to enjoy it rather than moaning about the sheer unlikelyness of the whole affair.

The plot is daft of course, a Jaws rip off from opening sequence to final attack. The fact that the script has a great sense of humour makes this OK – so when an old woman feeds a cow to the croc then it's fine because that's just what you'd expect in this film. Likewise the humour gives rise to plenty of funny lines which add to the feeling that the film is about fun more than scares. `Is this the man who was attacked?' says Cyr, holding a toe found by the water `he seemed taller' replies the sheriff. Of course at some point the ending must come and it is as overblown as you'd expect, but even then it has it's tongue in it's cheek (fishing with a cow!?).

The crocodile effect is a mixed bag. In some instances it is good while in others it is over animated and not realistic. For the most part though it works well enough. The cast are not that good but deliver wooden performances in a good way (if that's possible). Platt steals every scene he is in by getting all the funny lines (`yeah well they conceal that sort of information in books' being a put down I fully intend to use given the chance). Pullman is given a less glamorous task of being the leading man while Fonda is like Ally McBeal in the woods! Gleeson is great fun bouncing off Platt and Betty White is so crazy that it's hard not to laugh!

Overall this is a big budget silly B-movie that laughs at itself. If you are not in the mood for that, or can't accept it for what it is then you'd do well to avoid this film. For all others there is enough good lines and silly fun to be had here to help you enjoy it, even if you do forget it shortly after watching it.

An amusing take on the low-budget monster movies of the seventies, this is also a kind of follow-up to the Alligator movies of the early eighties. It wasn't a success, maybe due to the title - potential viewers may think it's a documentary about a lake - but is consistently humorous, thanks to a good cast. Fonda, as a paleontologist sent to investigate a sudden death by large teeth on the lake in question, is purposely irritating in the 'fish out of water' role. She reveals a surprising knack for comedy, the city girl from New Yawk stuck in the forest. Platt & Gleeson squabble like two long-lost overweight brothers as respectfully, eccentric millionaire & sheriff. Platt is always funny, and Gleeson matches him here. Pullman makes less of an impression, underplaying as the guy in charge. Betty White is a hoot as the foul-mouthed local old lady with a secret.

The monster in question, a 30-foot croc, stays out of sight for the first half-hour and when it does appear, it's strangely unsurprising, despite the suddenness. It's as if we've seen so many of these 'large animal' pictures by this point, this is just another one in a long line. It's a weird money shot as well, involving a growling bear, and is not as effective as it should be. Thanks to modern special FX, computer and otherwise, the croc is better realized than those of 20 years earlier. But that could be a problem: integrated into the wilderness like any other animal, there's nothing about the creature, despite its size, to inspire awe or real terror. It's just a big crocodile, after all. Like "Anaconda", this inspired a slew of big croc & alligator movies for the Sci-Fi Channel. UPDATE: Speaking of which, a sequel came out on the SF channel in late April, 2007.

Really enjoyable and fun "horror" movie about a ferocious giant crocodile picking people off from a secluded lake in Maine. Its worth watching just for a foul mouthed Betty White who steals the show but an excellent B monster movie.

This doesn't take itself too seriously and the cast all bounce well off each other as the investigative team, local Sherriff and crazy crocodile hunter. The dialogue is clever, filled with witty banter, and a sweet but not in your face romance between Bill Pullman and an initially super annoying Bridget Fonda,- whose character softens the more she (keeps) getting thrown out of the boat.

Really enjoyed Oliver Platt as the big game hunter and his barb filled exchanges with sheriff Brendan Gleeson. There a couple of awesome croc kills especially the first one with guy getting bit in half. Surprise! Gave me several laughs and is the kind of feel good movie you'll watch multiple times

The ending is just perfect... thanks again to Betty White.

Finally got to see this flick on HBO last night. It was entertaining. These days it's tough to find a really good film because of all of the hype so your expectations of any movie can be too high. With Lake Placid what you see is what you get. It was fun although the closing credits with the actor's interviews would lead you to believe this was an Oscar contender. The special effects were much better than the Deep Blue Sea. The other comments for this movie are on the mark highlighting the Oliver Platt and Brendan Gleeson characters. Betty White was a hoot. If you see this movie don't take it or yourself too seriously, just have fun.

Campy monster-movie fast-food that pokes fun at itself. Absolutely devoid of any message, but chock full of absurd parody.

Any movie that opens with a gruff county sheriff listening to "I Think I Love You" while he fishes can't be taken seriously. And it gets far goofier than that. The dialog is a relentless parade of one-liners between the five principals: a paleontologist (Bridget Fonda), a Fish & Game guy (Bill Pullman), a croc-worshiping professor (Oliver Platt), the sheriff (Brendan Gleeson), and an eccentric hermit (Betty White). Oh, and of course, a big creature with a big attitude and a big appetite.

Great character development; and all of the characters are over the top except maybe Pullman's, whose routine nice guy persona balances with the nuts. It's a toss-up who has the most joke lines or who delivers them with the most punch; as they reel off sarcasm at the speed of a machine gun. You can almost see the actors winking at the audience, and they obviously had fun making this. Even the monster (which usually looks real) performs like a seasoned comic. The only complaint to note is that once in a while the endless arguing may wear you out.

The story, which utilizes subtle references to big creature movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws, actually manages to go somewhere. There are a few clever surprises, and the closing scene is rather unique.

No cerebral activity will be necessary in the course of watching this movie. Just settle down with some popcorn, and get ready for some good comic idiocy.