Ju e dao

I have to say that I was actually lured in by the movie's cover/poster, and with it being a gargantuan creature feature and a Chinese one at that, of course I have to sit down and watch "Ju e dao" (aka "Crocodile Island") from writer Minming Ni.

Well, perhaps the concept idead behind "Ju e dao" was good in thought, spirit and on script paper, but the transition to the screen didn't really make for an impressive movie from directors Shixing Xu and Simon Zhao. Actually, the movie wasn't even mediocre. It was sort of lazy writing actually ,as writer Minming Ni was borrowing a bit too heavily from the Jules Verne novel.

The storyline was just generic and bland to the point where I didn't care about the characters or the storyline itself.

The characters in "Ju e dao" were bland and faceless. I didn't know where one character ended and the next started, because they had zero personalities and zero quirks or traits that would make them unique and likeable. So I didn't invest anything in the character gallery in this 2020 movie.

Then there were the special effects. They were special alright, but not in a good way. It was hard to fathom how such lousy CGI animation and horrible rendered textures would make it to the screen in 2020. It looked awful, and it took away so much enjoyment from the movie. A creature feature with gargantuan creatures is worth nothing without having proper CGI and effects to make them realistic and believable. Yeah, they didn't have that in "Ju e dao", believe you me.

Well, we are not out of the forest just yet. The acting performances in "Ju e dao" were horrible. It was for the most part very, very amateurish, staggering and wooden to look at. And that definitely didn't help to spruce up an otherwise flaccid and pointless character gallery.

You might want to save yourself the anguish and waste of nearly one and a half hour by skipping out on "Ju e dao" entirely. It just simply wasn't an outstanding, enjoyable or memorable movie experience.

My rating of "Ju e dao" lands of a three out of ten stars.

"Crocodile Island" is a real thrill ride of survival, relentless in its pace and steeped in action of high order. The exotic locale, impressively backed up with special effects, brings alive the dangers of the titular island, making its encounters with its reptilian occupants really terrifying. While the plot may rely on familiar tropes-and the characters are perhaps a little thin-such is the sheer intensity of the peril they face that these deficiencies are more than made up for. The cast, led by Gallen Lo and Eva Huang, do a sterling job capturing the desperation and resilience needed to survive in such a treacherous landscape. While "Crocodile Island" lacks on several levels regarding deep thoughts or originality, the creature feature fans do get an exciting ride.

Obviously a low budget movie but I've seen MUCH worse high budget attempts with similar story lines. The acting isn't bad, the script is weak and the CGI is only just about acceptable. However, the movie flows along nicely and is actually quite entertaining.

A giant crocodile .. I mean of course right? Although to be fair if you strand on to an island that has never been inhabited by other humans ... who knows what you'll find on it? Ok I'm partly kidding of course. Although be prepared for the movie to give you more than your average crocodile - or is it alligator? I have to admit, I am still uncertain what the distinction is exactly.

I've read about it because I played Red Dead Redemption 2, but ... well I forgot I guess is the easiest thing to say about that. Whoever wrote the script here may have also forgotten a few things ... like how people would act or react when faced with danger ... surely not trying to make out in a river for example. Reminded me of classic US horror movie cliches.

The CGI barely works, but if you watch this as the "trash" (read low budget) effort that this is, you can have some fun with it ...

This has got to be the worst directing I've ever seen in a movie to date! One of the worst movies I've watched in my life!