Ju e dao

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.

It gets a little silly in places but overall it's fun to watch. The acting is decent. CGI effects vary a little but are mostly well done and are very effective at times.

The plot is basic but perfectly acceptable for this genre of film. Plane crashes, random strangers trapped on desert island with giant crocodiles and spiders wandering around. What could possibly go wrong?

The film claims to be "a condemnation of self-centeredness and selfishness and an ode to the greater love in our world and selfless dedication." This is evident in some scenes, particularly at the start, but I'm not sure it managed to live up to that thoughout.

It's a decent film, certainly no worse than a lot of other films in this genre. Give it a try. You just might enjoy it.

The prologue to Chinese monster movie Crocodile Island is hilarious: a CGI WWII bomber, flying over the Sea of Dragon Triangle in the North Pacific, runs into a flock of CGI prehistoric birds, forcing the crew of the plane to bail out. The men tumble through the sky, the effect achieved through dreadful green screen work. Both activate their parachutes, one man landing on an island, the other snapped out of the air by a giant CGI prehistoric crocodile. The direction is atrocious, the acting laughable, and the special effects cheap and unconvincing.

The rest of the film follows suit.

Cut to the present day, and another plane - a passenger jet - crashes after encountering the prehistoric flock. A handful of survivors crawl from the wreckage and explore the island, where they run into monstrous crocodiles and giant spiders. The monster effects are on a par with Syfy originals such as Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Lavalantula, Piranhaconda and Dinocroc vs. Supergator: shoddy digital creations that are more funny than they are frightening. The action is incredibly dumb (especially the discovery of a WWII radio, hand grenades and machine gun, all of which are functional), but still manages to be reasonably fun, as the survivors try to avoid being eaten while making their way to a rescue point.

4/10. It's far from great film-making, but sometimes cheap, trashy and technically incompetent can still be entertaining.

"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.

If a child is not scared by a monster crocodile and giant spiders, they may find this a fun watch. The version I watched was the dubbed American version. I have seen a number of Chinese films before, usually with very good CGI, decently filmed, decent dubbing, and often one person who turns out to be almost superhuman in abilities. This is not that type of film. The dubbing was terrible, with a long conversation in Chinese given a couple words subtitle, and some sporadic English. The CGI was not terrible, but flawed. We first see the croc tail in the water, and it seems like that of a normal croc. Then, it comes onto the beach, again not that large. Then it is on the beach, and is it huge. Interesting use of gunpowder to treat a wound. They set up warning pots around their campfire, so they would know if an intruder approaches. But it would take less then a second for the croc to pass the warning pots and eat them all. The storyline states Lu Wenbing shows the honorable aptitudes of family, etc., which may or may not have gotten across. The movie does answer two common questions, however. If getting away from a monster, can any of them not trip, get snagged, not stand dumbfounded, or otherwise fall? And how many bullets does a gun hold? For the first, not really. And the second, more than you could ever believe. And now it is perfectly clear that Chinese film makers have the ability to provide a real stinker just like some American film distributors.