Les Dents de la mort

Dark Age (1987)

*** (out of 4)

The setting is the Australian outback where a twenty-five foot crocodile begins attacking and killing people. Steve Harris (John Jarratt) is a park ranger who has been trying to get people involved in a protection plan for the crocs but now with the help of two guides he must try and track down the large creature.

Where has DARK AGE been all of my life? I love the various creature features that followed the success of JAWS and there have been several that had crocodiles running loose killing people. This one here is certainly one of the better ones and in all honesty I'm a little shocked that the film isn't better known. After going through some of the extras on the disc I learned that the film never got a theatrical release and it pretty much sunk onto video shelves and never made much of an impact.

That's really too bad because this works perfectly as a killer crocodile movie but also as an Ozploitation picture. The Australian outback makes for a terrific location and we get some beautiful views of the wetlands. I thought the film really played the location up nicely and it was great getting to see the characters go through these various areas. It just adds a level of suspense to the picture when you feel and believe the setting your watching (aka not being shot in a studio soundstage).

What makes the film so entertaining is that the director was willing to have anything happen. That means you've got attacks on countless adults and even children are at risk! The movie really didn't play any games as this was a killing machine and the attack sequences were quite good. It was clear that they were dealing with a fake crocodile in several scenes but this didn't take away from the entertainment value. I'd also argue that Jarratt was very good in the lead role and helped carry the film.

Some of the non-croc stuff isn't quite as entertaining but if you're a fan of these types of movies then DARK AGE is certainly a must see.

A huge croc is killing people. Ranger Harris (John Jarrat) has been assigned to deal with the problem n at the same time some poachers r hell bent on killing the croc but Harris after being persuaded by the local Aborigines, wants to preserve the croc. Ther r some kills, one that of a small kid. Acting of Jarrat is good. Watch his facial expressions when he gets punched in the back. The film has scenes of nice locations, especially the billabong amid the barren desert. The giant croc is terrifying. I first saw this on a vhs in the early 90s. Revisited it recently.

This monster crocodile film is pretty good.If you can find it would be a good collector's video because its a hard one to obtain.If you find it get it!Its not boring,it has some good scenes and a different ending and should satisfy most horror fans!

Here's a killer croc tale that goes a different direction, and takes a more realistic standpoint, than the other "croc just to shock", "unrealistic monster tales, with a fresh resolution. This straight to video movie, isn't half bad, and I must say I enjoyed it, after initially just watching it for Jarrett. Nineteen years, prefore Mick Taylor, young looker, Jarrett, plays the much nicer, masculine park ranger hero, where hottie Nikki Coghill, a journalist, adding sultry sex appeal, in the unforgiving Darwinian heat, has popped back up into his life. A croc has tragically, brutally taken the life of a child, and some others, so the locals are taking it somewhat personal, as does these posse of revenge fueled hunters. Here's Jarrett's dilemma: a band of aboriginals want the Croc caught and saved, as it carries the spirit of their past, where they want it dropped back to it's original dreaming locale, so we really have good conflict, where a really tense climax is drawn, the last fifteen minutes, almost gold. Yes, a Croc tale with a different spin, but more so here, we're in realistic waters with Jarrett. It's kind of sad, in it's snubbed cinematic injustice, as here's quite a good well put together pic. To call it a yarn, doesn't feel right. It's unfitting. It's more respective of that. There's a more realistic aura hanging about here, than probably about every other croc tale.... that's if you discount 2007's fine Croc piece, Black Water. Of course, this movie is not as good as that, but this one does pack real bite, like some of the performances, but Jarrett does play it quite down pat, where his acting's not gonna be remembered here, in his better looker days.

This film was made in Australia and is very hard to find in America, but it is worth watching at least once if you can find it. Basically, it's just an Australian 'JAWS', except that instead of a shark, it's a giant crocodile. The ending is also something to see, because they don't just blow away this magnificent creature as they have in other films of this nature. I won't give away the ending, but it is very interesting. I give it 7.5 out of 10.