Million Dollar Crocodile

This is not, in fact, a new mega-gator from the folks at The Asylum, but rather it is a very entertaining Hong Kong comedy film originally titled MILLION DOLLAR CROCODILE. With a fine cast whose performances are muddled somewhat from over-the-top and campy English dubbing, this is a fun story about an 8-meter crocodile that is sold by its keeper to a sushi bar, but it soon escapes and ravages the countryside. Peopled by a diverse cast of eccentric and crazed characters, including (in fine Gamera kaiju style) a young boy who befriends the monster, the story plays out in typical giant monster fashion, only with plenty of slapstick and funny asides from the characters along the way. CGI visual effects are acceptable to very good. The orchestral music score, attributed to a Chinese composer named Dong Dongdong, is very supportive a well.

This was a good and fun film overall.

It has plenty of humor mixed in with it throughout the film.

Not particularly gory or bloody, not even a lot of kills, but it kept suspense most of the time none-the-less.

Barbie Hsu, and the other two leads, Guo and Ding are fun and interesting since they're not actors you're familiar with.

Having a child as a central part of a monster / creature feature like this isn't new, but a bit rarer overall and that seemed to help the movie.

The CGI were good overall, but at times you were well aware that's what they were, kind of just by the nature of what they had the creature do for a film like this.

There are a few cliches, and it's apparent early on Hsu will become a love interest, but it is still fun anyway.

There is a bit of a teaser there could be a sequel to this movie as the credits roll but as of yet nothing seems to have been developed that way.

The ending does keep you guessing a bit is this going to be a Disney nicer ending or more of a demise type of ending for the creature? The only thing is how that develops seems a bit cliche, but that's how they wrote it.

Nice to have a flashback to the classic Nintendo game Duck Hunt in the movie also as a bit of a plot point.

Xiao, befriends Amao a 36 foot crocodile, who lives on his fathers croc sanctuary.

Xiao's father is forced to sell his crocodiles to a gangster who plans to use them for high priced meals.

Before Amao is due to be slaughtered, he escapes, slaying his captors in the process.

Amongst the chaos, Amao accidentally swallows a bag with $1 million dollars inside.

When rumor's of this spread, the town locals are split with some fearing for their lives and others set out to capture and kill the crocodile, at any cost.

More or less a rip off of the Godzilla chain using technology stolen from the West. It's a harmless movie with kookie acting and a kid's focus. If adults watch this film, they are crazy.

Crockzilla was a bit of a surprise. Even though the English dubbing and storyline are a little weak, this is a fun film that actually employs some cinematic skill.

The cgi and live croc shots and scenery et al are actually pretty good. The scenes which depict the giant croc eating things are very well done, with believable cgi animation apparently done by someone with some talent. Some scenes you have to really look to tell if you're seeing cgi or live animals. So kudos there!

Other than the cheesy acting by the few actors in this film, such as the cross eyed tea garden worker (who oddly is the only person in the entire tea garden who is seen working in the field) and the incompetent sushi squad, this film should rate more than just a couple stars.

Compared to other awful "B" flicks like "Sharknado," this film deserves an academy award!

As much of a fan as I am of Asian cinema, then this movie was sort of a long-dragged session to get through. "Croczilla" ("Million Dollar Crocodile") is labeled as an action/Sci Fi/thriller. Right, so where does these actually come into play? This is more of a family/comedy movie if anything. Why? Well because of the silly storyline and even worse dialogue.

The story is about a huge crocodile that is sold to a shady restaurant in order to be turned into a dish for restaurant patrons, but the crocodile escapes death and captivity and wrecks havoc on the farming countryside. Where it snatches up the purse from a stranded woman. Determined to get her many Euros back, the woman sets out to track down the huge crocodile. A small boy and his father also become part of the crocodile hunt.

Storywise, then "Croczilla" was fairly weak. Sure it was enjoyable enough in itself, but the movie just came off as a cheesy and rather family-friendly movie, and not the action/Sci Fi/thriller it was intended to be.

This movie is meant to be seen with the original language track. Trust me! Don't switch to the English dub, because it is just awful. It is amazing that in 2012 something questionable as that dubbing still can take place. Not only is it bad, but it is so full of racial stereotyping on the Asian, that it is just offensive to everyone and downright racially inappropriate.

"Croczilla" is perhaps suitable for hardcore fans of Asian cinema, and that perhaps is a big perhaps at that. This movie offers nothing new, innovating or interesting to any particular genre, nor does it impress in any way.