Dinocroc Vs. Supergator [DVD]

Sometimes, you see a DVD in a supermarket bargain bin, it grabs your eye, you figure it's not much money and buy it for a laugh, and when you get it home, it turns out to be an undiscovered and underappreciated cinematic gem. This is not one of those films. Roger Corman does it again with another of his laughable creature features. As a dinosaur fan since I was four years old and a trained environmental field biologist, I'm a sucker for the Giant Reptiles Eating People genre of films. Emphasis on the "sucker." I bought this thing without first renting it to see what it was like. There's not a great deal of plot in this thing, most of which you can guess from the title alone, so I'll turn to other aspects of the film.

THE GOOD: There were a couple of moments of honest-to-goodness, jump-out-of-my chair shock. Some of the main characters get a bit of depth to them, and are quite likeable. The designs of the two beasts are certainly interesting and rather imaginative, with some basis in reality. Several of the women in the film are attractive. In places, like some of the chase scenes, the CGI is very well done. (But not all of the places; more on that later.) The scenic shots are breathtakingly gorgeous. (At least, the scenic shots that aren't jumping around like a cricket on a hotplate are gorgeous.)

THE BAD: For a science fiction movie, it's kind of light on the science part. Basic physics, for a start. Alligators don't gallop. Even if they did, a 40-foot mutant 'gator would be utterly unable to gallop like a two-meter Australian freshie. Honestly, I could go on and on and on, scene by scene, taking up megabytes of bandwidth with all the wretched mistakes that anyone with a modicum of science training could catch, but I haven't got that much time or patience. And nobody would have the time or patience to read it. The acting in places is stilted, with some of the performers apparently chosen more for their bounce-and-jiggle factor than their thespianic refinement. It got to the point where I actually stopped ogling the bikini-clad lovelies and paid attention to their wooden acting. THAT'S how distracting it was in places! Oh, yes: and the nastiest, most hateful character in the film is meant to be British. Of course.

THE UGLY: While the designs of the creatures are nifty, the actual CGI leaves a bit to be desired in spots. The reptiles often move in unrealistic ways (too fast or jerkily for animals of such bulk). I have yet to figure out how a guy standing KNEE-DEEP in a pool can suddenly have a 40-FOOT REPTILE come up DIRECTLY BENEATH him and chomp him in a single vertical bite, "Jaws"-style. In some places, especially near the beginning, the beasts look like they're carrying around their own personal hovering off-camera light sources, since they don't blend in very well with the backgrounds. The roars and bellows of the critters are easily and distractingly recognisable as the roars and bellows of critters blatantly taken from other Giant Reptiles Eating People films, specifically those that were also filmed in Hawaii and featured a certain Park with a Mesozoic theme to it.

THE VERDICT: Quite good for a mindless, megareptilian buffet film. Laughably bad for a film. Good for mocking with friends (or "MSTifying" as the cognoscenti know it). Still, it's far ahead of "Lake Placid 2" in terms of quality (hence the two-star rating instead of one), if that's any help. Don't make the same mistake I did; rent it first or watch it on TV for free before deciding whether or not to buy it. And if anyone in Hollywood wants to hire a biologist as an advisor on creature-features so the films don't turn out to be too ridiculous, I'll make myself available.

Liked this movie. The creatures were mostly believable. All though there were some parts where it looked unreal. Made me laugh, even though it wasn't supposed to be funny. Mind you all these types of movies are unintentionally funny. If you are in to these kind of films then I would highly recommend.

Dodgy firm doing illegal experiments with the 'boss' prepared to have offed anyone who threatens his empire; super hero type and attractive heroine with altruistic father. Is there anything new in the format here? No. But it is refreshingly entertaining, silly, cliched and acheiving this on a low budget. more than can be said for so many 'blockbusters' churned out by the big studios.