Rating: 15
Length: 1h 27
Release: 23.8.2019
Dir: Alexandre Aja
About: Florida residents Haley and her father get trapped in a massive hurricane and struggle to escape. But things get worse when they realise that the floodwater is the least of their fears.
The Good
- This is an incredible film; high octane in a contained area is surprisingly effective. The location being at the home instils fear into the viewer because this is the one place you should feel safe.
- I love Barry Pepper. We need more Barry Pepper. His character really goes through the ringer and it’s his survival I’m holding out hope for more than anything.
- There are some great misdirects and fakeouts that really add tension, such as the three friends at the petrol station and Hayley’s Jurassic Park kitchen recreation.
The Bad
- ‘Gator cam. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, this is an over used camera angle in a creature feature. What is worse with this movie, is that it lulled me into a false sense of security. I actually mentally commended the movie and then they go and use it. Once they started, they didn’t stop.
- While I love the character of Hayley, I’m not so sure about the choice of actress. I found her rather Kirsten Stewart circa Twilight.
- The opening is a little long winded. There is a pay off for it, but I’m still not sure it was enough to justify the time dedicated on it.
The Ugly
- The ‘gators are all too identical. The exact same size and screamed of copy and paste CGI. I’d have like to have seen variation as there surly would be an alpha. If you’re going to have so many, you really do need to have some distinction.
- Total individual thing for me, but even though I knew Barry Pepper’s dad wasn’t dead in the opening act, it was a little too close to home in terms of discovering my own dad (obviously not in a crawlspace with alligators) so I did have to have a really good cry during the film.
Final Thoughts
Its a fair movie and a decent watch, especially if you’re a fan of creature features.
The Queens of Geekdom 