Lake Placid

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source: Lake Placid

OK, so Steve Miner's "Lake Placid" contains a collection of clichéd characters - the sarcastic locals, the eccentric millionaire, and the scientist woman who freaks out at the sight of anything unpleasant - but you gotta love some of the things that the movie shows. When it got released, Entertainment Weekly's review of it was titled WHAT A CROC OF... and called it a monstrosity that sinks to the bottom. While obviously not any sort of high-value cinema, it's still a fun movie. The most interesting person in the movie is Betty White's character. She seems like the typical nice old lady, but she turns out to have a sharp tongue. Basically, the movie makes no pretense about what it is. I suspect that they had fun filming it. Producer David E. Kelley (Michelle Pfeiffer's husband) is best known for shows like "Ally McBeal" and is now behind "Big Little Lies".

Don't immediately associate LAKE PLACID with the likes of GODZILLA OR ANACONDA. Although it has some similarities, LAKE PLACID is a hilarious, funny movie with a nice twist at the end. Although Bill Pullman doesn't do much, OLIVER PLATT's character as well as the sheriff's characterisation receive full marks.

'Lake Placid' is a great example of mixing comedy with horror. It absolutely does not take itself too seriously and just has a lot of fun with the concept of a giant man eating croc on the loose. Having Betty White in the film makes it all that much better. The banter between Gleeson and Platt is hilarious and makes it all very light. However, there are still plenty of tense moments. The CGI and practical effects are pretty good too for 1999. Just like how 'Jaws' is the standard for shark movies, I still consider this the standard for crocodile/alligator movies.

What happens when a man-eating crocodile begins picking off tourists in beautiful Lake Placid? What if the crocodile wants to make it his home? I finally revisited this film now (August 2013) after not seeing it since its release. There are some flaws (the computer graphics are not wonderful at times), but for the most part it holds up as a fun film with a great cast, funny dialogue and overall a great tone. What is amusing is that it was written by David E. Kelley, better known for things like "All McBeal". It makes sense that horror legend Steve Miner would direct it, but Kelley? Nice. This also (as far as I know) was the debut of the new, raunchier Betty White, which was in direct contrast to her naive character from "Golden Girls".

Lake Placid is far from the worst film and most of the criticism comes from people expecting something different. The film is more of a comedy and horror hybrid with the focus on the latter. The creature effects are impressive and as far as monster features go, this isn't bad. The film has fun with character troupes and Fonda's introduction was funny. Harmless fun overall.