Croc . RHI Entertainment (Maneater Series). Reviewed by Brian Kirst
Croc is a charming combination of every Jaws rip-off you’ve ever seen and some minor plot atmospherics from The Host . Director Stewart Raffill keeps things chomping along rapidly and anyone who ever wished Steven Spielberg had been their kiddie pool loving babysitter or curses him eternally for their unexplainable love for ‘watery animal gone amuck horror’ should find at least a few things to enjoy here.Some corporate baddies are trying to shut down rascally Jack’s wildlife reserve in the swamps of Thailand. When an enormous crocodile starts chowing down on the local lasses and their visiting boyfriends, the evil honchos try to blame Jack and the domesticated crocodiles on his farm. With the help of a pretty animal welfare employee and a grizzled yet vengeance minded hunter, Jack races against the jagged clock to prove his innocence.
The croc itself is a combination of rather obvious computer gimmicks and some fairly realistic animatronics. At times our scaly villain looks quite dangerous while, alternatively, many of his attacks are laughably fake – which, depending on your point of view, either adds or detracts from the fun. There is one seriously surprising and effective munch-down involving a petulant child swimming in the wilds. The resulting jump factor is practically worth the rental or purchase price alone. Raffill also creates an unexpectedly suspenseful ending quarter and Ken Solarz’s script actually contains an almost poetic final image.
As Jack, Peter Tuinstra supplies some randy charm and Sherry Phungprasert makes for a pretty cover girl and actually provides some subtle elegance as his potential lady love, Evelyn. Michael Madsen provides the faded star power as Croc Hawkins, the master hunter. Granted, there are probably plenty of viewers that wish fare like Croc would emerge up on the fading away end also. But for those who still get a kick out of low budget "just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water" mayhem – Croc just may be your umbrella on a rainy, somnolent day.
