Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) is at it again with "Rogue", the Australian crocodile shocker that blows "Lake Placid", "Deep Blue Sea", the rather dismal "Primeval" and the seemingly endless spew of recent shock factor creature features right out of the water. In league with the other recent Australian "Black Water", although the two thrillers can't be compared based on quality, this is a white knuckle suspense ride that sinks its teeth in and doesn't let go.
Michael Vartan (Monster in Law) is a journalist from Chicago who takes a crocodile boating tour through an enormous and beautiful gorge in Northern Territory, Australia. Rhada Mitchell (Pitch Black, Silent Hill) is the native tour leader, and all is well with the group until they spot a distress flare miles up the river in an area that is generally not traveled. After taking a detour in response to the flare, the group finds themselves isolated on a tiny island in the middle of a swamp when a very territorial crocodile attacks the boat.
For one, the tension is nearly unbearable from this point on. Much in the vein of "The Descent", once the action sets in it's nonstop, but fortunately the movie doesn't resort to a run of the mill by the numbers formula, rather, it is unpredictable and realistic as the group ponders how they can get across the rising tidal river in time before they are completely submerged. Once the fact that the crocodile has "tagged" them is established, which is explained as them being his targeted food supply, the group becomes panicked and all hell breaks loose.
The crocodile is simply incredible. I'm pretty sure it is mostly CG but don't let that fool you, it looks and acts very natural, which adds to the realism and terror of the movie. The pacing is quick but our characters are fleshed out well enough that we genuinely care about them, and it's all the more horrifying during the croc attacks, which are for the most part unpredictable, save for the rather anti climactic but still satisfying finish. The movie doesn't transcend the genre but it's the best offering in the crocodile sub genre, and it definitely outranks "Wolf Creek" by a long shot. The cinematography is simply stunning and the atmosphere is quite eerie. I definitely recommend "Rogue" and I'll have to keep an eye out for McLean's next work.
Michael Vartan (Monster in Law) is a journalist from Chicago who takes a crocodile boating tour through an enormous and beautiful gorge in Northern Territory, Australia. Rhada Mitchell (Pitch Black, Silent Hill) is the native tour leader, and all is well with the group until they spot a distress flare miles up the river in an area that is generally not traveled. After taking a detour in response to the flare, the group finds themselves isolated on a tiny island in the middle of a swamp when a very territorial crocodile attacks the boat.
For one, the tension is nearly unbearable from this point on. Much in the vein of "The Descent", once the action sets in it's nonstop, but fortunately the movie doesn't resort to a run of the mill by the numbers formula, rather, it is unpredictable and realistic as the group ponders how they can get across the rising tidal river in time before they are completely submerged. Once the fact that the crocodile has "tagged" them is established, which is explained as them being his targeted food supply, the group becomes panicked and all hell breaks loose.
The crocodile is simply incredible. I'm pretty sure it is mostly CG but don't let that fool you, it looks and acts very natural, which adds to the realism and terror of the movie. The pacing is quick but our characters are fleshed out well enough that we genuinely care about them, and it's all the more horrifying during the croc attacks, which are for the most part unpredictable, save for the rather anti climactic but still satisfying finish. The movie doesn't transcend the genre but it's the best offering in the crocodile sub genre, and it definitely outranks "Wolf Creek" by a long shot. The cinematography is simply stunning and the atmosphere is quite eerie. I definitely recommend "Rogue" and I'll have to keep an eye out for McLean's next work.
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