Lake Placid (DVD)

What’s it about? --------------------- After a grisly death at Lake Placid, a Fish and Game Authority official is called in to help the local sheriff investigate. They are joined by a museum expert interested in the origins of a tooth found in the lake. Who’s in it? --------------- The two big names are Bill Pullman as Fish and Games’ Jack Wells and Bridget Fonda as prissy museum expert Kelly Scott. In reality, these two are probably the dullest members of the cast. Pullman brings his usual laid back attitude to the role and always appears a little distant and somewhat emotionless. Fonda on the other hand is given little to do other than ...  Read the complete review

'Lake Placid' feels strongly reminiscent of 'Jaws', except with a 30ft crocodile instead of a shark, but this dated concept is brought up to date with stunning computer generated animation and a lot of black humour. Released in 2000, and directed by Steve Miner, the director of the 2008 version of 'Day of the Dead', many critics thought that the film didn't quite pull off what it was trying to do and the humour and the horror mix didn't quite work. The horror begins when a Sheriff Hank Keough, played brilliantly by Brendan Gleeson, pulls his deputy out of a tranquil lake in Maine, New England, missing the lower half of his body. Local game warden Jack Wells ...  Read the complete review

Whilst carrying out routine animal tagging in a Maine lake, a man is horrifically killed by an animal in the lake and only the upper half of his body is pulled from the water. Initially, the head game warden suspects that the man was killed by a large bear, but when the body is inspected further, a tooth fragment is found which appears to be reptilian in origin. A New York palaeontologist is sent to the scene to investigate further, and she joins the local sheriff and the game warden in their attempts to uncover what is lurking in the lake. Things take an unexpected twist when Hector Cyr, an eccentric millionaire, arrives on the scene, claiming that the ...  Read the complete review

LAKE PLACID ... doom laden, atmospheric chilling masterpiece of a title ... exciting, scary, gripping epic of a trailer ... disappointing, lightweight, unsure flop of a movie.... I recently went to Stafford to stay the evening with Mrs D and the dave27-ettes at her cousins, the De Bovaries, and I knew they would be off on Reminiscence City and that there would be a riot of noise and colour as the dave27-ettes tangled with the Junior De Bovaries, so I wasn't looking forward too much to the evening as I normally get VERY BORED at these family gatherings. Then Lewis persuaded Wesley De Bovary to let him watch their video of the said 'scary ...  Read the complete review

Lake Placid has a very witty script and some excellent characters, but no real "fear" factor. I saw this movie on video - I'm sure it's a lot better on the big screen or DVD - but I still don't think it would scare me. I'm clearly not giving anything away when I say that there is no "monster" in this movie - it's just an overgrown crocodile, which, while brilliantly realistic in it's computer animation, does little to really make you watch your back. There are scenes reminiscent of Jaws, but the haunting theme music is not there, and there's very little that is really taken seriously enough to make a massive ...  Read the complete review