Lake Placid (1999)

1 out of 4

Starring: Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Platt, Betty White

Director: Steve Miner

Time: 82 mins

When it was released in the North American summer of 1999, a season that contained blockbuster films like Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and The Sixth Sense, Lake Placid was generally considered to be a fun if poor horror flick that at least didn't try to take things too seriously. For a film with a relatively decent cast, however, it has to be one of the worst of the past few years. Obviously the concept of a monster crocodile running amok in the state of Maine readily invites gasps of disbelief and astonishment, but even at a short 82 minutes, the miniscule strain of humour is in too short a supply to make up for the campiness and lack of thrills.

When a local policeman is mangled to death in a serene New England lake, Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson) and fish and game expert Jack Wells (Bill Pullman) team up with New York paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda) and eccentric millionaire Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt) to try to locate the culprit. It appears a gigantic crocodile could be residing in the lake, and local lake resident Delores Bickerman (Betty White) may know something about its hiding place. As the attacks increase, the decision is made to destroy the monster, even if it's a biological oddity that would be well worth Kelly's efforts to keep alive.

Monster movies usually fall into two categories: the exciting, adventure-thrillers populated by the likes of Jaws, Jurassic Park, and the original King Kong; and the campy send-ups like Anaconda and Piranha. The best example of the second type is the giant worm cult classic Tremors (1990), which combined well-orchestrated thrills, a cast of likable characters, and genuine laughs into a successful whole. Lake Placid tries to mimic Tremors in its approach, but doesn't even come close. The first ten minutes gave me hope for a Tremors-like experience, with the obligatory opening action scene (a la Jaws) and some funny lines spoken by the three main characters. After that, however, the movie is pedestrian, not to mention boring. There are only about four or five "attacks" or "moments of suspense" in the entire movie, and these last for a total of about ten minutes. When you consider that the second half of Jaws was pretty much all "shark" action, one feels a little short-changed in Lake Placid, even given its limited length. In addition, none of the crocodile attacks are all that exciting or suspenseful, whether it be a combination of poor direction (director Steve Miner is a veteran of cheap horror flicks like Friday The 13th: Part 2 and the ghastly House), poorly developed situations, poorly developed characters who you don't mind seeing eaten, or just the silliness of seeing a monster croc in a pristine New England lake. A great white shark terrorising the beaches on an island near Cape Cod is one thing, but a giant, tropical reptile in the cool environs of Maine? Hmm. Yes, I accept that Lake Placid is meant to be a tongue-in-cheek monster flick, but still, once you've gone beyond that screenplay novelty, it doesn't do much for immersion into the film.

Speaking of the croc, it is actually quite well-rendered, with a combination of animated models (by the renowned Stan Winston) and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The movements are believable, though too often in the CGI shots, it seems to move too quick. This was also a fault of the CGI sharks in Deep Blue Sea. The sharks there may have been enhanced intellectually, but were physically still sharks, and shouldn't have been able to move with the lightning speed that was depicted in the film.

I mentioned previously that Lake Placid had a relatively good cast for such a poor movie. Though not marquee names, actors like Bill Pullman (Independence Day) and Brendan Gleeson (Mission: Impossible 2) have appeared in a couple of blockbuster movies. Pullman is the nice guy again, though this time he apparently gets the girl (as opposed to several where he didn't, like Sleepless In Seattle). Some of the scenes he is in are quite funny, which may seem odd until one remembers he was so hilarious as the dim-witted Earl Mott in 1986's Ruthless People. Brendan Gleeson is in almost every scene of the film, though Lake Placid is probably not a work he would like to showcase on his resume. Bridget Fonda is annoying as the paleontologist, though she does become involved in a few funny pieces of silly banter with Gleeson. Oliver Platt, a much underrated actor, adds further humour as the millionaire with the croc-catching equipment, but one wonders what he's doing here in the first place, besides needling Gleeson and the audience (who I'm sure will ask, at certain points in the film, "Is he crazy?"). Finally, Betty White, who was an integral part of TV's The Golden Girls, has an atypical role as a foul-mouthed lake resident who may have more than a few secrets in her cupboard.

Lake Placid died a quick death at the box office, though there were a few admirers who liked its humorous touches. For me, however, the humour, though welcome, was minimal, the action scenes are worse than those in a Van Damme mess, and the characters are a bunch of whining, complaining souls who should have been devoured by the croc. For a funnier, and more thrilling, creature feature, watch Tremors.

(c) Joe Wong (11 March 2001)