Rogue

[Fairweather Pure]

This is a giant crocodile movie. Really, what else needs to be said? Well, in the case of Rogue, a lot.

I've always had a mini facination with "man vs beast" movies, ranging from the excellent Jaws, to the flawed but fun Lake Placid. Giant croc movies seem to be all the rage right now, with Lake Placid 2, Primeval, and Rogue all hitting theaters in a row. I saw the first 2, and they were terrible. I've heard good things about Rogue, so went ahead with a blind buy when it was released last week on DVD. I'm very glad I did.

The director is the same guy that did Wolf Creek. The movie takes place in Australia, and from the very first frames of the movie, I could tell I was in for a treat.

The movie is 90 minutes long. The first 30 is character introduction, which is done brilliantly by merely observing the characters as they interact with each other on a small crocodile tour boat. I love it when characters are introduced this way. There were no stereotypes, they all seemed like normal people. This first 30 minutes is such a joy to watch. It is shot more like a National Geographic special, with the camera concentrating on the sights of a winding Australian river. I cannot stress enough how well this was all done. Anyway, it also nicely establishes isolation, a favorite theme of mine in many horror movies. We're also casually introduced to many facts about crocodiles that will play into the fun later as the tour guide comments on various crocodile activities during the tour.

The next 30 minutes introduces the conflict. The boat gets attacked and the people end up on a small island in the middle of the river. Oh, and as night approaches the tide comes in so the island will disappear underwater. Now we get to the meat of the movie, which is seeing how all these different personalities react during a crisis situation. Like the best of genre movies, it's not necessarily about the monster, but rather how the monster makes the people act (ie: like in zombie movies). They wisely choose to keep the croc out of sight except for brief glimpses, ala Jaws. It's all very effective. I was thinking the entire time "Man, these people are so fucked". The movie really establishes the tone of helplessness that is required for me to become fully vested a movie like this.

The 3rd act was a little flawed by doing a sterotype or two, but still very entertaining.

Rogue is a great way to spend 90 minutes. It's fast, gory, and leaves you satisfied. Overall, this gets my highest rating for a giant crocodile monster movie. 10/10