Director: Tyler James
Year: 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Creature Feature
Plot:
After her sister goes missing, a woman gathers some friends and a team of explorers who can lead them through the underground cave system she disappeared in, but when the team finds that a swarm of crocodiles has attacked the first group and turned to them must find a way to get out alive.
Review:
This was a perfectly serviceable cheesy creature feature. Among its better features here is the strong overall setup that provides the film with the type of serious approach to a typically cheesy scenario. The whole idea of the group arriving in the caves to find the missing party that had disappeared during the proposed engagement trip but coming across the same group of crocodiles living inside the system trapping them inside and hunted down like the first group is a great way to get this one going. Providing the motivation and reasoning to get the group down there to encounter the creatures while being melodramatic enough to contain a sense of urgency to get them out of the closed-off system makes the setup here rather fun. Featuring the perfect setting for this type of action to take place as well with the overall layout and presentation of the caves as a mysterious labyrinth that continually hides the creatures who can pop out of nowhere with the darkness and confusing maze-like structure giving everything the kind of impressive presentation needed.
On top of the fine setup, the slew of cheesy creature feature action when the crocs are given a chance to roam free in the system. The early scenes with the creatures stalking the first party are quite fun as the surprise appearance of them living there and knocking off the group in several fun moments makes for some fun including the first attack on the group while on the sandy outcrop, a brutal scene showing the creature devouring one of the group in front of others who can’t alert it to its presence, or swimming after a victim trying to escape in a boat left behind. These scenes are matched nicely by the later encounters where the creatures are shown stalking the new rescue group as the series of chases and confrontations here featuring the fantastic scene at their nesting lair or the final battle using the left-over mining equipment to try to stop them, mixing serious action with goofy CGI or practical effects gives everything the perfect touch and provides a lot to like here.
There isn’t much to dislike here but it has a few minor factors. The main issue with it is the expectedly cheesy and goofy special effects that run rampant in a film like this. Since it’s expected to see the hallmarks of the genre come out in full force including size and dimension changes depending on the scene being featured, clunky animation for normal activities, or being forced to perform unnatural motions or behavior to suit the sequence, none of these are truly detrimental but still stick out overall here. The other issue with this one is the generally stiff tempo that goes alongside this type of goofy presentation but causes things to feel somewhat off-kilter, where the special effects have a cheesy action to it while the seriousness of the search to find everyone keeps it far too stiff and plodding for what’s going on. This is an odd touch and sticks out here as these are the main factors holding it back.
Overview: ****/5
A perfectly cheesy if tonally odd creature feature, this one has quite a lot to like for fans of this style and the expected issues to be had with it that might be a detrimental factor to hold it back. Those who enjoy this particular style of feature or are fans of the creative crew will have the most to like here while those who aren’t into any of these factors should heed caution.
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