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LAKE PLACID
Review by Michael Jacobson
Stars: Bill
Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt
Director: Steve Miner
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby
Surround
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Features: Trailer, Featurette,
Talent Files, 3 Television Spots
Length: 82 Minutes
Release Date: January 11, 2000
Film **1/2
It seems like ever since Jurassic
Park came on the scene, and introduced a way of combining expert CGI’s
with models to create seamless creature effects, Hollywood has been trying to
find more and more ways of using the technology to scare their audiences into
plopping down more money at the box office.
And it’s also obvious that for every truly entertaining film that comes
out in the genre, like Deep Blue Sea, there
are at least two others that fell way short, like Congo or Anaconda.
Their most recent offering, Lake
Placid, falls somewhere in between. Like
many films of the genre, it’s a bit lacking in brainpower, but unlike the
better films, rather than allowing you the luxury of dismissing what is
implausible or silly, it kind of forces you to dwell on them a little too long
for comfort.
Case in point: the
movie opens with a bang as a scuba diver goes into the water, but only half of
him comes back out. Now, being that
he went into the water, there are really only two creatures that could have
bitten him in two: a shark, or a
large crocodile/alligator. And
being that it happened in a lake, you can pretty much rule out a shark.
Enter onto the scene a game and fish warden (Pullman).
He can’t figure out what might have done this to the man, even going as
far as suggesting a bear, until he’s politely reminded that bears don’t
attack people underwater.
Enter expert number two, a paleontologist (Fonda), who is
given a tooth pulled from the dead body. She
examines it, and announces that it’s “definitely reptilian”.
It’s enough to get her sent from New York to Maine to investigate.
But she supposedly can’t figure out what reptile attacks underwater,
either.
Now, even if you believe that two experts in their field
can’t put together the evidence and come up with a crocodile, you have to
wonder why, when they know something in
the lake is big enough to bite a man in half, that they would go exploring the
water in little, easily flippable canoes. And
flip they do, time and time again, as the movie’s key motif for suspense is
spilling actors into the water. I
pretty much lost count. (Interestingly
enough, later the big croc goes terrorizing the cast on land, and flips a pickup
truck, which naturally spills even more actors).
It takes the arrival of a rich mythologist (Platt), to land
his helicopter on the scene and announce to the incredulous team that it is in
fact a crocodile they’re dealing with.
Then, of course, there are the other standard shock movie clichés.
Why is it, for example, that only in these films do three supposed
professionals come together for an investigation, and immediately dislike each
other, and constantly hurl barbs and insults at one another over the course of
doing they’re jobs? Well,
probably because most writers assume that’s the only way to hold their
audience’s attention during the spells when the croc isn’t on the screen.
And why is it they camp out near the water so calmly at night, knowing
that crocodiles do in fact, crawl out on land?
But I have to give the film credit where its due…the big
fella looks great. He’s a
menacing, 30 foot, 150 year old Asian reptile that pops out of the water
unexpectedly to take out cows or whatever else happens to be too close to the
waterline. As far as special
effects goes, he’s one of the better ones, even a bit more convincing than the
sharks in Deep Blue Sea. And light-years beyond the goofy snake in Anaconda.
So, when the film promises some thrills and chills, it does
deliver, though it lacks the big punch that Deep
Blue Sea managed to bring. And,
it offers one of the year’s most entertaining supporting roles, played by
Betty White. I really wish I could
print one of her many zingers here, but, you’ll just have to hear them for
yourself.
Lake Placid really
strains the limit of just how dumbed down a summer movie can be and still manage
to be entertaining. I think it
succeeded in finding the boundary and walking on its edge, without ever quite
crossing over.
Video ***
It’s not anamorphic, but it still a pretty decent
offering from Fox. I noticed a
slight bit of grain in one or two of the darker scenes, but for the most part,
clarity is very good and images are sharp, crisp and cleanly rendered.
Coloring was good throughout, with no noticeable bleeding or distortion.
A few lower lit settings were inherently softer than their counterparts,
but nothing I would consider problematic or even a distraction.
Audio ***1/2
This is a good 5.1 mix that offers as much dynamic range as
you would hope for a scare film. The
rear channels are selectively but effectively used from flyovers to the chaotic
scenes with the big croc. The
subwoofer is also sparingly used, but kicks in at the right moment to add depth
and bottom end to the action sequences, not to mention the big fella’s
menacing growls. All in all, a good
listen.
Features **
This disc is a marketer’s dream come true.
A trailer, three TV spots, a promotional featurette, and talent files is
what you get. Plus some fairly cool
animated menus with sound.
Summary:
Lake Placid is certainly decent, if not spectacular, summer-style movie entertainment. It boasts some good effects and a few genuine scares peppered with laughs, which help the picture stay just afloat despite the weight of the silly script and lost actors. Feel free to stop by Lake Placid for a visit. Just make sure you don’t feed the animals while you’re there.