I have a fondness for the killer croc horror sub-genre-from the slow-burn psychological terror and realism of low budget Aussie flick Black Water to the cheesy, B-movie goodness of far trashier fare like Crocodile 2: Death Roll-and was interested in finding out which approach director Greg McLean had opted for with his reptile-on the-rampage offering Rogue. Turns out he went for both.
The film starts in the same vein as Black Water, with river guide Kate Ryan (played by Radha Mitchell) and her boat-load of tourists attacked by a huge saltwater croc, leaving them stranded on an isolated mud-flat as the tide slowly comes in. There's not a lot of croc to be seen in this portion of the film, the tension derived from never knowing where the voracious creature is lurking and when it will attack next. It's slow going but brilliantly executed, and benefits from some lovely cinematography.
Eventually, desperation forces the people to try and find a way off their muddy prison, a decision that results in a couple of casualties, including Kate. After this, the film takes an about turn and becomes a far more commercial beast, with the hero of the piece, travel writer Pete McKell (Michael Vartan), discovering the crocodile's lair (with a little help from Kate's dog) where he miraculously finds Kate still alive. But guess who's on his way home...
This second half of the film is undeniably fun, packed full of thrills aided by very impressive special effects, but the shift in tone is way too abrupt and sits very uncomfortably with all that has gone before. Because of this, I can only declare the film a partial success.
The film starts in the same vein as Black Water, with river guide Kate Ryan (played by Radha Mitchell) and her boat-load of tourists attacked by a huge saltwater croc, leaving them stranded on an isolated mud-flat as the tide slowly comes in. There's not a lot of croc to be seen in this portion of the film, the tension derived from never knowing where the voracious creature is lurking and when it will attack next. It's slow going but brilliantly executed, and benefits from some lovely cinematography.
Eventually, desperation forces the people to try and find a way off their muddy prison, a decision that results in a couple of casualties, including Kate. After this, the film takes an about turn and becomes a far more commercial beast, with the hero of the piece, travel writer Pete McKell (Michael Vartan), discovering the crocodile's lair (with a little help from Kate's dog) where he miraculously finds Kate still alive. But guess who's on his way home...
This second half of the film is undeniably fun, packed full of thrills aided by very impressive special effects, but the shift in tone is way too abrupt and sits very uncomfortably with all that has gone before. Because of this, I can only declare the film a partial success.