Rogue (2007)

 

Animal attack-films always come in waves. Every so often, you get sharks, then it's snakes, bugs or crocodiles. Even though most of these tend to be less than stellar, sometimes they manage to be entertaining enough to be worth a watch. Case and point: 'Rogue'. Sure, it's nothing special, but it has a couple of thrills, some chills and it is better constructed than many others in the genre. 

In the Northern Territories of Australia, a group of tourists is embarking on a boatride to spot some wildlife, in particular crocodiles. These are usually saltwater crocs, as they are the largest of the species and fairly common in Australia. The group of tourists is varied, but in all honesty you won't give a flying hoot about any of them, as they are pretty much cardboard cutouts anyway. There's a man grieving for the loss of his wife, a stuck up couple, a woman dying of cancer, an obnoxious photographer and so on. 

They also come across two Australian rednecks (is there such a thing?), of which one is the ex of our tour guide ànd played by Sam Worthington. 

Near the end of the boatride, they spot a signal flare and are of course obligated to investigate, just in case someone is in serious trouble. A few miles further and they discover the remains of a boat, just before they are hit by a massive crocodile. The boat starts to sink and they head to a small island. 

But it turns out the river is actually a tidal river and the tide is setting in, because of course. Now they need to reach the shoreline, but the crocodile is stalking them... 

So yes, a very basic setup and a cast of characters only here to be chomped upon. But except for our leads Radha Mitchell and Michael Vartan, it's anyone's guess who will be next, as they are so nondescript and the bodycount is a lot less than one would expect. That being said: the kills are fun (well, spectacular at times) and for a first time viewer, there are quite a lot of jumps and tense moments. Tbe director sometimes cleverly amps up the tension to let nothing happen even if you expect it and vice versa. 

Sure, this tactic borrows heavily from 'Jaws', but what killer beastie-flick doesn't? 

It all culminates in a final showdown in the crocodile's lair and it is pretty brutal. So again: points for that.

You do need to leave your brain at the door, as almost nothing they say about crocodiles here is actually true. Crocodiles don't keep on eating, because that's not what reptiles do, and they don't have underground lairs where they store prey and this particular reptile is oversized of course, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is a fun film about an animal running amok. Give it a try!