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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More Croc Than You Can Shake A Stick At, May 21, 2006
This review is from: DinoCroc (DVD)
"The Jeff Foxworthy Show" is responsible for a number of careers, namely those of Haley Joel Osment, Jonathan Lipnicki, Bill Engvall, and, perhaps the biggest star of them all, Matt Borlenghi. Yes, you know him, star of stage and screen, and obviously fond of monster crocodiles, being that "DinoCroc" is his second foray into crocdom. His other "croc" film was "Blood Surf," which is actually a very funny B-flick.
This time around, Borlenghi actually gives it a really good ol' college try as Tom, resident of a sleepy little town with a huge reservoir and a slimy corporate science firm, Gereco Laboratories. It's Gereco who's responsible for unleashing the dinocroc on the innocent people of Tom's tiny town. They also attempt to cover up the death and destruction that the local sheriff (the underused Charles Napier) and his dogcatcher daughter are trying to make sense of.
Gereco is headed up by the sinisterly sexy Joanna Pacula, who sends out well-meaning Dr. Campbell to capture the escaped beast. You may recognize Campbell (Bruce Weitz) from his days as the lovable little "Animal" from "Hill Street Blues." He fails in his initial attempt to snag the beast, so in comes Dick(Costas Mandylor). Think of Mandylor as the real "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin if Irwin were a tad bit of a bumhole who doesn't follow-up too well on his croc captures. You'll understand what I mean if you watch the whole flick.
As the movie rolls along at a decent pace, we are introduced to three-legged Lucky, the wonder mutt, and Tom's little brother (Jake Thomas), who also happens to be Hilary Duff's little brother from "Lizzie Maguire." *Spoiler* He has quite an intense run-in with the croc, leading lovers of Lizzie's lil' bro weeping in the aisles.
As a whole, this flick is pretty good. The croc doesn't look too bad, though he seems to be standing under a spotlight every time he runs through the dark trees. I'll agree with other reviewers that this film's ending is somewhat silly, but the rest of the film is just so doggone fun that I'll let the conclusion slide.
If you enjoy creature features, "DinoCroc" will suffice. It's not on the same level as "Anaconda" or "Lake Placid," and it's nowhere near "Jurassic Park," but "DinoCroc" will pass away a sleepy Sunday afternoon quite easily, and you won't feel completely cheated of your time.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a Crock, January 29, 2006
This review is from: DinoCroc (DVD)
It is not often that a novelization comes out months and months before the movie gets released, but it did with this film. So having read the book almost a year earlier I was anxious to watch this one as soon as I could get my hands on it. A big medical firm has gotten a hold of a rare fossil and is using the DNA in some experiments.
But one of the test animals breaks out and escapes into a nearby swamp/lake. With accelerated growth and a huge appetite, the company knows they must retrieve the animal quickly. But they don't seem to react quickly enough as the creature grows faster than they expect. An Australian crocodile hunter is brought in. Together with the local animal control officer and the sheriff they set out to track and stop the beast.
This could easily have felt like a fifth movie in the Carnosaur series (Carnosaur 1-3, Raptor) but other than the accelerated growth there is no connection. This one is fresh and new. Sort of a cross between a Jurassic Park move and a giant crocodile movie. The acting was reasonable and some of the scenes where handles extremely well (i.e. the meshed scenes as the boy looks for his dog while his brother stays home). An above average dino flick that makes typical Corman use of building suspense instead of overabundant special effects. Check it out.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Adequate monster mayhem that fits the bill quite nicely, December 31, 2005
This review is from: DinoCroc (DVD)
The undemanding viewer who, like yours truly, grew up on guilty pleasures like this should find much to enjoy with "DinoCroc." This initially aired on the SciFi Channel two years ago and, for what it is, I have to say the movie is actually pretty well made. Anybody familiar with "Jaws" or its many myriad clones over time will undoubtedly already know the story here by heart. Which is not to say this feature doesn't deserve some measure of credit. Instead of a marauding shark, we are treated to a carnivorous prehistoric hybrid that embarks on a horrific rampage after escaping a poorly operated research facility.
Director Kevin O'Neill obviously did not possess the bloated budget of Steven Spielberg or James Cameron. But he still managed to crank out a fairly decent and fun little film. I got particular kicks out of the titular creature, provided rather impressively by the team at Ronin Digital Entertainment. The effect, at least in my opinion, comes off way better on DVD than it did on television.
The DVD, itself, boasts a clean transfer with crisp sound and vibrant color. While there are no special features to speak of, I would still recommend this film to anyone looking to fill a rainy afternoon with cheap thrills. It certainly won't win any awards for Best Picture, but it does offer a prime example of the small miracles that can be achieved with a limited budget and adequate direction. By all means, give it a look.
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