"Lake Placid" was sputtering along. I didn't particularly like any of the characters and if it weren't for the opening scene there would've been zero interest. Then entered Betty White as Mrs. Bickerman. I don't think I'd be overstating it if I said she saved the movie. She just gets better with age. The movie would've been a ton better if she were in it more.
"Lake Placid" was about a giant crocodile living in a lake in Aroostook County, Maine. The sheriff's department, the Department of Fish and Game, a paleontologist, and a rich crocodile enthusiast all descended on Lake Placid because of this croc. The sheriff, Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson), wanted to kill the croc, the paleontologist, Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda), wanted to study it, the enthusiast, Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt), wanted to worship it, and the Fish and Game warden, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), was there to be a referee. And the best character of them all, Mrs. Bickerman, was there to confound them and throw them off the crocodile's trail.
"Lake Placid" didn't take itself too seriously, which was cool. It also didn't follow the normal scary movie tropes. I was wrong on all of my predictions of who would die and who would live. In fact, only two people were killed at the end of it all.
There was one cliché that the movie had to follow. It's coded in movie making DNA like birds flying south for the winter. Kelly and Jack had to kindle a romance. You could see the traditional initial contention turning into a mutual respect then a romantic interest. The movie concluded with them going on a date together. There was no way a single woman and a single man could be in a movie without hooking up.
That was the only real predictability. The movie was only 82 minutes, which is all that's needed for a movie of this kind. No need to drag it out and make a mountain out of a mole hill of a plot. We got some nice scenes of the croc in action, we got a tad bit of suspense, and we got an opening for a sequel. No need for much more.
"Lake Placid" was about a giant crocodile living in a lake in Aroostook County, Maine. The sheriff's department, the Department of Fish and Game, a paleontologist, and a rich crocodile enthusiast all descended on Lake Placid because of this croc. The sheriff, Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson), wanted to kill the croc, the paleontologist, Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda), wanted to study it, the enthusiast, Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt), wanted to worship it, and the Fish and Game warden, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), was there to be a referee. And the best character of them all, Mrs. Bickerman, was there to confound them and throw them off the crocodile's trail.
"Lake Placid" didn't take itself too seriously, which was cool. It also didn't follow the normal scary movie tropes. I was wrong on all of my predictions of who would die and who would live. In fact, only two people were killed at the end of it all.
There was one cliché that the movie had to follow. It's coded in movie making DNA like birds flying south for the winter. Kelly and Jack had to kindle a romance. You could see the traditional initial contention turning into a mutual respect then a romantic interest. The movie concluded with them going on a date together. There was no way a single woman and a single man could be in a movie without hooking up.
That was the only real predictability. The movie was only 82 minutes, which is all that's needed for a movie of this kind. No need to drag it out and make a mountain out of a mole hill of a plot. We got some nice scenes of the croc in action, we got a tad bit of suspense, and we got an opening for a sequel. No need for much more.