Crawl

From IMDB: “A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.”

What I liked:

• It has some of the best “atmosphere” I’ve seen in a while. This movie is set during a hurricane, and hurricanes are scary as hell to me. Floods? Getting pulled away from your loved ones? Losing your house? Terrifying. Many times, non-California residents have asked me if I’m afraid of earthquakes, and I usually tell them that earthquakes aren’t that big a deal. I think hurricanes and even tornadoes cause way more damage.
• Speaking of atmosphere, there are basically two major sets in this movie, and they’re fantastic. They do a great job of creating immersive locations.
• The dialog was pretty original and believable, which is a rarity in a movie like this. Most writers nowadays tend to recycle a lot of dialog and phrases, even in “Oscar caliber” movies. I made a list of them once.
• I thought the movie has some good character development. There are really only 2 1/2 lead characters in it, and one 1 1/2 supporting. Each one has dimension and emotion in their performances, even the dog.
• Visually, the movie is very well shot. Keep in mind that movies are a visual medium, and if the movie is filmed/recorded/photographed in a way where you don’t need dialog to tell what is happening in the story, then mission accomplished!
• The characters felt like they were in true danger, especially the lead actress who really gets put through the ringer. I can’t remember the last time I saw someone get so physically harmed by whatever is antagonizing them. Nowadays, many lead characters seem to be immune and unstoppable.
• The movie has a decent amount of jump scares for you horror fans that enjoy them. Jump scares are also good for date-night.

What I didn’t like:

• I was confused with how the characters survived the last alligator and had to read up about it.
• A video call in a locker room? Come ooooonnnn…

Overall: I loved it. It accomplished what a movie about alligators stalking people was set out to do. One of the most fun times I’ve had at the movies this year, along with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production & is the host of the A Little Drive Podcast. He’s on Twitter & Instagram.