Crawl (2019)

It's been a while since we've heard from director Alexandre Aja, a man whom many consider a pioneer of the "French Extreme" subgenre during the early to mid 2000s. While it's no secret that many of his films have been hit or miss since his debut 'High Tension I always felt Aja's filmography was good on average. And then...he seemed to vanish with a small project here and there until today where we have his newest horror flick 'Crawl'. We also have Sam Raimi of 'Evil Dead' fame on board as an executive producer so going into this movie it's pretty hard not to set a kind of standard with this level of talent. I'm happy to say that horror fans will mostly be pleased with this modern creature feature that knows exactly what it is and plays its part well while thoroughly entertaining its audience.

A young woman attempts to find her estranged father and evacuate before a strong hurricane reaches the area. Once she finds him, they both become trapped by the raging storm and a seemingly endless supply of hungry alligators surrounding every corner. That's it for plot really, but a story can be simple if done well and here I feel it's done that. The usual tropes of jump scares and stupid decisions are present & the daughter resenting her father until they become closer at the climax is all pretty standard but the actor's performances do significantly improve what could've easily been a bland survival story between a parent and their child. Even though I did say jump scares were present, the film also presents some genuine tension throughout and every now and then sets up genuinely surprising and earned scares too. I also loved seeing practical gore effects which does make up somewhat for the slightly cheap looking CGI gators. For a mainstream film it's pretty brutal the way these animals take people out and the wounds inflicted on our protagonists are very realistic so kudos for the excellent effects team.

The biggest issue I feel with 'Crawl' is some elements seem to be in place to pad the movie out to what is already a pretty short film. While it's always nice for horror fans to see some well done gore and animal special effects, some scenes feel as if they were put in at the last minute to crank up the body count or as I said padding. The film at one point also sets up a scenario that would explain why such a sheer amount of these gators are around or even a sequel I'm assuming but it goes nowhere. And as always no spoilers but the film ends abruptly which feels wrong as if something else was supposed to happen but bam! Roll credits. It's also kind of a drawback that I'll likely forget this film quickly but you kind of expect that when it comes to what I refer to as a "Junk Food" movie. Fun and good while it lasts but then you go on with your day. Overall, I wouldn't say this is the big comeback movie for Aja but it is an improvement over something like 'Mirrors' or 'Horns'. It's a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon with some friends. Just don't expect a masterpiece of horror or anything.

C+