THE PLOT THUS FAR
Bill Pullman (Independence Day, The Grudge), Bridget Fonda (Jackie Brown), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and Oliver Platt (X-Men: First Class) share an appetite for sheer adventure when a tranquil New England lakefront erupts into an action-packed den of destruction in this monster of a hit!
An investigative team, armed with state-of-the-art equipment, high-powered weaponry and a biting sense of sarcasm, must work together to defeat Black Lake’s most ferocious resident: a 30-foot prehistoric crocodile! Written by David E. Kelley (Ally Mcbeal, Boston Legal), directed by Steve Miner (Halloween H20, Friday The 13th Part 2), and co-starring Betty White as the cantankerous Mrs. Bickerman, this terrifying tale of survival ’combines humor and thrills with remarkable deftness’ (New York Post).
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Lake Placid” is one of those movies that I can replay on a loop in my brain. The summer of 1999 is just imprinted in my brain due to the constant saturation I had with the material. Honestly, I saw every movie in wide release between the first week of May and Labor Day weekend. This was also back when I first starting doing this sort of thing and I can still remember the clever promo towels they gave out to newspapers and media spots that were covering the release. It was a beach towel with the nutritional facts of human flesh listed on the outward facing side. But, this isn’t a time for nostalgia. Let’s talk about the movie before I get distracted again.
Killer crocodiles don’t normally play like David E. Kelley material. Working with classic horror director Steve Miner, Kelly created something that’s equal parts small town quirk and creature feature. If it feels like something that belongs somewhere between “Night of the Lepus” and “Grizzly”. But, “Lake Placid” plays far more funnier than that material. Relishing in the absurdity of hunting fortean creatures allows a wide audience to enjoy the film for what it is. “Lake Placid” is one of the last unironic throwback doses of horror movie joy!
The Blu-Ray comes with new interviews, featurette, TV spots and a trailer as the special features. The A/V Quality is far better than that first generation DVD that FOX put out almost 15 years ago. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is clean and it makes the gator attacks come to life. Plus, the 1080p transfer gets rid of that dull sheen that has plagued basic cable HD broadcasts. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: 07/08/2014