DinoCroc

Rating R Formats DVD Genre sci fi Starring Costas Mandylor, Charles Napier, Bruce Weitz, Jane Longnecker, Matt Borlenghi and Joanna Pacula Directed by Kevin O'Neill Publisher Buena Vista Home Entertainment External Links Official Walt Disney Website

Roger Corman is probably the smartest man to ever set foot into Hollywood. Yes, that Roger Corman, the renowned "King of The B-Movies". Say what you want about the man and the films he has directed and produced but there are not many people in the business who have had the kind of success and influential impact like Corman. The guy could shoot a low-budgeted film in five days, distribute it to different markets around the world and get double, maybe triple, back in profits. Not only that, many big-time, commercially and artistically acclaimed directors such as Martin Scorcese and James Cameron served as apprentices to Corman back in the early days of their careers. He is also responsible for giving actors like Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper and Robert DeNiro their first big breaks. Despite the lack of artistic and commercial quality in many his films, many of them have been celebrated as "cult favorites" and have developed a number of followings. B-Movie lovers everywhere can now rejoice, for nearly every film he has produced and directed is now available on DVD. DinoCroc, one of his most recent products, is the focal point of this review.

The film begins with a bioengineering corporation called Gereco accidentally unleashing a giant, mutated crocodile into some small town that probably doesn't even have a traffic light. Instead of rampaging through said puny town, the croc decides to stay in a nearby lake, devouring anyone dumb enough to swim in it. With that, the Gereco's H.B.I.C. (I'll let you figure what that means by yourself) (Joanna Pacula) enlists the aid of an Australian croc hunter named Dick (Costas Mandylor). Coming along for the hunt are the local sheriff (Charles "Murdock...I'm coming to get you!" Napier), Diane, his animal control worker daughter (Jane Longnecker), and her sculptor boyfriend, Tom (Matt Borlenghi).

Like many of the films Corman has produced in the past 20 years, DinoCroc is more or less a rip-off of many other "man vs. nature's beasts". All in all, its nearly a poor man's rehashing of Jaws with dashes of Lake Placid and Jurassic Park thrown in. There is barely a shred of originality in this puppy! The creature in question is a poorly made mess of CGI that looks like a early version of the monster in the 1998 version of Godzilla. Most of the death scenes (with the exception for one, but I'll get to that later) are gory but dull, usually consisting of a character being taken offscreen by the beast with the death punctuated with a large splash of blood and offscreen screams.

Other than Charles Napier, who does his best with his heavily clichéd character and the very limited script, the acting is very poor. The worst offender of the cast is Matt Borlenghi, whose uninspired and boring persona makes Tom a very unlikable character. Costas Mandylor's character, complete with the standard Crocodile Dundee hat and giant survival knife, makes Napier's character seem original. Why am I bothering with the evaluation of the performances? Is the stuff I'm telling you here surprising?!

With that, there is one thing that DinoCroc has going for it, its inadvertent transition into a comedy. Now in order fully interpret and appreciate this method of viewing, you must dig a little bit below the surface. You must look outside the box and find the humor value that is buried beneath. For instance, SPOILER AHEAD BUT WHO CARES, while the scene where the young boy is decapitated by DinoCroc's jaws of death is supposed to bring forth a sense of tragedy, gore and scares, it also contains elements of comedic gold. Trust me, just watch the scene, you'll find yourself busting a gut. Another aspect of the film that has the same effect come in the form of every time Tom opens his mouth. He has so many classic lines (like saying "Let's kill the f*%!er!" with the enthusiasm of Ben Stein) but I'm running out of space here. So, you'll just have to watch the movie to catch them. Take my word for it, you and your friends will be reciting for days afterwards!!

Oooh!! Let me get to the special features here!! Boy, they are a bunch of doozies!! First and foremost is the scene selection option. Thanks to the wonders of digital technology, you can jump to your favorite scene at any time you wish! Also, if you want to do a little reading with your visual experience, you have the option of turning on the built-in subtitles! Reading is a valuable learning method! It extends your vocabulary, exercises and massages your brain and helps you get dates! Finally, the disc contains a feature that will allow you to register your DVD!! That's right!!! By registering your DVD copy of DinoCroc , you will have top priority to press releases and insider information regarding..uhm..nothing. All right, you got me. There are no special features on this disc. Its as bare as Lady Godiva (minus the long hair). Hell, there isn't even a trailer!

As a general sci-fi/horror film, DinoCroc is about as scary and imposing as "The Backyardigans". However, when the comedic value of this C-Movie (its not even worthy of a B), it becomes a stimulating experience that will provide one with a houseful of laughter. The complete lack of special features really hit home though. Corman was famous for being cheap but c'mon now!