Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Crocodile Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 13, 2023

We all know the story. In 1975, “Jaws” was released, becoming a box office sensation, thrilling summer audiences with spills and chills, rich characterization, and a premise virtually guaranteeing a thrill ride at the theater. The movie helped to change the way Hollywood did business, and it introduced the world to the directorial mastery of Steven Spielberg. The classic’s legacy carries on to this day, with rereleases common and merchandise plentiful, giving generational lift to the endeavor, which has been a popular, in-demand feature for nearly 50 years. Global film industries took notice, and they quickly began work on knockoffs, desperate to sweep up the coins Universal Pictures left behind when dealing with the unexpected explosion of “Jaws”-mania. 1979’s “Crocodile” (a.k.a. “Crocodile Fangs”) is a Korean-Thai production hoping to bring monster-from-the- deep energy to the screen once again, this time using a giant reptile juiced up on atomic radiation to bring horror to fishing communities. “Crocodile” has more in common with “Godzilla,” but finding a specific moviemaking approach to this absolute mess of a picture is the real viewing challenge here, with the effort sloppily stitching together vague story ideas and not-really-special effects with hopes that something resembling a coherent product will materialize in the end. It doesn’t.

Life is good for Tony (Nard Poowanai). He’s a successful doctor, blessed with a loving wife in Angela (Ni Tien) and a daughter in Anne. He’s also befriended John (Min Oo) and his wife, Linda, with the couples electing to vacation together, spending time in a luxurious oceanside resort, enjoying the pleasures of beach life and the open water. While Tony is called away to deal with work demands, disaster strikes, with a giant, mutated crocodile attacking, killing Linda, Angela, and Anne, leaving the men destroyed with grief. Unwilling to accept such a loss, Tony seeks answers about the attack, turning to research to best understand what type of monster he’s up against, learning more about atomic testing nearby, which has contributed to the growth of the crocodile and an increase in its violent behavior. While the beast follows the coastline, destroying villages and devouring humans and animals, Tony puts together a plan of revenge, acquiring help from burly fisherman Tanaka (Manop Asavatep), who provides a boat for a small team to enter dangerous waters, on the hunt to kill the crocodile and finally bring peace to the area.

“Crocodile” opens with a narrator warning that “nature may rebel” against man, but the filmmakers are certainly rebelling against a basic understanding of storytelling needs. Viewers are thrown into the middle of the tale, which begins with a village disaster before “introducing” Tony, John, and their spouses and children. There’s a randomness to everything in the picture, with shots pulled from other movies and different directors, editing is largely a mess of images with hopes to create screen intensity, and music cues drop in and out without timing. It’s fully disorienting, and “Crocodile” is only beginning, eventually generating a limited sense of narrative drive with the loss of all the women, putting the men in revenge mode, finding Tony especially driven to catch the beast and make it pay for its crimes.

“Crocodile” doesn’t deal with technical competency, basically throwing everything at the screen to manufacture a level of mayhem that might cover for low-budget limitations. Miniatures look like miniatures, “ocean” shots are clearly captured in a pool (you can see the filtration system in the background), and padding is the unofficial star of the feature, with the endeavor piling on extended scenes of nothingness, fighting to make it to a sellable run time. There’s certainly a crocodile in the movie, emerging as a mix of real creature and an immobile special effect, and attack sequences are common, though they remain repetitive and often incomprehensible, ruining the fun of any disaster film intentions. It’s all so frightfully dull and inane, and not helping the cause are sequences that highlight the slaughter of a real, living crocodile, with the production touring a random farm, and there’s also child nudity, which isn’t sexualized, but feels slightly predatory.

Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings as much clarity as possible to the viewing experience, with the production stitched together from different shoots and displays of technology. When there's cinematographic stability, there's a good sense of skin surfaces and costuming. Crocodile textures are present, capturing roughness of appearance, along with the artificiality of the monstrous creations. Interiors preserve room dimension. Exteriors are also reasonably deep, reaching into tourist areas and village tours. Colors are alert, with deep reds and vivid greenery throughout the viewing experience. Clothing choices bring out powerful primaries, and skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is heavy and film- like. Source is in decent condition.

Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix struggles with stability, as "Crocodile" often battles with age and production capability when it comes to capturing and adding sound. The listening event is on the tinny side, but intelligibility isn't threatened. Music is also slightly muddier, but a general sense of suspense is present. Sound effects are amplified, looking to sell the chaos of crocodile attacks, turbulent weather, community terror, and medical support.

Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historian Lee Gambin.

• Interview (31:33, HD) is a discussion of "Crocodile Fangs" with its director, Won-se Lee, who's initially tasked with nailing down a production year for the endeavor and its hazy history. A product of Korean and Thai production teams, the feature was brought to life in a chaotic state, with the helmer pushed into the shoot without a full understanding of what was expected of him. The helmer briefly offers his impression of Sompote Sands, and he details the experience of working with Thai and Korean production participants, including an international cast. Some clarity is provided concerning credits, with Won-se Lee surprised to learn about Sompote Sands's listing as the director of "Crocodile." Special effects are examined, exploring the technological limitations of the day, resulting in some crude work to sell the rampage of a giant creature. Cult longevity is also highlighted, with the interviewee openly wishing he could watch the picture with an audience to see how it plays decades later.

• Deleted and Alternate Scenes (SD) present "Original Thai Ending" (2:37), "The Monkey and the Little Boy" (4:41), "Extended Town Attack" (5:50), "Crocodile Cruelty" (1:16), "Alternate Spanish Release Ending" (3:32), and "Alternate International Opening" (4:15).

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:44, HD) is included.

Crocodile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Crocodile" doesn't slip into "Jaws" mode in the final act (if there is such a thing), following Tony, John, and Tanaka into a boat for croc hunting, joined by Peter, a cheapskate photographer meant to add some comic relief to the feature. He doesn't. The men search for the creature, they search some more, and they search again, with the sequence really representing the inertia of the production, offering little for viewers to enjoy. Not helping the cause is a non-ending, which doesn't clarify character fates or even deal with the crocodile in a satisfying manner. The film just ends. "Crocodile" isn't a proper Bad Movie Night title, lacking a basic fun factor with its idiocy. It's more of a drag, creating a punishing viewing experience for those just looking for some dumb, direct "Jaws" rip-off entertainment.