The Shallows (film)
2016
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Jul 12, 2019 · Still, “Crawl” offers up an adequately engaging disaster package with storm and gator effects of gripping believability. Far from a top-shelf entry to the genre, it might sink its teeth into your skin just deeply enough if you’re hungry for some mindless action mercifully devoid of tired superheroes and talking animals.
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Jul 12, 2019 · Advertise With Us. When a massive hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley ignores the evacuation orders to search for her missing father, Dave. After finding him gravely injured in their ...
- (1.4K)
- Alexandre Aja
- R
- Kaya Scodelario
- Alexandre Aja delivers plenty of bite-sized fun in this literal monster in the house horror-thriller.
- Crawl Gallery
- Verdict
By Jim Vejvoda
Updated: Apr 28, 2020 10:10 pm
Posted: Jul 11, 2019 11:00 pm
Crawl is a snappy, little B-movie that preys on people’s most primal fears and instincts when it comes to surviving against a bigger, deadlier animal. Deftly directed by Alexandre Aja, Crawl is perhaps a more general audience-friendly romp from the horror director than even his gory but giddy remake of Piranha was. It’s often less gruesome than many of Aja’s other films, relying more on building suspense rather than the bloody aftermath -- although that’s not to say there aren’t several gross-out moments (this is a When Animals Attack movie after all).
Turns out Dave is wounded and trapped in the basement of his house along with several gators — and now so is Haley. How they attempt to outwit these predators and survive is the film’s main source of fun and tension. With its man-eating gators, vicious hurricane, destructive flooding, and roving looters, Crawl could just as easily have been called Florida Is Terrible: The Movie. It makes the Keys seem about as appealing a place to be as Jurassic Park does Isla Nubar, regardless of whether it’s a fair depiction of that region. (Sorry, Florida!)
A good chunk of Crawl takes place in the basement or crawlspace of Dave’s home -- which instantly begs for suspension of disbelief as I don’t believe houses in the Florida Keys are known to even have either, but, hey, movies -- and Aja makes sure to milk every inch of that dark, dingy space for maximum nerve-wracking effect. Pipes are the only things keeping Haley and Dave safe from the gators but that doesn’t mean they can stay hidden in there for too long as Dave is already badly wounded, the flood waters are rising, and the house becomes increasingly damaged. Aja masterfully ratchets up the claustrophobia of being trapped in such a seemingly inescapable setting as well as the fear of not knowing what might be lurking around you in the dark or in the water.
As expected, Haley’s swimming skills are put to use in the action and suspense scenes, but her struggles as an athlete also serve as a source of the existing friction and distance between herself and her dad. Their emotional journey isn’t the freshest idea but the solid performances by an invested Scodelario and Pepper help ground this heightened flick in something human and relatable, as formulaic as it may be. And because both Haley and Dave are native Floridians, they’re not exactly unfamiliar with gators, hurricanes, and the like. They’re more prepared than the average horror movie character would be but it speaks to the sheer power of these ancient beasts that even these two such capable protagonists find themselves at death’s door throughout.
Crawl is an ideal midnight movie, something to go see with your friends and get a kick out of thanks to the collective fear and nervous laughs it provokes throughout. The film may not tread much new ground for those already familiar with the likes of Jaws or Lake Placid, but Crawl still packs plenty of thrills and fun. If you’re afraid of ever running into a wild animal then Crawl will make you hope you never do.
Crawl is a fun albeit familiar human vs. beast movie, one that gets plenty of mileage out of its setting and people’s deep-set fear of being eaten. Director Alexandre Aja knows how to craft a suspenseful and scary thrill-ride, although fans of his more gruesome, hardcore horror fare might be surprised at how audience-friendly and mainstream Crawl i...
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Jul 12, 2019 · Film Review: ‘Crawl’. A hurricane traps a father and daughter in a flooded basement with two alligators in a film that wants to be 'Jaws' set in an old dark house. If only. Dropped into the ...
Jul 12, 2019 · Arriving in the middle of an evacuation, Haley finds Dad trapped in the crawl space of their family home, stunned and minus a chunk from his shoulder. For the next 80-odd minutes, the two will try ...
- Alexandre Aja
- Jeannette Catsoulis
- 87 min
Our review: Parents say ( 10 ): Kids say ( 43 ): Insidiously simple, compact, and clever, this killer alligator movie, complete with slowly rising floodwaters, is relentless and absolutely terrifying. It's a career best for director Alexandre Aja. Crawl may have little to say about the world -- except perhaps a hint of the dangers of climate ...
Jul 12, 2019 · When a massive hurricane hits her Florida hometown, Haley (Kaya Scodelario) ignores evacuation orders to search for her missing father (Barry Pepper). Finding him gravely injured in the crawl space of their family home, the two become trapped by quickly encroaching floodwaters. As time runs out to escape the strengthening storm, Haley and her father discover that the rising water level is the ...
