Post by Mr.HoRrOr on Sept 9, 2011 9:28:09 GMT -5
Plot:Follows a group of family and friends who, en route to New Orleans, are sidetracked in the Louisiana bayou and encounter a monster named Lockjaw who is revered by the locals as a god.
Cast:
Mehcad Brooks
Serinda Swan
Sid Haig
Daniel Bernhardt
Amanda Fuller
Dillon Casey
Lauren Schneider
My Thoughts:Wasted opportunity.
Review:If you've seen "Hatchet", and "Venom", and "The Skeleton Key". Then you know that horror films set in New Orleans swamp territory can be creepy, atmospheric, and really gothic. But most of all...downright fun! "Creature", another horror film shot in New Orleans, eh...is not exactly, so fun. In fact, this creature feature is quite a missed opportunity. The movie follows a group of friends who are driving to New Orleans. When they stop at a local store to get directions and supplies, they enter into a conversation with a man named Chopper (Haig), who tells them of the local legend of Lockjaw.
A man who lost his true love to the ravenous jaws of a white crocodile. The man found and killed the gator, but his grief was so great...that he eventually became the beast. Not all of the group, but some members of the group then decide it would be a cool idea to check out the old stomping grounds of the once human man. Now turned lizard-beast. But this proves to be a fatal mistake. As their presence only awakens Lockjaw. "Creature" actually had a shot at being like "Venom". "Venom", when released back in 2005, was released to just 500 or 600 cinemas.
Much like "Creature" will most likely be this weekend. But "Venom" was far better written. Better kills, better action, and a better bad guy. "Creature" seems to waste its time too much with dialogue and people walking around. It doesn't just get into things quckly, ala a film like "Hatchet". Which is a shame because this movie had the gothic New Orleans landscape, with all its huge trees, plants, swamp territories, etc...at its disposal. "Lockjaw" does present some intriguing elements though.
Like having its stars Brooks and Swan, as Niles and Emily. An interracial couple. While also avoiding all of the easy-target racial humor that could've easily been injected into a movie set in the deep south. Niles and Emily are also the lead characters in the movie. And not the fodder couple who get eaten or butchered first. Brooks character, a navy seal, is interesting, as he's the mature one of the group. And tries to keep everyone else in line when they're acting inappropriately.
Emily meanwhile is the usual sweet girl. Who really is down for anything her friends wanna do. And is always willing to help them when need be. But the movie takes a turn for the bizarre when nightfall comes, and the group decides to camp out in the woods until morning. That's when we find out of the group of six, not everyone is who they seem to be. And Haig's character Chopper, is inserted more fluently into the thick of the story. But the biggest issue with the film is its choppy story and the lack of Lockjaw.
The story gets really choppy once the group of friends camp out on that first night. That's when we learn some..."interesting", new details about some of the teens, and Lockjaw itself. But it's also when you'd expect things to get really crazy. In a film like "Hatchet" for example, it didn't take long for the kids to be off the boat before Victor Crowley struck. And then after that, kept striking. But Lockjaw, the man baddie in this movie. Seems to just lurk around a lot. Watching people, and really growling in the bushes.
Which sucks because there's a death at the beginning of the movie that is very gory and awesome. And kind of sets the tone for the rest of the film. But when that kind of tone is set. The follow-through must be on track as well. Which it was not here. The film degenerates into something weird and kind of gross with some of the characters. And then goes on from there to become an occult movie mixed with a "Children Of The Corn" theme or two. The film should've just been kept as a simple creature/slasher.
Instead, it tries to go in too many different directions. All the while leaving some characters to twist in the wind. And their behaviors unexplained, because some backstory is either absent, or just never delved into really. Then again, when some of the twists happen involving Niles and Emily's friends, considering this film is set in Louisiana...the south. I guess the director figured we'd just "go with it". But as a picky genre fan, I prefer some more backstory with my movies. That's just me.
The kills in this film are decent, but there aren't enough of them for a movie about a half man half gator mutant/supernatural beast roaming the swamps or the bayou's of Louisiana. I expected a super violent film. On a 10+ level. What I got, was a standard-violence slasher film, on about a 6.5 instead. This movie should've been a hardcore, take-no-prisoners killer-creature movie. Instead, it got bogged down with crazy twists that made no sense. And in some cases, fell into the stereotypical and cliche categories.
The story needed a lot of work, and if it was going to delve into all of these different areas. Stringing together a flimsy line of reasoning behind all of this just isn't gonna cut it. The movies climax offers up a nice battle between one of the movies few remaining survivors, and Lockjaw himself. As well as a sweet concluding moment to follow that up with.
But then the movies final scene just wipes all of that out by throwing in more unnecessary questions. And without offering up a single answer. While the lack of quality kills and the lack of an abundance of them, is what hurts "Creature" in some ways. Its biggest fault is with its story. Which is just too discombobulated to ever really add up in the end.
Positives:Brooks as Niles and Swan as Emily give good performances. But the characters aren't given enough to do dialogue wise. Beyond having meaningless conversations with their friends. The opening scene death was awesome. A somewhat entertaining battle bear the end between Lockjaw, and one of the few members of the group of friends left alive.
Negatives:What a messy story. Went in too many different directions. Without an explanation for much of anything. A lack of quality death scenes, and Lockjaw spends more time stalking its prey as opposed to taking them out.
Overall:One and a half stars out of four.