Welcome to Weird Movie Wednesday. Today we are talking about the newest creature feature to grace the silver screen, Crawl. I had planned to do a review of this movie last week on FearStyle Friday but, you know, things happen. So here we are. I did enjoy this film as it kind of reminds me of a similar situation that I had experienced in my real life. Before we get into that story let's run down the film, shall we?
Crawl is about University of Florida swimmer Haley who is trying to find her father before a massive hurricane devastates Florida. He hasn't been answering his phone and Haley and her sister are starting to get worried. Throwing caution to the 100 mph winds, Haley drives out to her childhood home to find her father trapped in the houses crawlspace. He is unconscious and upon closer inspection she finds that he has been attacked by something large. Then the alligators show up. The rest of the movie is a mirage of torrent rains, floods and man eating alligators. There is high speed swimming and creatures around every corner. If you are looking for action this movie delivers. However, I couldn't overlook some of the spotty plot lines and the inaccuracy of both the speed of Haley's swimming abilities and the patterns of the gators.
There were "facts" (I'll call them) that are actually true but there were dramatic exaggerations. Let's start with Haley, a champion swimmer who is so talented in the sport that she earns a scholarship for it. During a scene where her father, dog and herself have finally left their crawlspace and managed to find a boat, belonging to past characters, she is told that the alligators won't attack if there is no splash. That is somewhat true as alligators don't have the best vision but then she is told, in panic might I add, that she can out swim and is faster than the several large alligators surrounding them. So let me break this down for you. An average North American Alligator can get up to 9-15 ft. and can weigh anywhere from half a ton to 1,000 lbs. With these measurements it makes several of the action scenes in this movie highly unlikely. First of all, she would not be able to out swim one alligator let alone a dozen of them. They would have gobbled her up in no time but she not only manages to out swim them but out swim them while making a big splashing scene Next, during one scene Haley is clamped on the shoulder by the jaws of what was likely a 30 ft. alligator and rolled. Rolling is an effective way for an alligator to kill any sized prey. There is no way, no way that this average sized woman would be able to survive the thrashing and rolling of a massive alligator. No way. Because these alligators aren't normal, no sir, they are massive modern dinosaurs. To be fair that's what they are but in this case it is special. It just amazes me the overexaggerations the film makers want you to believe and there are more than the few I have mentioned here. See for yourself and tell me how many you can spot.
Crawl was not a terrible movie but to be honest I was ready to leave when it was all over. It sort of dragged on toward the end but it did remind me of an experience I had just a few years ago and that was Hurricane Harvey. My family and I managed through Harvey and know first hand the devestating effects of a massive hurricane. There was mass flooding and in the back part of my home was a lake where alligators were known to hang out. I remember having to walk through knee high waters and being afraid that alligators and snakes were inhabiting the waters around me. Fortunately I only saw a few snakes and no Gators but this movie hit close to home regardless.
I suggest you see Crawl but if you don't see it in theaters you aren't missing anything. If you like what you read then let me know by like, sharing, following and commenting on my stuff. That's all for today and until next time stay spooky!
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