At a lake in a small American town nestled in the countryside, two giant crocodiles wreak havoc by devouring some of the locals.
A paleontologist (Bridget Fonda, admired in Jackie Brown and The Army of Darkness) is sent to the scene to investigate, and she is soon joined by police officer Bill Pullman (The snake and the rainbow, Independence Day, Lost Roads, The Grudge) and Oliver Platt (Dr.Dolittle, Casanova), always comfortable in comic roles who here plays a crazy crocodile expert.
The most difficult "enemy" to beat will not be the two lizardmen but their friendly "stepmother" (Betty White, Rain from hell), a widow who has been feeding them for years.
Finale that clearly hints at a sequel (to come 8 years later).
Steve Miner (Friday the 13th part 2, Friday the 13th part 3, Halloween: 20 years later) is a director who has experience in the horror environment, and he proves it in this entertaining b-movie.
The special effects are pleasing and never overdone, the performance of the lead actors brings out well-known comic timing in some (Platt) but surprising in others (Pullman above all).
The result is an honest film with no great pretensions except to let itself be quietly watched while giving a few laughs rather than a few thrills.
This, many purist fans of the horror genre did not like so much, but it was nevertheless fairly well received, which led, in 2007, to the making of a sequel (TV only).
Review of The Creature
