★★★★
A young woman, while attempting to save her father during a category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.
Classification: 15
An absolutely terrific escalation of horror and action that never descends into absurdity as director Alexandre Aja and star Kaya Scodelario create a tense and thrilling cinematic experience. Crawl hooks its audience through the natural and well-paced escalation of the problem, the film takes its time setting up main character Haley, the relationship with her father, and the growing danger of the hurricane, along with visual teases within the house that are set deliberately so when the first alligator appears, the fuse is lit and nothing can stop what's coming. The script keeps the story simple and never lets the danger become stale as the balance of creature and disaster danger keeps audience anxiety at soaring levels.
Its the balance and escalation of the horror that makes Crawl such a joy for audiences and fans of the genre. Not very subtle however is the character development for Haley's character arc as a member for the University of Florida Gators swim team and how her she has to overcome her faults to survive against the reptiles that have invaded her home. Aja's direction doesn't focus on these story beats too much using them mainly to establish Haley as a capable individual and never loses sight that the goal of the characters is to escape not to fix their relationship or rediscover their self-confidence. Those are merely by-products achieved by the life-threatening situation they are put in which makes the climax and payoffs of Crawl far more satisfying than a typical B-movie. Both the alligators and the hurricane form an incredible double punch for creating Crawl's enveloping atmosphere, with cinematography and sound design delivering an outstanding environment for the story to play out in. The gore and horror itself is tasteful, with enough to frighten audience but never enough to disgust them, it taps into a primal fear within, a complete sense of helplessness.
While Haley and her father attempt to find refuge and escape from their makeshift prison of floodwater and pipes, every attempted escape is met with dire consequences. Nothing comes easy as the fear and pain of every movement and new development is seen on the actor's faces. With more time that passes by the advantage goes to the alligators and every time they strike and gain the advantage, the fear and horror felt by the audience is no longer due to teeth and blood but because of the unavoidable feeling of vulnerability. Faced against an evolutionary superior predator in its hunting grounds, it's not a question of if they will catch you its a matter of when. The foreboding feeling just grows during the runtime, heightened at moments when the only clues to the danger would be an echoed growl or flutter of water making the tension within Crawl quite rigorous at times and keep audiences at the edge of their seats only to throw them off when its next monstrous scare strikes. The film's use of jump scares doesn't become tiresome because of the proficiency of the characters and how the horror is mixed in with the action. The terror is in how to survive not from a monster leaping out of the dark, its the consistent dread of the situation and in some cases the sudden scare can be a relief and presents Crawl the opportunity to adjust its strategy in scaring you all over again.
Performance-wise the script doesn't offer any classic monologue or real dramatic dialogue but Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper make Crawl such a physical endurance that the believability and stakes of the film are never questioned. Pepper is a fine scene partner with great moments of badassery and dry wit but it is Scodelario who commands the film from the first frame to the last. Adaptation and escalation are what drives the tension and horror forward in Crawl and the same applies for Scodelario's performance as Haley's character faces every new obstacle with an empathetic mix of bravery and fear. She makes mistakes, let's dread question her decision making but doesn't give up, facing every injury and setback with more bravery than most of us would have if trapped in a basement with an alligator. Haley and her father are characters that have no problem gaining the support of the audience but with only the two of them there, establishing the alligators as a real prominent threat presents a challenge for Alexandre Aja.
The alligators of Crawl are possible through computer-generated imagery which isn't entirely distracting but noticeable in few places. Aja wisely uses the lighting and environment to hide imperfections but when they need to deliver the terror they do not disappoint. With only two main characters, however, establishing the might and skill of these predators needs to go beyond just biting and scratching the characters every once and a while. The minor supporting cast serves as those examples creating amazing sequences of trepidation as visual markers from the first act lead to frightful payoffs, Crawl is not afraid to show how vicious an alligator can be. Which makes one character of the film the most anxiety-inducing element of the whole experience, Haley's dog Sugar. An adorable fluffy black dog who accompanies Haley on the search for her father and appears every once in a while as a reminder of what could be the next victim of this peril. The restlessness from watching Scodelario and Pepper trying to survive close encounters with their reptilian adversaries is just cranked up to eleven when the whimpering of Sugar can be heard above the floorboards or by the basement entrance.
Visually engaging and a surefire crowd-pleasing thrill fest, Crawl does everything it sets out to with expert efficiency. A solid script exalted by impeccable direction, the simple story of Haley and her father forms a solid structure for wanton alligator terror. Aja's pacing of the mounting dangers and obstacles is extremely well executed and even when the third act descends into full-blown disaster horror action, it feels earned and in service of the characters. Crawl spends its whole runtime building panic and adrenaline within its viewers and lets it out all at the right moments for maximum enjoyment. It's a thoroughly entertaining piece of cinema with a marvellous original premise but executed with the style and class of its genre predecessors. A standout role from Kaya Scodelario and direction from Alexandre Aja makes Crawl an instant summer horror classic.
Director: #AlexandreAja
Cast: #KayaScodelario, #BarryPepper
Release Date: August 23rd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Images and Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database
Comments