It is Time for Lake Placid vs. Anaconda to Go Jump in a Lake: A Film Review

*full disclosure: a DVD screener of this film was provided by Sony Pictures.

Director: A.B. Stone.

Writers: Berkeley Anderson.

Cast: Corin Nemec, Yancy Butler, Stephen Billington and Skye Lourie.

Special effects can create remarkable environments, like those seen in Bladerunner (1982). Special effects can also create artificiality, if they are the focus of the film. Unfortunately, Lake Placid vs. Anaconda casts several of its creatures in the digital realm; the result rings very false. The film's reality is further hampered by the overuse of ADR. Many minor characters have entire strings of dialogue dubbed. And, the production company, UFO Films, continues with its long series of blunders with this kitschy film. Lake Placid vs. Anaconda should be hung out to dry.

The film's plot is a real mess. Into the fourth sequel, a corporate executive wants to capture a genetically mutated snake, so that she can alter it even more. Meanwhile, a town is under siege, after an enclosure is demolished. Giant snakes and crocodiles are eating their way through an all-you-can-eat sorority sister buffet. But, a father, Tull (Corin Nemec), wants to save one of the sorority's pledges, his daughter. All of the minor characters are just food for the dog bowl, while many of the central characters struggle to find a believable motivation. Quality filmmaking this is not.

A blood-splattering sequence creates a laugh, maybe two.

All of the animal antagonists are CGIed, or a fake rubber tale will streak across the screen; they appear very unreal and very unthreatening. It must be difficult for the actors to express so much terror, with nothing to feel terrified about. Mouths gape, eyes widen and really there is nothing for the actual viewer to fear. The giant crocodiles stand out, separately, from their environment. They look superimposed on the background. Even interactions between the characters and the creatures look faux. For instance, one of the Delta Phi Beta sisters finally manages to find her car keys, in a chase sequence. She runs over a crock and the result is a digital blood splatter. It looks ridiculous and so do many of the film's scenes.

Film has been around for a long time and so has dubbing; this is not a good thing. UFO Films is a production house in Bulgaria. They have co-produced many films, including: Lake Placid 2, Super Eruption and dozens of others. Still, they have not been able to avoid the overuse of ADR (Automatic Dialog Replacement). In this outing, a duo of wakeboarders trying to charm some girls, with their jumps and turns. Their mouths move and it appears as if someone else is talking. In this same scene, the actors appear to be mouthing the appropriate English words, but the post-production recordings do not match well with what is happening onscreen. Lake Placid vs. Anaconda completely fails to create any sense of a believable film reality.

SyFy launched this film earlier in the year, on their speciality channel. Now, the film is getting a second launch on DVD, but you will not be missing anything. A series of films that has included appearances by Bette White, Bridget Fonda and Brendan Gleeson has completely gone off the deep end. Though, the film offers some great eye candy. But, even b-movie director Jim Wynorski (Chopping Mall, 1986) said: "breasts are the cheapest special effect in our business." And, almost everything in Lake Placid vs. Anaconda appears or has been produced cheaply. This will be this reviewer's last trip to the film world's most crocodile infested lake.

Overall: 5.25 out of 10 (the film does not create a consistent horror or comedic tone).

Recommended release: Lake Placid at Amazon


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