Review of Lake Placid (1999) by Jason J — 05 Aug 2011

Campy monster-movie fast-food that pokes fun at itself. Absolutely devoid of any message, but chock full of absurd parody. Great character development; and all of the characters are over the top except maybe Bill Pullman's, whose routine nice guy persona balances with the nuts. It's a toss-up who has the most joke lines or who delivers them with the most punch; as they reel off sarcasm at the speed of a machine gun. You can almost see the actors winking at the audience, and they obviously had fun making this. The only complaint to note is that once in a while the endless arguing may wear you out.

The story, which utilizes subtle references to big creature movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws, actually manages to go somewhere. There are a few clever surprises, and the closing scene is rather unique.

Using your brain will not be necessary in the course of watching this movie. Just settle down with some beers and get ready for some good comic idiocy.