Review of Lake Placid 3 (2010) by Patrick E — 01 Nov 2010

If ever there was a series that didn't deserve another entry it's the Lake Placid series after the atrocious second entry which was an ultra cheap attempt at cashing in on the originals good name 8 years after the fact. I was amazed that a third entry was given the green light and even more amazed when it turned out to be an entertaining film.

The plot is identical to that of the second entry except that instead of an old woman feeding the crocs, it's the son of the old woman's nephew who decides to feed them until they grow to twice the size of the biggest croc ever recorded. Four college students who are out on the lake camping quickly become croc fodder, a couple of hunters, a poacher and another college student are also targeted as are the sheriff and the feeding boy's family. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how Lake Placid 3 plays out.

Yes the effects still look like they were rendered on a Commodore 64, the acting is mostly terrible, the dialogue laughable and the plot ridiculous but it still somehow manages to provide some silly entertainment. Perhaps it was my rock bottom expectations but there were some nice kills, some good tense scenes, better characters and Michael Ironside which all added up to a good time. The croc action gets underway early and the pace never lets up allowing the film to zip along and always hold your attention. The action is quite good and the climax is done well but of course it's all set up for a fourth entry in the series.

Lake Placid 3 is surprisingly entertaining and is a huge improvement on the terrible second entry. If you watch it with low expectations and an understanding of what the film will be like then you will most likely come away entertained.