Rogue

Before i saw this movie i said to myself probably it will be like any other crocks movie which most of them were pretty obvious and not really suspenseful and the acting were mostly bad . In most of them the crock didn't look real and the size was not realistic enough. In this movie it looked really fine and they did a good job to show the crock only when it was the right time and by that they made it more realistic and interesting.This movie caught me by surprise, it was a quite suspenseful movie with good build up and acting and the end was quite good. I recommend to watch it, i'm sure you will enjoy. I'm giving this movie 8 out of 10.

Greg McLean is looking to be someone to watch out for. After scaring audiences witless with his Aussie outback shocker "Wolf Creek" and hurting the Australian Tourism Board immensely his back at it again. However, this time he replaces a serial killer with a 7 metre saltwater crocodile who's hungry for humans and luckily a boat full of them arrives at his doorstep.

McLean doesn't waste time with a huge story, it is very basic and to the point. Pete McKell is an American travel writer who travels the world and writes about the places he visits. He is sent to the Northern Territory to go on a river cruise which is lead by Kate Ryan (Radha Mitchell). On board there are plenty of other tourists waiting to become bait.

The movie starts off with some beautiful scenes of Australian outback, they are absolutely stunning. When the action starts, though, it never lets up. For the rest of the movie I was on the edge of my seat, McLean really knows how to racket up the tension. It helps that the river is murky and we don't see too much of our monster until the end. And when we do see our crocodile friend it is amazing. Part CG and part animatronics, the crocodile looks very good and very menacing.

The acting is good all round, although the characters aren't hugely deep, the actors do a good job of making us love them or hate them. Particularly good is John Jarret (of Wolf Creek fame) and Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill).

For those that like blood and gore you won't be too disappointed, there is some and it's nice and bloody when it comes.

3½/5

I saw Rogue this morning at a preview screening in Melbourne, I've been looking forward to this film for some time. I don't want to say that it was a disappointment as it is a solid effort. There is nothing that stands out as something I think should have been done differently.

Some wandering British and American accents from the mostly Australian cast can be forgiven.

The obvious difference between the locations in the Northern Territory and those in Victoria caused a brief chuckle (mainly because director Greg McLean introduced the film and commented that he hoped the transition would be seamless), though this may go unnoticed by foreign (non-Australian) audiences.

Visual effects were highly competent, I doubt that the average cinema-goer will pick the matte paintings or have an issues with the CG croc.

The main issue I have is that the film lacks the suspense and excitement of a truly great monster/horror film. Due to the nature of the material this will have to be compared to Jaws and Rogue will inevitably suffer. A fairer comparison has to be Lake Placid, and in that scenario Rogue also comes off second best. Rogue lacks the suspense and the humour of the American monster Croc effort.

This follow up to Wolf Creek was written long before the surprise Aussie hit, Rogue has the hallmarks of a first feature script, hitting all of the genre conventions without ever attaining any moments of originality.

If you enjoy this kind of monster movie (and I do) you'll find it a decent way to spend a couple of hours, you won't be missing much if you see it on DVD. Apart from Radha Mitchell looking great in khaki shorts, and believably playing a 28 yr old, though she has to be at least 35.

Nice job over all, good job, not great but good.

Rogue is co-produced, written and directed by Greg Mclean (Wolf Creek). It stars Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Sam Worthington & John Jarratt. The film is inspired by the true story of "Sweetheart", a giant Australian crocodile that terrorised boats in a 5 year period between 1974 & 1979. Plot sees travel journalist Pete McKell (Vartan) in the Northern Territory of Australia finishing off his latest feature. With time to kill he joins a river boat cruise led by spunky local lass Kate Ryan (Mitchell). So along with assorted other tourists, they set off up river. Where after a tricky encounter with a couple of local nuisances, one of the tourists spies a distress flare further up stream, then another, and another. As captain of the boat, Kate is duty bound to respond to aid anyone who may be in distress on the waters. However, this means straying into "sacred waters" and before they know it, they are in the middle of the hunting ground of a gigantic crocodile. Who promptly attacks the boat and forces the group onto the nearest mini island, an island that is in tidal waters….and the tide is coming in………

Upon viewing Rouge it would seem that it may be one of the most unfortunate horror releases of the last ten years. It barely got a theatrical release outside of its own country (practically one week in selected cinemas in America & Europe), and it came out at a time when killer–croc movies were appearing almost every other month; Primeval, Black Water and Lake Placid 2 (good grief) all "surfaced" (hrr hrr hrr) during 2007 to take a "chomp" (ok I'll stop now) at the movie watching public. This following on from the sub-genre of aquatic reptile horror movies already being well served by Steve Miner's Lake Placid (1999) & Lewis Teague's Alligator (1980), both of which have huge fan bases. It's all relevant because Rogue happens to be the best of the bunch, a snappy (sorry, couldn't resist), scary, fun and slickly-produced Aussie movie. It's sickening that reams of sub-standard horror remakes get wide distribution whilst something like this, that deserves the chance at least, can't. The Weinstein Bothers should be ashamed of themselves for the treatment of Mclean's film.

Straight away we should make clear that, as its certification suggests, Rouge is not particularly bloody. Those in need of sequence after sequence of a crocodile tearing humans limb from limb need not seek this film out. While it is in no way able to live with Lake Placid in terms of being "intentionally" humorous, thus comedy seekers should approach with caution. What Rogue offers is a movie that's tightly structured and paced to precision, packed with suspense and affording its characters some time to actually impact on the story. The first half hour is technically sublime, as we get to know the various folk on board the boat, we are treated to gorgeous cinematography from Will Gibson (location the estuaries of the Northern Territory), accompanied by one of the most pleasingly orchestral scores ever laid down for a creature feature, courtesy of François Tetaz (the nods to Jaws are just fine). All of this of course serves to offer up the calm before the inevitable storm; from where Mclean then follows the marker set by Jaws by not giving us sight of the croc. It's the ultimate tease until the attacks start, but even then its mostly suggestion, the tension mounts as we couple it with our own imagination.

What unfolds from here is a series of set pieces as our stranded group try to avoid becoming crocodile lunch. Here normally a film of this ilk shows dumb people doing dumb things, but Mclean shows respect to the genre and its fans by having some of these folk do silly, yet understandable, things, thus the scares are elicited by way of believable reactions. And of course the situation brings out the best and worst from most of them; peril has a funny way of doing that to a human being. Also of note here is that Mclean doesn't make the croc a monster, this is merely a hungry animal protecting its territory. A quick piece of dialogue earlier in the story had pointed to hunters possibly being the ones who fired the distress flares, as croc goes about his snarly way, it doesn't hurt to remember this moment. The cast all give credible performances, notably the handsome hero in waiting Vartan, Mitchell (whose becoming the screen queen darling these days) & Jarratt, who shows us a different string to his acting bow than the one he played as loony Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek.

The movie has its flaws, but they are few. The croc on appearance will irk some people, tis true that Mclean could have done better there. While one WTF turn of events loses its impact as the director isn't as bold to follow thru like he did in Wolf Creek. But they are forgivable. For as we find ourselves holding our breaths during the creepy and practically silent finale, that culminates in a fine B movie bit of outrageousness, we realise that above all else it's been the suspense and ominous foreboding that made this one damn effective thriller. Mclean appears to be holding a grudge against his native country, his two films thus far hardly enticing the tourists to explore the gorgeous lands of Australia. What ever his means or motivation, long may it continue if he keeps producing films like this. Lets hope that his next project is not as ignored as this one was. Because for sure there is a very good director here and it would be tragic should a talent be burned by how his movie was handled and decided to take a step back from directing.

Evocative beauty blends with B movie thrills for a devilishly great time. 8/10

This movie was very good. The pacing is fantastic and all the characters are likable. The death scenes are very graphic and gory! For those who just love to see Horror movies for just the gore, there's more to it than that. You don't know what will happen next. It's like a thriller mixed with Horror. It's a lot like Jaws and Lake Placid. The effects done on the crocodile are brilliant. It was absolutely fake, but it looked very real. Effects aren't usually that good in Australian movies, but the effects in this one are brilliant! I just wish the Crocodile killed more people, but apart from that, it's great! If you loved Wolf Creek or Jaws you'll love this! I give this movie an 8/10!