Channel: MovieNight

Category: Film & Animation

Tags: yancy butlercrocodilehollywoodlake placid vs. anacondalake placid vs. anaconda reviewsyfytrailercreature featuredvdimdb#jpmnreviewsci-fiactioncinemacriticismhorrorbox officemovie nightaligatorfilm reviewa.b. stonefilmrobert englundlake placidmovie reviewcroclake placid 5 reviewblockblusterblack lakejonathan paulahdblu-raylake placid 5commentary

Description: • Lake Placid Vs. Anaconda (2015) - Isn't satisfying as it ought to be - but it's still better than it needs to be, 3/10. WATCH full episodes of "Movie Night" -- bit.ly/JogJPMN READ my un-filmed reviews / scripts: bit.ly/JPMNNotFilmed FOLLOW me on Letterboxd to see what I'm watching / rating: bit.ly/JonLetterboxd ~~ Movie Night ~~ Your host, and film critic Jonathan Paula reviews everything from opening day releases, recent DVDs, upcoming trailers, and classics from years past. Each "Quick Review" is an excerpt from a full episode, which airs on the Jogwheel channel every week. ~~ Watch More Reviews ~~ Browse By Year ----- bit.ly/MNYear Browse By Rating --- bit.ly/MNRating Trailer Reviews ------- bit.ly/MNTrailers ~~ Other Channels ~~ Jogwheel (Main channel) --- bit.ly/Jogwheel Jon's World (2nd channel) -- bit.ly/JonWorld The Microwave Show --------- bit.ly/TMSArchive uStream Live Shows ---------- bit.ly/JogLive ~~ Social Media & Merch ~~ Twitter ---------------------------- bit.ly/JonTW Facebook ----------------------- bit.ly/JonFBFan Instagram ----------------------- bit.ly/JonInsta Patreon -------------------------- bit.ly/JonPatreon Letterboxd ---------------------- bit.ly/JonLetterboxd T-Shirts -------------------------- bit.ly/JogStore ~~ Credits ~~ Created by ------ Jonathan Paula Camera ---------- Panasonic HMC-150 Microphone ----- Sennheiser ME 66 Software --------- Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 Computer ------- bit.ly/JonPaulaPC • Jogwheel Productions © 2017 • ~~ Script ~~ So stupid, it actually works. This made-for-television horror-comedy was directed by A.B. Stone, and premiered in April of 2015 on the SyFy channel. The horror-comedy marks the fifth installment of two separate franchises that both should have stopped after the first. In this outing, a confluence of ridiculous developments result in biologically enhanced anacondas being unleashed upon the "Lake Placid" community, itself already ravaged by a decade of crocodile attacks. This time around Freddy Kruger has traded his claws for a hook - after his appendage-losing injury at the conclusion of the fourth film... which he apparently survived. Promoted to sheriff, Yancy Butler makes for a memorable protagonist - even if her acting range only goes from "resting-bitch-face" to "just smelled a fart". The sarcastic goth chick is easily the most convincing actor of the bunch, but her stereotypical character is still shallow and annoying. Meanwhile, the unrated version of the film drops any pretense as to why the sorority girls are included in the story. Make no mistake - despite being billed as a crossover - this really is just "Lake Placid 5"; borrowing that franchise's characters, story, and location. Besides a passing line of dialogue, there's literally no direct connection to "Anaconda" or any of its stupid sequels. With zero returning characters from the snake movies, this is a crossover in name only. And while I understand the structure of the title, it's no less stupid. How exactly does a body of water fight an amphibious creature that's native to itself anyway? That's like calling a film "Bird Vs. Sky", or "Dirt Against Squirrel". It's just so monumentally boneheaded. "Crococondas" would have been a more inspired choice. Much like it's "Lake Placid" predecessors, this film is below average, direct to video trash... but never unwatchably so. While the "Anaconda" movies got worse and worse, the "Lake Placid" series somehow remained consistently passable - a trend this 92-minute sequel follows. Like, when a fat slobbish hunter is mauled by dozens of tiny crocs, I actually thought to myself, "Okay, that was kind of cool". Generic bayou-style country tunes and tracks straight off one of those "ambient Halloween music CDs" populates the score. We return to the non descript wilderness of eastern Europe; filmed with a washed-out TV aesthetic that doesn't do the film any favors. Given the modest budget, I can get past the crappy CGI effects (which admittedly have improved somewhat) - but what I can't forgive is the hyper unfocused editing; which never allows us to really appreciate any shot before it quickly cuts away. Ultimately, even the titular snake on croc action is a disappointment. The few fights between the creatures we do see are unevenly matched, and end just as they're getting interesting. "Lake Placid vs. Anaconda" isn't satisfying as it ought to be - but it's still better than it needs to be. I thought it was LAME. ~