Blu-ray Review – Crocodile

We all know the story. In 1975, "Jaws" was released, becoming a box office sensation, thrilling summer audiences with spills and chills, rich characterization, and a premise virtually guaranteeing a thrill ride at the theater. The movie helped to change the way Hollywood did business, and it introduced the world to the directorial mastery of Steven Spielberg. The classic's legacy carries on to this day, with rereleases common and merchandise plentiful, giving generational lift to the endeavor, which has been a popular, in-demand feature for nearly 50 years. Global film industries took notice, and they quickly began work on knockoffs, desperate to sweep up the coins Universal Pictures left behind when dealing with the unexpected explosion of "Jaws"-mania. 1979's "Crocodile" (a.k.a. "Crocodile Fangs") is a Korean-Thai production hoping to bring monster-from-the- deep energy to the screen once again, this time using a giant reptile juiced up on atomic radiation to bring horror to fishing communities. "Crocodile" has more in common with "Godzilla," but finding a specific moviemaking approach to this absolute mess of a picture is the real viewing challenge here, with the effort sloppily stitching together vague story ideas and not-really-special effects with hopes that something resembling a coherent product will materialize in the end. It doesn't. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com