The opening sequence in “Lake Placid” has a scuba diver swimming alone in a lake located in the outskirts of Maine. Meanwhile, Police Sheriff Hank Keough stays aboard in a miniature fishing boat awaiting the diver’s return. As the swimmer works his business underwater, scary music plays in the background. We then receive a false alarm jump scene in which a harmless animal pops out at him. After that, we know that something terrible is going to happen. It happens. Before the audience can determine what it is, however, the camera quickly cuts to Sheriff Hank as he sees red liquid in the water below him. The diver then surfaces, screaming, and is somehow able to escape the jaws of a large animal, and climb on board with the officer to safety–with his lower torso bitten off.
I’m sure you recognize this scene by now. Whether it be from one of the “Jaws” movies, “Alligator,” “Anaconda,” or even “Deep Blue Sea.” Though no matter how familiar these sequences become, there will always be a director, writer, or producer who wishes to reuse them. The fair of “Lake Placid” can be described by the first five minutes of the film; recycled, un-scary, and worst of all, it’s written to satisfy both lovers of comedy and horror. The film may work well in some areas, but never in the appropriate places for it to succeed.
The lake in the opening is inhabited by a 30 foot alligator, which is investigated by several important characters in the film. There is Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda), a specialist in this area who is depressed because her boyfriend left her, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), a local water and game warden, Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt), a somewhat mental scientist who believes alligators are godly, and Mrs. Delores Bickerman (Betty White), an innocent appearing elderly lady who may contribute more to the story than it seems. These characters team up for an odd ball comedy, and the alligator produces the horrific atmospheres for them to occupy.
Basically, “Lake Placid” is a character movie. It contains more of a thematic plot, which revolves around the gator, than a firm through line of events. It is unfortunate that the film’s character development in nearly nonexistent. The usually reliable Bill Pullman is wasted here, with his character being a stone cold, emotionally lacking, unneeded plot device without feeling or personality. The Pullman character is used to promote an interest free romantic subplot between him and Kelly. Although Fonda contains a slight introduction involving her motives for being, she in unable to shape the film’s desperation towards human passion. Oliver Platt’s character is also a victim of poor screen writing, developed with brief dialogue segments.
Some of the casting and a few of the performances are suitable for the film’s conduct. We have the potentially effective Bill Pullman who is anything but in this case, however. He spends most of his time performing with less depth than a cardboard box. Brendan Gleeson, Betty White, and Oliver Platt give their characters personalities for the others to clash with, supplying us with several engaging and colorful comic scenes. Bridget Fonda is also able to supply her character with meager glow and charm.
The alligator horror effects are normally short hearted and unfocused. There is too little emphasis on the characters to care about what happens to them. Thus we care even less about the conflicts regarding the alligator. When we do see the actual gator, at times, it looks quite frightening–but even then it is incapable of providing us with the appropriate tension required. The computer images are obvious, and turn out equal to the moderate quality of “Anaconda.”
At times, “Lake Placid” is so enormously unbelievable it is hard to understand why television writer David E. Kelley wasted his time with this messy, shapeless motion picture. There is a mid-point comic twist and a pathetic, inconclusive closing that really makes one wonder why the filmmakers didn’t play the material as straight horror rather than blending it with parody. After all, if you are a fan of horror, you probably won’t rush to the theater for comic amusement. And if you like comedy, are you really going to make a trip to the multiplex to see someone lose their head in crocodile jaws?
