Runtime: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for bloody creature violence and brief language)
Who should see it? Adult fans of intense thrillers.
Directed by Alexandre Aja and featuring a screenplay from Michael and Shawn Rasmussen, Crawl is this summer's original creature-feature. It's effectively Sharknado but taken seriously with the plausible Floridian combination of hurricanes and alligators. The situational pairing of these ferocious beasts and unforgiving weather conditions is terrifying in-of-itself. However, Aja elevates that intensity by trapping his protagonists in a claustrophobic crawl space. As the father and daughter nearly escape one predicament, another obstacle emerges in their path. Rinse-and-repeat. Yet these circumstances remain tense and gripping throughout the film in spite of their seemingly repetitive function.
Viewers will witness these characters narrowly cheat death on numerous occasions, which some audience members may call into question, but their survival never feels guaranteed. The odds are stacked against the family as they endure harsh hardships amidst the storm. An atmospheric paranoia pervades due to the troublesome surroundings. Fantastic effects work regarding weather and gators further accentuate this feeling of unease in addition to Max Aruj and Steffen Thum's heart-pounding score. However, I'd say Crawl's greatest strengths are its simplicity and efficiency.
Many of this summer's movies became bogged down in attempting to accomplish too much. Crawl had one goal in mind, pit humans against nature, and show them struggle to survive. Aja delivers just that in a well-paced sequence of escalating events. Tension is ever-present and continuously building, as the obstacles are more insurmountable by the second. The water's rising and the gators are hungry, so time is of the essence and a sense of urgency lingers throughout the film's 87-minute runtime. The intensity of Crawl's lead performances lends further credence to it all.
Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper demonstrate immense range as their characters authenticate the severity of their situation and fractured relationship as father and daughter. The ill-timed heart-to-heart conversations and painful suffering Haley and her father endure are equally convincing on account of Scodelario and Pepper. They spout cheesy dialogue that may leave you rolling your eyes, but they speak with such gusto you can't resist admiring their spirit!
In a summer jam-packed with sequels and remakes, Crawl is a refreshing change of pace as something not associated with a pre-existing franchise. It's genuinely a smaller-scale, suspenseful popcorn flick worth sinking your teeth into!
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