'Crawl' (2019) Review

Synopsis: A young woman, while attempting to save her father from a Category 5 hurricane, finds herself trapped in a flooding house and must fight for her life against alligators.

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!

Film Assessment: B

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Saving Private Ryan'

This week I'm reviewing Saving Private Ryan because this weekend's big release is Sully, another film starring Tom Hanks helmed by a well known director. Next week I will pick up where I left off on my Harry Potter reviews leading up to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with my thoughts on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The following week I will review The Magnificent Seven (1960) to tie in with the release of it's reboot The Magnificent Seven (2016). Till then you can expect reviews of Sully and Snowden, the number of reviews on new movies per week will dwindle for a while since it's September now.

'Saving Private Ryan' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director; Steven Spielberg, Best Actor; Tom Hanks, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Decoration, Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Score.
Won: Best Director; Steven Spielberg, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Sound Editing.

Saving Private Ryan is Steven Spielberg's foray into war films depicting the invasion on the beaches of Normandy and the 2nd Ranger Battalion's mission to rescue one soldier. I'll daresay it, Steven Spielberg is the best film directors of our time despite missteps like Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull or The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Spielberg wasn't afraid to accurately depict how gruesome war was with Saving Private Ryan, brilliantly executing large scale battle scenes with stakes, innovative camerawork, great practical effects, and most importantly an investment in character.

One of Saving Private Ryan's greatest triumphs is the screenplay's emphasis on character, the characters all feel like fully fleshed out human soldiers rather than plot devices or one note caricatures that can be found in many lousy scripts to this day. Robert Rodat's screenplay has memorable dialogue that is deeply rooted in character, everything that happens matters in some form or another. The film's visuals aren't always gorgeous, if you take into account the grotesque depiction of battle, but there are some incredible shots amidst the insanity. The film's sound is also quite the achievement, as I never felt I was watching fake gunfights, and John Williams composes yet another moving score.

Saving Private Ryan features a massive ensemble cast, and to discuss them all individually would be nightmare, but Tom Hanks' Captain Miller was a particular standout. Other great turns within the 2nd Ranger Battalion included Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Vin Diesel, Giovanni Ribisi, and Jeremy Davies. Matt Damon and Paul Giamatti also perform excellently in their militaristic roles as the gold-hearted Private Ryan and a snippy Sergeant Hill.

In summary, Saving Private Ryan is just about the perfect war film showcasing superior efforts in all areas, redefining the genre, and remains to be one of Spielberg's greatest films to date!

Film Assessment: A+