Rogue Review
by Sean Lynch
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Let’s not beat around the bush, Australian films are
generally pretty abysmal. And what do you expect when there’s only 8-10
made a year (all with budgets that equate to the catering costs on Rush
Hour 3).
The law of averages alone tells us that with such little out
put, we will be lucky to have one that’s any good (just think of how
many good Hollywood flicks there are compared to the output of films
made there).
Wolf Creek, from Aussie director Greg McLean, was
one of the lucky ones. He made one of the few good Aussie flicks. It
was fresh, it was confronting – and unlike most slasher flicks of the
past – it was unpredictably spooky.
So it comes as somewhat of a
surprise to find that his follow up (the guy was essentially given the
keys to the city when it came to project choice by the Weinstein
Brothers) is rather predictable and - dangerously safe.
The
flick's set up is pretty straight forward: an idyllic wildlife cruise
in Australia's Northern Territory disintegrates into terror when a
party of tourists are stalked by a massive man-eating crocodile. Simple, easy - cue the blood fest!
Quite obviously referencing Jaws (McLean pointed out recently that even the poster to Rogue
is an homage to the Spielberg classic), the major problem here lies in
the severe lack of imagination. While it sticks closely to the rules of
the genre, there just isn't enough of the 'Whats going to Happen Next'
factor. Wolf Creek left you with a sense of impending doom...you just didn't know how or when John Jarrett's character was going to strike. With Rogue,
you are essentially just waiting for it to play out with the slight hope that
perhaps it might build to something. But even the final confrontation
between man and beast is somewhat of a let down.
The thing is, there is nothing terribly wrong with Rogue.
The cast is great (Rahda Mitchell gets cuter every time I see her,
while Vartan oozes cool - sadly, he's a somewhat under rated US
performer), the film looks pretty good (especially for an Aussie flick)
and the CGI croc is quite possibly the best and most realistic reptile
yet put on the silver screen. It's just that, at the same time, there's
nothing quite outstanding about Rogue either.
There
is nothing wrong with working within a well worn genre. There are
a countless number of horror flicks released each year which tread
similar water - and more often than not - they deliver some unexpected
surprises in the form of an inventive 'kill' or clever setup. Sadly, Rogue possesses none of this.
It's by no
means the worst film you see this year (admittedley, I may have been
somewhat over critical - if only because I don't want to see an
Aussie film maker throw away a good rare opportunity), but it certainly
isn't what it could have been.
Sadly, this croc just doesn't have enough bite.
2.5 out
of 5 Rogue
Australian release: 8th November,
2007
Cast: Michael Vartan, Radha Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Celia Ireland
Director: Greg McLean
Website: Click
here.
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