Rogue [DVD]

This film took me back a few years.Usually nowadays decently acted and directed creature films are of the reality ilk ("The Reef", "Open Water", "Cloverfield"): there is little story, it is more about the reality and putting audiences in the situation. That is no bad thing as it brings new tension to the genre; however, it is nice to watch a good creature flick that favours story telling and character development. "Rogue" is just this: a good old-fashioned monster movie given a bright, new modern lick of paint.The setting is the backwaters of Australia (think the crocodile rivers in "Crocodile Dundee") and an American magazine writer (Michael Varton) goes on a touristy boat trip (led by "Silent Hill"'s Radha Mitchell) where camera-happy foreigners get to snap photos of the crocs in their natural envoironment. It soon goes wrong, though: after encountering a pair of local bad-boy rednecks (Sam Worthington and friend), the party see a distress signal and go into forbidden waters. Here they become stranded on a small island and must face the dual problem of a giant man-eating croc and the tidal river rising to cover the island.Given that this film was directed by Greg McLean (the man who directed "Wolf Creek") I was surprised by the shift from reality (documentary-style) backpacking film to a more classic storytelling approach. It really works well and (in similar fashion to the creature movies of old) you get to see the beast gradually. The effects are stunning and totally realistic and the sense of scale of the croc is impressively given even more authenticity through the excellent sound work (it's snapping, chomping jaws and heavy tail smashing into the water).It's obviously not as good as "Jaws", but then most films (of any genre) aren't. It is right up there in the second-tier of monster movies, though, and if you are a fan of this sort of film then this is an essential purchase. The acting is quality, the setting and tension atmospheric and the effects realistic. I end up sending many of the horror films I buy to the charity shop, but this one will be watched again. Enjoy.

I actually think this is a 3.5-4 star film. I love 'creature features' and this is one of the best. But, I've given this blu-ray a five star rating because the picture and sound quality elevate it so far beyond the DVD and film alone.This is a visually stunning film anyway, with director Greg McLean lingering lovingly on the sweeping shots of the Australian outback - and, having been there myself I can say he really does it justice! Once the action starts the film shifts to a lot of night scenes; and even then the picture quality excells. All in all, this is one of the best blu-rays I have seen. 10/10 for picture quality.Then we get the sound: a ground-shaking, wall-vibrating DTS HD-Master 5.1 track that really utilises my speaker setup.The extras look the same as the UK DVD edition.I get really annoyed reading blu-ray reviews that don't bother saying anything about the picture and sound, and in all my reviews I aim to give the reader information that is actually useful rather than just my opinion of the film.Finally, then, if you like the film (read other reviews for detailed plot information) then this is a definite no-risk upgrade to blu-ray.

There are a lot of creature features out there...sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even dinosaurs, but in my eyes the very first Jaws film remains the yardstick that they are all judged against, with most found seriously wanting. However, Rogue is something completely different. Yes, it’s a crocodile film, but it is far more than that...a top rate cast with Radha Mitchell, one of my favourite actresses, a well paced, well written story that gives each of the charachters time to make an impact and a feeing of tension that ratchets up until you are literally on the edge of your seat. Wholly believable, the CGI and animatronics are well used and well integrated and unlike many of its ilk the film doesn’t just descend into a gore fest.Mention should also be made of the other charachter in the film - the simply stunning landscapes of Australia’s Northern Territory. The photography is truly wonderful and I half expected David Attenborough to make an appearance!All in all, highly recommended...perhaps the best film I have watched this year.

After seeing and being horrified by Wolf Creek, I decided to buy this item to see what the director could do with a nasty crocodile. The story begins with a American (Michael Vartan) arriving at Austrlia for a trip, he joins with other people on a boat to see the crocodiles led by Kate (Radha Mitchell). After being interputed by supposely her ex-boyfriend Neil (Sam Worthington), they soon go into waters they shouldn't go in and find themselves chased by one of the nasty crocs. They must fight for surrival as the island they are now trapped in is a dangerous place with rising water and getting dark. Who will live during this terrifiying time? I thought it was going to be a jumpy film, had to mute one scene but other than that I didn't scream like a usual horror film would. It had a good start, gripping moments but with a stupid ending that really annoyed me. Like why kill off five people out of the whole cast, leaving two main stars and many other surrivours? I thought croc films are there to get each one, leaving maybe one or two people that are going to get together in the end. Also when one of the characters went in the film, it lost the whole fun thing in this. Spolier aleart for this, why did it have to get the dog? Come on! So in all, it's a good film to watch with some good extras and okay pefomances from Vartan, Mitchell and Worthington but it had far too many annoying things to rise it higher than three stars.