Lake Placid

A passable yet unspectacular horror effort, Lake Placid follows several characters, including Bill Pullman’s Jack Wells, Bridget Fonda’s Kelly Scott, and Oliver Platt’s Hector Cyr, as they converge on the title locale after a man is eaten alive by an oversized crocodile. Director Steve Miner has infused Lake Placid with a surprisingly low-key vibe that’s reflected in David E. Kelley’s expectedly talk-centric screenplay, with the uniformly likeable performances generally ensuring that the uneventful atmosphere isn’t quite as problematic as one might’ve feared. There’s little doubt, however, that Kelley’s reliance on snarky, overly snappy instances of dialogue ultimately perpetuates the film’s pervasively lightweight feel, as the screenwriter’s sitcom-like sensibilities diminish the strength of the film’s few horror and suspense-related moments (although, to be fair, there is admittedly one tense interlude in which Platt’s character faces off against the killer croc). The end result is a watchable piece of work that benefits substantially from the charisma of its stars, although this is undoubtedly one of those movies that begins to evaporate from one’s memory minutes after it ends.

**1/2 out of ****