Crawl (2019) Review

"We won't be able to come for you."
-Governor



When her father (Barry Pepper) goes missing just before a hurricane hits, Haley Keller (Kara Scodelario) goes searching for him.  She finds him seriously injured in his crawlspace and both become trapped by alligators.  As the floodwaters start to rise and the storm becomes more powerful, Haley has to find a way to get her and her father out before they drown or get eaten by alligators.


What Works:

This type of movie is my absolute favorite type.  I love survival-horror movies where a small group of characters are trapped in a location and have to find a way to survive with the limited resources at their disposal.  It's 100% my favorite genre and on that level, Crawl does not disappoint.  It's pretty much just two characters trying different ways to survive.  It's pretty much exactly what I wanted.

The action sequences are pretty fun and exciting.  Some of them are spoiled in the trailer, but that doesn't stop them from being corny, fun, and intense.  There are some genuine thrills here and the film isn't afraid to let the characters get injured.  It adds some tension to an already intense film.

The pacing is absolutely excellent.  There is no filler whatsoever.  It's a to-the-point film that doesn't waste anyone's time.  We get enough story to get Haley where she needs to go and enough setup for some interesting payoffs.  It's an efficient film, which I always appreciate.

Finally, the gore is pretty spectacular.  For some reason I thought this movie was rated PG-13, so I wasn't expecting much for gore and boy was I mistaken.  We all come to see movies like this for the blood and we get plenty.


What Sucks:

Both Haley and her father, Dave, make some pretty dumb decisions, which is frustrating.  At one point, Haley sneaks out into the open to get her cell phone and instead of getting back to safety, she immediately makes a call only to be attacked by a gator.  These moments are frustrating because no rational person would have done that.  It's possible to make a creature-feature with people making smart decisions.  I will say that most of the time when the characters make stupid decisions, they at least get bit for their troubles.

Haley and Dave also choose the worst possible moments to talk about their family drama.  How about you focus on surviving these gators instead?  You can work through your issues at the hospital.

Finally, there are a few points where the CGI doesn't look great, but it's not the end of the world.


Verdict:

Crawl is a fun and exciting movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat even if some of the decisions the characters make are frustrating.  Plus we get some awesome gore!  This movie has definitely got it going on.

 7/10: Good 

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