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Rogue [2008] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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Well, they wanted to see a crocodile in its native environment, didn't they?
Review date: 2008-08-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

Needless to say, after having watched Black Water and now Rogue (very different - and very good - movies from the land Down Under) on consecutive days, I will not be planning any vacation in Australia's Northern Territory any time soon. Frankly, I don't understand why so many people who have no business wandering into "the wild" seem to enjoy taking wilderness cruises and seeing some of nature's most efficient killers for themselves. I learned all l need to know about crocodiles from Steve Irwin. Of course, the characters in this movie thought they were safe in their little tour boat, but I wouldn't trust the freakin' Love Boat in croc-infested waters - not salties, at any rate. Now I don't think Rogue is as intense or impressive as Black Water, but it definitely deserves to be seen by horror fans; unfortunately, thanks to the obviously ineffectual Weinstein Company, the film had a delayed and generally all screwed up North American release (originally opening in ten - count `em, ten - theatres), making this a film that American audiences will have to find on their own. That's unfortunate.

I do have problems with the title of this movie, as it tends to put the croc in a negative light. Sure, he's at least eighteen feet and a couple of tons of ferocious, man-eating monster, but it's not like he went out of his way to attack these people. They came into his territory (having deviated from their course in response to an emergency flare), and the croc is really just defending what's his. I'm not saying he wasn't aggressive, turning their boat over and all, but it's not like he went off on his own in search of human flesh miles away from home. In other words, he's not a rogue at all. In practical terms, he's not even a real crocodile, but rather a combination of animatronics and CGI for the most part. The effects are really well done (with the crocodile movements based on real world examples) and include a few good death rolls; you can't really tell the bugger's not real until the film's concluding scenes.

So, you have this group of tourists and their cute tour guide Kate (Radha Mitchell, who supposedly had an accent coach, even though she's Australian to begin with) trapped on this little island in the middle of a mango swamp. Their boat started taking on water when the croc almost flipped it, and then it sort of crashed onto land, so nobody's going anywhere in the boat. But wait - it gets worse. Evening isn't too far away, and the tide is going to completely cover that little island when it rolls in. They have to do something if they're going to survive. I think we can all learn some important survival tips from what follows. First off, don't be a hero; you don't want to just jump in the water and try to swim across like an idiot. Wait around because someone will come up with an idea - one that might actually work. Now this next lesson is really important - appoint a little committee to take out whoever turns out to be Mr. Stupidity because he is a huge danger to the success of said plan. Throw this guy to the wolves (or croc, as the case may be) if necessary. Finally, make you some sharp sticks. Nobody even thinks of this, but that's the first thing I'd be doing. It may not save your life, but you can at least try to poke the monster's eye out instead of just sitting there like a dead duck if he comes your way.

The film loses a little credibility at the end, and characterization is a bit of an issue for me, but Rogue is still a thrilling film to watch. Why its production company basically chose to dump it out there in North America without any promotion at all is a mystery to me - apparently, they don't like pleasing their audience or making any money.

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Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Radha Mitchell
Sam Worthington
Caroline Brazier
Stephen Curry
Michael Vartan

Creators:
Michael Vartan (Primary Contributor)
Radha Mitchell (Primary Contributor)
Will Gibson (Cinematographer)
Greg Mclean (Producer)
Greg Mclean (Writer)
Bob Weinstein (Producer)
David Lightfoot (Producer)
Harvey Weinstein (Producer)
Matt Hearn (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Weinstein Company
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
EAN: 0796019802574
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Closed-captioned, Colour, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2008-08-05
Universal product code (UPC): 796019802574
Region code: 1
Running time: 99 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2008
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)

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