Written by Diane Tillis
Lake Placid (1999) was a humorous film which played on our fears of animal attacks. It depicted a gigantic man-eating crocodile living in a lake near a rural town in Maine. The idea of crocodiles in Maine was a creative parallel to the alien-invasion scenario. The humans (park rangers, anthropologists, and wildlife experts) had to defeat the murderous alien (giant crocodile) before it destroyed the world (Maine). This concept continued in two direct-to-DVD films, Lake Placid 2 and Lake Placid 3.
Lake Placid 3 (Unrated) is ridiculous. The opening sequence sets the tone for the entire film: a naked couple having sex by the edge of the lake are pulled into the water and eaten alive by three gigantic crocodiles. Biologist Nathan Bickerman (Colin Ferguson) and his family live in the rural town close to the lake. He has a history with the crocodiles (see Lake Placid 2) and is more than aware of their presence. When dead animal carcasses are discovered near the lake, Nathan assumes the crocodiles are back. With the help of local ranger (Michael Ironside), Nathan searches the lake with a shotgun.
Meanwhile, feisty female hunting guide Reba (Yancy Butler) is hired to guide two hunting pals and a male college student through the Maine woodlands in search of elk. However, the male college student is searching for his girlfriend who is out in the woods with some friends on false pretenses. The group comes across mutilated human carcasses and assumes the worst. Of course, when Reba first sees the giant crocodile she wonders how she is going to mount its head on her wall!
If you have seen other ‘when giant man-eating animals attack’ films, then you can figure out the ending after the opening sequence. Keep in mind this is a direct-to-DVD film. Thus the acting is bad, the script is worse, and the CGI is ugly. The plus side would include humorous death scenes and several naked-college-girl scenes. Who doesn’t love to watch naked college girls get eaten alive by crocodiles?!
Video
The video is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The video is bright and clear, pretty good quality considering it is a direct-to-DVD film.
Audio
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The disc comes with several language choices for the dialog and subtitles. The audio is average quality, no noticeable problems.
Special Features
There are no special features on this disc.
Final Thoughts
You don’t rent this film because you want to watch the next Oscar contender. You watch it because it is going to be ridiculous and mind-numbing. This film is the typical B-horror film that you can watch on the SyFy channel when you are bored or need a good laugh.
