Review of Lake Placid: The Final Chapter

I highly enjoyed the first film, it was a lot of fun and I loved Betty White in it. I on the other hand hated the second film and while the third film was a step up I didn't think much of that either. Lake Placid: The Final Chapter is not as good as the first, but considering as I was prepared to hate it it was the best of the three movies following. The film by all means is not perfect, the film does start off rather slow with no signs of the crocodiles until about 35 minutes in. And while we are waiting we do have some sluggish pacing and two romances that in all honesty I was left indifferent to. Some of the effects on the crocodiles at times do look less than brilliant as well, but I have seen much worse. Problems aside, Lake Placid: The Final Chapter is actually one of SyFy's more tolerable movies of late. The crocodiles are actually quite menacing, and their attacks are very gory and nail-biting with lots of chopped off heads, ripped out limbs and tearing people to pieces. Not for the squeamish, but those who are looking for this as part of the entertainment will not be disappointed. The film does look decent too, with atmospheric scenery and the editing is already an improvement over most SyFy movies in terms of quality. The score is intense, and the script is surprisingly fun, the one-liners are witty and the exchanges are humorous. I also liked that some scenes were hilarious, the scene where a crocodile is beaten to death with a gun is very silly but not to the point that you are left frustrated. The story is more than decent too, it doesn't feel like a rehash, after the 35 minute mark it never gets dull, and while predictable in places it makes up for it in spirit and suspenseful atmosphere. The characters are clichéd in a way, the Sheriff character is one that I have seen one too many times, but actually are much more likable than the usual SyFy character. This is helped by the better-than-average acting, especially from Robert Englund and Yancy Butler. So overall, not a great movie but when it comes to SyFy Lake Placid: The Final Chapter even with its foibles is one of their better overall movies. 6/10 Bethany Cox