Lake Placid 2 (DVD)

If you're reading a review entitled "Lake Placid 2", then you're probably already amenable to a low-budget fright flick about a colossal crocodile and you've lowered your expectations accordingly.

This SciFi Channel original movie is now being released on DVD, with some added growls, gore and grue. The story starts with a snap when an awesomely oversized CGI lake lizard eats a fisherman one limb at a time.

The pole-wielder's freaked-out friend barely escapes, and quickly notifies the authorities. Those authorities being a pair of hot blondes —Sheriff Riley (John Schneider) and wildlife expert Emily-something (Sarah Lafleur) — and their posse (sheriff's son, the local crazy lady, a croc hunter, and so on). Also serving as cannon fodder are a group of kids (geeky dudes, surgically enhanced chicks) camping in the woods.

The script is actually pretty decent. There's some genuinely funny dialogue (unfortunately, it's not always delivered to par) and the lead actors are compelling enough to deflect the glaring pixelization of the mawed monster. Schneider treads water admirably enough in the TV-lite wading pool, while Cloris Leachman continues to delight as ever. She's simply a standout as the crusty Sadie Bickerman, the elderly tinkerer with nature's natural order — it is she who caused the crocs to grow, and as the gory story progresses, it's fun to watch her try and thwart our ostensible heroes from killing her "baby".

I did not see Lake Placid 2 when it originally aired (I had to wash my hair or do my homework, or something), but it's a pretty safe bet the bloodbath has had some splish-splash added for the DVD release. While it's quite fake-looking and there's little-to-no suspense leading up to it, the kill scenes are mighty gruesome and gristled. The gnashing gator definitely likes to take little bites, and he seems to be counting the calories in each one.

As for the extras, there are three bonus features (one for each attacking animal… oops. Did I spoil something? I doubt it), all of them mercifully short (clocking in at less than 15 minutes in total).

Sex, Guns, and Croc-n-Roll - B-roll set to cheesy metal music.

Surviving a Crocodile Attack - text, ala pop-up videos, using clips from the film.

Lake Placid 2: The Gnawed Up Version - in less than 10 minutes, you can see just the attack scenes and nudity.

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson