Crawl is a modestly budgeted creature horror film resembling Bait more than Jaws—though it's set against the backdrop of a severe hurricane, adding another layer of peril for the characters. Is Crawl so bad it’s entertaining, or simply unwatchable? Read on to find out. The story unfolds in Florida during a category 5 hurricane and centers around Haley and her father Dave, portrayed by Barry Pepper. After receiving an urgent call from her sister, Haley sets off to locate her father who is trapped inside their family home as the storm approaches. Unbeknownst to Haley, floodwaters have allowed alligators into the basement, making her rescue mission considerably more dangerous. The threat isn't just from the alligators; rising waters also pose a deadly risk. I may not be an expert on alligators or hurricanes, but I consider myself reasonably logical—a quality noticeably absent in many of the characters’ actions within this film, even the dog's. A series of unfortunate events conspire to make the rescue seem almost impossible, and the lack of logic displayed by the characters only frustrates viewers. I struggle to understand why Haley or Dave never attempted to break through the easily damaged brickwork in the basement wall to escape—a simple effort would likely have sufficed. Considering tools were available, including a shovel later used to inflict a partial decapitation on an alligator, this decision seems baffling. I realize that these open brick patterns serve to flood the basement, but it's the first thing anyone would try to break through in reality. Had they done so, the film might have been very short; however, then the writers could’ve devised more challenging and perilous situations for Haley and Dave. It feels like a missed opportunity. The alligators trapped with Haley and Dave don't appear particularly aggressive—or perhaps their skin is unusually tough. While I am not an alligator expert, it seems improbable that they would only inflict minor bite marks if they managed to get their mouths around an arm. We do know these gators are capable of killing, as one consumes the police officer who comes to rescue them. Continuing on my theme of lacking expertise in alligators—I’m unsure whether they kill for sport or out of hunger, a question this movie doesn't answer. Also, it was surprising for an American film – over an hour passed before we saw the first gun. That has to be some kind of record for an American horror thriller. Despite its flaws, Crawl offers several genuinely funny moments that help lighten the tone. I appreciated Haley’s clever trap involving one of the alligators in the shower—a ridiculous yet amusing scenario where a flimsy piece of glass manages to restrain a predatory reptile. The reference to The Purge movies, with the siren sounding as the eye of the storm passed, was also noteworthy; it felt like both a warning to humans and an invitation for the gators to begin their hunt. If you approach Crawl understanding that it’s not intended to be taken seriously, then it's an enjoyable experience with only brief moments of genuine scares or gore. For a film about alligators hunting humans, it is surprisingly mild in its depiction of violence—likely due to the movie being geared toward a teenage audience. Ultimately, this is the problem for someone like me watching it: It’s not aimed at my demographic, and perhaps not even yours. It's a forgettable popcorn film similar to Bait, but lacking that film’s gore.

Source on TMDB