Crawl

“CRAWL HITS HARD FAST AND NEVER LETS UP.” As a category 5 hurricane tears through Florida, Haley (KAYA SCODELARIO) rushes to find her father, who in injured and trapped in the crawl space of their home. With the storm intensifying and water levels rising, the pair face an even bigger threat lurking below the surface. Producer SAM RAIMI (EVIL DEAD) and Director ALEXANDRE AJA (THE HILLS HAVE EYES) deliver an “ACTION-PACKED THRILL RIDE WITH A NASTY BITE.”

Alexandre Aja has a short but impressive filmography in his career. High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, which surprisingly I enjoy quite a bit more than the original, Horns, and several others. He’s a filmmaker that sticks close to his genre in the types of films he makes, and Crawl is no different. It’s been awhile since I’d seen a good ‘Monster in the House’ story, and this is the basic definition of the genre. Although it can be quite paint-by-numbers at times, Crawl still provides one hell of a thrill-ride that you won’t soon forget.

One of the most interesting things about Crawl is the threat that is two-fold to this father/daughter duo that ends up trapped in the crawlspace: the threat of the ferocious alligators that have taken up residence, and the impending storm that keeps getting worse and worse as the story unfolds. While one or the other would seem to make a perfectly good tension-filled film on their own, the resulting combination of both ensures that the audience isn’t given a break in the least as Haley and her father Dave (Barry Pepper) have to battle nature and beast as they’re subjected to some of the scariest situations you can think of. Alexandre Aja knows exactly how to illicit the most scares out of his scenes, that end up being wildly effective. I’m not one who is frightened of alligators or harsh weather in the least, but he effectively builds this tension so well that any small instance ends up resulting in bloody screams.

Kaya Scodelario isn’t someone who has been on my radar recently, until now. Although she’s been in some big films and series recently, her portrayal of Haley has very little time to develop, but she makes every second count as the audience is entranced by her presence, driving through the closed roads to try and rescue her father whom she has a strained relationship with. Though this film has a lot going on in it, the father/daughter relationship is the basic heart of the story that drives the narrative, really the only bit of story you get that’s entwined in a fight against alligators and hurricanes. Again, the story can be pretty basic, but it does have several poignant moments that work well against the imminent danger the two face. Barry Pepper has been in so many things over the years but never seems to get center stage in some of the larger films he’s in. In Crawl, Pepper has a very large on-screen presence, and I was happy to see him in this role.

You can only do so much with the creativity of alligator attacks, but Alexandre Aja makes sure to explore every way conceivable in order to thrill the audience with the horrific sequences that include them. Although these attacks obviously can’t be practical effects, the resulting makeup of wounds looks very good. The technical achievement of creating a film during a category 5 hurricane complete with large amounts of flooding of homes and neighborhoods is very impressive as well.

My only complaint of the film is really the lack of human story to go with the threats facing Haley and Dave. As I said, the father/daughter story has some very heartfelt moments, but there just seemed to be something else missing to give the audience a breather from all the tension. There are smatterings of B-Story moments with looters or the police showing up, but those have no real purpose but to show more carnage.

Video

Crawl is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.39:1. The film looks great in this high definition transfer. The majority of the film takes place in a crawlspace, but the darkness works nicely with the overall tone of the film. Color balance looks good, with a washed-out look that is noticeable outdoors especially, accentuating the flooding and rain aspect of the film.

Audio

The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. This track is perhaps my favorite part of the film. The score by Max Aruj and Steffen Thum is instantly memorable, really ramping up in some of the more action-heavy sequences. It’s visceral, haunting, a perfect accompaniment to the film. The balance of the track is done nicely, with the surrounds getting a particularly nice workout as atmospheric effects, wind, rain, all sound very nice. Despite the booming effects of thunder and the powerful score, the center channel still comes through clear with dialogue.

Special Features

The Blu-Ray contains some interesting extras that are worth watching if you enjoyed the film. These include:

• Intro to Alternate Opening
• Alternate Opening
• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• Beneath Crawl
• Category 5 Gators: The VFX of Crawl
• Alligator Attacks

Crawl isn’t a gamechanger of the genre and doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. However, the film takes a simple premise and turns it into a tension-filled journey that doesn’t let up until the epic final conclusion.