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Lake Placid
User Score
5.3 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10

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  1. PatC.
    Jun 3, 2004
    6
    The stock components of this movie are substandard in every way, but they are assembled into a terse skit that, in not having time to take itself seriously, is creative and quite entertaining. The central romantic interplay between Fonda & Pullman is d.o.a., but their awkward moments can be forgotten while cherishing the zingers that emerge without warning from the supporting cast. Betty White of Mary Tyler Moore fame, in her most saucy role to date, oddly enough seems finally in-character after decades languishing in TV sitcoms. She finds empowerment over any residual empty-nest regret by adopting creatures positioned squarely atop the local food chain. Brendan Gleeson as a steady but unsophisticatedly dry sheriff is definitely not your stereotype law enforcement officer, and pretty much single-handedly confirms the underlying comedy when the show teeters within an initially inept structure. He goes on to play off Oliver Platt?s character, an insensitive flake clueless about precisely everything Gleeson values. The film?s most gratifying tack is its borrowing of improbabilities from better films and exposing them as the totally ridiculous devices they are. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. GaborA.
    Aug 20, 2006
    6
    Even stupider than most creature features, but also way funnier at the same time. Sheer hilarious at times.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. MiguelB.
    Jun 4, 2007
    8
    More fun than horror, with lots of hilarious banter between main characters. Should not be taken seriously, of course, but definitely more enjoyable than most movies in this genre.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. WesleyE.
    Mar 15, 2006
    7
    It's by no means a good movie... but the actors (if you can call them that) do poke some slight fun ath the subject, and the Big Croc itself kicks ass.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. Halfwelshman
    May 22, 2012
    5
    Lake Placid pays homage to (or rips off, depending on your point of view) numerous monster movies, but mostly it's trying to be Jaws with a crocodile, as demonstrated by everything from the film's story to its cinematography to its music. Rip-off or not, it's pretty consistently entertaining throughout, with plenty of obligatory jumpy moments and dismemberment, decent creature effects, a good dose of black comedy, some pleasingly silly set pieces and a team of bickering idiots to follow as protagonists. Less satisfying is the film's script, which is pretty crude, often bordering on dumb (particularly disappointing as it comes from the usually brilliant David E. Kelly), and all characters remain woefully two-dimensional throughout the film. The cast's performances are of mixed quality - Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda are both incredibly wooden, and their characters' relationship, which is meant to be the romantic core of the film, isn't believable in the slightest, but Brendan Gleeson is good, and Betty White looks as though she is having an immense amount of fun swearing like a sailor. Lake Placid is probably the best of the 90s creature-features (though that's not saying much when your bedfellows are Arachnophobia and Anaconda), but at the end of the day you have to acknowledge that the film is utter trash. It's largely quite enjoyable trash, but it's still trash all the same.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
33 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 24
  3. Negative: 12 out of 24
  1. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: Jane Hogan
    20
    A "croc" of nonsense.
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  2. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Anthony Lane
    60
    Comes in well under the ninety-minute mark, leaving no room for bombast or overkill.
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  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    40
    Trouble is, while not trading quips, the characters actually go through the motions of being scared of the croc, menaced by the croc and so on. And since even the gator horror satire is old hat (remember ''Alligator?''), there's no remaining way to make this interesting.
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