Within the creatures-on-the-loose genre exists the sub-category of crocogator flicks. Believe it or not, 2007's "Lake Placid 2" is one of the better entries in this genre. In my opinion it's more entertaining than the original 1999 film, which is hard to believe since this sequel went straight-to-DVD with a much lower budget (a mere $2 million compared to $35 million). Other than the budget and the cast "Lake Placid 2" is superior in practically every way:
Although both films have a were-not-taking-this-too-seriously vibe, similar to "Crocodile" (2000) and "Alligator" (1980), "Lake Placid 2" is a little more serious than the original, which scores points in my book (but, don't get me wrong, there are quite a few funny and campy parts, like the incredibly casual way the Ranger responds toward people who have just perished).
The females are both more numerous and more alluring. One good example is Sarah Lafleur (Emma). Then you have Rachel (VJ Kewl, aka VJ Benson), stunning blonde Edi (Zhasmina Toskova) and, lastly, the secondary protagonist, Kerri (Alicia Ziegler).
The Bulgarian locations are superior to British Columbia. Not that B. C. isn't gorgeous but the story takes place in New England and Bulgaria is simply a better stand-in for Maine. (If you're not sure where Bulgaria is, it's located in Southeastern Europe by the Black Sea).
Although the cgi crocs may not look as good as the first film, the kills are better, if you're into that sort of thing.
The story, which is very similar to the original, is all-around better for what it is (a Grade-B nature-runs-amok flick).
Although the cast may not be as A-list as the first film, they came up with a good group of people led by John Schneider and all have fine chemistry together; they obviously had a fun time making this picture. John is a excellent leading man and perfect for these types of films. Some, of course, mock him because he played Bo Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard, but so what? How does that detract from his performance in this film or others of the same ilk, like "Ogre"? He's an actor/entertainer and perfectly capable of playing different roles. Incidentally, he was in his late forties during filming and still looks great -- does the man ever age?!
Other highlights include Sarah Lafleur's face and hair; she's so uniquely cute it's somehow enjoyable to just look at her. Also, there are some really laugh-out-loud moments, like the ranger's comment near the end regarding the recurring white bunny, as well as a certain quasi-villain (Sam McMurray) whom I was just starting to really like, and then... well, I can't give it away. Other cast members not mentioned yet include Chad Michael Collins as Scott, Joe Holt as Ahmad and Cloris Leachman as Sadie, the old woman who regards the crocs as her "kids."
There's not much else to say. If you're in the mood for a crocogator flick you can't go wrong with "Lake Placid 2." Yes, it's a low budget, direct-to-DVD release but it's quite entertaining for what it is and compares well with the other films of the genre. Don't give heed to the grumps who rate it so lowly; they're wrong. It's almost on par with "Crocodile" and "Alligator" and in many ways better than the original "Lake Placid."
The movie runs 88 minutes.
GRADE: B-