Lake Placid: Legacy
young idiot #1 "Whoever was here before, they left in a hurry."
young idiot #2: "Yeah, so they wouldn't get killed."
release year: 2018
genre: monster horror
viewing setting: home streaming 4/21/23
synopsis: A group of the world's dumbest youth venture to an abandoned research facility, but few of them live to regret it.
impressions: This one revolved around a group of young protestors/eco-terrorists/idiots who feel the need to expose "the truth" and/or take up a vague challenge from a former friend who had a falling-out with them. They then go to this remote place at their own expense, and find that it's not as empty as it should be. I'll just say this: following a dare (in a way that is a crime) from someone who hates you is stupid...but doing it in a dangerous place despite all the warning signs is monumentally stupid. This one was made for television, I'm guessing, so it's light on the gore and has no nudity or profanity. Other notable elements: random guts found in the wild...legless dead body high up in tree...many underground explorations in the dark...an evil corporation...focus on suspense not just the monster...scientific babbling...possible origin for the first movie...seemingly only one crocodile...people wasting time when the water's rising...the croc apparently teleporting from the narrow hallways of the facility to the lake outside...weak characters who can't descend on ropes, swim underwater, or deal with seeing dead bodies...a croc-vs-steamshovel confrontation...a twist at the end.
body count: 7 confirmed/seen + 1 body found in tree
acting: Katherine Barrell and Sai Bennett are two sisters who, frankly, I couldn't tell apart (to be fair, most of the movie was so dark that these two similar-looking young blonde women really did look the same covered in dirt and blood.) Tim Rozon was the leader of the group, although his effectiveness is in question since he led them to their deaths. Luke Newton is the brainy one, who does things like hack security systems and figure out how to get cell reception in time of crisis. Craig Stein looks like a distant but smaller cousin of Vin Diesel, except he complains all the time instead of doing anything useful. Alisha Bailey is the tough guide who unfortunately gets crippled by a leg injury early on. Joe Pantoliano is a shifty scientist.
final word: Worth seeing once, but by far the weakest in the series.
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