[7]

Bridget Fonda and Bill Pullman star in this good old fashioned creature feature about a 30-foot crocodile that begins weeding out the population of a lakeside Maine community. The script is from TV titan David E. Kelly (Boston Legal, Ally McBeal, Picket Fences), so expect the same sort of neurotic, whacky characters that populate his shows. Oliver Platt and Brendan Gleeson provide most of the comic relief, but ‘Golden Girl’ Betty White nearly steals the show as a foul-mouthed farmer who treats the monster like a pet. John Ottman pulls out the stops for a grand score and the special effects are a blend of practical animatronics from Stan Winston’s studio and computer-generated imagery (not too shabby for the late ’90s). Director Steve Miner (Friday the 13th Part 2, Friday the 13th Part 3) delivers a few memorably gory kill scenes, keeps the pace brisk, and the spirit fun.

With Meredith Salenger (The Journey of Natty Gann) and Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).