Crawl: a senseless gorefest featuring alligators, or a dramatic piece of quality, predator-themed storytelling? More like a thoughtful blend of both making for a meaty concoction. And while the film isn’t without its flaws, there’s a lot of fun to be had along the way.

In the onset of a major hurricane, professional swimming athlete, Haley (Kaya Scodelario, Maze Runner: The Death Cure) decides to check on her estranged father, Dave (Barry Pepper, also Maze Runner: The Death Cure), who resides in the path of the storm. But when she finds him severely wounded in the crawlspace of his house, she realizes escaping the storm will be significantly more difficult when they also have to escape the surrounding rabid alligators.

There are many times in Crawl where the plot points are nonsensical and components of the narrative are completely dispensable. But regardless of how inconsequential many of the narrative decisions are, it all contributes to the film’s thrilling entertainment value.

And while she’s not given quite the same space to shine as Blake Lively had in The Shallows, Scodelario offers a convincing performance that grounds this otherwise campy concept in a way that makes suspending disbelief easier. Her performance combined with thematic storytelling, fast paced action, and genuine jump scares keeps Crawl fun and fresh.

Through childhood swim training, Dave teaches Haley to think of herself as an apex predator compared to her competitors. In the pool thriller films, Crawl is certainly among the apex predators of rabid animal flicks.

Acting and Casting - 2 | Visual Effects and Editing - 2 | Story and Message - 1 | Entertainment Value - 2 | Music Score and Soundtrack - 1 | Reviewer's Preference - 1 | What does this mean?