Crawl is a 2019 disaster horror film directed by Alexandre Aja (High Tension), starring Kaya Scodelario (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) and Barry Pepper (Battlefield Earth).  The story follows a daughter and father, who along with their dog, are hunted by alligators after becoming trapped in their home during a Category 5 hurricane.

Crawl manages to have a good, original story that’s thrilling and compelling.  It’s hard to make movie like this with such high stakes but it keep it intimate enough for audiences to care about the characters.  From the moment, Haley finds her father, Dave, injured things just take off constantly going from bad to worst.  The combination of the two attempting to survival alligator attacks and the hurricane itself keeps this edge of your seat easily making this one of the most intense movies in recent history.  But aside from all the death and disaster, the story does give the characters special moments where we get to see the relationship between the Haley and Dave.  It’s great for growth and connection.  We get just enough backstory that it improves our understanding of the characters and their motivations without taking away from the story.  It’s just a great story.  (5 out of 5)

Thumbs up to the main characters, Haley and her father Dave.  I really enjoyed these two characters and how well their relationship worked, especially as the two had to depend on each other.  I like how resourceful they are and how it helps to propel the story. There are a couple of times where they make incredibly stupid decisions or take trash actions without thinking.  There are a couple of supporting characters that help to flesh out both the characters and the scope of the story. I do like their presence but wished they had a little more to do outside of being eaten. Still, the story is good. (5 out of 5)

Thumbs up to Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper for just making this an enjoyable watch. They both give such good performances to the point that I believe if this was a solo act, either could’ve pulled it off by themselves.  Especially Kaya Scodelario who gives a great amount of depth. Perry I haven’t seen since Battlefield Earth (a movie I’ve enjoyed although it gets so much hate) and he just kills it.  Thumbs up to the supporting cast for their contributions as well. (5 out of 5)

Visually this is just an awesome looking movie.  Although there was a lot of CGI alligators the movie does a good job of utilizing it in a tasteful manner. The house was a great location for the film. It was utilized in a way that the house was as much an obstacle to the characters as the hurricane and alligators.  The production value is good and you can tell by how well the film looks. Thumbs up to the camera work because there are some really good shots. One of my favorite scenes is the part where Haley exits the alligator layer and she’s slowly swimming trying not to attract any unwanted attention. There’s a good use of blood and gore when we do see deaths. Admittedly, some of the CGI for the alligators isn’t the best. Some viewers can see this as distracting, I didn’t because the movie had me reeled in. (4 out of 5)

The sound design is really good. It’s consistent,  it’s impactful, it has a lot of weight behind it. I like how the alligators sound, the storm is loud and overwhelming, the water sounds immersive. The music itself is good and maintains the dark mood and rising tension. The music is pretty reserved as well. During some of the attacks the music cuts and viewers will see the brutality without it feeling like a movie. (4 out of 5)

When it comes to the direction and writing this movie is just solid. Aja shows that he knows how to build and maintain tension with likable characters. I’ve seen several of his films which I really liked High Tension (2003) and The Hills Have Eyes (2009). Horns I wasn’t a big fan. I like how he’s able to capture these certain moments that have cinematic significance. I really enjoyed the writing. The characters I thought were believable with solid personalities and motivations. Again, there are some problems with characters making dumb decisions. The course of the pacing works well without feeling overly long. The dialogue works as part of the relationship between father and daughter. And it’s done better by the delivery. But the writing works well as both a horror movie and a disaster movie. There are a lot of good scenes that just works. Especially when it comes to the violence and gore. There’s a scene where a cop gets attacked by a gang of alligators and how it was shot just looks good. Still, the writing and direction is really good and keeps this from being a generic monster movie. (4 out of 5)

In the end, Crawl is one of those gems that comes every so often and surprises you. The film has problems and it mainly centers on characters making bad decisions and some noticeable CGI. However, the performances are good, characters are good, story good, violence and gore good, and a high level of suspense. Crawl gets 5 out of 5.