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Dark Age

Play trailer Poster for Dark Age R 1988 1h 30m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 40% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
An Australian government ranger (John Jarratt) and two Aboriginal Australians hunt a legendary 25-foot crocodile.

Critics Reviews

View All (6) Critics Reviews
Luke Buckmaster Guardian Nicholson's aesthetic and thematic impulses collide with a striking, jittery sort of panache. Jul 9, 2019 Full Review Tim Brayton Alternate Ending [An] especially fine example of Australian killer animal cinema. Rated: 3.5/5 Jun 25, 2020 Full Review Rob Hunter Film School Rejects Arch Nicholson's late 80s entry is well worth revisiting as it manages more than a few thrills while also being something of an atypical entry in the giant animal category. Jul 9, 2019 Full Review Scott Clark Starburst Horror fans will be pleasantly horrified to find John Jarratt, no infamous worldwide as Wolf Creek's sadistic serial killer, turning it out as a lovable ranger. Rated: 6/10 Dec 14, 2017 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It's well-produced and acted, and an intelligent environmental adventure film results. Rated: B- Mar 23, 2016 Full Review Glenn Heath Jr. Not Coming to a Theater Near You What makes Dark Age most horrific though, and indicative of the complexities the horror genre can engage, is the thought that people can so effortlessly overlook the epic variations of natural power hovering just beneath the surface. Oct 14, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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brandon s The best of all "killer croc" films. Its still not an amazing film by any stretch, but its better and far more interesting than any other killer croc films. A realistic northern Australian locale and an absolutely unique premise (the crocodile is just an animal, not a monster, the humans are the problem) make it a much more rewarding watch than any other killer croc film. The animatronic crocodile is also anatomically accurate for a large saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), compared to the non-specific crocodyliforms usually shown in films of this type. Some of the performances are well above the usually quality for a film like this. Its no Jaws (really, what films are?), but its definitely one of the better animal attack films and worth a watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/18/22 Full Review Audience Member ) Enjoyable beast movie held up by the indigenous Australian themes woven throughout. Acting is solid except for Ray Meagher's rubbish performance as the wildlife department head. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting little oddity that was kinda lost for a while. One of the many Jaws ripoffs to get churned out, but this one takes a strange turn halfway through, where the Croc is no longer the threat, but rather a victim. It features some intense sequences and a great score and one particularly shocking scene. It's cool too how they explore some of the aboriginals beliefs. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/04/18 Full Review Audience Member Pretty good ozploitation picture with very good creature effects. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member As with any Ozploitation films, particularly from the late 80s, most of the action contained has well and truly become ironically hilarious. There is some value here simply because of the fact that this is set in the rare location of far north Queensland, along with the fact it features a pre-Alf Stewar Ray Meagher and that the score is actually pretty kick ass. Outside of that, it's what you'd expect, thankfully, not too culturally insensitive as you might have feared. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member There has been so many rip offs of Jaws since its release in 1975 that many animals and other creatures have been used as a plot device to terrorize the inhabitants of a town whether it's on sea or land. With Dark Age, the sinister beast is a giant crocodile that wrecks havoc. This is a good movie that takes place in the Australian outback. John Jarrat (who would later play the villain in Wolf Creek) stars as Steve Harris, the ranger tasked with hunting the giant croc. This is a well thought out creature feature that has a good plot and effective acting to keep you interested. However this is an overlooked gem, as many other croc themed films have surfaced since, and this one is kind of a forgotten low budget B movie. The film relies on a good sense of atmosphere and slow pacing to steadily build up the fear and dread in the viewer. Director Arch Nicholson crafts a very good pulse pounding nature gone wild film that is much darker than other films in the genre. The tone is more serious and never tongue in cheek. There are also some pretty good kill scenes and the croc has a serious appetite and feeds on just about anything. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and I think it is a standout film in the genre with a good plot, good acting and a dark, ominous score that adds to the experience, you owe it to yourself to check this film out as it is a smartly crafted horror film that just doesn't go right into the action, but slowly builds up the fear right up till the first kill. There have been quite a few croc films, but I have to say that Dark Age is one of the best that I have seen. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Dark Age

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis An Australian government ranger (John Jarratt) and two Aboriginal Australians hunt a legendary 25-foot crocodile.
Director
Arch Nicholson
Producer
Basil Appleby
Screenwriter
Sonia Borg
Production Co
RKO Radio Pictures, FGH, The Australian Film Commission
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 30m