Lake Placid

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Lake Placid

R

Released Jul 16, 1999

1h 22m

Horror

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

96 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When a mysterious creature violently kills a man in a Maine lake, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), the local game warden, looks into the bizarre case, along with Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson) and visiting paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda). Looking for clues in a tooth that the beast left behind, Kelly and the others eventually locate the monster, a massive and vicious reptile eager to devour anything in its path. Can the crocodile-like creature be stopped?

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Critics Consensus

Betty White's delightful supporting turn may be worth the price of admission alone, but Lake Placid is swamped by a smarmy script and inability to deliver on the creature feature mayhem.

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

This may be no more than a squib of a B movie, and it remains about as frightening as a fish tank, but, if you have any poetry in your soul, you will surely thrill to a film that ends with a crocodile sticking its head in a helicopter.

Nov 30, 2020

Full Review

Stephen Thompson

AV Club

The lazy finale makes Lake Placid seem more marginal and forgettable than it already was, which is actually something of a feat.

Jul 9, 2019

Full Review

Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Miner's thoroughly unimaginative visual style sees to it that "Lake Placid" is not the least bit frightening, and the entire undertaking generates maybe one decent laugh. That is, if you don't count Fonda's chronic inability to act.

Jul 9, 2019

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It's Jaws, with a croc instead of a shark.

Rated: C+

Apr 6, 2022

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Kelley is an inspired choice for a screenwriter but none of this is actually funny. Also, less than 4 minutes of screen time for the croc in a 78-minute movie? No thank you!

Rated: 2/5

Dec 30, 2020

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Everyone is quirky, witty, sarcastic, and unique, cleverly scripted to be an odd fit for a man-eating reptile flick.

Rated: 6/10

Sep 14, 2020

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Audience Member

I thought this was going to be a cheesy movie but I was surprised that it was actually a good movie with a decent cast.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/22/25

Full Review

Cierra Y

It's a great massive animal film. I loved it growing up and now my kids love it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/06/24

Full Review

Claudemir José d

Waste of time. Filme fraco de enredo.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/29/24

Full Review

Sasen M

Not that much of a good film but still it's great. It's worth a watch. Awesome and hilarious. A film for horror and comedy fans.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/24

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Jeremy H

Always loved this movie, it was great for its' time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/15/24

Full Review

Bruce M

Bill Pullman seems to be able to work with anyone. Good (not great) acting (this isn't Shakespeare). Good special effects.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/12/24

Full Review

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Steve Miner

Director

Bill Pullman

Jack Wells

Bridget Fonda

Kelly Scott

Oliver Platt

Hector Cyr

Brendan Gleeson

Sheriff Hank Keough

Betty White

Mrs. Delores Bickerman

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Synopsis

When a mysterious creature violently kills a man in a Maine lake, Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), the local game warden, looks into the bizarre case, along with Sheriff Hank Keough (Brendan Gleeson) and visiting paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda). Looking for clues in a tooth that the beast left behind, Kelly and the others eventually locate the monster, a massive and vicious reptile eager to devour anything in its path. Can the crocodile-like creature be stopped?

Director: Steve Miner
Producer: David E. Kelley, Michael Pressman
Screenwriter: David E. Kelley
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Phoenix Pictures, Rocking Chair Productions, Fox 2000 Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 16, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 2, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $31.8M
Runtime: 1h 22m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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